BEAT 1431 CAPS
Meeting Minutes
December 7, 2006

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 4th at 7:00 pm at Nazareth Church, 2500 N. Talman.

Officers Present: SGT Giambrone (3pm - 11pm), PO Strazzante (3rd Watch 3pm - 11pm), PO Ortiz, PO Crawford (Midnights), PO Augustyn 14th District CAPS office.

Number of Beat 1431 residents present: 10

General Announcements
SGT Giambrone was pleased to announce five arrests in connection with robberies in our Beat over the last month. Overall in Beat 1431, there were 35 arrests, up from 22 the month before. SGT Giambrone attributes the arrest successes to increased police effort and proactivity.
As mentioned last month, robberies continue to increase throughout our 14th district during this holiday season. SGT Giambrone reported that the "public violence hour" for burglaries is between 10 - 11am during the week. In other words, this hour of the day statistically has the highest number of reported burglaries than any other time of day. Another high crime hour of the day is the early morning hours around 2am when bars are closing. Criminals have been focusing on bars at closing time mugging intoxicated men and women.

While shopping during this holiday season, remember to keep gifts and belongings out of site when parking your car in public places. Also, women walking with purses should consider placing them inside jackets. Police discourage carrying purses around the neck which could lead to serious injury if a purse snatcher forcefully attempts to steal the bag. Mobile phones should also be carried and kept separate from purses providing an opportunity to call for help (911) in case the purse is stolen. Finally, walking with headphones is not a safe practice as they impair your ability to sense a potential criminal approaching from behind.

Citizen ICAM
From November 1st through November 30th, according to the Citizen ICAM, Beat 1431 suffered 87 crimes, an increase of 23 from last month (64):
- 14 Person
- 58 Property
- 2 Society (Narcotics)
- 7 Domestic (assault and battery)
- 6 undetermined

Court Advocacy
There are a handful of Court Advocacy cases scheduled during the last week of December for crimes committed within Section 1. These court cases were selected based upon their importance to the Beat 1431 community and participating Court Advocates. The Court Advocate program organizes volunteers to attend court. If there is intimidation from the defendant, other Beats either within the district or from another district are asked to attend the court proceedings and support the victim. There is no obligation beyond 1 court appearance as a Court Advocate. The Court Advocate program meets the first Tuesday of every month at the 14th District Police Station at 6pm. For further information, please contact Deb Augustyn at the CAPS Office 312-744-8290.

SAM (Sale of Alcohol to Minors)
The SAM prevention program was in our Beat the past month and targeted El Cid and Royce 21 Club at 2103 N. California. Neither business sold alcohol to the minors used in the SAM test.

Beat 1431 Section Reports
SECTION 1 (Borders: California, Milwaukee, Armitage)
1) A resident was assaulted on Saturday evening, December 2nd by two black males at 9pm near the alley on the corner of California and Armitage. Police response was very quick but the criminals are still at large.
2) The property owner of 2019 Bingham - who last month reported the assault of one of her female tenants - had one of her car windows broken out as an act of retaliation and intimidation. The vandals were not caught.
3) On November 10th, police acting on a search warrant for 2061 Bingham arrested Jose Alvarez with possession of Cocaine and several police scanners (police scanners are used by these criminals to intercept some police communication indicating their current orders).
4) Police on foot patrol on Bingham visited 2026 Bingham which had an outstanding warrant. The resident at this property was arrested for drug related charges.
5) There was an arrest made for a domestic violence incident in this section.
6) Five graffiti vandals were arrested at Bingham and Milwaukee.
7) There was also an arrest made for a juvenile delinquent near Chase School vandalizing a property with graffiti during the Noon hour.
8) An arrest was made of a juvenile firing an air pistol on Stave.
action: Residents are strongly urged to voice complaints of problem property 2113 Bingham by calling Problem Building Area 5 Deputy Chiefs Office. The two officers to reach are Dave Lewis and Sean Newton at 312-746-5737. Also, residents are strongly urged to call 911 when they see the drug activity behind Marianos providing very detailed descriptions of the offenders.

