ROGERS PARK — Bernard Garbo and his neighbors will don orange safety vests and arm themselves with walkie-talkies this Halloween to patrol the streets of Rogers Park.
The seventh annual "Halloween Patrol" aims to keep vandals from tossing eggs at buildings, at cars and at families out trick-or-treating, said Garbo, a CAPS beat facilitator.
"It’s just sending the message: Have fun, but don’t be disruptive," he said.
Beginning at 7 p.m., they'll stake out street corners between Clark Street and Ridge Boulevard, he said, and call police when necessary.
The annual patrol started after Halloween in 2006 when "a group of 20 or more teens were just running down Howard throwing eggs" at buildings and cars, Garbo said.
The egg attack damaged canvass awnings, the paint on cars and stained the brick on buildings.
Since then, the group has organized the patrols and has petitioned neighborhood businesses to cease egg sales during the holiday.
Rogers Park Police District Cmdr. Thomas Waldera also asks businesses to keep eggs away from teens.
"This is just another example of the community," Waldera said. "We’ll have patrols over there to assist them."
Garbo also said they would keep watch for people firing paintball guns from cars at pedestrians after reports surfaced about it last week north of Howard Street.
He said he hoped the patrol would give neighbors peace of mind when out enjoying Halloween.
"You shouldn’t have to be concerned that you're going to get hit by eggs or that someone is going to come up and steal your kids’ candy," he said.
