The following is part of a rare interview with a Chicago police officer and Federalist Staff Writer Evita Duffy-Alfonso, in which they discuss the surge of violence, political corruption, gun control, Black Lives Matter, and rap music. To protect the officer’s safety and his job, he has been granted anonymity. Note that this transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Police Officer (PO): I’ve been living in Chicago my entire life. I actually did not want to become a police officer growing up, but I think engaging with the police on various occasions played a role in me becoming the police at a later time.
And when I was in college, there was a recession, so I had to choose a career where I could actually pay back a lot of those loans and things plus, I thought law enforcement would be a great opportunity for me to improve the community, so I ended up being involved in law enforcement. I’ve been an officer for 10 years.
Evita Duffy-Alfonso (ED): As an officer now, how would you say safety and crime in the city is and maybe compare it to when you first started out?
PO: I think crime has definitely gotten worse since I’ve been an officer for a variety of reasons. I think it’s people failing to prosecute and the offenders continuing to commit crimes. Education plays a role, as well. If a person is not getting a proper education at their local schools, that affects a
