Chicago City Wire

John Kass ripped into WLS-AM and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for their silence on false claims by a district commander claiming crime is down by 40%. 

Kass's comments are in regard to Chicago Police Department Commander David Harris, who was recently caught lying about his district's crime rates. Harris allegedly told WLS-AM host Steve Cochran crime was down when it is actually higher.  

“CWB listed the Chicago Police Department's own statistical district by district breakdown of crime and it was all a lie. Ouch,” Kass said on his The Chicago Way podcast. “I tweeted this out the other night and I kept looking for WLS to respond, but they didn't. Is silence consent? But Lightfoot is desperate to tell us that she's not all that big a failure when it comes to crime. And she delivers the pizza. And she puts out through her mouthpieces that her dealing on crime is getting better and better.”

Kass said if CWB Chicago's story is true, will Harris be disciplined or fired for filing a false report?

“It's in the regulations. Apparently, you can't file a false report. Is it OK to lie falsely to media and have WLS or other so-called journos who chatter like empty headed magpies about speaking truth to power ever demand an accounting from Lightfoot or CPD brass? The people want to know. What I'm hearing is crickets and even crickets in Chicago tell the story,” he said.

Kass initially tweeted about the incident before digging into it further on the podcast. 

“If this is true, and @wlsam890 doesn't demand the commander's head, then it's just squishy Combine radio. And @chicagosmayor doesn't fear getting caught in lies about crime. What'll I do? What I always do. I'll write & talk w @JPCarlin on an upcoming The Chicago Way podcast,” Kass tweeted.

When asked by Cochran why he thought crime was down, Harris did not hesitate.  

“Well, I’m gonna have to brag a little bit. One, my leadership,” Harris said. Harris claimed under his leadership crime was falling, when it actually increased substantially by 30%.

“Robbery is down 55%. Our aggravated batteries are down 41%. Burglaries are down 42%,” Harris said.  

CWBChicago swiftly refuted Harris' claim and cited open-source statistics showing an increase in robberies of 2.3%, aggravated battery of 2.7% and burglaries of 1.5% in the First District. The news source also made fun of Harris' propensity to reward efficient police work with wrestling belts. 

“Perhaps it’s appropriate that Harris would use a wrestling belt. Because, like wrestling, the crime statistics he listed on WLS were fake,” CWBChicago reported.

Chicago is experiencing an increase in shootings and other crimes, which are also having a growing impact on the nearby suburbs, Chicago Sun Times reported. Murder rates have increased to historically unheard-of levels in recent years, surpassing those in 1994. The number of burglaries, thefts and motor thefts has increased in 2022.