How do you stop police shootings?
One way is to stop police.
And in light of the tragic death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has a novel idea.
For any unfamiliar with the case, here’s a summary of the tragic turn of events by Chicago’s CBS2:
Early this past Monday morning, Chicago Police arrived for a ShotSpotter alert of multiple shots fired in the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue in the Little Village area. Grainy surveillance video shows officers pulling up and getting out, but what played out next in the alley is only captured on police body camera.
Police said Adam and a 21-year-old man were in the alley. According to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, both ran.
Police captured the man, but Adam was shot in the chest by police during an “armed encounter,” according to CPD. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said it was a single bullet to the chest.
Bodycam footage shows the teen being told to “stop” and “stop right…now.”
He appears to have tossed his gun behind a fence just before turning around, hands in the air (beware — disturbing images):
Adam had run from the scene of the crime — in which eight shots were allegedly fired at a passing car — leading Officer Eric Stillman to chase him on foot.
Hence, on Wednesday, Chi-Town Mayor Lori told the media she’s considering enacting a change of procedure for law enforcement.
“No one should die as a result of a foot chase,” she insisted.
Therefore, before chasing suspects, cops may soon have to get a monumental thing before they put one foot in front of the other: permission.
From Fox32:
[L]ightfoot is considering a momentous change to Chicago police procedure: requiring officers to get a supervisor’s permission before beginning a foot chase.
At a press conference, personal injury attorney Arturo Jauregui called for reform:
“This is a tragedy that could have and should have been prevented had the police department had clear procedures governing the use of lethal force against children during foot chases.”
Alderman Brian Hopkins pointed out that stopping to see if your boss will let you run may not be conducive to catching the person who started running from the start:
“Of course that raises obvious problems. In the time it would take to do that, the person you’re supposed to be chasing is actually long gone. The point would be moot then.”
The department already has a strict vehicle pursuit policy that limits when police can engage in a car chase.
Brian noted the effect:
“We’re seeing more vehicles flee from police officers because word has gotten out that they’re probably not going to get permission to chase you.”
That would make sense.
Even so, will police getting permission to sprint make Chicago run anew?
It could certainly result in officers being more desperate to catch up.
That might prompt more extreme measures.
Or, perhaps more simply, it will just mean they lose the race.
Critics may argue that’s the point.
Either way, Brian think cops will appreciate more guidance:
“I’m sure the officers themselves would agree with me. The more guidance we can give them, the more comfortable they’ll feel when they have to make these high-stakes decisions in the blink of an eye.”
Whichever turn things take, some believe the mayor’s not looking too particularly triumphant as of late.
The police lied. The Mayor lied. The DA lied. The media lied.
Let us not forget that Lori Lightfoot spent $281.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief money on police payroll
They value their careers over a child's life.#ResignLori #DefundCPD
— Colleenie The Socialist Meanie ☘️ (@TheLeftTea) April 15, 2021
RedState’s Jennifer Oliver O’Connell put it thus:
The Laquan McDonald shooting and the botched response by city officials and law enforcement helped destroy Rahm Emmanuel’s dreams of becoming Chicago’s next kingpin mayor. That designation has only been held by two people: Daley the father (Richard J. Daley) and Daley the scion (Richard M. Daley).
It was a pipedream, as Emmanuel was hated by constituents and pols alike; but, a dream, nonetheless.
The shooting of 13-year old Adam Toledo will no doubt be the death knell to Lori Lightfoot’s mayoral career too.
Will Lori run for another win?
It seems the public — like, potentially, a police supervisor — could end up denying permission.
-ALEX
See more pieces from me:
Peloton Peddles Wokeness by Schooling Staff on the Racism of Common Language
Colossal Cancellation: Causes Collide, and the Left Levels One of Its Own
Find all my RedState work here.
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