Residents in the Loop agreed that the crime in the area has decreased, they said at a CAPS meeting Tuesday, Oct. 16.
“A lot of the crime stats have gone down,” CPD Officer Angela Winburn-Wright said.
An offender was arrested on Oct. 6 and charged with two counts of burglary and six counts of robbery, according to Winburn-Wright. She said police spotted a man was attempting to break into a building. At that point, he admitted to breaking into another location as well.
“That is a very good thing and officers are paying extra attention to it,” Winburn-Wright said.
In the past, residents have complained about large crowds of people outside of Reggies, a bar and concert hall on the 2100 block of South State Street. Residents had complained about the noise, crowds and not being able to sleep.
Loretta Powell, resident of the area said “the Reggies crowd at 2 a.m., 3 a.m., it has gotten better. An officer has controlled it and we can sleep now.”
Roosevelt University student Brandon Duchon, who lives in the University Center, complained about college students being robbed at the Red Line CTA stops. He said he knows that college students are easy targets because they have headphones in their ears and are listening to music and don’t pay enough attention to what is going on around them.
“We currently and previously have gone to CTA stops and passed out flyers asking people to be aware of their surroundings and not have cell phones in plain view,” Winburn-Wright said.
She said that the response police have gotten is “unbelievable.” There are people with their headphones in and they don’t even want the flyers, she said. People aren’t paying attention to police and won’t even look at them.
“There is only so much as officers that we can do,” Winburn-Wright said.
She said that a detective has been assigned to the South Loop Police Station and the officer is now dealing specifically just with the CTA. Winburn-Wright added that the CPD is aware the CTA is an issue. Even though thefts are being reported, Winburn-Wright said people are being arrested.
“I think passing out flyers is too passive and maybe you can start a more active approach starting at the UC,” Duchon said.
“We are actively working the Harrison stop,” CPD Sergeant Villalobos said. “Kids aren’t paying attention and they are making themselves victims.”
There are cameras on the Harrison stop that help the CPD track illegal movement and make it easier to catch and arrest people. Winburn-Wright said that the cameras are great and pictures and information they get is quite useful.
“It’s more than passing out flyers, we are working that area,” Villalobos said.
According to the crime statistics handouts distributed at the meeting, crime has decreased in both Beat 131 and Beat 132. In Beat 131 there were currently 76 crimes last month, down from 83 crimes during the previous month. Criminal damage decreased significantly from 14 incidents to 3.
On both beats theft was the top crime but the numbers did decrease. Other high crimes included battery and deceptive practice but over 30 arrests have been made.
The next CAPS meeting for the area will take place at 30 W. Cermak Rd. on Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.
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