By John Dempsey, WLS-AM 890 News
(CHICAGO) Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson is battling a surging crime rate in Chicago that has the city topping 700 homicides for the first time in nearly 20 years, and he talked about how to fight the problem this morning on WLS.
Johnson told “The Big John and Ray Show” that one of the most important things on his list is getting Illinois lawmakers to pass a bill that would impose longer prison sentences for repeat gun offenders. “One of the ways to fix it right now is for the legislators to help us with this gun bill in terms of holding repeat gun offenders accountable for their crimes. The sentencing should reflect what the crime is and right now that’s not happening.”
Johnson says current Illinois laws do not mandate enough prison time for repeat gun offenders, and he says that has made criminals more brazen, and unafraid of the consequences of their actions. In a speech Tuesday at the City Club of Chicago Johnson said Chicago gang members think the Illinois judicial system is “a joke.”
He told WLS that has to change. “You know right now a first time conviction for illegal gun on average is six months in prison. The second time is a little over a year and a half. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth times, you know, it’s a little over two years. There’s something wrong with that program.”
Listen to Supt.Johnson on live with Big John and Ray here.
Most of Chicago’s homicides have taken place in black neighborhoods on the South and West sides of the city, and Johnson said black parents must do a better job of raising their children.
“We have to do a better job of parenting especially in the minority communities” Johnson told WLS, “You know, you have to step up and be a mother. Step up and be a father. When you know that someone is deficient in that area then you have to reach back and help them too, but then we also have to give those individuals a little bit more support in terms of being a parent.”
@ 2016 WLS-AM News
