Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling admitted Friday that his department incorrectly overstated the number of murders it solved in January. Chicago Sun-Times report.
At a Jan. 30 public safety forum, Snelling told West Side residents that Chicago police had “cleared up” 76 percent of the homicides that month.
“Of the 25 murders this year, 19 have been cleared,” Snelling said.
A case is classified as unsolved if the suspect is arrested, but prosecutors decline to file charges against the suspect, the suspect dies, or police identify the suspect but do not arrest him. , detectives can close cases “exceptionally.”
The next day, at a separate event, Snelling told the Economic Club of Chicago that detectives had cleared 20 of the 26 murders last month. He also claimed that all solved cases resulted in arrests and indictments.
Snelling was forced to admit he was wrong after the department released data showing the department cleared only three of the murders committed in January. The department’s report did not say whether the three solved cases led to arrests or charges.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that 16 additional murders were cleared, but those cases involved murders committed before January 2024.
“This was a miscommunication on my part and I take responsibility for it,” Snelling said Friday. “My purpose in discussing these cases was to draw attention to the victims and communities who suffer the trauma of violence. Nothing should overshadow the great work that the Bureau of Investigation is doing for their families.” ”
A department spokesperson reported that the superintendent’s mistake “has since been internally corrected and corrected.”
According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, the department cleared 400 of the 797 murders committed in 2021. Only about half of the cases cleared resulted in arrests. In 2023, the detectives Cleared 319 Of the 617 murders.
There were also murders and shootings. reduced by at least 25% According to the ministry, there was an increase in January 2024 compared to last year. The number of robberies reportedly fell by 28% during the same period.
“We’re heading in the right direction,” Snelling said Wednesday at the Economic Club of Chicago. “But we also understand that there are people who are still affected, and we will continue to work for them.”
“We will continue to build on the gains we made in 2023, including reducing shootings and homicides,” Snelling added.
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