LINCOLN SQUARE — Following a recent spate of shots fired, in which several cars were struck by bullets, Lincoln Square residents flocked to a CAPS meeting Tuesday night. Police, however, said they had made little progress toward solving the crimes.
The standing-room crowd, which spilled out of a meeting room at Sulzer Library into the building's lobby, received few answers to their questions.
Are police looking for a lone offender or multiple individuals? Is the shooter traveling on foot or by car? Are the incidents gang related?
"We don't have a description of an offender or a vehicle," replied Robert Cesario, commander of the Town Hall (19th) Police District.
A security camera on Wilson Avenue, scene of one of the incidents, "provided nothing of evidentiary value," Cesario said.
Asked if shell casings matched from the various shootings — which occurred July 10, July 13 and July 18 — Cesario would only divulge, "We have recovered firearms evidence from several of the crime scenes."
Officers asked residents in the affected area — bounded roughly by Lawrence, Montrose, Western and the River — to report any suspicious activity, people or vehicles to 911 (not 311), with as much detail as possible.
Residents who see a car should provide the make, model, color and direction it's traveling. If a person is spotted, it would help police to know the gender, race, approximate age, height and weight, or specifics about clothing — shorts or pants, beard or clean-shaven, color of t-shirt or jacket.
In such a quiet neighborhood, "people up to no good should stick out like a sore thumb," one police captain told the crowd.
Aside from the shootings, statistics supplied for the combined beats of 1911 and 1912 — covering Lawrence to Irving Park Road and Clark Street to the Chicago River — showed that theft is far more common than gunfire.
Nearly half of the burglaries were due to open windows and doors, Cesario said.
"Please lock your doors and windows," he said. "It's a serious problem in the 19th District."
Some residents asked if the commander could take a more active role on social media, similar to his counterpart in the neighboring Albany Park (17th) Police District, where Cmdr. Elias Voulgaris frequently posts updates on neighborhood Facebook pages.
Cesario was noncommittal, but pointed out that the district does have a Twitter feed and email account: @chicagocaps19 for Twitter and caps019district@chicagopolice.org.
The next CAPS meeting for Beats 1911 and 1912 is scheduled for 7 p.m., Sept. 20, Sulzer Library, 4455 N. Lincoln Ave.
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