Chicago Will No Longer Respond to Some 911 Calls
February 05, 2013 05:00 PM EST
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Chicago will no longer respond to 911 calls where the offender is no longer on the scene of the crime. The crimes impacted could include "burglaries, thefts, and simple assault" if the victim is not thought to be in immediate danger.
The "austere new measure," as reported by Beth Stebner of the Daily Mail, "will allow officers to work on beats rather than filing paperwork." Will the lack of a police officer immediately at the scene of a crime result in valuable evidence being destroyed? It is distressing that people will not be able to count on law enforcement for these types of "simple" crimes, which can be quite devastating.
Stebner continues to report that "no cop will be dispatched" for "robberies, garage burglaries, and property damage...unless the suspect is still on-scene and there is still a present danger for those around." Will this move empower criminals to engage in more crime? The author reveals that Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy cites a startling statistic, "as it stands, Chicago officers respond to around 70 percent of 911 calls, as opposed to around 30 percent for other cities." It would be interesting to know the break-down of the calls, as some 911 calls are admittedly frivolous.
Considering that only 25% of murders are solved in America's murder capital, it is not a stretch to believe that an even lower percentage of "simple crimes" will be solved.
Image Source: Reuters via Daily Mail
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