SECTION 2 (Borders: Rockwell, Lyndale, Western, Milwaukee)
1) Alderman Flores had a meeting with Principal Gonzalez from Chase Elementary School to address the unacceptable Congress event parking practices within the school's parking lot/playground. The contract between Congress and Chase is apparently up at the end of this year and a community meeting is expected to discuss the contract in the future with both the Alderman and Principal Gonzalez.
Two weeks ago, there was another incident where a neighborhood couple walking their dog had to avoid a parking valet while he was driving a car on the sidewalk to get to the Chase lot.
2) A senior citizen was struck by a .38 pistol at the Western Tap at 2044 N. Western during a robbery. The criminals, Ivan Negrone and another known neighborhood Latin Lover gang member living in Section 1, were arrested at Campbell and Rockwell.
3) The 14th District has a CTA program where police officers volunteer to ride the CTA trains and buses on their time off. During a recent patrol on the CTA, officers arrested two criminals in a car at Lyndale and Western in possession of a large amount of money, a Glock 29 pistol and Cocaine.
4) PO Strazzante with the aid of PO Retamozzo and PO Macniff responded to a robbery at Western and Armitage and arrested the 3 criminals who were attempting to flee on a CTA bus. PO Strazzante was awarded a citation from SGT Giambrone for these arrests.
action: Residents and business owners should be aware of the increase in robberies to storefronts on Western. Call 911.

SECTION 3 (Borders: Rockwell, Fullerton, Western, Lyndale)
1) Police are targeting this area for robberies for the second month.
2) Officers arrested 2 individuals for aggravated robbery at The Sunny Tap on the 2400 block of N. Western, November 26th.
action: Residents and business owners should be aware of the increase in robberies to storefronts on Western. Call 911.

SECTION 4 (Borders: California, Fullerton, Rockwell, Milwaukee)
1) A Latin Lover juvenile was caught and convicted with gun possession at the Goethe school parking lot. While he was out on probation, he was arrested again on a neighboring beat with possession of a large amount of Cocaine (he was frequently seen loitering on the 2600 block of Altgeld).
2) A resident reported that a sign at a recent Congress Theater event was directing further parking at Goethe Elementary School. It was not known at this meeting whether there is any event parking contract between the Congress and Goethe Elementary School. So there are now community concerns as to whether more parking problems will be occurring at Goethe School.
3) On November 27th, at 2345 N. California a juvenile was arrested for shooting a gun.
4) Friday, November 24th two black hooded Hispanic males, believed to be MLD gang members, were seen loitering in the diagonal parking behind Goethe Elementary School at Lyndale and Talman.
5) Residents reported a pattern of loud, disrespectful behavior from individuals going to their cars and loitering (shouting and playing very loud music) on the 2100+ block of Talman from Milwaukee and Talman up to the diagonal parking at Goethe Elementary school of Medill and Talman between 2am - 2:30am. These individuals are believed to be coming from the Tini Martini lounge at Milwaukee and Talman. Police reported that this business has had problems with patrons getting into fights as well as illegal parking practices.
action: Residents are encouraged to contact Alderman Flores' office to verify whether the Congress is using Goethe Elementary School as overflow parking for events. Gangs continue their presence at Goethe Elementary School. Residents are urged to call 911 when witnessing any gang activity.

SECTION 5 (Borders: California, Logan Boulevard, Rockwell, Fullerton)
1) graffiti continues to be a problem behind the Midas business at Fullerton and Washtenaw. This property tends to consistently get tagged with gang graffiti.
2) The MLD gang member reported back in June of this year who accidentally shot himself in the leg on the 2400 block of Fairfeild, was arrested on 1411's Beat after crashing into 2 cars in a stolen vehicle. The accident occurred when the MLD was waiting at a stop light in the stolen car and hesitated after the light changed. An unmarked police car (unaware of the MLD in the hot car in front of them) was behind the MLD at the light and hit the horn to alert him to move forward. The police horn surprised the MLD making him think he was being pulled over, causing him to accelerate out of control and into an oncoming SUV. The MLD was arrested and should not show up in our Beat for a long time.
3) During the evening of December 6th, gang members from the Altgeld Washtenaw MLD gang were caught tagging over rival graffiti at Altgeld and California.

