“As Chicago endured a devastating surge in gun violence last summer, scores of people with long rap sheets stood atop the Chicago Police Department’s secret watch list,”chicago.suntimes.com reports. The Sun-Times leads with an example of a bad bad boy on the list. And then the article turns darker . . .

Nearly half of the people at the top of the list have never been arrested for illegal gun possession. About 13 percent have never been charged with any violent crime. And 20 of the 153 people deemed most at risk to be involved in violent crime, as victim or shooter, have never been arrested either for guns or violence.

So someone arrested on a drug charge (presumably) or shot qualifies for the Chicago PD’s secret “watch list” — regardless of whether or not they’ve been identified as a gang member. In fact . . .

Gang membership is no longer considered because it wasn’t very good at predicting involvement in shootings as either gunman or victim, though the police say they aren’t sure why.

The list was inspired by the research of Yale University sociology professor Andrew Papachristos (above) — who disavows its use. He told the Sun-Times that his work focuses on “identifying potential victims, not on predicting the chances someone will shoot another person.”

The Chicago PD only surrendered the list after the Sun-Times pursued them legally. The Boys in Blue insisted that “criminals could use the list to ‘thwart’ the police, even though it was based on public information, such as arrest histories.”

Bottom line: the CPD’s “watch list” is a secret list maintained by a government entity, without public disclosure of who’s on it, exactly how they’re scored, or any method for getting off the list. Just like the FBI’s “terrorist watch list” (which is actually a number of lists).

Now, consider the Windy City’s anti-gun animus and the state’s requirement for a Firearms Owners Identification Card. See any problem?

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20 COMMENTS

    • More of a Cookies&Cream type myself.
      And there is no other brand but Blue Bell – anything else is yankee garbage.

      • There’s an ice cream parlor down the road in Cape Coral FL that makes its own ice cream and it’s fabulous!

        • Dang¡!
          Name???
          Don’t be throwing out “great ice cream” places w/ no name as a tease!
          I thought POTIC stuck together?!
          I live in Lee Co and will visit this so called “great ice cream” place.

      • Wilcoxson’s Ice Cream in Livingston, Montana will demolish everything but home made ice cream.

        Their huckleberry ice cream will put you in a proper diabetic coma, as the deliciousness will demand a second serving every time.

  2. The State’s FOID law is not so much of an issue, since it is shall issue to anyone qualified to own a firearm. the issue arises with the CCW law, which allows the city to object to and possibly block any applicant receiving a license. Gang affiliation would probably suffice.

  3. If this is a list of potential victims shouldn’t everybody on the list be issued a carry permit?

  4. What is the exact purpose of a “secret list” of potential victims that is not protecting anyone?

    But it’s in Chicago so it could be for anything…

    • Simple. If you have a watch list, you can spend your time “watching” rather than doing (arresting/jailing Obama’s cousins/sons/etc (Demtard voters)).

  5. I had a friend on the no fly list. He was able to get off it much more quickly than I expected.

  6. Basically, the subject of the article is about places like $#!t-cago…Where Big Government, Crime–(ever since both go hand in hand…Since the roaring 20’$ Mob/Gangster era…This area is far to famous for…As well as Government, and Police Corruption…), Police Corruption, Drugs, and Failed Liberal Progressive Social engineering experiments gone haywire…Does it surprise anyone that Big City Law Enforcement would run amok making up their own laws, fabrications, and political agendas…Since, Constitutional accountability, and oversight is out the window…Just something else that is incompatible with our US Constitutional-Bill of Rights….

  7. Few people know that Chicago is an Indian word meaning “cesspool of asshat politicians”.
    The root “chi” means “tiny penis”, while the root “cago” means “no self esteem”.
    True.
    It’s a loose interpretation, but it fits…
    Explains a lot.

    • “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.” -Some Old Fart in a bathrobe.

  8. They are clearly missing some crucial elements here. The Chicago pre-crime unit needs to re-watch the Minority Report.

    • **Beep!Beep! Beep!** You sir have rolled a Red Ball !!! The $#!t-cago Police Precrime unit has determined that you are political dissident…You are precog guilty of attempting to stage rebellion!!! Stay where u are !!! SWAT are enroute to Halo you!!! You are an Enemy of the City-State….! LOL!

  9. And “they” keep telling us, “you’re just being paranoid”, or “that’s crazy, there’s no slippery slope”….

  10. It’s the perennial dilemma of the Chicago PD: To be the Cosa Nostra or the KGB.

    Sometimes they achieve both simultaneously…

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