ROGERS PARK — A new two-officer response team will help "immediately" tackle complaints or concerns coming into the Rogers Park Police District's community policing office, Sgt. Shawn Sisk told residents earlier this week.
Sisk runs the district's Community Alternative Policing Strategy, or CAPS, office, which covers Rogers Park, West Ridge and parts of Edgewater.
Under his direction, two officers are assigned to quickly respond to all complaints or concerns coming into the office, including those from business owners, park employees, public officials, residents and whoever else has a question or community-related issue, Sisk said.
"Prevention through education is what we're trying to do," Sisk said Tuesday. "It's been well-received so far."
The team was implemented as part of a citywide push for more emphasis on community policing, giving districts more leeway in finding ways to fulfill needs specific to each neighborhood in addition to the already required officers assigned to specific duties, such as a domestic violence and youth issues.
In the Rogers Park district, it was an influx of wide-ranging complaints — many repeats — that in part led to the creation of the new response team, Sisk said.
The effort has helped cut back on the number of concerns coming in, Sisk said, a trend he hopes continues over time.
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