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Emanuel: Blame Gangs For Spike In Shootings, Not Cops

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel said guns and gangs are to blame for a rise in shootings in Chicago this month, not less aggressive policing.

He pointed the finger at guns and gun laws he said are not tough enough.

"Those responsible for the shootings are the gang bangers. Those responsible for the shootings are the illegal guns that are coming into the streets and the city of Chicago in the hands of gang bangers," Emanuel said. "There's not comprehensive gun legislation throughout the state that would actually stop that, so the people responsible are not the police officers. I put the onus and responsibilities on the gang bangers who are pulling the triggers. They don't get a pass on accountability."

But the mayor rejected any suggestion that some police officers have been reluctant to act on the streets in the wake of the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald and the subsequent political firestorm.

"They are doing a dangerous job. They are sensitive while they're doing it to the fact of what's going on around this city. They are only human, but it doesn't take away from the commitment they have to the city and the safety," he said. "Right now, as I'm talking to you, somewhere in the city of Chicago there are officers responding to a 911 call. They're doing it professionally. They're doing it well. You'll never read about it. You'll never hear about it. It happens hundreds of times across the city of Chicago."

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Emanuel also said police will have more visible and more mobile patrols in troubled areas, and officers are visiting with gang members to put them on notice.

The mayor's comments on Thursday were a stark contrast from last October, when Emanuel said police officers had gone "fetal" because they're worried about getting in trouble for how they handle arrests in the wake of high-profile police incidents in Chicago and other cities.

"What happened post-Baltimore, what happened post-Ferguson is having an impact," he said. "Officers themselves were telling me about how the news over the last 15 months have impacted their instincts -- do they stop, or do they keep driving? When I stop here, is it going to be my career on the line?"

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