Last weekend was a particularly bloody one in the city of Chicago. Thirty-seven shootings and nine murders occurred, and gangs were blamed for nearly all of them. One victim was a 6-year old girl who was playing out on her Little Village front porch when she was killed. As a result, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has vowed a hardened attack against gangs in the city. read more

This spring, the city of Chicago will fill up with international dignitaries, and with them will come protesters—perhaps more than the city has ever seen. The city will play host to both NATO and the G-8 summit, two entities that usually draw a crowd. In preparation, it seems, the city is looking at ways to learn from past protest-mistakes and keep things quiet this time around. read more

In an effort to reduce jail populations and help offenders remain within the community, Cook County officials are expanding the use of electronic monitoring devices. While 2010 saw only 100 defendants in the county with the monitors, this year so far, there have been 865, a serious increase. read more

This week the city of Chicago released an online database that allows anyone to search for any criminal offense that occurred over the last 10 years. No other database like this exists in the country, as Chicago attempts to crawl out from under their reputation as being secretive and corrupt at even the highest levels of city government. read more

In a program known as Plan for Transformation, thousands of former public housing residents were spread throughout Chicago’s outlying areas when the longstanding housing projects came down. And since that migration, existing residents of these once quiet neighborhoods have blamed their new neighbors for an influx in crime and problems in their neighborhood. However, this report and countless others show that the new residents may have nothing to do with the fluctuations in crime. read more

Called the “fastest growing drug problem” in the country in this Chicago Sun-Times article, prescription drug abuse has hit communities of all sizes and all types. The lure of prescription drugs is the ease in which they can be obtained and their potent high. read more

Areas around Chicago are seeing a migration of gang members and struggling to keep crime in check as the supposed gangsters leave the city for a quieter suburban life. According to the Sun-Times, Sauk Village south of the city and areas like Northbrook, Glenview, and Palatine north of the city are experiencing similar influxes. read more

The Chicago Police Department’s use of Tasers has jumped to alarming levels since they rolled out a new program which put the dangerous devices in nearly every officer’s hands. In the year that ended Sept. 30, they had used them on 683 different occasions, up from only 197 in 2009 and 163 in 2008. read more

The media is a powerful force and when Chicago media outlets pair with a few high profile cases and a troubled economy, the result is more and more Chicago residents being scared to leave their homes. This article from the Chicago Tribune paints a picture of a city living in fear and a perceived jump in crimes when crime is actually down. read more

This past week the United State Supreme Court ruled the ban on private firearms within Chicago violates the 2^nd Amendment right to bear arms. Now, local officials are struggling to find ways to control firearm ownership in a city torn apart by homicide and violence.

The High Court ruled that the 2^nd Amendment left localities no room to completely withdraw a person’s right to own a firearm, negating the 28 year ban Chicago had in place. Although the ban was only sporadically enforced, it meant law abiding citizens could not get a permit to own a gun. If they wanted a firearm-they had to possess it illegally. read more