Chicago’s police superintendent says he is proud of his department for its progress, but he also says there is still work to be done.
Superintendent Larry Snelling announced the city’s reduced violent-crime numbers for 2024 this week. Police reported an 8% reduction in homicides, a 7% reduction in shootings and a 4% reduction in shooting victims compared with 2023.
Snelling cited a year-over-year reduction in robberies and said officers took 12,700 guns off the street.
“There’s a lot of hard, dangerous work that goes into that, and our officers make us proud every single day as they do this type of work,” Snelling said.
With more than 570 homicides in 2024, police in Chicago reported fewer than 600 murders for the first time since 2019.
Snelling noted the city’s progress but said there is still work to do.
“We still have to go out and make sure that everyone feels safe across this city, no matter what neighborhood you’re in. Every single citizen of the city of Chicago deserves that, and that’s what we’re here for, to fight for their safety,” Snelling explained.
The superintendent recalled Officers Luis Huesca, James Crowley and Enrique Martinez, who died in the line of duty in 2024. Crowley passed away in August after suffering catastrophic injuries in a 1987 crash. Huesca was shot to death on April 21, 2024, and Martinez was fatally shot on Nov. 4, 2024.
Snelling thanked those who supported police and their families and said officers have joined citizens across the city in mourning victims. […]
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