When temperatures rise, so does crime, says USA Today. In Chicago, at least 26 people were shot last weekend. The previous weekend, more than 50 people were shot and at least 10 died. FBI reports show that July and August were the top months for violent crime, including murders, nationally in 2008.
In Chicago, overall crime has declined but homicides are up from 2009. To keep a lid on summer violence, Chicago police are cracking down on curfew violators and sending more officers to crime hot spots that are identified twice daily. Among summer anticrime programs, Dayton offers young people activities intended to keep them off the streets and out of trouble, Boston churches lead walks on weekend nights in areas hit hardest by gun violence and community groups are forging ceasefires between rival gangs, and every Kalamazoo, Mi., police officer spends at least 20 minutes daily on foot patrol and high-crime neighborhoods are targeted for blight cleanup to signal that “people are paying attention,” Assistant Police Chief Brian Uridge says.