CHICAGO — Police made some 120 arrests over the weekend on drug and gun charges, with more than half of the suspects identified by authorities as documented gang members, officials said Monday.
Police Supt. Eddie Johnson shares news about the 120 arrests made over the weekend. [DNAinfo/Andrea V. Watson]
Most of the arrests, about 40, were made in the Harrison District on the West Side, said Anthony Ricciom head of the Chicago Police Department's organized crime unit.
Four rifles were recovered over the weekend by Chicago Police. [Photo/ CPD Facebook]
CPD executed a series of weekend raids targeting more than 80 individuals on felony drug & gun charges. Press conf, 230pm @ CPD HQ pic.twitter.com/a6RYHOmbzH
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) January 23, 2017
"That's where we've been seeing a lot of violence," he said.
Of the total 120 arrested citywide, 98 had previous contact with Chicago Police, Supt. Eddie Johnson said, and 83 are convicted felons. Some 33 have been previously arrested on gun charges, 15 are currently on parole and two will be federally prosecuted.
Officers recovered 19 guns, including four rifles and three shotguns. The rest were handguns.
"The officers in Chicago are working really hard to keep this city safe, but it’s frustrating for them to see these same individuals back out in the streets time and time again," Johnson said.
He praised the officers who are making the arrests, saying they're doing "a phenomenal job out there arresting the bad guys."
More is needed though, Johnson said: The department needs the help of prosecutors and the judiciary system. Policy makers also play a big role, he said, mentioning how he supports State Sen. Kwame Raoul's (D-Chicago) proposed "data-driven" bill that would crack down on repeat gun offenders.
Raoul touted his bill alongside Johnson on July 1.
"I’m still hopeful we’ll see that bill," Johnson said. "We just have to do something to send a message to these individuals, the repeat gun offenders that we just won’t tolerate it. So until we do that, we’re going to continue to see this violence."
