Police chiefs confront a surge of gun violence – and it’s not even summer

CNN — An unrelenting surge in gun violence and murder is gripping American cities even before the habitual summer spike in crime, leaving police brass from New York to New Orleans scrambling for solutions. “And the breadth of it, the fact that just about every major American city, let alone the suburbs, are experiencing significant crime increases, particularly shootings and murders.” In Oakland, where five people were wounded in a shooting over the weekend, Police Chief LaRonne Armstrong said the city has had 57 homicides this year. We have to continue to build on those relationships but most importantly when people commit crimes in our city we have to be prepared as a city to bring those individuals to justice.” In May, Contee kicked off the district’s annual summer crime initiative, saying the department is “laser focused” on six areas of the city “that have historically experienced a high density of violent crime.” In Atlanta, Police Chief Rodney Bryant on Wednesday outlined the department’s plan to combat the summer crime surge. “That’s problematic when you are arresting someone – be it a juvenile or an adult – and they are back out at the same location the next day.” So many factors at play Video Ad Feedback US sees another weekend of gun violence 02:29 - Source: CNN Adam Gelb, president of Council on Criminal Justice, said being a police chief right now has to be the “toughest job in America.” “The social, and economic and political waves generated by the pandemic and the protests are all coming together and crashing down right on your desk,” he said “And to unpack that further: How much of the rising gun violence is the police withdrawing from communities? The mayor said police had arrested about 170 people and taken more than 60 guns off the street since the county launched “Operation Summer Heat” last weekend to stem gun violence.