President-elect Donald Trump isn't the first to broach the idea of the federal government stepping in to help stem deadly violence in Chicago. But what more it can do isn't at all clear.
Trump said on Twitter this week that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel should ask for federal help if he can't lower a homicide count that hit 762 in 2016. That's the most killings in Chicago in two decades.
The current U.S. attorney in Chicago, Zachary Fardon, came under pressure when he took the post three years ago to do more to stem city violence. His office has sought to indict more felons on gun charges and to convict more leaders of violent street gangs.
But prosecutions can sometimes make violence worse. Gang experts widely agree the prosecution of gang bosses sometimes leads to more inter-gang rivalry and, therefore, to more violence.
