City's Crime (Sort Of) Down

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 4, 2009 4:00PM

A year ago, the City was reeling from two jarring violent acts: the death of Chicago Police officer Richard Francis, killed in the line of duty, and a shoot-out in the Loop following the Taste of Chicago. And while there have certainly been outbreaks of violence this year, City officials are touting new numbers that show crime is down in 2009. The first six months of the year have seen a 10.4 percent decrease in crime and a 12.7 decrease in homicides (199 versus 229 last year). Embattled police superintendent Jody Weis said, "While our ultimate goal is to see the number zero for murders in Chicago, the 12.7 percent drop in homicides through June is a positive sign that our efforts to curb violence are having an impact."

Of course, considering last year's homicide rate was the highest in five years, the (slightly) lower numbers are more a return to normal than a real decrease and the police department just recently lost another of its officers in the line of duty. Which couldn't have helped already low morale in the CPD. Oh, and police arrested a guy with a loaded shotgun at the Taste last night. So...yeah.