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Wrigleyville Is Chicago's Public Urination Capital, Data Shows

By  Mark Konkol and Tanveer Ali | August 24, 2015 2:16pm 

 Since 2013, police issued 77 tickets at 940 W. Addison that netted $20,750 in fines.
Since 2013, police issued 77 tickets at 940 W. Addison that netted $20,750 in fines.
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Flickr/ Jeramey Jannene

CHICAGO — When you gotta go, you gotta go — especially after having a few beers during a Cubs game.

A DNAinfo analysis of public urination infractions throughout the city showed that Wrigleyville, specifically near the Addison Red Line stop, is the most popular place to pee outside (or the place you're most likely to get caught peeing outside).

Since 2013, police issued 77 tickets at 940 W. Addison that netted $20,750 in fines.

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“Around here public urination tickets are like belly buttons,” one neighbor said. “Everybody’s got one.”

After jumping over puddles near dumpsters behind the CTA station, DNAinfo's Mark Konkol ran into an off-duty officer who claimed to be a prolific writer of pee tickets.

“They urinate everywhere around here at any time. They just don’t care,” said the officer, who asked that I keep his identity secret so public pee’ers don’t see him coming.

“I write more tickets than anybody. The best is when I catch 'em midstream. … That's when 'fight or flight' kicks in. Some of them just finish what they started. Some try to stop and zip up their pants. I’ve had guys pee themselves right in front of me while I write them a ticket.”

Mark Konkol says when you gotta go, here's what you need to know:

Why is the alley next to the "L" station so attractive to public urinators unlucky enough to get caught in the act?

Well, the officer said, that particular spot is caught in a perfect storm of folks with full bladders, including drinkers desperately fleeing long bathroom lines at nearby crowded bars, beer-chugging Cubs fans, and of course, commuters looking for relief before jumping on the Red Line.

Check out more hubs for public peeing in Chicago here.

This map shows concentration of public urination tickets issued between June 2013 to June 2015. Deep red areas had higher concentration of tickets than yellow areas. The top 20 addresses where citations were issued are also represented on this map. [DNAinfo/Tanveer Ali]

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