Fox News
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is calling on the federal government for help in combating crime and violence in the Windy City.
In a news conference Monday, the Democrat mayor asked U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to send in agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for six months to ramp up the number of gun investigations and gun seizures, according to Fox32 Chicago. She also asked for more federal prosecutors to handle the criminal cases those agents will investigate, as well as federal marshals to assist local law enforcement with tracking down thousands of suspects wanted on warrants, the station added.
“We need these additional resources well in advance of summer,” Lightfoot reportedly said.
The plea comes as the number of shooting victims in Chicago this year — as of this past Sunday — was at 4,270, compared to 3,930 in 2020, the Chicago Tribune reported, citing police statistics.
Homicides have risen to 783, up from the 749 recorded during the same time period in 2020, the newspaper also said.
“Keeping you safe is my priority — not one of, but the first and primary priority,” the Tribune quoted Lightfoot as saying. “I wake every morning with this as my first concern and I push myself and all involved to step up and do more and better because we cannot continue to endure the level of violence that we are now experiencing…
