WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is serving notice he’s ready to “send in the Feds” if Chicago can’t reduce its homicide figures.
Trump tweeted Tuesday night: “If Chicago doesn’t fix the horrible ‘carnage’ going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!”
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson responded late Tuesday, saying: “The Chicago Police Department is more than willing to work with the federal government to build on our partnerships with DOJ (Department of Justice), FBI, DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) and ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) and boost federal prosecution rates for gun crimes in Chicago.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel criticized Trump on Monday for worrying about the size of the crowd at his inauguration. Emanuel, a longtime political ally of former President Barack Obama, also acknowledged his own frustration with Chicago’s crime rate.
Earlier this month, before he took office, Trump tweeted that Emanuel should ask for federal help if he isn’t able to bring down the homicide rate. Last year, the death toll soared to 762 — the most killings in the city in nearly two decades and more than New York and Los Angeles combined.
This year’s numbers cited by Trump were slightly different to the latest tally from the Chicago Police Department. As of Tuesday, Chicago police said 234 people have been shot in 2017, including 38 who died. At this point last year, according to Chicago police, there had been 227 shot in 2016, including 33 deaths.
Trump isn’t offering specifics about how the federal government could help. The White House website says: “Our country needs more law enforcement, more community engagement and more effective policing.”
- Posted January 26, 2017
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Trump warns he's ready to 'send in the Feds' to Chicago
headlines Detroit
- Innocence Clinic helps exonerate man more than 22 years after wrongful murder conviction
- GOP nominated Supreme Court candidates behind in funding, but hope a message of change can secure victory
- NCSC and partners equip courts to recover from cyber-attacks and disasters
- Detroit murder conviction overturned 22 years later because of police misconduct
- Daily Briefs
headlines National
- Unbeknownst to corporate lawyer, scammers used her name to file thousands of trademark applications
- Judge accuses high-profile law firms of possible effort to ‘gum up the works’
- Lawyer accused of ‘egregious acts of dishonesty,’ gambling with client cash gets disbarred
- Ex-BigLaw partner hit with prison time, $4.2M restitution order in tax case
- Artificial intelligence in the legal field ‘will lead to an exciting evolution in the ecosystem,’ Airia CEO says
- Florida lawyer says she used trust account funds to avoid becoming homeless