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Only One Police District Has Fewer Officers Than Albany Park's: Report

By Patty Wetli | April 17, 2017 2:02pm
 The Albany Park Police District, headquartered at 4650 N. Pulaski Road, is under the command of Elias Voulgaris.
The Albany Park Police District, headquartered at 4650 N. Pulaski Road, is under the command of Elias Voulgaris.
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DNAinfo/Patty Wetli

ALBANY PARK — According to new data released by the office of Chicago's Inspector General, the Albany Park Police District has fewer assigned sworn officers than all but one other district in the city.

The district ranked 21st out of 22 districts, with 246 sworn officers. Only the Shakespeare (14th) Police District, to the immediate south of the Albany Park District, had fewer assigned officers, with 243.

The number of officers translates to 25.6 officers per square mile in the district, which places Albany Park 17th out of 22 districts. For comparison, the Austin (15th) District has the highest concentration of officers, with 91.7 per square mile and the Jefferson Park (16th) District has the lowest concentration with 8.4.

The Albany Park Police District, also called the 17th District, is headquartered at 4650 N. Pulaski Road and under the command of Elias Voulgaris.

In December 2016, it was announced that a half dozen probationary officers were being assigned to the Albany Park District.

Voulgaris credited the increased manpower for the recent arrest of a pair of suspects who were apprehended after jumping into the Chicago River to elude capture.

"Please note that this arrest was a result of having extra officers assigned to Albany Park and [Ravenswood] Manor," Voulgaris informed residents via social media following the incident.

The district's boundaries are Belmont Avenue to the south, Devon Avenue to the north, the Chicago River to the east and Cicero Avenue to the west.

Communities served by the district include Albany Park, Avondale, Irving Park, Mayfair, North Mayfair, North Park and Ravenswood Manor.

According to the Inspector General report, as of Feb. 21 there were a total of 12,051 sworn officers in the Chicago Police Department. Of that number, 60 percent were assigned to districts and 40 percent were assigned to specialized units such as narcotics, forensics, troubled buildings, etc.

Figures included in the most recent annual report issued by the Chicago Police Department, in 2010, placed the population of the Albany Park District at 144,000 people.

Between Feb. 21, 2016 and Feb. 21, 2017, a total of 7,720 crimes were reported in the Albany Park Police District, the third lowest in Chicago.

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