City Celebrates National Night Out as Crime Debated

Chicago - On Tuesday night, neighbors across Chicago and throughout the suburbs gathered on the streets for the annual "National Night Out."

Mayor Daley and Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis attended an event in Humboldt Park.

They've been trying to fight the perception that crime in Chicago is getting out of control.

On Monday, Weis was pointing outthe number of murders is down slightly. His assurances that violent crime has fallen over the past 20 years made for an interesting news conference with Mayor Daley on Tuesday.

The mayor said even one crime is too many, but also showed support for Weis.

"Our police department is getting better every day," Mayor Daley said. "And they're doing a good job. Just see how many seizures of guns they've taken place."

The mayor also outlined new initiatives to prevent violence.

The most visible will be more police officers on weekend street duty.

To pay the overtime that requires, the city will accelerate the use of $9 million of federal stimulus money.

The city will also collaborate more with federal, state, and county law enforcement.

And the police are expanding their use of crime-fighting technology and analsysis in order to be more efficient.