Chicago Top Cop To Trump: If You Have 'Magic' Plan To Stop Crime, Share It

By Alex Nitkin | August 28, 2016 3:33pm | Updated on August 29, 2016 8:14am

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump (l) and Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson

Flikr/Gage Skidmore / DNAinfo/Kelly Bauer

CHICAGO — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has referenced Chicago's crime rate several times during his campaign, but he has yet to offer any concrete solutions to violence, the city's top cop pointed out Sunday.

Last week, Trump told the Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly that police could end the city's violence "in one week" if they wanted to.

"I know police in Chicago," Trump said. "If they had the authority, they could get it done. How? By being very much tougher than they are right now."

Alex Nitkin talks about Supt. Johnson's response to Trump's claims.

Speaking at a press conference Sunday morning announcing murder charges for the men accused of killing Nykea Aldridge, Supt. Eddie Johnson was asked to respond to Trump's diagnosis of the city's ills.

"If you have a magic bullet to stop the violence anywhere — not just in Chicago, but in America — please share it with us," Johnson said. "We'd be glad to take that information and stop this violence."

Trump once again brought up Chicago violence on Saturday, tweeting about Aldridge's death in an apparent effort to win over black voters.

“Dwayne Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!” Trump said on Twitter.

Ultimately, the tweet enraged many Twitter users.

@realDonaldTrump A #mother lost her #daughter. Young children lost their mother & all you can think of is #blackpeople #vote? #NeverTrump
— Sylvia (@sylviabrowder) August 28, 2016

On Aug. 22, Trump told Fox News host Bill O'Reilly that he had spoken with "a top police officer in Chicago who's not the police chief," who told him that he'd "be able to stop [crime] in one week" if he were put in charge.

The next day, Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi released a statement saying "No one in the senior command at CPD has ever met with Donald Trump or a member of his campaign."