Chicago Public Safety Forum Sparks Debate on Approaches to Crime Control

Chicago mayoral candidates Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson denied making controversial comments attributed to them during a public safety forum. Johnson backed away from his previous support for the “defund the police” movement and said he would keep the Police Department’s spending as it is. Vallas denied his comments against the idea of “handcuffing” police officers and suggested the moderators were confusing him with a previous mayoral candidate, Willie Wilson. Both candidates focused on the need for community-based policing and agreed that Chicago police can’t solve the problem of violence alone.