How Bad Will it Get?

From a blogger called "Joe the Cop:"

• Clearly the thugs shown in this video are not deterred or frightened by men armed with military style weapons--what makes you think they'd be any more deterred by soldiers manning checkpoints? Pointing a gun at a thug who knows you have no legal justification to shoot him does nothing. Do you want soldiers going through troubled neighborhoods house-to-house, searching for wanted criminals and illegal guns like portions of the south and west sides were Fallujah? I didn't think so.
  
  Meanwhile the Chicago Police Department, increasingly stressed and stretched, scrambles from one crisis to the next. As resources are pulled from around the city, gang members in previously "quiet" districts become increasingly bold--witness some of the incidents in Uptown, or two recent shootings in the 2300 and 2900 blocks of Armitage Avenue. The suburbs are not immune to the violence, either, as witnessed by last weekend's fatal shooting at a late-night birthday party in Zion.
  
  Chicago is approaching the point at which a disastrous collection of social problems, failed policies, budget shortfalls and manpower issues are about to collide. It remains to be seen whether the citizens of Chicago and their political leadership have the will or wisdom to do anything about it.

"Joe" writes over at ChicagoNow.com and admits to being a suburban cop/detective. His column "Arresting Tales" is an interesting take on things and delves a bit deeper than we usually make time for. Even he sees a disaster looming for the CPD. Go read it all.