Beat 2431 News - Rogers Park 24th Police District

Sign Citizen Complaint Form against Soo Liquors

At the April 21 Beat 2431 beat meeting, citizens learned that owners of Soo Liquors were not abiding by the terms of the agreement they signed with Alderman Joe Moore not to sell malt liquor and small half pints of liquor for less than $3.

As a result, Alicia Lopez, a staff aide for Alderman Moore, suggested that meeting-goers sign Citizen Complaint Forms to complain about loitering, panhandling, drug-dealing and drinking in front of Soo Liquors. (You can download the form here and send it to the Alderman's office.)

We will present these complaint forms to the commissioner of Dept. of Business Affairs and Licensing. We will ask him to conduct a hearing about the problems at Soo Liquor.

Stay tuned to this Web site for more details on the upcoming meeting.

Minutes from April 21, 2008, CAPS meeting

You can download a PDF of minutes from the 4/21/2008 Beat 2431 meeting here. Below is the text version of the minutes.

Rogers Park, 24th Police District, Beat 2431
CAPS Meeting, April 21, 2008
Rogers Park Community Council Office
1530 W. Morse Avenue

Officiates:
Kevin O’Neil, Facilitator
Sergeant Baranowski, Beat Team Leader, Chicago Police Department
Jayne M. Hoffman, notes taker
Meeting notes are paraphrased, quotations are marked accordingly.
I.  Welcome and introductions. 7:05pm: Kevin greeted newcomers & outlined how CAPS works along with the geographic boundaries of Beat 2431. Introductions went around the room. About 35 citizens and police are in attendance.

II. Police crime report. Sgt. Zacagnino read off current crime report stats: From March 1 to 31. Click here for details on the Top 10 crimes and number of arrests.

III.  Identify new problem areas.
6923 N. Wayne: Citizen reporting that the building is infested with roaches. Anthony Pehar is the owner and Anne Sullivan from Alderman Moore’s office will schedule a meeting.

NW corner Pratt and Wayne and 6818 N. Wayne: Suspicious activities at both addresses. Possibilities of prostitution and drug dealing, respectively. Ofr. Acquilly: We have never had a call at Pratt and Wayne, and received only one call at another time at 6818 for a domestic disturbance. It was suggested that the neighbors need to start calling 911 and keep a log book of activity.

6962 N. Ashland, Unit 2W: Constant foot traffic 24 hours from the female occupied unit. People acting suspiciously; buzzer for entry going on all night which can be heard throughout the building. Ofr. Cohen: Have neighbors complained to the landlord? Citizen: Yes. Cohen: When proof of illegal activity is lacking, the greatest defense is if the landlord enforces municipal codes, such as the noise ordinance. Then the tenant can be found under a breach of lease and subsequently evicted.

6928 N. Wayne: Motor vehicle with a handicap sticker vandalized. Police report filed. Nothing was stolen. Citizen is apprehensive about using his parking spot because he risks being mugged due to inadequate lighting. Kevin: Remember to keep all valuables out of plain view in parked cars.

1540 W. Pratt: Loiterers at Pratt & Bosworth. Ofr. Acquilly: that is a hot spot, special attention for everybody. You cannot expect small kids to stay inside on a nice day. Citizen commends the CPD for arriving when called, but requested that the cruiser would stick around a little longer to ward off the loiterers. Ofr. Cohen: We can notify CHA to ensure that families with kids residing in the housing nearby are in compliance. Sgt. Baranowski: We will try to maintain a high presence with supplemental forces. Citizen 2: In defense of the youths who are loitering: there is not a place where kids can just hang out. Alderman Pat O’Connor has scheduled a meeting with CHA and Police on the CHA building at Pratt and Bosworth.

