Beat 2431 News - Rogers Park 24th Police District

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.

Minutes from March 17, 2008, CAPS meeting

You can download a PDF of minutes from the 3/17/2008 Beat 2431 meeting here . Below is the text version of the minutes.

Rogers Park, 24th Police District, Beat 2431
CAPS Meeting, March 17, 2008
Rogers Park Community Council Office
1530 W. Morse Avenue

Officiates:
Jayne M. Hoffman, Facilitator and notes taker
Sergeant Koconis filling in for Sergeant Baranowski, Beat Team Leader, Chicago Police Department
Meeting notes are paraphrased, quotations are marked accordingly.

I.  Welcome and introductions. Jayne introduced herself and introductions went around the room. Sgt. Koconis announced that the new 24th District Commander Steve Caluris has begun duties. CAPS Beat 2431 congratulates Deputy Chief Bruce Rottner, former 24th District Commander, on his new post as Area 3 Deputy Chief.

II. Police crime report. Sgt. Koconis presented current crime report stats, including the Top 10 crimes in the beat in February. (View a pdf of the report here.) The top three crimes were Simple Battery (6), Simple Assault (4) and Harassment by Telephone (4).

III.  Identify new problem areas.

Citizen: Student at Sullivan High School found gym locker broken into with a ball-peen hammer. Combination lock busted off but nothing was stolen. Nothing the police can do directly unless they were called, but it provided good discussion on events at Sullivan High School.

Citizen: Junk trucks parked along Morse Ave. take up parking spaces for people who work at businesses on Morse Ave. Sgt. Koconis deferred to Officer Fitzgerald to investigate the municipal code on Morse Ave and if it allows junk trucks to park east of Clark Street.

Proprietor of Los Portales restaurant at 1418 W. Morse Ave. is in attendance. Juan Gonzales is having problems with loiterers hanging out at the restaurant making drug deals and do not purchase anything. He said they sneak in to evade police patrols. He has called 911 several times. Community Policing Office Steve Cohen commended Mr. Gonzales for having called 911 and for communicating constantly with Rene Camargo of DevCorp North. Sgt. Koconis inquired if he had signed any complaints. Mr. Gonzales responded that by the time the police arrive, the thugs have left. Officer Aquilles briefly explained that when one signs a complaint they need to appear in court to testify against the perpetrator to send the message that the community is serious. Jayne asked to talk with Mr. Gonzales after the meeting to ensure that he knows what is expected of him when he signs a complaint, and asked if he would like to come to the next meeting. Mr. Gonzales agreed.

IV. Other stuff.

Proprietor of Soo Liquors in attendance: Sgt. Cohen inquired about selling certain items. Owner stated to have stopped selling small bottles and certain types of smoking devices and has the new signage project underway. Aquilles and Koconis reprimanded him for the years of allowing thugs to hang out inside and in front of the store harassing passersby. The owners agreed that they are cleaning up and taking action. The officers asked the owner of Soo Liquors if he was calling 911 and willing to sign complaints. The owner stated that he will be doing that. Jayne asked if he planned to attend the next meeting on April 21st. The owner stated that he would.

Koconis and Cohen analyzed that the stream of events taking place on the 1410 – 1422 block area may require some special attention as the weather warms. Sgt. Koconis will seek authorization of a beat officer to walk that block area specifically.

Jayne asked Cohen to go over any old stuff from February:
Cohen outlined a main goal for 2008 was continuing to address the homeless who congregate in Loyola Park during the warmer months. Jayne asked when the bicycle patrol, which has been effective at addressing issues in Loyola Park, will begin. Cohen: Sometime in the middle of May.

V. Announcements

Cohen: New 24th District Commander Steve Caluris will attend every CAPS meeting within the next couple of months.

Jayne: National Night Out is on Tuesday, August 8, 2008. Anyone interested in helping out with preparations can contact Jayne by email. 

The next beat meeting will be Monday, April 21, 2007.
Meeting adjourned by Sgt. Koconis at 7:44 P.M.

Minutes from Feb. 11, 2008, CAPS meeting

You can download a PDF of minutes from the 2/11/2008 Beat 2431 meeting here. Below is the text version of the minutes.

Rogers Park, 24th Police District, Beat 2431
CAPS Meeting, February 11, 2008
Rogers Park Community Council Office
1530 W. Morse Avenue

Officiates:

Kevin O’Neil, Facilitator, CAPS Beat 2431
Beat Team Leader Sgt. John Baranowski

Welcome and introductions: Meeting called to order at 7:03 pm. About 20 people (including police) attended on a bitter cold night.

