City to send Police Patrols Overnight in Chicago Parks

 Posted on December 06, 2013 in Your Rights

Officials in the city of Chicago are aware of the prevalence of violent crime in Chicago parks. Four days after the FBI claimed that Chicago was the murder capital of the United States, more violence broke out in the city. An outburst of shooting occurred on September 20^th at Cornell Square Park on the south side of Chicago. Waves of gunfire left 13 people wounded including a couple of teenagers and three year old boy. The shooting was considered to be gang-related as some of the victims were known gang-members.

In response to theseviolent crimes, the police department of Chicago started paying overtime to officers in high crime neighborhoods of the city for an initiative called “Operation Impact”. Overtime pay for 2013 is estimated to be around $100 million.

More recently, the police department instituted a new plan to keep the parks safe through the night. Off-duty police officers are to be paid overtime wages for patrolling 20 of the city’s most dangerous parks. The names of the parks have not been released yet, but will be decided based on the last three years of crime statistics. This new initiative started in November of 2013. Paying overtime to existing officers seems cheaper than hiring a large amount of rookie officers according to a statement by Chicago police chief Garry McCarthy.

Mayor Rahm Emanuelhas agreed that the safety of Chicago’s parks is a top priority of his. He even stated that “The parks in the city of Chicago belong to families of Chicago, the streets of the city of Chicago belong to families of Chicago, the front stoops of our homes belong to the families of the city of Chicago. You go out there and enjoy our city.”

If you have been arrested for a crime then it is important to have a legal professional to protect your rights. Whether you are charged with a misdemeanor or a felony, the effects can be life altering. You could lose your job, be rejected by colleges, or worse spend time in prison. Contact an experienced criminal defense attorney in Cook County today to review your case.