Chicago violence: US Department of Justice unveils plan to combat crime

CHICAGO - Groups that fight violence in Chicago will be getting some help from the U.S. Justice Department. United States Attorney General Merrick Garland came to the city on Wednesday to announce a federal grant for violence prevention initiatives.

While the AG is touting some positive crime numbers, he warns it could easily slip away.

"I do not need to tell this group or this city that violent crime is devastating," Garland said. "And that the violent crime that began surging early in the pandemic took an enormous toll."

Garland spoke to several hundred law enforcement partners and violence prevention workers at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago as part of the second annual Community Violence Prevention and Intervention Grantee Conference.

Garland said nationwide, violent crime is reversing the surge that occurred during the pandemic. He said murders dropped 13% nationally in 2023, the biggest drop in 50 years. Chicago homicides also fell by 13% in 2023.

But Garland said without continued enforcement and intervention programs, that number could easily move in the wrong direction.

"Too many communities are still struggling and too many people are still scared. The hard-fought progress we saw last year can easily slip away," he said.

To that end, Garland announced a $78 million grant from the Justice Department to fund local violence intervention programs across the country.

"Those funds will go directly to organizations like those represented in this room that are making strides in driving down violent crime and building community trust across the country," Garland said.

Also on Wednesday, Chicago Police released new numbers showing a 5% drop in homicides in the first three months of 2024 compared to last year. But that number ticked up in March, when there were 46 murders, ten more than March 2023.