Monday, November 24, 2008

New Police Unit To Target Gang Activity

Tribune Staff Report

Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis on Saturday unveiled a citywide gang-enforcement strategy to root out crime in gang-infested neighborhoods and reduce the city's soaring homicide rate.

Leo Schmitz, the Police Department's acting commander of gang investigations, will lead a gang enforcement unit of about 400 officers who will target violent neighborhoods where gang activity occurs. Putting the gang-response units under a central command is a critical part of the restructuring because warfare often crosses jurisdictional lines, Weis said.

The new organization will allow for a quicker exchange of information and resources and enable officers to better target neighborhoods where gangs are prevalent, Weis said.

"All city gang teams will fall under one leader, creating a leaner, more agile operation," he said, calling gang activity the most serious threat in Chicago.

Weis estimated there are 75,000 gang members in Chicago, a group responsible for more than 50 percent of all killings. There have been about 474 homicides in Chicago this year, a nearly 20 percent spike from 2007.

UU Note: The graphic above comes from www.chicagogangs.org which is an excellent resource to educate yourself about the gangs that infest Chicago and Uptown. Check out a detailed map of northside gangs here.

19 comments:

  1. This is removing the 16 gang team officers out all districts and using these office in areas with high violence problems. The 23rd and 20th district will not this criteria. So, say good-bye to the gang teams.

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  2. Although I am willing to be proved wrong on this one, I do believe that Nadmenny is right. This new approach that is not impeded by district lines may be good but it is coming at the expense of dedicated units in active, but lower homicide, areas.

    Police hiring has not kept up with retirements and attrition and the new city budget will not solve that problem one bit.

    I suppose more calls to 911 might help get more resources deployed here but we all know that if no arrest occurs, then it is like it never happened---no matter how many people call. The "good" news is that Chicago will be getting 50 new red light cameras but it is likely that Uptown will ignored.

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  3. According to the FOP (police union) by December 2009 the police department manpower will be 800-900 less than December 2007 levels. that is an average of 32 officers per district.

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  4. Interesting. 4848 is a Shiller vote stronghold. They love their alderbeast.

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  5. What do the red areas on the map mean?

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  6. The red areas are other gangs within the neighborhood and their area of control. This map 'I think' comes from the map display from the URL:http://chicagogangs.org/index.php?pr=GANG_MAP_NORTH.

    It is an informative website on the gangs in Chicago include those in Uptown.

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  7. Wow. My area is red and I never really noticed a gang problem on our block.

    I hereby declare my block to be my territory then. Anybody comes on my block without my permission and I'll pop a cap in thier arse......

    There, that will teach them.

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  8. If 4848 Winthrop is such a stong hold for Shiller, why wasn't the low income housing initiative on the ballot in that district? I vote there and was looking forward to voting against it!!!!!

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  9. The "good" news is that Chicago will be getting 50 new red light cameras but it is likely that Uptown will ignored.

    Well, if a gang member happens to shoot someone while running a red light we'll get them!

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  10. Larrynow. Do you live IN "4848?"
    RESIDENTS vote as a solid pro-shillerista block.

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  11. Nope...I live on Kenmore, south of Lawrence...
    Why we vote at 4848 Winthrop escapes me.....

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  12. Larry--you vote at 4848 because you are in the 6th precinct, Kenmore to Ainslie, the el tracks to Leland.

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  13. buenapk,

    And anyone associated with Uptown CHicago COmmission and/or owns a condo auotmatically votes against Shiller. Right.

    The residents of 4848 can be swayed. There were residents of 4640 (and the Habitat for HUmanity homes AND Wilson Care) who voted for Sandra Reed, because she had relationships with people from those buildings.

    If there was any true relationship with people from those buildings, you'd have the votes to win. Irishpirate dimisses the idea, but if you want to win, you should consider them as fellow neighbors, not obstacles.

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  14. And what exactly makes you an expert on Uptown, JP? You know, more than the people who live here?

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  15. Oh Boy......JP has a Saddleback Church blog listed.
    We really need to remember the separation of church and state concept.
    It tends to cloud one's judgement on practical/real issues.

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  16. JP Paulus is nutz......funny in the head........not playing with a full deck........a dot short of a dice........check out his comment here. Numero 11.

    "Put it all on the person of JP(I mean Jesus".

    JP posted a similar thought the other day on the Uptown Update board.

    I ignored it. I suggest you all ignore him. He is obviously off his meds again.

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  17. IrishPirate,

    For someone who so passionately supported Barack Obama, it’s interesting that like to attack me (& others) in Clintonian/Karl Rovian/Palineque attacks.
    Did you ht mute when President Obama spoe about reaching across the aisle, and respecting one’s enemies, even when they didn’t acknowledge his strengths.

    StrackMad,

    As for my post on Saddleback – I was emphasizing how there some questions of actual substance, and a little more original than some of the stuff that got excessive airtime. Also – the ideal was to have a CIVIL forum. It was NOT an atmosphere of attack, but a conversation, where the public could get to know the candidate, and could make choices based on that, rather than on the number and loudness of accusations and attacks against them I’ll let others judge it. Feel free to comment  http://more2ignore.blogspot.com/2008/08/fresh-approach-to-2008-campaign.html

    I thought both candidates had a chance to express some ideas that people could relly connect with. I was particularly impressed by Brack Obama describing his greatest personal moral failure…not simply stating it and moving on, but he really had thought about it, and I thought was dead on as the core of MANY kinds of sins – selfishness.

    TygerKub,

    Uptown is very diverse, but the views we see on the internet thus far are generally form one kind of camp. Certainly haven’t heard much (if any) from the perspective someone who lives in 4640, Wilson Care, etc…or even that any of the “regulars” here are friends with such people. If that’s happening, let’s hear more about it, & see photos.

    Last time I checked, this blog was on the WORLD WIDE WEB (sorry, more shouting!). Do you apply the same residence test to Hugh or Craig Gernhardt, or only to people with a different view from you?

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  18. jp, you could be Jesus incarnate and I don't think anyone will listen to you anymore. It's too late. Give it up. Go elsewhere and start again and try to learn from this. You're just reaping what you sowed many years ago.

    You want to blame it on people not wanting to see another viewpoint. That's not it at all. You're seeing people no longer willing to put up with your passive-aggressive behavior which dominates most of what you state on this board.

    As for others who express similar beliefs as you, if they want to engage in dialogue, do it as long as there is some logical reasoning to it. It's easy to spot the trolls because when their flakey unreasoned comment is pointed out to them, they hide out for awhile and resurface with the same flakey unreasoned comments again. That's trolling and trolling isn't appreciated.

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