EAST VILLAGE— At the final CAPS meeting hosted by a soon-to-be-closed police station Wednesday, residents of a Near North Side neighborhood pledged to take action as they prepare for life without the cops they’ve come to depend upon.
Beat resident Anne Shaw, who organized a 'Save the 13th' movement, told the group of 13 attendees that she's going door-to-door to get a phone tree established.
"Especially with the police station issue up in the air we want to be more active," Shaw said.
Officer Robert Lopez advised the group to also use the city’s ClearPATH website to track crime and find out the schedule for future community meetings. And despite a note in a report issued to attendees listing the next CAPS meeting for Jan. 1, this was it for Beat 1322, Lopez said.
"Everyone has better things to do on New Years Day," he said.
'Beat 1322,' which is bounded by Division to the north and Chicago to the south, is home to the police station at 937 N. Wood St., which will merge with the 12th District at a date to be determined. The station’s imminent closure, the CAPS program's restructuring and a rash of postings from victims on social media sites helped draw the stronger than usual turnout.
"You guys have been hit hard with robberies," Lopez said, before going over stats from the period between Nov. 7 and Dec. 5.
Fifteen reports of burglary dominated the “Top Ten” incidents and there were 12 arrests over the past month, including the arrest of a juvenile who used a pellet gun to rob victims on the 900 block of N. Marshfield, Lopez said. The youth, a student at a nearby high school, is in police custody.
While it’s unclear just when Beat 1322 will be absorbed into the 12th District, cops are giving away a number of useful items, such as adhesive numbers for residents to place on their garages, and selling memorabilia this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Among the items: golf shirts, 13th District Christmas tree ornaments and coffee travel mugs.
Proceeds from the sale will benefit a Youth Explorer Program and Domestic Violence Outreach.
