Chicago police will no longer show up at crime scenes when people call 911, unless a victim is in critical condition or a criminal is still present.
According to CBS Chicago, people who call 911 about property damage, vehicle thefts, burglaries or other crimes where the criminal is no longer on the scene will not be assisted until the police have the time.
The Chicago Police Department says that the new policy will free up 44 police officers every day to deal with serious crimes, such as the city's skyrocketing murder rate, which was 513 in 2012 and 42 in January of this year.
However, some Chicago residents are angry about the new response plan.
"I think that's ridiculous. I think if there's a burglary, they've got to come. It's what we pay for. They have to come," Carmen Curio told CBS Chicago.
"People are upset; they want to talk to a police officer. They want to know something is being done to prevent this in the future," said Chicago Alderman Nick Sposato.
"You're upset. You're violated. It's happened to me. So, you've got to weigh it, and I'm making tough decisions," Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said. "I'm making a tough decision, but I'd rather have that officer on the street, doing something to prevent the next shooting than, honestly, making somebody feel better, because they're responding rather than talking to them over the phone."
The Alternate Response Unit will take police reports on the phone and send evidence technicians to crime scenes later. Last year, about 74,000 case reports were processed, but 151,000 are expected this year .
With too much crime and too few police officers, the city is in a financially tough situation when it comes to fighting crime.
Source: CBS Chicago
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