I. Police crime report:  Beat Team Leader Sgt. John Baranowski presented the Top Ten crimes for the month of January. Find them here. The top three were:
• Eight arrests for possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana.
• Six incidents of harassment by telephone.
• Five reports of domestic battery (simple battery).
• Five reports of criminal damage to vehicle.
There were 31 arrests on the beat in January, compared to 26 in December.

II.  Updates on Old Problems: 
1340 W. Morse / 1345 W. Lunt
Both buildings have now been vacated of tenants. New roofs have been installed on both, and installation begins this week of new windows. See this report for more details on the buildings.

Soo Liquors, 1420 W. Morse
Kevin O’Neil announced that Soo Liquors had signed a Memorandum of Understanding drafted by Alderman Joe Moore’s office. Click here for details on the memo. Soo’s owner signed the memo after he was cited for not having a proper license for the canopy sign hanging over the sidewalk. The sign was removed. The alderman’s office said they wouldn’t approve of the sign license unless the owner signed the memo and worked with DevCorp North to design a canopy sign.

Among other promises, Soo’s owners said they would sign complaints against loiterers, stop selling Phillies “blunt” cigars (used for smoking marijuana), and stop selling rolling papers, glass pipes, malt liquor, cheap wine and small half pints of booze costing less than $3. Read this post for more details.

III.  Identify New Problem areas: 

A citizen who lives near Pratt and Bosworth brought up the ongoing problem of gang loitering in the area. Community Policing Offer Steven Cohen said that area is a priority of Beat 2432, since the problem buildings are in that beat on the south side of Pratt. Sgt. Baranowski suggested that citizens begin keeping activity logs, noting times and dates of suspicious activity, descriptions of loiterers and descriptions of cars and plate numbers.

The citizen suggested we “turn up the heat” on the owner of the convenience store on the northwest corner of Pratt and Ashland. O’Neil said he would try to facilitate a meeting with the alderman’s office, the store owner and building owner, the Living Word church. The same citizen also reported a window was missing on the ground level of the building at the southwest corner of Farwell and Ashland. The building is vacant and had been undergoing renovations, though they seemed to have come to a stop. He was advised to call 311 about that.

(Read the continuation of this post for January crimes in and around Pratt and Bosworth.)

Another citizen reported being assaulted by someone she knew in a building in the 6800 block on N. Sheridan. She asked to discuss the matter privately with officers after the meeting.

IV. Beat priorities:

The discussion continued from the January meeting about beat priorities for the year.  Other priorities are illegal activities at Pratt and Bosworth/Ashland and at Soo Liquors.

V. Announcements:

• The next Beat Meeting is on Monday, March 17, 2008. In March we go back to our regular meeting date of the third Monday of the month.
• Kevin adjourned the meeting at 7:50 pm.

Minutes of Jan. 14, 2008, beat meeting

Click here for a pdf version of the minutes. The text version is below:

Rogers Park, 24th Police District, Beat 2431
CAPS Meeting, January 14, 2008
Rogers Park Community Council Office
1530 W. Morse Avenue

Officiates:

Kevin O’Neil, Facilitator, CAPS Beat 2431

Jayne M. Hoffman, co-Facilitator, Notes Recorder

Meeting notes are paraphrased, quotations are marked accordingly.

Welcome and introductions:  Meeting called to order at 7:04 pm. With about 25 attendees,including police/ Kevin O’Neil noted beat meetings are on the second Monday of January and February due to federal holidays. Standard meeting dates on the third Monday of the month will resume in March.

Police crime report:  Officer Fitzgerald presented the Top Ten crimes for the month of December. Go here to see the entire list:

The top three were:

Domestic battery, simple – 5
Theft from building – 5
Battery, simple – 4
Motor vehicle theft – 3

There were 26 total arrests in December compared to 74 in October and 44 in November.

Index crime in 2007 dropped almost 12% compared to 2006. There were 42 fewer victims of index crime in 2007 than 2006 – 310 vs. 352. In the beat as a whole there were a total of 863 crimes reported in 2007, vs. 954 reported in 2006, for a decrease of 9.5%. Read a full report on the big crime drop here:

A citizen asked why there were fewer crimes in 2007.  A sergeant attributed it to good police work. Additionally, Cmdr. Bruce Rottner has special police teams that target particular issues/areas. Kevin also mentioned that there was good community pressure and participation from concerned citizens in identifying problem areas at CAPS meetings.

Updates on old problems: 

* 1345 Lunt and 1340 Morse: Building manager Hugh Rider reports that the buildings are vacant except but one tenant on the Lunt side. Has a possession order issued by the Circuit Court, on December 10, 2007, stayed until the 31st. Sheriff has now been requested. The sergeant suggested he contact (312) 744-6321, Officer Rich Heinosch, who addresses the building issues in District 24. He may be able to fast track something through the sheriff to get that tenant out.

