Chicago police: Trump lied about ‘top’ cop telling him ‘tough tactics’ could end crime within a week

Donald Trump has real problems being truthful, as evidenced by the record number of "Pants on Fire" ratings he's received from Politifact.

Now it seems Trump has flat-out fabricated an encounter he supposedly had with a "top" Chicago police officer.

NBC Chicago is reporting that the Chicago Police Department is pushing back on Trump's claim that a "top" Chicago cop told him that the city's violence could be stopped in a week if he were allowed to employ unspecified "tough police tactics."

"We've discredited this claim months ago," CPD spokesperson Frank Giancamilli said in a statement. "No one in the senior command at CPD has ever met with Donald Trump or a member of his campaign."

CPD's response this week came after Trump told Bill O'Reilly that a high-ranking police officer in Chicago told him the department knew how to end violence in the city "if they were given the authority to do it." Apparently, Trump believes that political correctness is responsible for telling cops to not employ "tough" tactics.

In his statement, Giancamilli also disputed that "tough" tactics were the most effective way for police to reduce crime.

"The best way to address crime is through a commitment to community policing and a commitment to stronger laws to keep illegal guns and repeat violent offenders off the street," he said.