ROGERS PARK — Police in Rogers Park are launching an initiative to get more neighbors, including businesses on the same block, involved in the city's block club system.
At a community safety meeting Tuesday, Sgt. Shawn Sisk said soon he and other officers would be going door-to-door with information for residents on what block clubs are, what they do, and why they're needed.
"This is something that's extremely needed," Sisk said. "We want to promote more community involvement ... we want people to come together not just when bad stuff happens, or tragedy."
Typically, block clubs are made of groups of people in a certain geographic area who occasionally meet to share information on quality of life, crime and infrastructure, and at times plan special neighborhood events like potlucks.
Eventually, he said he'd like to see as many formed as possible — something that will not only help quell crime but also help strengthen the "strong foundation" of the neighborhood.
One way Sisk said the police department plans to learn how to help support block clubs is by asking residents, "What does community mean to you?"
He said he hopes to gather feedback on the challenges, as well as positive things, that happen in the Rogers Park Police District on a block-by-block basis — information the police department will then use to better understand specific nuances and help provide solutions.
The Rogers Park Police District spans parts of Edgewater and West Ridge, and includes several already established block clubs who regularly meet.
In other nearby neighborhoods, including Andersonville, block clubs have held strong influence in major community decisions, including the approval of a medical marijuana clinic on Clark Street.
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