Project Safe Neighborhoods Proven Successful
Sixteen defendants were arrested February 2, 2004 in Chicago, Milwaukee, Memphis (TN), and Indiana on charges relating to the illegal sale or purchase of guns. Altogether, the defendants were responsible for the illegal purchase of 135 guns of which 40 (30%) were recovered by police in connection with crimes, including 27 in Chicago.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) was focusing on prosecuting convicted felons that illegally possessed guns. Now that effort has been expanded to target the gun traffickers who make the guns available. Since gun teams of Chicago Police and ATF agents were formed, 455 guns were recovered, 235 search warrants were executed, and 301 arrests have been made.
According to officials, the data from 2003 shows that PSN is succeeding. Last year, murders in Chicago fell 8% and dipped under 600 to 599 for the first time in 36 years. In the four districts where PSN is most active, homicide is down 14% and aggravated batteries are down 20%. This is extremely important because roughly 80% of the city's murders annually are committed with guns. The largest drops in homicides were in the 15th district (Austin), where they declined 31% from 45 to 31, and in the 11th district (Harrison), where they declined 18% from 70 to 57.
Another tool being used to fight illegal firearm trafficking and felons who buy the guns is the parolee forum. Felons paroled in the 11th and 15th districts were shown messages regarding the penalties for felons with guns and also heard from community speakers regarding job programs, education, and substance abuse programs. Seventy-five percent of these parolees said the form would make them think twice before being around a gun and being faced with a long prison term for violating that law was the most important factor in their decision. In addition, 83 percent said that they had told their families about the PSN programs. IDOC is planning on expanding these forums this spring to the 7th (Englewood) and 9th (Deering) Districts.