A Chicago alderman is issuing a stark warning on rampant crime, claiming “it is a lawless land right now” as the number of officers shot in the line of duty spiked 43% since last year.

Anthony Napolitano, who is also a former police officer himself, accused politicians of prompting anti-police rhetoric on “Fox & Friends,” urging officials to do more to combat the crime wave.

“We’re the land of the lost here,” Napolitano told co-host Lawrence Jones. “Crime has taken over. People aren’t afraid of the police anymore… Politicians have vilified the police. You have your defund the police movement. Nobody wants to be the police anymore… It’s a lawless land right now.”

…

“There’s no backing from our city, there’s no backing from our administration, and we need society to step up and start putting these children and these criminals in their place,” said Napolitano. “If we don’t do it… we’re going to lose Chicago, and it’s happening. It’s happening at a quick pace.”

The article also noted that the FOP cites a 43 percent increase in officers being shot in the line of duty so far in 2022.

Now, understand, this is a politician speaking. It seems he’s not a fan of the current leadership in the city–though, in fairness, who could blame him? As such, though, much of what he says needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Especially since I wrote on Monday about how most violent crime rates are going down compared to last year.

That said, down from last year isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. Chicago’s homicide rate hit a 25-year high in 2021, which means a drop in the homicide rate for this year doesn’t mean the homicide rate is actually low by any stretch of the imagination.

Napolitano’s comments may sound like doomsaying, but he’s also not wrong.

While the “defund the police” movement is awfully silent right about now in light of the violent crime surge we’ve seen over the last two years, they’re not gone. Some still share that sentiment.

That said, though, those people are the minority. Right now, most people love them some law enforcement, and that’s hardly surprising considering the violent crime rates, even if lower than the previous year.

One thing Napolitano didn’t touch on is Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. After all, when she decides not to prosecute people shooting up a neighborhood because of “mutual combat,” then it’s probably a safe bet that she’s a good chunk of the problem.

That’s just a BS reason to not prosecute anyone, yet that’s what Foxx did. What signal do you think that sends to violent gangs–the groups most responsible for such violence?

At the end of the day, though, Napolitano isn’t wrong. Chicago’s violence is out of control, and while some parts of the city are relatively crime-free, other parts make Mogadishu look like Copenhagen.

Frankly, the people of Chicago deserve better.

Unfortunately, they also get what they vote for, and they voted for people like Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Foxx. Now, they’re getting what they voted for, good and hard.

The big question is whether or not the voters in Chicago will wake up and recognize what’s happening and start taking steps to address it by voting in new leadership.

I’m not holding my breath.