The horrific wave of violence in Chicago last weekend in which 74 people were shot – 12 of them fatally – is the tragic end result of the police force being "emasculated" and unable to do their jobs, former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke told Newsmax TV on Tuesday.
"The great officers of the Chicago Police Department have been emasculated by [Chicago Mayor] Rahm Emanuel and by [police] superintendent Eddie Johnson, and they are no longer in power to go out and enforce quality of life issues," Clarke told "America Talks Live."
"Most of those shootings that I read about over the weekend were drive-bys, [meaning] these weapons are being transported in vehicles, which means you need a high level of traffic stops.
"[But] every time a cop pulls a car over in the ghetto and he's accused or she's accused of us stopping somebody for driving while black that keeps the police from being as aggressive as they need to be, under the law, mind you."
Important: Newsmax TV is available on DirecTV Ch. 349, U-Verse 1220, DISH 216, and FiOS 615. If your cable operator does not have Newsmax TV just call and ask them to put us on – Call toll-free 1-844-500-6397 and we will connect you right away to your cable operator!
For more places to Find Newsmax TV – Click Here Now
Clarke told hosts Miranda Khan, John Cardillo, and Gina Loudon the problem is "fixable" but "not overnight."
"It's not fixable under Rahm Emanuel and the police superintendent," Clarke said. "To deal with this violence, if you don't have a comprehensive plan with multiple of remedies in it, you're not going to fix it. All we get from the superintendent, from Rahm Emanuel, is empty rhetoric."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.