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June 18, 2010 Southwest News-Herald - City

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Address Local Crime Concerns

Weis, Police Commanders Listen to Complaints of 18th Ward
By TASHA L. CLOPTON-STUBBS
Ald. Lona Lane (18th) hosted a town hall meeting to address crime in the 18th Ward on June 9 at Bogan High School, 3939 W. 79th St. The meeting was held in 400-seat auditorium but held just under 30 residents. Included on the panel were 6th and 8th district commanders Eddie Johnson and John Kupczyk, respectively, and Chicago Police Department Supt. Jody Weis. Weis thanked those in attendance for their concern for the neighborhoods. Noting that overall crime was down in the 18th Ward. He urged continued vigilance from residents reiterating the slogan, If you see something, say something, while reminding residents that peak times for home burglaries are between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays. One resident expressed concern about the number of policemen and women on the street. Weis responded that the police force is down about 800 police officers, equating to be about 5.6 percent of the citys resources. Despite this, Weis confidently promised, we will have enough police officers for the summer. To make up for that, what weve tried to do is look where the crime is actually taking place. According to Weis, all of the shooting and homicides in 2009 occurred in less than nine percent of the city. With this information, deployment of officers is now pinpointed. There are 90 cadets in the academy scheduled to graduate in July, and 200 additional officers being brought in from administrative positions. Even though were down, Weis explained, weve made better use of our resources, noting that crime has been down for 17 consecutive months. Residents inquiries included how to get speed humps installed, and what can be done about a juvenile constantly prowling the neighborhood during school hours. Juveniles roaming the neighborhood should be reported to police while residents keep their homes and properties secure and actively keep watch. Petitions for speed humps can be obtained at aldermanic offices. One reason for securing a petition is to provide clear understanding to signers that any mess made by vehicles going over the humps, (i.e., splashing water, falling trash from garbage trucks), must be cleaned up by the owner of the property is in front of that hump. Residents concerned about how to quickly remove squatters from vacant, foreclosed properties were instructed to call police district headquarters as there are officers dedicated to flag these types of properties. Johnson stated that the 6th District has been successful in calling

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Johnson stated that the 6th District has been successful in calling absentee landlords and shaming them into taking better care of properties. If (you) dont do something with this property, A, B, or C will happen. He continued, But if thats not the case, then we would go on and contact other city agencies and see what we can do in terms of getting these buildings taken care of. Johnson stressed that this is a process and will not always happen quickly, even if a home is fast-tracked due to repeated criminal activity. Youth with a disdain for curfew was also of concern. Johnson noted that an unnamed initiative in conjunction with the Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Parish has been successful. The church teams up with police to contact the parents of curfew violators while providing social service resources to those who may need or want them. For some reason nine times out of 10, when the police pick up juveniles for curfew, parents arent quick to come get them. But when we partnered up with the church, they came a lot quicker. Clearly disappointed with the low turnout Lane thanked attendees and adjourned the meeting, reminding residents to keep calling the police, keep attending block club and CAPS meetings, and keep watching out for one another. Eighteenth ward boundaries are Marquette Road to 87th Street, and from Pulaski to Honore. The 18th Ward office is located 8146 S. Kedzie Ave.

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