DOES CHICAGO NEED MORE ANTI-VIOLENCE BUREAUCRATS OR MORE ACCOUNTABILITY?

   Chicago has taken an ambitious and comprehensive approach in the uphill battle against the scourge of gun violence that wreaks havoc on families and neighborhoods. 

    The crusade is commendable, but what it lacks, unfortunately, is honesty about how much taxpayers are spending on the problem, and metrics that can help us determine whether all that spending is producing results beyond seesawing homicide numbers.  

   Which brings us to a new proposal from well-meaning faith leaders that is gaining traction at City Hall:  Creation of a standalone city department dedicated to reducing gun violence.

   The idea may sound plausible at first glance, but taxpaying Chicagoans deserve to know a lot more before even considering whether to underwrite another government program. 

   Let’s start with the obvious—the Chicago Police Department. 

   CPD operates on an annual budget approaching $2 billion. 

   Not all of that goes toward gun violence prevention, but combatting it is one of the department’s core missions.

    Specialized gang units, detectives, intelligence divisions, patrol operations in high-crime districts and overtime spending during violence surges collectively costs hundreds of millions of dollars a year. 

   Then there’s federal law enforcement: The FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals and a U.S attorney maintain permanent operations in Chicago targeting illegal firearms trafficking, gang activity, narcotics networks, and repeat violent offenders—all major contributors to gun violence.

   Springfield has committed hundreds of millions of state dollars in anti-violence grants. 

    And there’s a Cook County government that funds intervention programs; a state’s attorney that prosecutes gun cases; a sheriff’s office that runs gun investigations, warrant enforcement and detention operations tied directly to violent crime; and county courts that adjudicate an endless revolving door of gun-related cases. 

    Finally, Chicago taxpayers also bankroll a sprawling network of nonprofits whose entire mission revolves around gun violence.

   The city alone has directed tens of millions toward so-called “street interrupters” — individuals tasked with identifying brewing conflicts before bullets start flying.

   All together, Chicago taxpayers are easily committing almost a billion dollars annually—not including the CPD budget—in direct or indirect spending aimed at reducing gun violence.

   And after all of that Chicago still struggles year after year with the tragic human cost of hundreds of murders and thousands of shooting victims.  

   Slight statistical drops are encouraging but hardly dispositive.   

   Now City Hall wants another office with another executive director, another staff, another budget, and another press conference promising “a comprehensive new approach.”

   Or maybe the bureaucratic equivalent of herding cats?  

   This has become City Hall’s default setting: When something isn’t working well enough, create another office to oversee the offices that aren’t working well enough.

   Doesn’t the city need more accountability instead of more government?

   Creating a new office isn’t innovation. It’s duplication.  And duplication costs money.

   Chicago taxpayers are already among the most overburdened in America. They fund one of the nation’s largest police departments, support overlapping local governments, subsidize grant-heavy nonprofit networks, absorb endless budget deficits and face rising property taxes.

   Gun violence is a serious crisis. But a serious crisis demands serious management and demonstrable results—not just a call for more bureaucracy. 

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I’m a semi-retired Chicago journalist and good government watchdog. Email thoughts and comments to andyshawchicago@gmail.com

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