Jul 16, 2008 6:13 pm US/Central
Gov. Looks To Give City Help Controlling Violence
Blagojevich Meets With State Police, National Guard For Ideas
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a law on July 16, 2008 that makes adults who sell or give guns to minors eligible for tougher sentences if the kid commits a crime with the firearm.
CBS
Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday revealed several new plans he believes will fight crime in Chicago.
But, as CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports, Mayor Richard M. Daley may feel like the governor took some shots at his expense.
Blagojevich at a news conference talked about how to handle crime in the city Mayor Daley runs.
"I think we, those of us at state level, need to offer a helping hand, need to do something to help the mayor get his hands around this uncontrolled violence that's taking hold of some communities in the city of Chicago," Blagojevich said.
So what form is "the helping hand" taking? The governor met with leaders from the Illinois State Police and the National Guard Wednesday afternoon to work on ideas.
"We're going to see what we could plausibly offer to the city of Chicago to be helpful to do what we can to stop the gun violence and stop the violence," Blagojevich said.
Nothing's set in stone and he said it is unlikely National Guard troops would mobilize to assist Chicago police. But he suggested state troopers could provide manpower.
And Blagojevich suggested Daley could do his part.
"The mayor can be a great help in this in getting the House Democratic leadership to pass that big capital program," he said.
That capital program would funnel millions into communities he says need money to fight crime in a comprehensive way.
Blagojevich contends you can't just do it with gun laws like the one he signed at Wednesday's gathering, that makes adults who sell or give guns to minors eligible for tougher sentences if the kid commits a crime with the firearm.
"This is a good step," said Maria Ramirez.
But one Ramirez says needs to come in concert with other measures. She lost her son to gun violence and said, "I don't want another mother to wake up the way I do every day," missing her son, Mikey.
The governor said Mayor Daley did not ask for police manpower to help fight crime.
Blagojevich also said he'd call Daley, whose office told CBS 2 "the mayor welcomes partnerships on this issue and others. It's difficult for us to comment about this ; we don't have any of the facts.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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