SECTION 6 (Borders: Rockwell, Logan Boulevard, Western, Fullerton)
1) November 6th at around 11:30pm fireworks and smoke bombs were being fired in the alley behind Artesian.
2) During the weekend of Thanksgiving, MLD graffiti vandalized the West side of the building on 2541 Campbell. The 311 report reference number is 06-02260935. Deb Augustyn from CAPS will call Streets and Sanitation to help expedite the removal of this graffiti.
3) Huckleberries bar on Fullerton has had it's liquor license revoked. This bar has had a colored past of drug and gun offenses as well as being a neighborhood gang hangout.
action: Residents should continue to call 911 to report gang activity and 311 for graffiti.


Recurring Problem Areas for BEAT 1431
1) Property at 2113 Bingham
2) Gang graffiti
3) Gang loitering and recruiting
4) Gang drug trafficking
5) Gang violence

DISCLAIMER
Beat 1431 CAPS volunteers prepared these meeting minutes to the best of their ability.

BEAT 1431 CAPS
Meeting Minutes
November 2, 2006

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 7th at 7:00 pm at the 14th District Police Station, 2150 N. California.

Officers Present: SGT Giambrone (3pm - 11pm), PO Trempe (3rd Watch 3pm - 11pm), PO Strazzante (3rd Watch), PO Radulescu (Midnights), PO Augustyn 14th District CAPS office, Field Training Officer Karwowski (7am - 3pm).

Number of Beat 1431 residents present: 14

General Announcements

The officers present articulated the importance of being aware of your surroundings when in public as we enter the holiday season. Remember to keep gifts and belongings out of site when parking your car in public places. Importantly, place belongings in trunks and other concealed places before arriving at your destination to prevent the possibility of thieves from seeing you transfer your valuables before leaving your vehicle. Women walking with purses should consider placing them inside jackets. Police discourage carrying purses around the neck which could lead to serious injury if a purse snatcher forcefully attempts to steal the bag. Cellphones should also be carried and kept separate from purses providing an opportunity to call for help (911) in case the purse is stolen. Finally, walking with headphones is not a safe practice as they impair your ability to sense a potential criminal approaching from behind.

Citizen ICAM
From October 1st through October 31st, according to the Citizen ICAM, Beat 1431 suffered 64 crimes, a decrease of 24 from last month (91):
- 10 Person
- 47 Property
- 1 Society (Narcotics)
- 3 Domestic (assault and battery)
- 3 undetermined

Beat 1431 Section Reports
SECTION 1 (Borders: California, Milwaukee, Armitage)
1) 2113 Bingham continues to be a major problem property. PO Trempe reported that a 14 year old daughter living at this address drove the family minivan down Bingham, side swiping 4 - 5 parked cars. When officers arrived at the address to question the girl, the father and owner of the property would not provide access to the police. PO Trempe also reported that this same daughter along with two other girlfriends were arrested after trying to assault a girl at Chase Elementary School, refusing to leave the school grounds after being addressed by school security. Also, a young male was cut across the face with a knife by a MLD gang member and was seen seeking sanctuary on the porch of this address. Police arrived to investigate the injured male and he refused to file a report or prosecute.
PO Trempe has spoken with Problem Building Area 5 Deputy Chiefs Office about this particular property and urges residents to call their office to voice complaints. The two officers to reach are Dave Lewis and Sean Newton at 312-746-5737. This property has been targeted again this month as a problem building by the police.
2) There has been a major increase in graffiti in this section, particularly at the intersection of Point and Francis, the alley off of Armitage and 2029 Bingham. MLD's, Cobras and Latin Kings are actively tagging in this section. Several of the tags also included the names of the tagger.
3) Friday, Oct. 27th, a resident had two side windows on his vehicle broken by pellet gunfire, local gang members were believed responsible.
4) On October 18th, gang tactical officers arrested gang members at 2010 N. Stave, one was found carrying a loaded 9 mm Hi Point firearm with additional live rounds (although they were the wrong caliber). One of these members arrested was involved in gang recruitment at Goethe Elementary School.
5) October 14th, strong armed robbery, victim's wallet was stolen.
6) There was a criminal sexual assault charge - classified as "predatory" - on the 2100 block of Bingham. The victim was a 7 year old and the predator was the "play daddy/guardian". Police have the predator in custody.
7) A property owner of 2019 Bingham reported that one of her tenants was assaulted by two Latino woman 6:30pm on Oct. 31st just outside the property. The young woman was pelted with eggs and then physically struck. The women who reportedly assaulted her apparently live on the second floor of the same property and are believed to be related (aunt and niece (18 and 16 yr old respectively). The property owner reported that her victimized tenant called 911 several times before the police finally arrived 45 minutes later. Once there, the police asked the young woman what she would like them to do, since the women who assaulted her had fled from the property. The victim simply asked to receive an apology from her attackers but otherwise she was not sure what to do in this situation. The property owner was disappointed that the officers did not file a report and provide direction as to how to handle the situation for this young woman. Officers present at the meeting explained that it is not unusual for victims of a crime to not want to press charges or file a report. SGT Giambrone suggested that the victim come forward and identify her attackers and the police will make an arrest.
8) A resident followed up with the officers present on police reports she filed for assault and property crimes she suffered in September from area Latino gang members. She also reported that she has been threatened on several other occasions by gangs. SGT Giambrone tactfully indicated that these unfortunate experiences she has been victimized by are likely the result of rival gang retribution against her son, a known and previously convicted Spanish Lord, who is now living with her. SGT Giambrone and the officers present were going to follow up on the status criminal cases.
9) SGT Giambrone reported that the police camera that has been under criticism the last several months for it's partially obstructed placement, was used in a targeted mission assisting officers with a warrant arrest. SGT Giambrone mentioned the criminal was dressed to kill, she was found with a very large knife concealed in her clothing when arrested outside her apartment.
10) "Rogue Offender" Christoval Villareal was arrested with 10 grams of cocaine in October. He was arrested back in August of this year with heroine and cocaine.
11) Alderman Flores' office is currently pursuing Mariano's to address gang and drug activity on their premises which has been reported over the last several months.
action: Residents are strongly urged to call Property at 2113 Bingham needs 14th District attention as well as the State's attorneys office. Also, residents are strongly urged to call 911 when they see the drug activity behind Marianos providing very detailed descriptions of the offenders.

