More than 100 officers were officially welcomed to the Chicago Police Department force Wednesday at a graduation ceremony that comes at time when the city is under intense scrutiny for violent crime.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police superintendent Garry McCarthy both spoke at the event and highlighted numbers showing a reduction in violent crime in the city.
"But while our overall homicides are down 41-42 percent, our overall shootings are down 29 percent and crime overall in the city is down 12 percent on top of last year's 8.5 percent, you do not bear the burden alone of reducing crime. You play a central role. While there is policing, there is also parenting," Rahm said.
Rahm also emphasized two more of his four Ps of reducing crime -- prevention and penalties -- saying they all have to work together in order to be effective.
McCarthy emphasized that the new officers will be "given the tools to make a difference on a daily basis."
"Percentages don't make a difference, what makes a difference is less victims," McCarthy said.
"We still have a long way to go because we still have an unacceptable amount of violence in Chicago.
