Down in the 18th

Crime dropped last year

02/03/2010 10:00 PM

By IAN FULLERTON
Contributing Reporter

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Ken Angarone
18th District Commander

Crime in the 18th District is on the run, according to data released last month by the Chicago Police Department.

The report states that the most serious property and violent crime in the district dropped 12.1 percent in 2009 versus 2008. The citywide crime rate dropped 8.7 percent.

The majority of the reported incidents in the district were property crimes, which include burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft, a total of 7,670 accounts, while violent crimes in the area totaled 721 incidents — a favorable balance compared to some other districts.

Burglary, motor vehicle theft and aggravated battery saw the biggest percentage drops, down 31.5, 24.9 and 24.5 percent, respectively, while criminal sexual assault only decreased by 2.7 percent and arson remained steady at four incidents.

The 18th District encompasses parts of the Streeterville, River North, Old Town, Gold Coast and Lincoln Park neighborhoods, stretching from the North Branch of the Chicago River to the lakefront and bordered by Fullerton Avenue to the north and the river to the south.

District Commander Ken Angarone chalked up the drop in crime to what he called “actionable intelligence.”

“We can respond to a spike in crime with a shift in resources, hopefully nipping the problem in the bud,” he said.

Angarone has been head of the district since August, having previously served for two years as the station’s midnight captain.

He said that patrolling officers on bicycles were effective in interrupting a rise in car break-ins and theft over the summer, along with sting operations aimed at curbing pick-pocketing carried out last year in the city’s subways and train stations.

Currently, one of the biggest problems in the district is remains the theft of high-tech item such as iPods and BlackBerrys, often taken from cars or stolen out of the purses and backpacks of distracted victims, Angarone said.

Maralyn Owen is the public safety chair for the River North Residents Association and the facilitator for Beat 1831 of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy, which covers the southwest corner of the district.

Owen said that some of the major problems in the area were car break-ins, occasional violent crime and what she sees as a substantial amount of aggressive panhandling.

“They are grabbing peoples’ arms now and following them,” she said. “That kind of activity is what we are trying to stop.”

She cited community networking as a winning remedy for crime in the area, adding that the CAPS meetings were helpful in getting neighborhood residents acquainted with patrolling officers, as well as representatives from Alderman Brendan Reilly’s (42nd) office.

“It’s just nice to have that connect,” she said

She noted that the RNRA has initiated their own program encouraging residents to call emergency services when observing a crime.

“Many times people are afraid to use 911, because it is does serve an emergency purpose,” she said. “But the call must be made or it doesn’t get reported.”

Manny Martinez, head of the Safety and Security Task Force for the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, said that a greater police presence would be greatly appreciated in the area.

He noted that Navy Pier attracts a considerable number of tourist and people from the city, making it a potential destination for criminals as well.

“In a neighborhood that includes that largest tourist attraction in the entire state of Illinois, the one question I hear over again and again is, ‘Where are our officers?’” he said.

Martinez said that police initiatives targeting car thefts, motorcycle racing and controlling the crowds at the pier during the summer had been effective.

Looking forward, Commander Angarone said the 18th District had a few tricks up their sleeve for this year, including additional sting operations and new programs aimed at using mobile and social media as a tool for community networking and crime prevention.

Angarone also hoped to see dedicated attendance at the CAPS meetings, which he said would help organize the needs and concerns of the many block clubs and condo associations in the neighborhood.

“We don’t need a room full of people at the beat meetings, just a few who will show up every time,” he said.


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