Top Cop Attends Police Summit To Mull City Violence

Community activists call for reform in police training

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson joined several other chiefs from around the country, as well as the FBI, in Chicago to discuss how to curb violence that they say has been on the rise throughout the nation.

“All of us basically have the exact same issues in all of our cities,” Johnson said. “I did get some thoughtful ideas but I won’t share them right now … I don’t want to give away the game plan.”

According to the Major Cities Chiefs Police Association, crime numbers including homicides, rapes and aggravated assaults, continue to rise in the U.S.—including Chicago where crime in the city has made national headlines.

Community activists says police need to figure out how to prevent shootings from happening.

“The police have to implement new strategies when it comes down to intelligence levels, detecting potential shootings on the front end, and preventing those shootings,” Chicago activist Tio Hardiman.

The Rev. Michael Pfleger says Chicago officers need retraining so they can better deal with the community and possibly prevent questionable police-involved shootings.

“We need to train the whole police department, put them back through training to deal with the crisis in Chicago right now,” he said.

Johnson said the department is currently examining its fundamental training and it will be altered if any changes are deemed necessary by officials. 

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