CHICAGO (CBS) — Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says he thinks police are “doing a pretty good job” getting guns off the streets, but he says prosecutors and judges have to be held accountable when so many people arrested are ending up back on the street.
“We have a problem in this country,” Supt. McCarthy says. “It’s right there.”
READ MORE: 53-Year-Old Man Killed In Little Village FireHe pointed toward a table of two dozen guns seized over these past seven days.
“That’s the biggest problem in this country.”
More than 4,800 guns have been taken off the street so far this year.
READ MORE: Chicago Weather: Best Rain Friday NightMcCarthy says of the 1,500 people arrested in the first half of the year for illegal gun possession, three out of four are “immediately back out on the street.”
“I think we’re doing a pretty good job when we’re getting this many guns,” McCarthy says. “The question is, what happens afterwards. So prosecutors, judges, elected officials have to be held accountable at the same level that I’m accountable for.”
More than 4,800 guns taken off the street so far this year. (Credit: Steve Miller).
It’s a familiar theme for McCarthy.
MORE NEWS: Getting Hosed: A Look At The Universe Of Chicago Water, And Its Sometimes-Sordid History, This Earth Day“Excuse me for being frustrated,” he says.
