I know a few Chicago cops. Two of them are now former Chicago cops. Outstanding people. Great tacticians, and good-to-go, downright excellent people that I’d want covering my 6. Two of them have many years in SWAT.
Sadly, I feel for my brothers and sisters in blue who work in the Windy City. That place is crazy. It’s been called Chiraq because there’s so much action there. But it’s not the violent action that makes me feel for these guys and gals, it’s the politics.
According to one article City Alderman Anthony Beale, the former chairman of the City Council’s Police Committee, said, “Overtime is totally out of control. Arrests are down. Stops are down. Crime is up. All we’re doing is paying people to do nothing.”
Yep. That’s what happens with poor leadership and an anti-police culture. It’s not the cops’ fault, and there’s certainly a lot more to the story, but among these complexities, it cannot be denied that there is a social and political trending against police and what society can ever be great without law and order. In Chicago, the problem has, historically, always been violent criminal gangs. Cops are the ones who are tasked to stop them, but when they endeavor to do this, they get hammered or stymied by their own leadership.
I seriously wonder, how do they expect to meet recruiting goals? How do they expect to encourage anyone to get into law enforcement when the future of policing looks so bleak?
I love working as a police officer. A lot of that satisfaction comes from trusting the men and women who work beside me, as well as the leaders above me. Hopefully things will improve in Chicago, but I’m not holding my breath. It’s time the silent majority actually starts recognizing that police are needed and an important part of every community.
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the position of Guns.com.
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