ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is a home rule unit of government pursuant to the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6 (a); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to its home rule power, the City of Chicago may exercise any power and perform any function relating to its government and affairs including promoting the quality of life and the welfare of its citizens; and
WHEREAS, people who have been convicted of felony gun offenses pose unique dangers to the people of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, such convicted individuals should be monitored to anticipate recidivism and to ensure their prompt apprehension if the convicted offenders commit further crimes; and
WHEREAS, gun violence has reached epidemic proportions, compromising the safety of all Chicagoans, including our children; and
WHEREAS, Aldermen Burke introduced legislation to create an internal database, requiring all individuals convicted of criminal possession of a weapon to register with the Chicago Police Department which was passed October 3, 2012; and
WHEREAS, the city saw a surge in gun violence in 2016 with 762 homicides, 3,550 shooting incidents, and 4,331 shooting victims, according to published reports citing statistics released by the Police Department; and
WHEREAS, the Chicago Police Department maintains a publicly accessible database on its website where concerned residents may search for information about registered gun offenders residing in their neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, Illinois Compiled Statutes (730 ILCS 152/115 (a) and (b) mandate that the Illinois State Police ("ISP") establish and maintain a statewide Sex Offender Database, accessible on the Internet, identifying persons who have been convicted of certain sex offenses and/or crimes against children and must register as a Sex Offender; and
WHEREAS, A sex offender must register with the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction where they reside, and those offenders who reside in the City of Chicago must register with the Chicago P...
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