Neighborhood News

Published June 14, 2019 By Justin Kerr

Additional Chicago Police Department resources, including specialized tactical officers, have been deployed to concentrate on an identified area of problematic drug and gang activity in the McKinley Park neighborhood, said Community Liaison Officer Cheryl Clark at the Wednesday, June 12, meeting of Beat 912 of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS). The 3800 block of South Honore Street in Chicago — long an area receiving complaints at CAPS meetings and the site of past gang-related activity — will receive extra scrutiny this summer, she said.

"We have assigned tactical teams to look at these problems," Clark said.

Clark also detailed the crime statistics for Beat 912 between May 8 and June 11, including 1,630 calls for service and 26 reports of shots fired. During this period, police conducted 14 arrests and recorded incidents of three aggravated batteries, two aggravated assaults, four robberies, six burglaries and one motor vehicle theft, Clark said.

A String of Robberies

One robbery occurred late at night on June 9 around 3900 South Damen Avenue, Clark said. A resident agreed to give a stranger a ride home from a bar and was robbed when dropping off the stranger, Clark said.

On May 30, a victim was robbed in the 3400 block of South Archer Avenue after withdrawing money from a bank ATM, Clark said. Officers apprehended a suspect in the robbery, in which the perpetrator displayed a gun and then fled in a vehicle.

A robbery occurred on May 25 in the 3500 block of South Winchester Avenue, Clark said. An African-American male around 25 years old implied to the victim that he had a gun, then fled in a red vehicle, she said. Another reported robbery included a gang-related incident on May 23 when seven offenders jumped out a green SUV, claimed to be members of the Spanish Cobras street gang, and then beat and robbed the victim, Clark said.

Burglary Pattern, Other Crimes, Events and Tips

A reported crime on May 26 in the 3700 block of South Winchester Avenue involved a reported aggravated battery with a gun, Clark said. A victim reported being shot several hours after coming home to the neighborhood from a party elsewhere in the city, Clark said. The victim said she didn't remember when or where the shooting occurred, Clark reported.

The string of burglaries in the neighborhood are part of a tracked pattern of criminal activity, Clark said. These burglary incidents have also been reported on here in the McKinley Park News.

Beat Facilitator Glenn Young noted the upcoming National Night Out on Tuesday, August 6, in which the police and community gather for events and activities. The nearest event to McKinley Park will be the 9th District's National Night Out from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, August 6, at Sherman Park, 1301 W. 52nd St., Young said. Neighborhood residents can also show their support for police by flying blue balloons and tying up blue ribbons on their property, he said.

Young also touched on the past month's graffiti activity and encouraged residents to help prevent street flooding during heavy rainstorms by clearing street drains of debris. Residents can also call 311 or the 12th Ward office to report problems with flooding, he said.

Clark, a 25-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, lauded the beat meeting attendees for having one of the most active CAPS groups in the city. "You should be a model of what a beat meeting should be," she said.

Officer Cheryl Clark answers questions at the Wednesday, June 12, 2019, meeting for CAPS Beat 912, alongside Community Organizer Holger Del Cid, left, and Beat Facilitator Glenn Young.