Prior to moving to Chicago in 2017, I lived in Boston, where I visited recently with my son for his sixth birthday. While walking through our old neighborhood and taking him on a tour of some of the famous Colonial sites, it was hard not to reflect on our move. Across many metrics from economic dynamism to the reliability of city services, the dichotomy between the two cities is striking, but none more so than public safety.

Boston is palpably a safer city to walk around during the day and night, across almost all neighborhoods. The city has done so well that The Economist magazine even ran a feature story last year titled “How Boston became the safest big city in America.” Granted, there are complex socioeconomic factors at play that may be difficult to emulate, but Chicago should aspire to Boston’s level of safety.

One way to create a safer city is through implementing sensible policies. A last resort is sending in the National Guard. And with the president threatening to do just that, Chicago’s approach to public safety is making an unwelcome return to the national spotlight. Though I am a strong proponent of maintaining order, I believe such a deployment would be a costly mistake that risks creating more problems than it solves.

During the peak of disorder in 2020 to 2021, there was a case to be made for calling in federal troops. Indeed, I even made it. Thankfully, that moment has passed. For all the criticism of Chicago’s approach to public safety, it is measurably improving. Data from the Chicago Police Department shows that total crime reports are down 13% year over year. For this, we owe a debt of gratitude to police Superintendent Larry Snelling and Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke.

That said, the occurrence of crime — particularly violent crime — is still far too frequent. According to data compiled by the Real-Time Crime Index, Chicago leads the nation in homicides over the last 12 months and is fourth in aggravated assaults. While I prefer to live in the world of data, anecdotally, my family has had several close calls with violent crime in recent years, as well as having had our home burglarized. Not enjoyable, to say the least. Now, extrapolate experiences like ours across the city. Unsurprisingly, many people have simply had enough.

Over the past week as the prospect of federal troops has dominated the news cycle, much local discourse has focused on what is the “acceptable” level of crime. Is the answer not zero? I realize that’s unrealistic, but why not aim for it? No one should acquiesce to crime, violence and disorder as a city-living fact of life. This is not how we experienced living in Boston, and it’s not how anyone should experience living in Chicago. We have laws and law enforcement for a reason.

If we only let law enforcement and prosecutors do their jobs without unreasonable restrictions, and had more judges concerned about justice for the public than for violent offenders, we could be making even greater strides. However, that falls on voters to elect more pragmatic officials.

Likewise, if we had a stronger local economy — growing more than the anemic 0.98% annually over the last five years, compared to the national average of 2.34% — we would create more opportunities for some of our most vulnerable residents, who deserve meaningful economic prospects and safe neighborhoods just like everyone else. Better economic growth also comes down to voters electing more pragmatic public officials who want to work constructively with the business community to attract investment, jobs, innovation and talent.

But returning to public safety: There is a risk to the Donald Trump administration sending in troops that I have not seen others emphasize. It is that doing so breathes life back into our inept, unpopular and destructive far leftist movement (of which the mayor is an adherent) that has presided over so much operational chaos here and bears substantial responsibility for the breakdown of order in the first place. These officials do not deserve the gift of a political lifeline. Unfortunately, the president is offering them one.

Several years ago, when I first became vocal about local issues, I warned about the political pendulum swinging away from progressive excesses. I argued that if we failed to take public safety seriously, eventually there would be a backlash that might surprise our progressive friends and their allies. Well, here we are.

Safe to say, I’m not a card-carrying member of the progressive movement. For what it’s worth, I most closely identify with classic liberalism and am politically independent. But if you care about progressive priorities, you must get the basics of governance right. Public safety, a sound economy, sustainable finances, reliable services and quality education, to name a few.

You cannot achieve your version of “social justice” in the long term if you preside over a social breakdown in the short term. The public will pivot and perhaps pivot hard.

There is a lesson to be learned, and my concern is that now the focus won’t be on learning it.

Stuart Loren is a managing director at Fort Sheridan Advisors, where he manages client investment portfolios and is responsible for market and economic analysis. Formerly, Loren was a corporate lawyer in Boston. He lives in Chicago with his family.

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https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/31/opinion-chicago-public-safety-crime/