So far over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, violence in Chicago is down from last year, and Chicago Police are crediting stepped up patrols and more visibility for the downturn in shootings.
After the 2016 Memorial Day weekend saw six people killed and over 60 wounded in a wave of shootings, the number of shootings in 2017 is down. According to the Chicago Police Department’s News Affairs division, there have been 19 shootings in Chicago over the weekend and none of them have resulted in fatalities as of 5 p.m. Sunday.
Part of the credit for the decreased violence has been given to the extra patrol officers that are on duty over the weekend, with 1300 additional police officers on the streets and in high-traffic areas of the city.
1300 additional police officers are on the street this weekend, and as of 5:00 p.m. Sunday, there have been zero fatal shootings in Chicago this weekend.
“We want strict enforcement and high visibility,” Chief Fred Waller of the Chicago Police Department said. “We want to make sure that the citizens know that they can have a safe Memorial Day weekend.”
Police have also stepped up raids over the weekend, cracking down on gang activity and seizing guns and drugs. They anticipate that those raids will continue, with the stepped up patrols set to last through early Tuesday morning.
