Better beware in bad part of town
Dear editor: Re: “Chicago, railroad police criticized for using bait trucks,” (Herald, Aug. 10). Allegedly, three persons were arrested as they broke into a sealed-and-locked freight truck on the property of the Norfolk Southern Railway in the Englewood area on the south side of Chicago.
These arrests met criticism by a Chicago Alderman (much like a city council member) “unacceptable and inappropriate use of police resources” and the American Civil Liberties Union “Chicago police should focus on building trust and better relationships within the communities they serve, not engage in stunts like bait trucks.”
“Entrapment” is alleged, yet most judicial definitions of “entrapment” cite “seduction of the innocent mind.” If a person trespasses upon railroad property and is equipped with burglary tools such as “bolt cutters,” the person is hardly of an innocent mind. The use of bait vehicles is a sound police tactic. But, according to the aforementioned critics, these criminals should be given a “Kings X.”
I grew up on the south side of Chicago and still have family ties in the Chicago area. I began my police career in a south suburb of that city. Thus, I am quite familiar with the geography of the area and the typical criminal activity.
Unless a Canadian has spent some time in the large U.S. cities, he or she is generally quite naïve about what routinely happens there. It is really quite scary.
The Englewood neighbourhood is in the middle of the south side. It is a primarily black area and rife with gang and drug activity.
Chicago is one of the leading homicide capitals of the U.S., and much of this involves gangland shootings relating to drug turf.
I am not exaggerating when I state that, as a visitor, if you chose to walk through this area, especially at night, you would doubtlessly become a victim of a violent crime. This statement can be verified by anyone with knowledge of what really goes on in some parts of Chicago.
The AP news item also stated that “An arrest report from the incident says Chicago Police have been working with railroad police to crack down on thefts from freight containers in rail yards, especially gun thefts, and nearby areas on the city’s South Side.”
Under Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, Chicago continues to tally some of the highest homicide statistics in the U.S. The majority of victims are young black males.
Chicago Police have partnered with railroad police to target cargo thefts. Firearms are often part of the loot.
Doesn’t it follow that, if police reduce the thefts of firearms, keeping stolen weapons off the street, the lives of some young black males will be spared? Yet, police are criticized for “wasting resources” and not “building trust.”
This is typical of the left wing Chicago politics that would rather blame “society” for the problems, rather supporting the arrest of criminals and by addressing real time measures that save lives?
By the way, the Superintendent of Chicago Police is a black man, and should be commended for a pro-active community policing initiative.
For many years, Chicago has enacted some of the strictest gun laws in the USA, yet all this has done was to make it difficult for law abiding black citizens in the high crime areas to have a means of self-defence. The young gangsters certainly don’t heed the laws.
In remarks made in a recent column by James Miller, he said Chicago is a great place to visit. I heartily concur. But, gentle traveler, you better know where not to take your evening stroll. Bob Sherman Kelowna