[Kathy Lanier, Chief, Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, D.c:] Things like gun control laws are just a small part of all of the things that are coming up here today in terms of accountability for violent offenders and those repeat violent offenders is a key part of this.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn Anchor:] So when you talk about that, Chief, accountability for violent offenders, how are they being treated now and how do you think they need to be treated?
[Lanier:] Well, you look at the statistics that come out city after city after city in Atlanta, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., our top 50 violent gun offenders account for 847 arrests. That's a staggering number. We're hearing it from city after city after city. And when you hear about the high numbers with gun offenses, the percentage of those persons that spend time in jail is hovering between 2 percent and 6 percent. So clearly there's a disconnect. When you have that small number accounting for that large number of violent crimes and such a small amount of time or percentage going and spending time in jail, there's a problem. So I think that is one of the big focuses for today.
[Keilar:] I imagine, suspect, it's quite an experience to get together with other people in your position as you're dealing with similar problems. What do you think can done, Superintendent, in terms of working together to find a solution to this problem?
[Gary Mccarthy, Superintendent, Chicago Police Department:] First of all, we do this frequently. We're all members of something known as Major City Chief's Association. What we did differently this time was we convened the individuals having this problem right now and we brought we invited elected officials. We only got the mayor St. Louis to come because of their schedules but we have prosecutors in the room speaking the same talk, if you will. And what we hope to make a point is that, like Kathy points out, it's not just happening in Chicago or St. Louis. Until the priorities of the criminal justice system come in line with what the policing world is doing, this is going to continue. So we have to get some solutions out there that are practical. We have to have middle-of-the-road conversations and, at the end of the day, we can improve our police performance. As I talked going into the Fourth of July weekend, I was able to put a third more police officers on the street. People asked what was going to happen, I said we're going to seize more guns and nothing is going to change. And guess what? I was correct.
[Keilar:] That's a lesson for all of you at this conference today. Thanks to both of you for joining us, Chicago police superintendent, Gary McCarthy; and Chief Kathy Lanier, the Metropolitan Police Department here in Washington,
[D.c. Mccarthy:] Thanks, Brianna.
[Lanier:] Thank you.
[Keilar:] Up next, he arrived relatively late to the presidential race and he won't be part of prime-time debate on Thursday night or of this GOP forum going on tonight. So we'll ask former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore how he plans to compete for the Republican nomination for president. We have him live with us next.