Emanuel blames Chicago crime uptick on officers second-guessing themselves
John ByrneContact ReporterChicago Tribune
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday stood by his contention that Chicago police officers are becoming "fetal" out of concern they will get in trouble for actions during arrests, blaming officers second-guessing themselves in the wake of high-profile incidents for rising crime rates in Chicago and elsewhere.
Last week, the mayor was part of a meeting in Washington, D.C., with Attorney General Loretta Lynch and a group of mayors and police officials from across the nation to discuss a spike in homicides and other crime.
"We have allowed our Police Department to get fetal, and it is having a direct consequence. They have pulled back from the ability to interdict … they don't want to be a news story themselves, they don't want their career ended early, and it's having an impact," Emanuel said, according to the Washington Post.
On Monday, Emanuel pointed to that tentativeness as one of the causes of an increase in crime here this year. "What happened post-Baltimore, what happened post-Ferguson is having an impact," Emanuel said. "And I still believe recent events over the last year or 18 months have had an impact. And officers will tell you that. And I tried to speak up for the good officers that are doing community policing that make up the men and women of the Chicago Police Department."
Emanuel's decision to blame violent crime increases in part on the after-effects of the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody in Baltimore and the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., cases that led to rioting in those cites, comes as Chicago sees violence on the uptick.
September was Chicago's deadliest month since 2002, with 60 homicides. Through Sept. 27, homicides and shooting incidents had risen 21 percent from the year-earlier period, Police Department numbers show. Most of the City Council's black aldermen last week called for Emanuel to fire police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, but the mayor said he supports his top cop.
On Monday, the mayor said a group of beat officers told him recently that they have begun to hesitate before stopping people on the street for fear they could get in trouble.
"Officers themselves are telling me about how the news over the last 15 months impacted their instincts: Do they stop or do they keep driving?" Emanuel said at an unrelated news conference. "When I stop here, is it going to be my career on the line? And that's an honest conversation. And all of us who want officers to be proactive, to be able to do community policing in a proactive way, have to encourage them, so it's not their job on the line or that judgment call all the time that if they stop, this could be a career-ender."
The president of the union representing rank-and-file Chicago officers said police are concerned about increasingly being under the microscope, but he denied officers are laying down on the job.
"They don't stop policing. They're a very resilient group," said Dean Angelo, president of Lodge 7 of the Fraternal Order of Police. "They're out there working their buns off, and they're looking for a fair shake. They go to work and positively impact people in their everyday lives."
Chicago Tribune's Jeremy Gorner contributed.
Twitter @_johnbyrne
Copyright © 2015, Chicago Tribune
Former Chicago schools chief to plead guilty today, source says
Jason MeisnerChicago Tribune
Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett is expected to plead guilty Tuesday to charges she steered multimillion-dollar no-bid contracts to an education consulting firm in exchange for kickbacks and other perks she thought would net her at least $2.3 million, a source said.
Byrd-Bennett is set to appear before U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang for her arraignment at 10 a.m. The judge would have to make sure Byrd-Bennett is competent to enter a guilty plea so early in the proceedings, and would have to approve any plea deal.
Winds of change blow through Wrigley as Cubs pound Cardinals in Game 3
As he flipped his bat with flair, Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber practically posed for posterity and brought a rapt Wrigley Field crowd of 42,411 to its feet on the rarest of October nights.
Cameras clicked. White "W" towels waved. Joyful screams erupted. Schwarber's second-inning, opposite-field home run in the Cubs' 8-6 victory over the Cardinals provided what felt like Monday's time-capsule moment. And, for a brief moment, it was.
Cubs top Cardinals in historic 8-6 win
The Cubs made history in their 8-4 win Monday night by hitting six home runs, the most home runs ever hit in a playoff game.
Feds reject school district's plan for transgender student, locker room
Duaa Eldeib and Robert McCoppinChicago Tribune
The battle for equal access for transgender students is pitting Illinois' largest high school district against federal authorities.
At issue is locker room access for a transgender high school student in Palatine-based Township High School District 211. The student, who identifies as female, is asking that she receive full access to the girls' locker room.
Citing privacy concerns, the district has denied the request and instead offered a separate room where the student can change.
Emilia Clarke named Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive
Leanne ItalieAssociated Press
It's most definitely Emilia Clarke's year.
The 28-year-old Londoner, who plays menacing, white-haired Daenerys Targaryen, aka Khaleesi, aka Mother of Dragons on "Game of Thrones," is Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive.
The magazine made the announcement early Tuesday, but GQ got there first, anointing Clarke Woman of the Year in September.
In addition to her high-profile role on the massively popular HBO series, Clarke was Sarah Connor in the summer movie hit "Terminator: Genisys."
She can do fierce, but also friendly.
Emanuel, aldermen take Cubs up on face-value ticket offer
Hal Dardick and Bill RuthhartChicago Tribune
If you're an alderman or the mayor, coveted Cubs playoff tickets at face value aren't so hard to come by.
The team offered each of the city's 50 aldermen a pair of terrace reserved tickets on the first level under the balcony at the standard price of $64 to $74 each, team spokesman Julian Green said Monday.
Although aldermen are sometimes called to vote on issues affecting the Cubs, including the approval of some elements of the team's ongoing Wrigley Field renovation, Green said he saw nothing wrong with the offer.
Alshon Jeffery's lingering absence testing Bears' patience
Rich CampbellChicago Tribune
Three players caught passes on the Bears' 67-yard game-winning touchdown drive against the Chiefs, none of them named Alshon Jeffery.
Six Bears had at least one catch in Sunday's 18-17 win while Jeffery watched from the sideline.
In fact, nine Bears have at least one reception since Week 1, and Jeffery is not among them.
So when is that going to change? When is the Bears' injured No. 1 receiver coming back?
Even if coach John Fox knew, he wouldn't publicize it.
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