PEORIA, Ill. – In the wake of the recent shooting death of a 15-year-old boy and other violent crimes involving teens in Peoria, the police chief says the incidents are taking a toll on his officers.
Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria tells WMBD’s “Greg and Dan” that seeing these kids get arrested, back out on the streets, only to be arrested again, “is so frustrating and disheartening for them. To see someone after they’ve done all this work to get them off the streets, it’s a no win situation. If we go in, we’re too tough, if we don’t go in, where’s the cops?”
In a statement Monday, Echevarria said Illinois’ justice system is broken. He also said Peoria does have a parenting problem when it comes to some juvenile offenders.
In many cases, these crimes are a symptom of a troubled home