Neighborhood News

Published May 14, 2019 By Justin Kerr

The McKinley Park neighborhood and the rest of the Chicago Police Department's Ninth District is getting a new commander, thanks to recent changes in police command structure, said Officer Jason Sollis at the May 8 meeting for Beat 912 of the Chicago Alternative Police Strategy (CAPS) program. Current commander Randall Darlin is getting promoted up the ranks, Sollis said, and 9th District Cpt. Don Jerome will rise into the commander position.

"He is very active," Sollis said of Jerome's on-the-spot presence at Ninth District crime scenes. "If you listen to the scanner, he is everywhere."

Mayra López-Zuniga, district director for 2nd District Illinois State Rep. Theresa Mah, speaks at the CAPS meeting on the district's upcoming job and financial wellness fair.Jerome, who has worked for the Chicago Police Department for more than 20 years, in 2012 received a Top Cop designation and honors at the White House for his role stopping an armed robbery in progress, arresting two violent suspects and rescuing six victims. A Chicago Tribune article from May 2012 details the fracas, which included Jerome and one of the suspects smashing through the glass of a storefront window.

Crime Stats for McKinley Park

Sollis provided the latest Beat 912 crime statistics and updates at the meeting. Between the period of April 10 to May 8, police received 1,281 calls for service and 25 reports of shots fired, and they conducted 15 arrests, Sollis said.

Reported violent crime for this period included one aggravated assault — tied to a domestic disturbance — and two robberies, Sollis said. Non-violent crime included two burglaries and one motor-vehicle theft, which was a pretty low rate on average for car thefts, Sollis said.

One of the robberies occurred at 6 p.m. on April 13 in the 2200 block of West Pershing Road: a 14-year-old victim was approached by several gang members who demanded he throw gang signs to show allegiance, Sollis said. When the victim refused, the gang members threw him to the ground, punched and kicked him, and stole his shoes, Sollis said.

Another robbery occurred at 9 p.m. on April 13 on the 3100 block of South Ashland Avenue, Sollis said. Two knife-wielding men, both white and between 18 and 25 years of age, mugged a victim for his wallet.

A burglary on April 14 in the 3600 block of South Hamilton Avenue had a blue or green Toyota vehicle ram into a garage from the alley, Sollis said. Participants at the CAPS meeting noted that the vehicle also hit three other garages on the east side of the alley.

Sollis said a burglary at 2:15 p.m. on May 4 in the 2300 block of West 36th Street had two offenders breaking in: They drove a blue Dodge mini van, Sollis said.

The sole car theft took place on the 3700 block of South Ashland Avenue, Sollis said, noting that another major recent issue has been theft of catalytic converters cut from beneath cars parked on streets. This has also included thefts in the adjacent Bridgeport and Brighton Park neighborhoods, Sollis said, but "a ton are within 912's Beat."

The next CAPS Meeting for Beat 912 is slated for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, at St. Maurice Church hall, 3625 S. Hoyne Ave., Chicago.

CAPS Officer Jason Sollis shares neighborhood crime updates at the May 8 meeting for Beat 912 with the support of Beat Facilitator Glenn Young.