Chicago could limit gun violence if local law enforcement were allowed to use "proactive police strategies" like "stop-and-question," according to former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
The city recently experienced one of its most violent weekends in its history with 12 murders and more than 70 people wounded.
"This is not only happening in Chicago, it’s happening throughout the country," Kelly told FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo on Tuesday. "Police officers are behind, discouraged from using this tried and true attack … as a result people feel they can carry guns with impunity."
Kelly, who worked closely with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to implement tough-on-crime policies, suggested that officers should focus on preventing crimes and seeking out potential offenses.
"I think the engagement – a policy of engagement – has worked – it worked here in New York," he said. "I think police have to get out of their cars. If you see suspicious activity you’ve got to encounter that – that’s what we pay police officers to do. It’s perfectly legal."
Kelly added that law enforcement will need support from elected officials in order to move from reactive policing to active policing.
"What you see is departments become a lot more active and not proactive," he said. "Things that have driven crime down successfully in the past in the 1990s and 2000s, just are not being used to the extent they should be. It should be a natural occurrence – in other words – police see suspicious activity – you get out and you engage – that’s not happening."
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