Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown has made clear his frustration with Chicago authorities “emboldening” rioters and looters by dropping charges and refusing to prosecute such criminals to the fullest extent of the law after his officers risk their lives to arrest them.
“Criminals took to the streets with the confidence that there would be no consequences for their actions,” Chief Brown said during a press conference late Sunday night, addressing another round of looting and rioting in the city. “Let me say that again: Criminals took to the streets with the confidence that there would be no consequences for their actions.”
Later in the presser, Brown emphasized, “These looters act as if there are no consequences for their behavior. And they base that on what happened previously, that we made a lot of arrests during May and June and not many of those cases were prosecuted to the fullest extent.”
“We have to have consequences for the arrests that Chicago Police officers make, through great threat to their own safety, they’re being shot at to make these arrests. And these looters, these thieves, these criminals are emboldened by no consequences in the criminal system. They get released, many charges get dropped.”
Captioning the post, the superintendent wrote, “The criminal acts we saw last night will not be tolerated. This was an act of violence against Chicago and I refuse to let these individuals get away without any accountability.”
“I for one refuse to allow these cowardly acts to hold our city hostage,” Brown said at the presser. “CPD (Chicago Police Department) will not stand by as our beautiful downtown becomes some place that people fear. I have instructed our detective units to create a special team of investigators to look at the hours of pod camera footage from last night. We have high-definition video of suspects and vehicles.”
WATCH:
The criminal acts we saw last night will not be tolerated. This was an act of violence against Chicago and I refuse to let these individuals get away without any accountability. pic.twitter.com/L9b50k52dh
— Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown (@ChiefDavidBrown) August 10, 2020
Quoting Brown, the Chicago Police Department posted: “‘When officers are doing their jobs, making arrests under the threat of being shot at, I would do nothing but applaud the efforts of the [Chicago Police] officers.’ CPD made more than 100 arrests last night while putting their own safety on the line to protect the public.”
“Despite these Chicago Police officers being injured and shot at, they continued to protect public safety and arrest those who were responsible for these violent and criminal acts,” the superintendent noted via Twitter.
“A total of 13 officers have been injured throughout the night, including a sergeant who was struck with a bottle. Another officer had his nose broken as he fought with a group of looters,” Brown told the media.
“In one incident last night, officers were arresting a looting suspect … [who] was carrying a cash register he had looted out of a store,” Brown outlined. “As officers were making the arrest, another vehicle passed by the officers and fired shots at the officers as their vehicle turned the corner, resulting in an exchange of gunfire between the officers and theses suspects. A bullet was found lodged in the cage of the police vehicle.”
“A hundred arrests of looters for disorderly conduct, battery to officers, and theft, along with several officers being injured, several officers being shot at. So when you talk about being overwhelmed, I’m not sure I can digest — when officers are doing their jobs, making arrests, under the threat of being shot at, I would do nothing but applaud the efforts of the Chicago police officers.”
WATCH:
"When officers are doing their jobs, making arrests under the threat of being shot at, I would do nothing but applaud the efforts of the #ChicagoPolice officers."
CPD made more than 100 arrests last night while putting their own safety on the line to protect the public. pic.twitter.com/FNFi681klk
— Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) August 10, 2020