The year 2021 has just ended and our crime situation really needs a significant improvement. We ended the year with a record 197 homicides after a record 190 homicides in 2020. This calls for us to be thinking creatively to get a handle on the crime situation. On New Year’s Eve a man was shot on the northside outside a restaurant where he worked. He was critical at the time he was taken to a hospital. The next day five people were shot including a nine -year-old boy plus one homicide. The following day a 16-year-old girl working at a restaurant was shot and killed during an attempt robbery. The man shot on the 31st has since been declared brain dead. These crimes are shaking our community to the soul, and between the reckless driving has many people scared to leave their homes. When stopped at a red light and it turns green, you need to look both ways before proceeding.
There is generational change in the city with a new Police Chief and Acting Mayor. The mayor election will be held shortly to finish out the term of former Mayor Barrett. This is the time for strong leadership for everyone involved. This is the middle of winter and things are this bad, can you imagine what things will be like this summer? Acting Mayor Johnson states he is looking at ways to curb reckless driving including hiring retired auto squad detectives with the extra federal money he has. I would go a step further and hire retired homicide detectives to follow up on the numerous homicides in the city. When I was still on the job, we routinely cleared up to 80% of the homicides where now it is at about 40%. People are getting away with murder.
If I were Chief, I would cancel all off days and vacations for one month to put extra squads out on the street. In addition, I would put the Captains and Lieutenants out with the officers on the street to make sure everyone is on the same page. The Inspectors would also be out for an all-out push. The Chief and Assistant Chief should also be out directing and hitting certain areas. This may seem a little extreme, but these are extreme times. Lastly, I would ask the mayor to call the Governor and get the State Patrol to patrol our expressway during this time. Then those sheriff squads could come into the city and provide even more extra patrols.
Some people might not agree with this, but we must turn this around, and soon.