John Schmidt: Put Chicago police where they can do the most to stop crime
Getting police officers into the right jobs at the places where they can do most to stop crime is essential to bringing Chicago violence down.
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John Schmidt: Chicago has seen significant declines in violence before. How do we stay on track?
Chicago is well positioned to keep the decline in violence going, but the past teaches us that there is nothing inevitable about it.
Steve Patton and John Schmidt: State’s attorney needs help getting deadly automatic weapons off our streets
Cook County judges allowed 87 defendants accused of carrying enhanced illegal guns back on the streets despite the state's attorney seeking pretrial detention.
John Schmidt: The new police superintendent must connect with Chicago communities to do the job
The new Chicago police superintendent will take office as the number of Chicago homicides is coming down, consistent with the national return to "normal" after a 2020-21 spurt caused by...
John Schmidt: Success in other cities shows that a strong police superintendent can reduce Chicago’s violence
As the Justice Department official who was responsible for implementing the 1994 federal crime law, I had a ringside view of changes in U. S. policing in the 1990s. I...
John Schmidt: Illinois should restore the 10% local share of state income tax to Chicago, other municipalities
The election of a new Chicago mayor should be the occasion for the state to restore to Chicago and other Illinois localities their 10% share of state income tax revenues....
Op-ed: Jail sentences for straw purchasers of guns will reduce Chicago violence
Chicago police and federal prosecutors recently announced new task forces targeting straw purchasers and other traffickers of illegal guns. That effort will reduce gun violence in Chicago if investigations are...
How will Chicago’s retirees get paid when the pension funds dry up?
Cook County Circuit Judge Rita Novak's decision last month to throw out the law reforming two city of Chicago pension plans does not answer a central question: How will retired...
Why Chicago’s pension reform could still survive
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Friday that the state's pension reform law is unconstitutional, but Chicago's reform of the pension systems for laborers and municipal employees should still survive a...
Why Chicago’s case for pension reform is stronger than Illinois’
Questions asked by the justices at last week's Illinois Supreme Court argument on state pension legislation indicated doubt about the state's constitutional case for reform. Some reports also said that...