At mayor’s request, state troopers deployed to Chicago
Illinois State Police are on their way to Chicago to work with the city’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit as of Thursday.
Starting at District 11 on the West Side, a new crime-fighting effort will bring forty officers with the Illinois State Police in to help the unit track down wanted criminals.
It is yet another tactic that Mayor Rahm Emanuel is using to try and reduce the violence. Last week, he announced the agreement with Governor Pat Quinn. “When I brought it to the governor, he quickly turned around and said ‘yes, we’re in.’ They’re going to give us 40 state troopers, work over the next 40 days, evaluate its effectiveness,” Emanuel said last week.
The police superintendent welcomes the help. “More means we can go out and arrest more wanted people,” said Supt. Garry McCarthy, Chicago Police Department.
But Wednesday night, police insiders tell me there may be more people working, but not necessarily more resources. For example, state police will not be using their own vehicles, instead there will likely be four officers – two from the city, two from the state – per car, meaning the same number of units.
In the meantime, an FBI spokeswoman says the agency continues to use agents in Chicago, and some will be dispatched to high-crime areas.
The FBI would not released further information about concentrated deployments.
Thoughts about the Illinois State Police department deploying members of its force to Chicago?
Will it make a difference in the number of criminal instances in the city?
Sound off below!