Former Police Director Critiques Illinois Democrats on Crime Response

Jody Weiss, the former director of the Chicago Police Department, recently criticized two prominent Illinois Democrats, expressing concerns that President Donald Trump might be effective in addressing crime in the city.

Following Trump’s push for a crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C., both Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson cautioned Trump against interference in Chicago’s affairs. Yet, Trump responded on Tuesday, stating, “We’re going to come in. We didn’t say it when we went in.”

Weiss, during a segment on the National News Desk, reprimanded Pritzker and Johnson for opposing federal support to combat crime. He remarked, “The governor and mayor said they didn’t want help. So when you refuse to say you’re happy with the numbers, that’s absolutely unacceptable in Chicago now.”

Further, he criticized the mayor’s morning walks near the lake, seemingly to project safety in the city, questioning whether he would do the same in certain neighborhoods like Austin or Englewood during daylight.

Weiss commented, “I think people are afraid of seeing what they can do when politicians promise to take action and they really want change. That’s really the only reason I can think of; otherwise, it doesn’t make sense.” He referenced how D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser embraced federal aid, suggesting it made a significant difference in her city’s crime rate.

Initially, Mayor Bowser had expressed trepidation about deploying the National Guard to tackle crime but admitted in a recent press conference that such federal involvement significantly reduced crime rates in areas like carjacking by 87%.

As for the Illinois leaders, attempts to reach Pritzker and Johnson for comments went unanswered.