Chicago: Look to the ‘Beat Officer’ for Effective Solutions to Combat Mass Shootings
Mass shootings in Chicago can be prevented if we can return to proactive policing
Over the extended Fourth of July holiday weekend, Chicago saw unprecedented violence, specifically mass shootings and mass stabbings. With a weekend filled with brutality, one must ask: How can these mass shootings be prevented and is this even possible? What has led to these mass shootings? Why do the police seem to be limited in their actions, and what are the reasons? Are side forces influencing this?
When most people think about mass shootings, especially in schools, they sometimes wonder if they are somehow related to one another. However, that is not what we are talking about here. We are talking about the widespread mass shootings taking place in public streets, walkways, front yards, and backyard parties, with the one common thread being that they are all happening in public places.
Allow me to enlighten you about something that many people probably neither want to hear, nor want to talk about, especially police officers and, without a doubt, police leadership. First, although mass shootings have become commonplace and widespread, nobody thinks to ask a beat police officer how these incidents can be reduced or prevented. This critical question seems beneath those in positions of leadership. Instead, they are asking police leadership, which is in large part being controlled by politics, to weigh in and take action. If you do not think Brandon Johnson and his team speak to Superintendent Larry Snelling, as a mayor would with any police chief in any community, and tell them exactly how to respond to inquiries about the mass violence, you are naive.
A common thread in most of these mass shootings is that the offenders (shooters) know at least one person in the crowd. If it's an outside event, in most cases, the shooter seems to be targeting a large gathering or party and they are typically using automatic weapons, sometimes high-capacity. I can assure you every time the radio call goes out to Chicago Police, the officers sitting in their squad cars say to themselves or their partner: "Here we go again." While mass street shootings are becoming a common occurrence all year round, they are only accelerated by the warm weather months.
How did we get here? Well, you can look not only at the way citizens view police, but also at our state and local legislators, as well as, in some cases, media outlets. I will start with residents: This social phenomenon all goes back to the defund the police movement. During that period, officers felt targeted, vilified, with many citizens joining the cause not only to defund the police but to get rid of officers altogether. Then we have our state legislators who constantly criticize police and policing, try to pass legislation, and in some cases do, to defund the police, which means taking away the tools that enable officers to fulfill their duties.
Next, you have certain police command personnel and, in some cases, politicians, who discourage the police from enforcing the law. Finally, you have media outlets that constantly slam the police. It seems every Chicago crime reporter wants to be considered for the Pulitzer Prize by publishing hit pieces on the Chicago Police Department, or what I would characterize as an ambush feature story.
All the criticism leveled at law enforcement demoralizes officers and fuels the attitude of police officers that it is no use and they should just put in the time. What I mean by that is that the officers will only respond to the calls they receive; there is no preventative patrol going on. In Chicago's case, they are understaffed by an estimated 2,000 personnel. Morale is down -- no police officer wants to be the subject of the next YouTube video.
The media has created an atmosphere where reporters lie in wait to pounce on any possible police wrongdoing, perceived or otherwise. Chicago media has made it their mission to disseminate information so that citizens can contact them about possible misdeeds and send them anonymous e-mails. Investigative journalists also create a cascade of negative police coverage. This is why police officers now only show up to collect their paycheck and earn their pension.
I worked for 37 years in law enforcement, including 13 years as Chief of Police, in the suburban city of Riverside. While Riverside is not Chicago, there are many similarities between the two in terms of policing itself. When you demoralize individual police officers or an entire force, for those of you who think that's just some kind of fluff, understand that it has devastating effects. You will see police officers engaging in no self-initiated activities, neither entering the community to find out what is going on, nor having residents give the beat officers tips on what is happening and what will happen. None of that is happening. All the police officers are doing is responding to calls and cleaning up the mess.
You may read this and think I am disillusioned with policing, but that is not the case. Law enforcement is one of the most honorable professions I know. I am disheartened by the way that community activists, clergy, and particularly elected lawmakers are attempting to tear policing down, gut the profession, and claim it as societal progress. Let’s be clear: If you want to stop some or most of the mass shootings and violent crimes in Chicago, start backing your police. This does not mean Chicago should wink at officer misconduct; there are always bad employees in every profession, including law enforcement. However, the difference is that today when we have an example of police misconduct, we tend to condemn the entire profession.
When we, as individuals and as a society, begin to reclaim a respect for our honorable officers in blue, we will see police once again returning to self-initiated activity, interacting with the community to gather leads on what is going to happen in the future and who to talk to in the neighborhood. If officers feel citizens support them and politicians and media back them, morale will return to the ranks.
You may think I'm blowing off steam, but I can assure you these are the conversations taking place inside the Chicago Police beat cars when they pull out of roll call. And remember, they already have five to six jobs waiting for them the minute they leave the parking lot. Let’s listen to what they have to say and give them the support they deserve so that together we can restore safety and well-being to our communities.
Tom Weitzel retired from the Riverside, Illinois, Police Department in May of 2021 after 37 years in law enforcement and 13 years as Chief of Police. Opinions are his own. Follow him on X @chiefweitzel.
