Illinois Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Chicago is becoming safer under progressive Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
"Crime is coming down gradually in the city and across the state. It's going to take a little while. These things don't come down immediately. But it's getting better," Pritzker told CNBC on Wednesday.
Pritzker said that "crime prevention dollars" are being used to curb violence, and the city had made efforts to "intervene on the street, literally providing jobs for young people."
Pritzker also cited the new Illinois law banning assault weapons.
"That's going to help," said Pritzker, who was being interviewed in Davos, Switzerland, where he's attending the World Economic Forum.
One of three CNBC interviewers asked Pritzker about "no cash bail." Illinois and New York have eliminated bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies.
Another interviewer quickly mentioned that a Goldman Sachs employee in New York had been killed in the subway after "somebody who was let out on bail [and] probably should not have been."
"People misunderstand that [no cash bail]," Pritzker said. "That doesn't mean that you're just letting the jail doors open."
He added that violent criminals should not be let free, and that those who commit retail theft should be held accountable.
Lightfoot last week said her plan to fight crime is working, even though statistics show criminal complaints rose 41% in 2022 from 2021. Data released by the Chicago Police Department showed there were 66,855 criminal complaints filed in 2022 and 47,452 in 2021.
In Lightfoot's three years in office, criminal complaints are up 33% and the murder rate is up 39%. She is facing reelection this year.
While Pritzker was in Switzerland, Politico reported that the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) sued over the state's new law banning assault weapons. It's the first federal lawsuit to challenge the law.
The ISRA does not agree that AR-15 rifles should be designated as "assault weapons." The group says that description was "developed by anti-gun publicists' in their crusade against lawful firearm ownership."
Pritzker last week signed legislation banning the sale and distribution of semiautomatic weapons, high-capacity magazines, and switches in his state.
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