Often someone as entrenched as Richard Daley would simply shrug off Chicago’s high murder rate and keep on keep on winning elections. Much like his much praised effort to improve the Chicago Public Schools, he pushing for a significant change in the deployment of police in Chicago. As the Tribune points out this is a politically explosive move. Residents in safe neighborhoods take their police protection for granted and this is going to rankle many.
Bold leadership is required to continue the urban resurgence seen in our major cities. Daley, with all of his faults, is providing that leadership.