Whet Moser

Chicago's top cop has cited the work of former University of Chicago law prof Tracey Meares as an influence, in particular her concept of legitimacy, as an influence on his thinking. It might help explain a lot about the latest news in Chicago crime. Read more

Philadelphia adopts CeaseFire in order to combat that city's higher murder rate (which, like Chicago, is up this year), and the University of Chicago's Crime Lab looks at a program that combines sports and cognitive behavioral therapy. Plus: Al Jazeera examines Chicago crime. Read more

The latest on where guns in Chicago come from; a look into straw purchasers and the Mississippi connection; the dilemmas of snitching; and how to categorize "gang violence." Read more

James F. Short, Jr., one of the many sociologists in the University of Chicago's tradition of gang research, did the first major work of his career as the Black P Stones and Vice Lords were born. Read more

A short but detailed look at trauma care during Chicago's violent summer, where the number of patients has risen and the difference between a shooting and a homicide can be a matter of time and luck. Read more

In 1907, Chicago's meatpacking industry was infamous after Upton Sinclair's muckraking masterpiece. And the panoramic photographers of Geo. Lawrence and Co. were there to capture the process. Read more

A study of gang violence in Los Angeles finds a fascinating if obvious pattern: gang territory mirrors species territory in competing for resources, and violence is most common along the boundaries. Last night's shootings—six incidents, 19 victims—appear to follow that pattern. Read more

The significance of a liberal-arts education, the distinction between pleasure and happiness, and other things that confuse the practitioners of the dismal science. Read more