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Officers Under Attack As Chicago’s Murder Rate Skyrocketed In 2016

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Amber Randall Civil Rights Reporter
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Chicago police officers faced multiple attacks in 2016, one of the most violent years in the city’s history.

Thirty-one officers were shot at in 2016, a 82 percent increase over 2015 numbers,the Chicago Police Department told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Only 17 officers were shot at in 2015.

Nine officers reported gun-shot wounds in 2016, the CPD told The DCNF, but zero died as a result.

“These emboldened criminals are responsible for destroying families and communities as well as dozens of attacks on Chicago police officers in 2016,” Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said at a press conference.

The attacks on law enforcement officers are a “completely unacceptable rise in violence,”the department said in a press release.

The CPD reported approximately 762 homicides committed in 2016. The number represents an almost fifty percent increase from the number of homicides committed in 2015.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office reported an even higher number of murders in 2016, at 812 dead. The different tally stems from the fact that the police only count “murders” while the examiner’s office counts “homicides.” (RELATED:New Evidence Reveals Chicago Homicide Rate Is Even Higher Than Everyone Thought)

The city also saw more gun violence throughout the year, reporting that 3,550 shooting incidents occurred and 4,331 shooting victims, the Chicago Police Department said in a statement.

Chicago rang in the New Year with an especially bloody weekend. Fifty-five people suffered gun shot injuries and five people were killed.

The department announced plans to curb the city’s homicide rate in 2017. These include hiring almost 1,000 new officers and starting a mentoring program for men who reside in the city’s twenty most violent neighborhoods.

“If you give us the tools that we need to hold these individuals accountable, I promise you 2017 will be a much better, and safer, year for the city of Chicago,” Johnson said.

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