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Chicago authorities provide tips to victims Violent robbery A former NYPD official slammed the department for advice it provided to other potential victims after the city committed crimes in August.
There were eight violent robberies in it Grant Park in ChicagoNew East and Circulation Area last month, according to a memo circulated by the Chicago Police Department.
“In each incident, the criminals have targeted loneliness to the loneliness, the unsuspecting victims on the park property and using corpse force to occupy the victim’s property,” the memo said. “Every time the gold chain/necklace is taken away.”

Chicago police patrolled downtown in Chicago on August 26, 2025. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
In response, police told residents to walk in pairs and stick to well-lit areas when they go out at night and never chase away suspects.
However, they also asked the robbed residents to remain calm, observe any identification marks from the attacker, and talk to witnesses at the scene after the robbery to collect their contact information to pass to police.
“From the police organization, it’s embarrassing,” Carl Defazio said. “It actually made me sick a little bit. It’s so bad. It’s almost incomprehensible, it’s so bad. These guys have never been robbed to give you this list, I’ll tell you now.”
Defazio is a former U.S. Marine Corps and New York Police Department veteran and now owns a private investigation and security company.

Chicago police walked past the scene behind the warning tape. Two 2-year-olds were shot dead in their hands on Memorial Day weekend in Chicago, Illinois. (Chris Sweden/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“They should first tell people, ‘Do everything they can,'” he said, “When you rob with a gun, it’s not TV. You can’t just sit there and say, ‘Let me see. ‘”
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Defazio said it is possible that criminals may notice victims trying to scan them to identify information, which could escalate the situation. Even eye contact could lead to crime or victim killing, he said.
“You want to look less threatening, co-op,” he said, adding that victims should always adhere to the requirements of violent offenders when it comes to determining that hand and neck tattoos are becoming more common.
Crime preventionAccording to Defazio, this is not the key either.
He described the Chicago Police Tips as “all reactionary” and noted that overall policing across the country has been removed from stopping crime and towards simply responding to crime.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson delivered a speech to reporters in August 2025, saying that he had sent troops to Chicago. (Getty Image/ Kamil Krazaczynski)
“Now, you tell me they want someone with 0.357 Magnum pointing to their heads and keep calm, trying to find witnesses, looking for factors for identification?” he asked. “The only thing you want to see is the barrel of that gun.”
Defazio recommends implementing community patrols to identify dangerous communities, as well as people in communities that can cause trouble, similar to the “Stop and Frisk” policies in the early 2000s, where police were allowed to perform pat-style actions to see if people were carrying weapons.
“That’s why the police are not doing well in Chicago,” he said. “They react to crime rather than preventing it. They’re not doing anything preventive.”

Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling answered a question as U.S. Secret Service Chief Kimberly Cheatle heard a press conference about the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Defazio also stressed that it looks as non-threatening as possible during the robbery.
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“If someone points you, don’t move.” “Let your hand down. Don’t move suddenly. Do what they say exactly. That’s what they should tell you.”
The Chicago Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.