Chicago police command staff carry just as much blame as their leader

A few facts should be kept in mind when reading the recent Sun-Times story about Chicago police leaders losing faith in Supt. David Brown, primarily that the sources quoted are mostly high-ranking command staff members.

Each of them accepted his or her promotion, pay raises and the status Brown bestowed on them without any apparent understanding that with rank comes responsibility. There obviously have been many failures during Brown’s tenure, but those high-ranking officials carry just as much blame as their leader.

Instead of owning these failures and finally upholding the oath they freely took by working to correct them, these officials shift the blame upstairs, and are even allegedly threatening to do an even worse job this year, thus causing more suffering to the public just so they can make a point. All of this because of a few cry-babies under their command consider themselves too good to get back in uniform, patrol the streets and answer when the public calls for help.

Excuse me, but isn’t that what they signed up for to begin with? These undeserving people don’t deserve a platform; the public deserves much better.

David L. Milligan, Portage Park

Plenty of blame to go around

I can see why many are losing confidence in the top cop. It’s quite obvious just looking at the crime statistics alone. But we all know there is plenty of blame to go around.

We still need to address the problem of repeat offenders getting off too early. We need to make laws even stiffer for gun crimes. We need to support our police officers and help them do the best job they can. All of us need to support resolving these issues today to keep us all safe.

Tom DeDore, Garfield Ridge

The handwriting is on the wall

Apparently some commanders and supervisors have lost confidence in Supt. Brown to lead the third-largest police department in the country. If you are not your own man and you’re at the beck and call of Mayor Lori Lightfoot and basically let her run the department, then you will never have the respect of the officers and commanders under you.

It is like a general leading his troops: If they don’t respect you they will not follow you. So you need to tell the mayor, “Let me run the the police department and you run the city.”

If that can’t happen then you should resign and move on because she will always have you wrapped around her finger, especially when she hasn’t a clue how to run the police department. Time to move on. If your commanders don’t back you, then the handwriting is on the wall.

Gerald Burnson, Tinley Park