In the past two months, three Chicago police officers were shot and killed. Michael Bailey and Thomas Wortham IV were both attacked and killed in front of the homes where their families lived, and in both incidents, a member of their family ran out to try and help.

The third officer, Thor Soderberg, was shot in a police station parking lot. Soderberg was in uniform, as was Bailey who had just come home from a shift guarding Chicago Mayor Daley’s house. Wortham was visiting his parent’s house, and one suspect in his shooting was recently paroled on gun charges. In Wortham’s honor, politicians, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Daley all gathered in Cole Park of the Chatham neighborhood, where Wortham was killed, to sign a new law targeting the gun charge by increasing its consequences.

Before only probation was possible, now carriers of firearms without a state firearm owner’s identification card can receive one year of prison.

Now, after all of the turmoil associated with these officers’ deaths, Daley said Chicago must hire on more police officers, 100 at least. On the force now are 13,500 with about 1,000 off for medical or other reasons.

The problem lies with more than the amount of police officers, which Daley addresses and this Editorial Board agrees with. People in the city of Chicago must also be more invested in their own safety and the safety of others.

Unfortunately, asking that they not be silent about crimes may risk their lives. What happens when people cannot leave their homes or tell the police about crimes without feeling like their safety is in full jeopardy? Nothing changes, at least in terms of the peoples’ comfort.

And so people blame the Mayor, the police officers themselves, different neighborhoods in the city, lawmakers and more. But there may be blame to be placed on all of us.

A disregard for human life took over in Chicago the past two months. When people can point a gun and pull the trigger for money, food, alcohol or drugs, something has gone amiss. And the solution is difficult to find. Paying the new officers would prove difficult for Illinois for obvious reasons.

We believe the problem starts with people, however. Our society tends to perpetuate itself, and this society is not always one to be proud of. We must first take off our gloves if we wish to solve the problems of violence and hate. The Illinois Supreme Court’s approval of hand gun restrictions also affects Chicago. We still support legislation which allows us our rights, but perhaps more needs to be done to truly regulate the ownership and trafficking of firearms.

The big picture is this: these families lost brothers, fathers, and sons. They lost a feeling of safety in their own homes because the shootings happened just outside the front door in two of the three incidents.

These tragedies bring to light the fact that violence can be all around us if we let it remain. And the unfortunate truth is that no one knows how to combat it at all.

There is a lack of money, a lack of police officers and a still-stagnant economy that forces the state to cut budgets and citizens to wonder whether they’ll keep getting a paycheck.

It comes back to state government, we believe. They must act soon, and with full force, to make any serious changes.