Trump Asks Attorney General To 'Straighten Out' Chicago Crime

CHICAGO — Despite crime being down in Chicago, President Donald Trump said he's told his attorney general to "help straighten out the terrible shooting wave" in the city. Speaking at the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention in Orlando Monday, Trump said "there's no reason" for the "crime spree" in Chicago.

He also urged Chicago police to use the controversial "stop and frisk" policy, in which officers stop, frisk and question people they suspect may be dangerous. Critics of the policy have called it racist, and say it's damaged many communities.

Trump argued that the strategy helped reduce violent crime in New York City in the 1990s and early 2000s. But in 2013, a federal judge ruled the policy was unconstitutional and discriminatory.

Trump said he directed Attorney General Jeff Sessions' office to visit Chicago and "straighten it out."

“Let’s see whether or not Chicago accepts help," Trump told officers at the police convention. "They need it.”

Earlier this month, however, the Chicago Police Department said there have been 102 fewer homicides and nearly 500 fewer shooting victims in the city this year, compared to the first nine months of 2017.

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