Oasis Bar, 6809 N. Sheridan: Has the only late night, 4 am license in Rogers Park. An employee outlined their safety plan as mandated by the City. Safety plan includes: Installation of surveillance cameras on outside of building, and inside which was optional; signs posted informing the public with location of every camera; employees trained i.e.: security guards, bartenders, etc.; fire evacuation plan implemented and sent to the Dept. of Business Affairs for approval. In addition, they are placing an ashtray outside for smokers to help keep the sidewalks clean. Security checks IDs upon patron entry. Bartenders do this when security is not at the door. They also use an ID check kit for fake IDs.

Morse “L” Liquors (Red Line at Morse): Proprietor is present. He stopped selling small packaged (under $3) liquors and malt liquors after being asked even though no he has not incurred any complaints.

IV. Progress on current issues
Soo Liquors, 1420 W. Morse Ave: Proprietor not present during initial discussion. René Camargo: of DevCorp North. As of April 7th, still selling small packaged liquors that were supposed to removed from the shelves immediately after the contract was signed with the Alderman. Alderman’s office issuing a complaint form to seek retraction of Soo’s license. The complaint form, which must be filled out by citizens, is the first step in the process. Alicia from Alderman Moore’s office should have a hearing date to announce at the next meeting. Citizens at meeting signed the complaint forms.

Proprietor of Soo Liquors arrived late to the meeting and after discussion finished (approx. 7:25pm) defending that the reason why they continued selling small bottles was due to overstock. They have since removed all small bottles, and are not selling to minors. Kevin informed him of distribution of complaint forms distributed by the Alderman’s office to file action against Soo Liquors for failure to comply with the contract.

Los Portales Restaurant, 1418 W. Morse Ave: Proprietor Juan Gonzales present. Sgt. Baranowski: the foot patrols have been targeting that block of Morse Avenue consistently. Ofr. Acquilly: arrests for public intoxication are being made and so we are building a record of who they are. Ofr. Zacagnino: A problem we are seeing is a lack of consistency with allowing loiterers in the stores. If you kick them out, do not let them return, ever. No Loitering signs are posted on the premises.

V. Announcements

• National Night Out 2008 is on Tuesday, August 5th. Note: Date correction. Anyone interested in helping out with preparations can email Jayne. 
• CAPS Appreciation Day: Ceremony on Tuesday, April 29th at Misercordia. Our own Sgt. Baranowski will be awarded. Contact District 24 Community Relations for more information.
• Alderman’s City Clean Up, Saturday, May 17th. Contact the Alderman’s office for more information.
• The next beat meeting will be Monday, May 19, 2008.
Meeting adjourned by Kevin at 8:02 P.M.

April 2008 handouts: Top 10 March crimes, arrests

Here are the handouts (all in pdf) from the April 21, 2008, beat meeting.

Top 10 Beat 2431 Crimes in March 2008.

The top three crimes were Simple Assault - 7; Domestic Battery, Simpe - 6; and Theft, $300 and under - 6.

There were 52 arrests in March, as compared to 39 in February.

Here are "Noteworthy Arrests" in the 24th District for March.

Soo Liquors agrees to limits on booze and drug paraphernalia sales

Soo Liquors at 1420 W. Morse has signed a memo of understanding drafted by the office of 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore outlining limits on sales of some alcohol products and stopping the sale of items used to ingest illegal drugs.

Following are some of the terms of the memo of understanding signed in January:

Illegal Activities
• No loitering permitted inside and in front of my business
• Post a no loitering sign.
• Ask loiterers to move. If they do not cooperate, I agree to call 911, sign a complaint when officers arrive, and go to the court hearing.

Product Mix
• No Malt Liquor.
• No cheap wine.
• No small bottles (1/2 pints) sold for less than $3.00.
• No Phillies Blunts.
• No Rolling Papers.
• No Chor Boys.
• No Glass Pipes.

