Weis on Sitting Down with Gang Leaders: It Worked

By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 14, 2011 3:00PM

Remember when Police Superintendent Jody Weis met with gang leaders last August, warned them that he would hold them responsible for murders committed by their foot soldiers and would make their lives unbearable if the killings didn't stop? Remember all the politicians who said the Police Superintendent shouldn't be negotiating with street gangs when news spread of Weis' summit? Weis held a news conference yesterday at Police Headquarters to tout the success of that summit, showing that murders in the Harrison District on the West side have decreased since he and other law enforcement officials met with the gang leaders.

From January of last year until Aug. 17, 34 murders were committed in the Harrison District. After the summit, the district only saw 15 murders. Weis attributed the decrease to the meeting and following through on the ultimatum. Weis said the Police Department has developed a "social network" of gang intelligence, vice and patrol officers' insights at the street level and arrest data to show links between gang members, allowing the department to better target enforcement. "The numbers speak for themselves," Weis said. "It wouldn't be very good negotiations if almost 200 people were arrested. It's a significant reduction in violence in the 11th District."