Identify new problem areas:

* 1422 W. Farwell: Large courtyard building on the east side that goes down a gangway. Male, 290lbs., 5’10” tall, mid-30s. Dealing drugs. He’s been there a couple of months, deals on the street and out of his apartment.

Announcements:

* Goals for 2008: increase attendance; meetings kept to an hour; National Night Out 2008 in August; Professor John coordinated effort on the Loyola Park with Alderman’s office.

* Next meeting is Feb. 11.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:45.

Text of minutes from Nov. 19, 2007, CAPS meeting

For those who might not want to download the pdf version of the minutes, here's the text version:

Rogers Park, 24th Police District, Beat 2431
CAPS Meeting, November 19, 2007
Rogers Park Community Council Office
1530 W. Morse Avenue

Officiates:

Kevin O’Neil, Facilitator, CAPS Beat 2431

Jocelyn Meyer, Notes Recorder

Meeting notes are paraphrased. Quotations are marked accordingly.

Welcome and introductions:  7:07 pm. About 35 people attended, including police.

I. Discussion: Year in Review Beat 2431
- Report from Newcastle people- Glad to buy building and make changes. Right now 14 remaining tenants. Clearing building by end of November goal. Working with Joe Moore’s office to facilitate that. Leasing next fall. Increased lighting again and will do more.
- Security guard there Friday, Saturday. Maybe off-duty Chicago police officer. Security firm walks both buildings 4 times/3 nights per week. Garage entrance codes changed. Locks being changed 11/20. Barricading one of the lobbies after tenants move out.
- Ask for comments from officers: Officer states that loitering has diminished in front of Block building. Morse Grill states that they are having no problems. Common Cp brought up as well as Camelot Realty in storefront.
- Increased business owners attending CAPS meetings was cited.
- Priority to keep Beat Meetings to an hour. Most meetings about 45 minutes.
- Homeless Problem addressed this year. Plan to get them services and warn him of coming enforcement. Compassion along with enforcement.
- Next year look at new building. Looking for volunteers.
- Question by citizen: What do I tell homeless when they ask for money? Where can I send them? Police said 311 can direct to social services for them.
- 7-Eleven owner brought up issue with Mary, mentally ill woman who comes in his store and harasses him, knocks things off the shelf. He was urged to call the police every time she comes in.
- Question about Sullivan by HS student: Police said they are there every day when school gets out to keep a lid on everything. They said no incidents. Citizen mentioned the Homecoming incident.

II. Police crime report:  An officer presented the Top Ten crimes for the month of October. Find it here:

III.  Updates on Old Problems: 
1300/1400 blocks of Pratt issues (Ashland/Bosworth)
Beat 2432 is addressing this issue of youth loitering. Tenants in section 8 building at corner were talked to as well as issues from Kilmer School.

Student journalist from Sullivan HS brought up closed campus issue.

IV. Identify New Problem areas: 

Woman’s son and daughter were attacked with bottles on Sheridan between Lunt and Morse. Hispanic gang of youth chased woman’s son in town from college. Her son lost his wallet. Her daughter went to take the bus home with a friend. She said her son and her foster son are profiled as gang members and then chased and attacked. Never seen this kind of activity on Sheridan.

Ashland Vikings/La Raza are fighting lately, police said.

8-10 in groups hiding and jumping people. Police are having zero tolerance for groups like this of 4 or more and doing dispersals and arrests with no restraint.

SW corner of Lakewood/Farwell. A few guys were drinking and loitering at corner in front of garden apartment. Police suggestion of motion detector lights.

Greenview & Morse resident. Cites building on Greenview renovation to condos-she can hear everything, including homeless people. Building is unsecured and not well lit.

V. Announcements:

• The next Beat Meeting is on Monday, January 14, 2008.
• Kevin adjourned the meeting at 7:56pm.

Minutes from Nov. 19, 2007, CAPS meeting

Download a pdf of the Nov. 19, 2007, CAPS meeting minutes here.

November handouts: Top 10 October crimes, October arrests

Here are some of the handouts (all in pdf) from the Nov. 19 beat meeting. Meeting minutes are posted here.

Top 10 Beat 2431 Crimes in October 2007.

Arrests in Beat 2431 in October 2007.

Note-worthy offenders in 24th District.

Minutes from Oct. 15, 2007, CAPS meeting

Download a pdf of the Oct. 15 CAPS meeting minutes here.

Minutes from Sept. 17, 2007, CAPS meeting

Download a pdf of the Sept. 17 CAPS meeting minutes here.