Chicago Police Department leaders are helping officers gear up for an expected uptick in violent crime by forming a special division to deal with disturbances at beaches, public parks, and other summertime gathering locations.
At least 100 officers are eligible to participate in the program, which involves ATV, horseback, and bicycle beach patrols as well as an increased presence in suspected gang areas. Additionally, traffic enforcement officers on Lake Shore Drive will be conducting more stops and search vehicles without a warrant whenever possible. The planned initiative is similar to a successful anti-gang strategy first employed by former Commissioner Jody Weis, but until now, his successors had abandoned that blueprint. Current Commissioner Eddie Johnson says that the task force, which does not involve overtime payments, will run through Labor Day.
Although the initiative had been in the works for several weeks, the announcement comes in the wake of two serious Memorial Day events. In one, an alcohol-fueled fight on North Avenue Beach ended when a teenager was arrested for pointing a gun in a crowd; in an unrelated incident on Lake Shore Drive, a pickup truck that was apparently evading robbers struck two people (one of them fatally).
Seasonal Crime and Seasonal Jury Arguments
Retailers do not aggressively market barbecue grills in January or hooded parkas in July because these items are out of season at those times. Crime also fluctuates based on the season. For example, some property crimes, especially misdemeanor vandalism and other similar offenses, do not occur as much during winter months. Similarly, many violent crimes, especially misdemeanor battery and other crimes of immediate passion, increase during summer months.
These seasonal shifts can be frustrating for law enforcement agencies because they sometimes feel as if they are doing nothing but putting out fires and responding to the tyranny of the urgent,” in the words of author Charles Hummel.
Criminal defense lawyers undergo a similar exercise in jury presentations because arguments that resonate in mostly urban and middle-class Cook County often fall flat in suburban Kane County or somewhat more affluent Lake County. Knowing your audience, and the season, are both important in effective speech making, and in jury trials the stakes are incredibly high.
Heightened Enforcement Campaigns
One of the real problems with the tyranny of the urgent is that it leads to misplaced priorities. Publishing heiress Patty Hearst, who is somewhat of an authority in this area, once said that “trouble is very easy to find when you go looking for it.” In this context, officers who look for possible assaults on area beaches and illegal weapons on area streets will find what they are looking for, one way or another.
Any bias on the part of the officer can defeat reasonable suspicion and/or probable cause, which may result in the case being thrown out of court.
Rely on Experienced Attorneys
At Glasgow & Olsson, our attorneys have decades of combined experience in these matters. Contact our Schaumburg office today for prompt assistance, because the sooner you call, the sooner we can get started.
(photo courtesy of Anita Troy)