Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday said his plan to attack gangs and drugs in Chicago's neighborhoods is showing success but there remains more work to be done.
"I am pleased that the police department is doing hard work [and] getting results, but to any individual parent or parents or a grandmother, there's only one fact in their life when their child's a victim," Emanuel said Thursday during a visit to 4th District headquarters.
The purpose of his stop at the south side station was to announce the takedown of two drug markets that were allegedly operating on opposite sides of the city. In one case, a two-month investigation lead to the arrest of eight people, he said. Nine others are still being sought. A three-month investigation in another case resulted in 12 arrests. Five others are being sought in that case, he said.
Both investigations were launched after complaints and tips by residents, the mayor's office said.
"If the community feels like they have ownership and a role to play in securing the safety that is then been provided by the police, you will have long-term success," said Emanuel.
The mayor said the CompStat program and the migration of 570 officers from administrative functions to the streets have been key in bringing Chicago's crime rate down nearly nine percent this year.
"I am proud, now I'm not satisfied -- I don't know anyone in the police department who would say that -- even though we're seeing some dramatic drops in crime," said Emanuel. "Those set of statistics are very little comfort when you have a mother on the phone whose child may have been shot in the leg, may have been shot in the arm or worse."
