Policy Aims to Deter Shooting at Police

A new policy under which homicide detectives will investigate gunfire attacks against police is part of a plan to boost morale among rank-and-file officers in the city’s South Bureau.

“We are going to investigate these (cases) as if they where hits,” said South Bureau Deputy Chief Mark A. Kroeker, who announced the policy earlier this month.

“In terms of the criminal population, the message they should be getting is that we’re going to put some heavy assets into finding out who you are if you shoot at our cops.”

Previously, attempted police shootings were investigated by the division where they took place.

There have been about 35 incidents this year in which police have been the targets of gunfire in the South Bureau, said Lt. Sergio Robleto, who heads the South Bureau homicide unit.

“This will bring in a consistency of commitment that hasn’t been there before and let the officers know they are not a forgotten person on the front line,” Robleto said. “The way we do things, we get extra resources that we can utilize such as extra (specialized) units.”

Kroeker, who took over as deputy chief of the South Bureau recently, said the plan may require additional funds to pay for overtime.