The memo was signed after Soo Liquors came to the alderman for assistance in getting a license for its canopy sign. The owner was ticketed for not having a current license for the sign. It has since been removed. Another part of the agreement deals with store's appearance:

Storefront Appearance
• Remove overhead sign.
• Remove sign ironwork.
• Remove iron grates and look into other types of security (such as safety glass, security cameras and alarm systems)
• Apply for help with Dev Corp North Business Improvement Program to design a canopy.
• Install Canopy after receiving approval from Dev Corp North BIP and Alderman Moore’s Office.

Soo's owner also agreed to attend monthly Beat 2431 meetings.

Last year, the city passed the "Deleterious Impact / Public Nuisance Ordinance" amending the Chicago Liquor Code. IT was passed in response to the state Supreme Court striking down the law to vote a single address dry.

Read the continuation for highlights of the ordinance. It's a new tool we can use to make Soo Liquors clean up its act.

Big crime drop in 2007 for Beat 2431 and 24th District

Index crime in 2007 showed double-digit decreases in both Beat 2431 and the 24th Police District as a whole, compared to 2006.

In Beat 2431, index crime dropped 11.4% in 2007 compared with 2006. There were 36 fewer crime victims in 2007 -- 316 reports of index crime vs. 352 in 2006. Index crimes includes homicide, criminal sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and battery, burglary, theft and motor vehicle theft.

Aggravated assault and battery fell the most -- a 40% drop with with 27 reported in 2007 vs. 45 in 2006. However, robberies increased 24.4% -- 51 in 2007 vs. 41 in 2006. There were 7 fewer burglaries in 2007, (41 vs. 48 in 2006) representing a 14.6% decrease. Thefts dropped 8.5% (172 in 2007 vs. 188 in 2006), and car theft decreased 11.4% (23 vs. 26).

Meanwhile, the 24th Police District boasted the largest decrease in index crime of any of the 25 police districts citywide -- a 13.6% dip. Citywide, index crime dropped 3.47%. Car theft (23%) and robbery (20%) showed the biggest drops in the 24th District.

The 24th Police District Cmdr. Bruce Rottner credited both citizen participation in the CAPS program and great work by police officers for the crime decreases. 

January handouts: Top 10 December crimes, December arrests

Here are some of the handouts (all in pdf) from the Jan. 14, 2008, beat meeting.

Top 10 Beat 2431 Crimes in December 2007.

Top 10 Beat 2431 Crimes in November 2007

Arrests in Beat 2431 in December 2007

Arrests in Beat 2431 in November 2007.

Alderman Moore's OKs liquor license for Tas restaurant on Pratt

Alderman Joe Moore recently sent this email to constituents:

Dear Neighbor, As you may recall, the owners of Cafe Suron, 1146 W. Pratt, have sold their business to Mr. Aykut Sinanoglu, who plans to open a new establishment on the site called Tas Restaurant and Wine Bar. Mr. Sinanoglu has applied for an incidental liquor license, which would permit him to offer alcohol so long as it is secondary to the food service.

While the decision to grant a liquor license is ultimately left to the City of Chicago Liquor Commissioner, the opinions of the local alderman and the surrounding community often influence the liquor commissioner's decision. Two weeks ago, I sent an e-mail soliciting the opinions of community residents about the proposed liquor license. I also hosted a community meeting on January 7th, which was attended by about 20 community residents.

The community residents who attended the meeting, and the overwhelming majority of residents who sent me e-mails on this topic, supported the liquor license application. Accordingly, I have decided to support Mr. Sinanoglu's liquor license application.

While Tas will be the first restaurant Mr. Sinanoglu owns, he brings 22 years of experience in the food and hospitality industry, having most recently served as the corporate manger for the Chicago-based da Vinci Restaurant Group, overseeing its six restaurants. I am confident he will be able to handle the demands and responsibilities of serving liquor.

Should the license commissioner grant the liquor license, Mr. Sinanoglu plans a grand opening in the spring, and will offer primarily Mediterranean cuisine. Tas will be open seven days a week from 5 p.m. until 10 or 11 p.m. Tas will also offer brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Mr. Sinanoglu plans to open an outdoor patio during the summer months.

