The Chicago elections are marked by one main issue: crime. In 2022, the Windy City was named the "crime capital" of the nation. It recorded the most criminal homicides (695) among all cities in the country and suffered a 41% increase in overall crime compared to 2021.
CompStat Public 2022 Year E... by Verónica Silveri
Lori Lightfoot, the current mayor who lost re-election, was criticized on numerous occasions for her handling of what is considered the number one concern of her constituents: crime.
Crime on the rise
Records for the past five years show that crime in Chicago has been increasing year after year. The numbers are frightening: between 2019 and 2020, murders increased by 55%. 2021 was one of the city's deadliest years (804 homicides) in the last quarter century. Only three times since 2000 (2016, 2020 and 2021) has the number of homicides been higher than it was in 2022.
A recent Illinois Policy survey revealed that crime (71%) was the top concern of city residents, followed closely by taxes and education. When it comes to how residents prefer to combat crime in the city, more than half (51%) choose a greater police presence and more rigorous prosecution of criminals. This preference would seemingly not work in Lightfoot's favor.
IPI February 2023 Chicago C... by Verónica Silveri
Lightfoot: crime and failed leadership
After the death of George Floyd in 2020, Chicago recorded an annual increase in homicides with record numbers. Center stage was Mayor Lightfoot's failed criminal policies.
Some of her measures, such as decriminalizing thefts in amounts of less than $1,000, reducing sentences for criminals, shielding minors who steal cars from being tried as adults, among many others, have provoked a police shortage unlike anything seen before.
Retirements and resignations are commonplace in the Chicago Police Department. More than 1,000 officers left their positions in 2022, and the number of new officers dropped by 12% between 2019 and 2023. All of this contributed to the fact that, in 2021, more than 400,000 high-priority 911 calls were left on "hold" because there were not enough police officers available to respond to emergencies.
Lightfoot's effort to spare criminals from the consequences of their actions has increased crime in the city, as fewer convictions and options for getting offenders feel supported by the authorities. Despite all this, Lightfoot calls those who criticize her for her handling of crime in the city "haters."
