Ferguson violence prompts Chicago police outreach

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy has ordered his district commanders to reach out to the public after high-profile incidents involving officers.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports McCarthy has told commanders to form "phone trees" with telephone numbers of key community leaders, including aldermen and pastors. He says commanders are to provide facts about police-involved incidents without jeopardizing an investigation.

McCarthy says the violent protests in Ferguson, Missouri, made him realize his own department needed to be more proactive in keeping the public informed after potentially controversial incidents.

McCarthy noted there's been an increase in protests of Chicago police-involved shootings since the shooting of an unarmed black teen in Ferguson, Missouri.

The Rev. Michael Pfleger of Chicago's St. Sabina Church says the department has improved its community outreach.