I'm excited about this new restaurant and will let you know when the grand opening takes place. My thanks to the community residents who took the time to share their views with me.

-- Alderman Joe Moore

Beat 2431 2008 CAPS meeting schedule

Here is the schedule for CAPS meetings in Beat 2431. All meetings start at 7 p.m. at the Rogers Park Community Council office, 1530 W. Morse Ave., unless otherwise indicated:
 

Jan. 14th
Feb. 11th
Mar. 17th
April 21st
May 19th
June 16th
July 21st
Aug. 18th
Sept. 15th
Oct. 20th
Nov. 17th
Dec. No meeting

Beat 2431 has fewest crimes in 24th District for 2007

Beat 2431 is the safest beat in the 24th District, and ranks as one of the safest beats in the city, according to year-end Chicago police crime stats.

In 2007, there were 1,007 total crimes in Beat 2431, 108 fewer crimes than the next closest Beat 2423 (1,115), the beat directly to the north of 2431. Beat 2422, centered around Howard near the lakefront, had the most crimes in the 24th District at 1,803.

Out of 281 police beats citywide, Beat 2431 was the 53rd safest beat in the city, putting it among the top 20% of beats in fewest crimes.

Beat 2431 also had the fewest number of index crimes in the 24th District in 2007 at 309 -- 109 fewer than the next closest Beat 2423 (418) . Beat 2433 (in Edgewater, south of Devon) more than doubled 2431 in index crimes, with a total of 704 in 2007 (not shown in chart below).

Out of the 281 police beats citywide, Beat 2431 was the 31st safest beat in the city for index crime, putting it among the top 13% of beats in index crimes.

Here's the total number of crimes and index crimes for the 24 District in 2007.

All crimes

24th District: 12,815 - Ranks 9 of 25 police districts citywide

24th District Beats, all crimes
2422: 1803
2413: 1756
2433: 1621
2432: 1511
2411: 1385
2412: 1328
2424: 1279
2423: 1115
2431: 1007 - Ranks 53 out of 281 beats citywide

Index crimes

24th District: 4767 total crimes - 8 of 25

24th District Beats, index crimes
2433: 704
2413: 653
2422: 594
2411: 592
2432: 559
2412: 475
2424: 461
2423: 418
2431: 309 - Ranks 31 out of 281 beats citywide

Community meeting Oct. 23 on liquor license for Pratt/Glenwood 7-Eleven

Below is an email from Alderman Joe Moore. Please note that the community opposed a liquor license at this location the last time 7-Eleven asked.

Community to Review Proposal for Packaged Liquor License at Pratt/Glenwood 7-11

Dear Neighbor,

I am writing to inform you of an upcoming community meeting to review a request by Mr. Hashim Sayed, the franchise owner of the 7-Eleven Food Store at 1414 W. Pratt (at Glenwood), for a license to sell packaged liquor.  The meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 23rd, 7:00 p.m. at the Lake Shore School, 6759 N. Greenview (at Pratt). 

Obtaining a packaged liquor license is part of an over-all plan to remodel and upgrade the store.  Mr. Sayed will be joined by representatives of the 7-Eleven Corporation, who will outline plans for the store improvements.   

A moratorium on the sale of packaged liquor is currently in place at that address.  The Chicago City Council must pass an ordinance lifting the moratorium before Mr. Sayed can apply for the license.  Mr. Sayed's 7-Eleven store would be the only business affected by the lifting of the moratorium.

If I were to introduce an ordinance lifting the moratorium, I would introduce another ordinance reinstating the moratorium after Mr. Sayed obtained his license, so that the license could not be transferred to another owner.

I am interested in hearing your views on Mr. Sayed's proposal, and I encourage you to attend the meeting.  I will not support the proposal without substantial community support.

Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Joe Moore