Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis Meets with Chicago Gang Leaders

Chicago - Chicago Police are putting gang members on notice: stop the killings or officers will make their lives miserable.

It's part of a new anti-gang initiative that caught West Side gang leaders off guard.

They found out after being tricked into coming to a secret meeting earlier this month.

Leaders of several West Side gangs were told they needed to see their parole officers, but when they walked into the Garfield Park Observatory, Police Superintendent Jody Weis was there to greet them instead.

"What we're really focusing is on group responsibility. If one of these guys should kill another gang member, we're gonna come down with every bit of firepower we have, every prosecutive trick we know," Weis said.

The heat could include towing gang members' cars for parking violations, pulling them in for more parole visits or repeatedly pulling them in for traffic violations.

Weis also made it clear to the gang leaders that this will not be a pass on other criminal activity, emphasizing that the joint law enforcement effort will also use the racketeering statutes in their crackdown.

"If you buy a car for your mom, we'll take that car. If you buy a home for your mother, we'll take that home, as long as we can tie it to the proceeds of your illegal activity," Weis said he told the gangs.

But with the stick, police also offered a carrot, holding out the prospect of jobs programs to give gang members an option besides a life of continued crime.

Some police officers were critical of the meeting, seeing it as a sign of weakness, but Weis said the program has been tried and worked in cities such as Boston and Cincinnati.

He denied it was akin to negotiating with terrorists, saying he and other law enforcement leaders just laid down the new rules.

Community members were also at the meeting, pleading with the gang leaders to stop the killings. With this being a warm weekend, it may be a good test of the program.