Commander David Harris | CPD
Commander David Harris | CPD
Arrests made by the Chicago Police Department have plummeted over the past three years, according to the city's Office of Inspector General.
In November 2019, for example, Chicago Police made 6,635 arrests compared to just 3,001 in November 2022, representing a reduction of 55%.
By the end of this year, arrests in the city of Chicago will be roughly half what they were in 2019.
The drastic decline in arrests began in March 2020 as COVID-19 emerged and Gov. JB Pritzker issued his first of 36 disaster proclamations.
Months later, violence erupted in Chicago and across the nation as Black Lives Matter protesters reacted to the choking death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In the Loop, demonstrations intensified in late May 2020 to the point that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot requested backup from the Illinois National Guard for Chicago Police.
At the time, in many urban areas of the U.S., activists and some politicians called for defunding police. Chicago Ward 41 Alderman Anthony Napolitano even introduced a resolution on June 17, 2020, stipulating that "If you don’t want police in your ward, agree to reallocate them to a ward that wants them."
Arrests typically peak in warm weather months. In July 2019, Chicago Police made 8,241 arrests. In July 2020, there were 3,752 arrests; in July 2021, there were 3,347 arrests and in July 2022, there were 3,531 arrests.
Total arrests in 2019 numbered 85,714; in 2020, there were 51,609 arrests; in 2021 there were 37,918 arrests; and through Dec. 1, 2022, there have been 38,319 arrests.
While the total number of arrests since 2019 have dropped precipitously in the city of Chicago, the number of arrests for murder have increased.
In 2019, there were 469 murder arrests; in 2020, there were 557 murder arrests; in 2021 there were 532 murder arrests and through Dec. 1, 2022, there have been 493 murder arrests.
A Nov. 29 article in CWB Chicago reported a recent exchange between WLS radio host Steve Cochran and Chicago Police Commander (1st District) David Harris, whose command includes the Loop. Harris "bragged" about reductions in crime since he assumed his position in June.
Harris said that robbery was down 55%; aggravated batteries were down 41% and burglaries were down 42%. He also said that overall crime was down 44%.
"Every one of those claims is categorically and provably false," the article states.
"Robberies since June are not down 55%. They’re up 2.3% compared to the same time last year. Aggravated batteries are not down 41%. They’re up 2.7%. And burglaries are not down 42%. They’re up 1.5%."
Another visual of CPD arrests since 2019: