Homewood Police Department Deputy Chiefs Denise McGrath and Bill Alcott were among 30 south suburban police chiefs and social service advocates joining U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) at a Summit on Public Safety and Violence Prevention.
The program convened by the congresswoman on Monday, July 20, gave her a chance to discuss strategies to prevent and counteract violence in suburban communities. She listened to the concerns of law enforcement officials and learned what community-based solutions were successfully counteracting violence.
“The police chiefs informed me that suburban communities are facing similar problems as Chicago, but are compelled to respond with a fraction of the resources available to the city,” Kelly said. “They’ve countered by forming regional coalitions like the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force, but state budget cuts and a lack of consistent funding have negatively impacted the unit and other effective violence prevention programs.”
Law enforcement officials also told Kelly they were in favor of comprehensive background checks and a more efficient gun registration system.
“A lack of national laws has made the jobs of our law enforcement officials much harder, and it puts the public at greater risk,” said Kelly, who supports comprehensive background checks. “I am committed to supporting law enforcement in their efforts to make our communities safer, and I will continue to work with my colleagues in Washington to pass common sense gun laws that will help get illegal guns off our streets.”