It is a well-known but unfortunate reality that Chicago isn’t exactly the safest place in America. The Windy City has struggled with crime for ages. Much of the problem is due to teenagers causing mischief, and worse, around the city.

A Chicago official has proposed an interesting strategy for curbing crimes committed by “out of control” kids: Force their parents to pay up.

A series of City Council crackdowns have failed to stop drag racers and drifters from driving in circles and figure-eights on Lower Wacker Drive amid a crowd of spectators and posting videos of their stunt driving on social media.

Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) says it’s time to try something different. He wants to hold parents and legal guardians responsible for the mayhem and require them to undergo “licensed family counseling.”

“We have children who are out of control causing 90% of the problems, particularly as it relates to the street takeovers, drag racing and all of the other illegal activities,” Lopez told the Sun-Times.

The ordinance Lopez introduced at Monday’s City Council meeting would make it a crime for any parent or legal guardian to “willfully and/or knowingly allow a minor in their charge to engage in a host of offenses wreaking havoc on the quality of life in Chicago neighborhoods. Those offenses range from panhandling, underage and public drinking and cannabis use, violating curfew and ‘climbing on’ cars to street takeovers and drag racing.”

Parents subject to these fines would be compelled to pay between $1,000 and $5,000, depending on the nature of the crime committed by the child. Additionally, offenders would be required to perform community service and go through “licensed family counseling.”

Parents or legal guardians “shall be held as responsible and accountable for the activity of said minor as if they committed the acts themselves,” the ordinance states. Though Lopez’s ordinance is aimed at offenses committed by minors, the Sun-Times has reported in the past that young adults also have taken part in street takeovers, and at times have been charged in connection with their participation.

Lopez, a Democrat, said he cooked up the proposed measure after watching a video on social media showing an incident in which a Tesla was trapped during a street takeover.

So, would a measure like this help to cut down on crime committed by teenagers? Or is it merely yet another feel-good measure that sounds nice but won’t actually make a difference?

Let’s dig in.

For starters, Alderman Lopez’s proposal might come off as a proactive step in combating juvenile delinquency. But it is worth asking: How would this actually solve the problem? For starters, how would the authorities determine whether a parent “knowingly” allowed their child to participate in illegal activities? What if the parents tried to stop them but were unable to? What if the child was engaging in these behaviors behind their backs? Sure, that is a parenting issue in and of itself – but will fining them up to $5,000 be an effective, or appropriate, solution?

Many of the children engaging in these activities likely come from low-income families, meaning their parents could not afford the hefty fines. It would only put them in an even worse situation, on top of their troubles with their children.

Chicago Police Department spokesman Tom Ahern noted that during some of the drag races, law enforcement has impounded vehicles and arrested the offenders. If this hasn’t made a significant dent, how effective would it be to place financial burdens on their parents? There is a high probability that such a measure would only fuel the cycle of poverty that too many Americans find themselves in.

It is also worth asking how such a fine would address issues typically rooted in social, economic, and even psychological problems.

It seems to me that this proposal would be a mere Band-Aid that might make it look like the local government is doing something about the problem when it really isn’t. It would be more beneficial to look at the underlying problems that lead to this behavior. Chances are, digging deeper would reveal that the local government is doing more to contribute to these issues than any other external factor.

Economic problems, substandard education, and other issues are typically facilitated by the people running the city. Perhaps if Chicago’s leaders would remove the policies leading to these problems -- while also cracking down harshly on violent and property crimes -- it would stand a better chance of cleaning up crime in the city.