PEORIA, Ill. – Yes, there is still violence in Peoria, but the city’s Police Chief, Eric Echevarria, says there are serious inroads being made toward ending or at least reducing it.
Echevarria says for one, his anti-violence initiative, of which a special detail was again held last Thursday night, is working.
But, the chief tells WMBD’s Craig Collins the public is also playing a part.
“We need their help, quite frankly,” said Echevarria. “We need the information they have. We need them, if they see something, to tell us.”
Echevarria says he remains committed to getting illegal guns off the streets, and unlike some areas where the guns were brought in from other states, many of them are ones stolen right in this area. That’s compared to some state evidence suggesting illegal guns are coming in from out of state.
Echevarria says it’s possible some officers have had to change their thinking in how they do their jobs. One of those ways is in how they investigate gun crimes.
“The next day, what’s the follow-up to that (shooting)?” said Echevarria. “There’s more knocking on doors. We’ve recovered guns, believe it or not, by just walking up to somebody’s house the next day and saying, ‘We found some evidence right outside your house here that leads us to believe…somebody shot a gun off right here.’ We’ve recovered some guns.”
But, Echevarria does know there are detractors out there, people who compare Peoria to Chicago, and those who remain critical of crime-fighting efforts.
“There is crime here. It’s a big city. There is gun violence. We need to take control of it. We also need the help of the community,” said Echevarria. “Rather than complain or make your negative comments behind a keyboard where nobody knows who you are, come and apply. Come help us. Be part of the solution. Don’t be part of the problem.”
Echevarria says while there have been fourteen homicides in Peoria so far this year, shooting incidents, shooting murders, shooting victims, and all murders, are all down double-digit percentages so far this year.
(From a City of Peoria handout)
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