Law & Order on the streets of Chicago has disintegrated and crime is surging at some of the worst rates in decades. At the beginning of February, The Chicago Tribune reported that, “Over the past two years, Chicago has experienced major spikes in violent crime. The city recorded more than 800 homicides in 2021, its worst year in at least two decades.”
While Chicago has become known for violent crime in recent years, this recent spike follows the similar trend as just about every major American city who embraced WOKE “defund” initiatives following the death of George Floyd. What links Chicago and these other cities are the leadership from mayors to city councils who are embracing the progressive vision of policing. These Leftist agendas being cloaked in social justice have vilified police and made our streets more dangerous.
In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has been embattled with the city’s police for years, and we have devoted much coverage to her failure of leadership in the realm of law enforcement.
Recently, we launched a survey asking Chicago’s law enforcement and their families to respond to the current state of the city’s policing. Our findings revealed that the problems in Chicago may be worse than we imagined.
Chicago Police Survey Shows No Confidence in Mayor
Our methodology for this survey was simple: we ran a targeted Facebook advertising campaign to people living in the city of Chicago. We asked prospective respondents if they or a loved one served on the Chicago PD. We ran this survey from December 10 to December 23, 2021. In total, we received 451 submissions, of which 255 (56.5%) self-identified as either serving on the CPD or having loved ones who did.
Chicago Police Survey: Questions & Results
For respondents that self-identified as either serving on the Chicago Police Department or having loved ones who did, we asked them five additional questions. Below, we will recap the questions asked followed by the respective responses:
Do you have confidence in the mayor of Chicago?
- Yes: 2.2%
- No: 96.5%
- Other: 1.3%
As a Chicago police officer, or loved one of one, what is your TOP concern?
- Safety: 79.4%
- Hours: 8.8%
- Pay: 1.8%
- Other: 10.1%
How long do you or your loved one plan on staying with the Chicago Police Department?
- Longer than 5 years: 26%
- Less than 5 years: 18.4%
- Less than 3 years: 11.7%
- Less than 1 year: 10.8%
- Looking for new employment: 33.2%
Do you feel that law enforcement is properly supported in Chicago?
- Yes, police officers have full support from citizens and city officials: 8.1%
- No, police officers are working under poor conditions and deserve more support/resources: 90%
- I don’t know much about police officers and their role in the city: 1.8%
As a citizen, I would like to see…
- Respect restored for law enforcement: 70.9%
- Law enforcement be held more accountable: 6.7%
- Equal parts support and accountability: 22.4%
Chicago Police Survey: Comments & Feedback
Feedback we received from participants also highlighted the pervading feeling of danger that the residents of the city live under. One respondent said:
Policing in Chicago is dangerous, criminals no longer respect our men in Blue. I fear for mine and my family’s safety. The people in charge of punishing these criminals, Kim Fox and Mayor Lightfoot are letting them get away with Murder. Literally MURDER! Chicago is falling apart, everyday the crime rate rises. Save Chicago, Stand with CPD.
For another, the blame for the tragic crime rates in the city falls squarely on the leadership of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration:
Serving and protecting the public against criminal activity, however the top city officials and the media vilifies those that keep them safe. It’s the most underappreciated job there is being a police officer in Chicago. It’s become more of watching yourself against civil liability than actual policing. We don’t prevent crime anymore. We just document the fall of the city.
Ultimately, these results drive home the sad truth that we’ve known for years: Mayor Lightfoot and Kim Foxx are woefully inept and unable to curb the plague of violence ravaging Chicago. This reality is evident in our results, where 96% of respondents said they do not have confidence in Mayor Lori Lightfoot! Law enforcement officers are leaving in record numbers and there is no end in sight and no solution on the table. Our own survey results show that there may be up to a third of the Chicago police force seeking new jobs.
Chicago residents need to make their voices heard at the polls and oust this regime who’ve ceded the streets to criminals.
