Doctored information from CPD is rampant in Mary Mitchell’s recent column. The Sun-Times is no stranger to biased information. And Mary Mitchell is no stranger to biased writing either. Mary Mitchell, a columnist for the Sun-Times, has been writing columns condemning the CPD for decades. Mitchell has written columns criticizing their lack of due diligence and police practices.

Additionally, Mary Mitchell’s column is full of doctored information that the CPD has released to the public to improve its own reputation. Her column is complete with baseless facts and misleading information that serves to confuse readers about what the CPD does compared to what they are supposed to represent. Mitchell has spent years condemning the CPD for doing a bad job. Yet, because of a personal relationship, this article is the exact opposite of what she often writes.

The media is no stranger to nepotism. Mitchell is one of many columnists that has written columns condemning the CPD and its reputation only to turn around and try to save their reputation through her column. Columnists like Mitchell promote and encourage nepotism when dismissing valuable and relevant information in favor of biased statistics to support personal relationships.

Correspondingly, Mitchell has no desire to fact-check or research any of her sources while writing her column. Throughout the history of the CPD, there has never been a time where the statistics were not doctored to show the CPD in a favorable light. The clearance rate right now is 58.45% compared to 51.88% in 2019. In, 2017 the city’s murder clearance rate was 29%. Under David Brown’s leadership, the clearance rates doubled since Charlie Beck’s tenure. But Charlie Beck made changes since Eddie Johnson’s administration. Under each leadership, things changed but the policies never worked.

Since the policies enacted by each Chief of Police have not worked, why are the clearance rates doubled? It is because of doctored statistics. When a person is arrested, they can be guilty but there are various convenient excuses as to why they cannot be charged, and they eventually walk free. But the Chicago justice system has produced a system to where they can claim they have cleared that case by putting the blame on lack of evidence.