SECTION 2 (Borders: Rockwell, Lyndale, Western, Milwaukee)
1) Residents reported continued unacceptable parking practices by the Congress Theater at the Chase Elementary School. Chase Elementary has a contract with the Congress Theater offering their school playground/parking lot for event parking which is then remunerated by the theater. Back in February, Alderman Flores apparently reviewed this parking contract with Chase Elementary School. The parking practices have been contested for most of this year by residents. Over the last month, residents have witnessed the Congress Theater parking valets parking and driving cars on sidewalks endangering residents who are walking in the neighborhood. Additionally, parking valets are apparently rearranging landscaping to accommodate additional parking such as moving wooden planters surrounding trees on the sidewalks. Several residents also noted that the parking lot practices are destroying past beautification projects resident volunteers have contributed to the school. Additionally, the parking contract has exacerbated the problems of the school being a sanctuary for loitering, littering and loud, bawdy behavior by event patrons. Police have had to be involved during events in order to help minimize the illegal parking practices and continue to ticket cars that are illegally parked but note that these tickets penalize the wrong people - the Congress and Chase School should be responsible for the parking tickets, not the patrons who have the Congress valets park them illegally.
The Chase School Principal has been contacted several times by residents about the problem and is reportedly unresponsive, the same is said of the Congress Theater.
Residents are urged to call Alderman Flores (773-278-0101), Principal Gonzalez at Chase Elementary School (773-534-4185) and the Congress Theater (773-486-6672) to put pressure on these parties to be responsible for this illegal and disrespectful parking situation.

SECTION 3 (Borders: Rockwell, Fullerton, Western, Lyndale)
1) Branch manager at Mid America bank on Western reportedly was impressed by the quick response by FBI and police after it was robbed in September. There was no mention as to whether any arrests have been made. This bank has been robbed twice in the last 6 months apparently.
2) A juvenile was arrested while tagging a building on Campbell. He is not gang affiliated and does not live in the neighborhood.

SECTION 4 (Borders: California, Fullerton, Rockwell, Milwaukee)
1) A white, Oldsmobile sedan, license plate #938 3731 has been seen double parked at the diagonal Goethe Elementary school parking on Talman before and after school hours playing extremely loud music while loitering.
2) A Latin Lover gang member seen loitering at Goethe Elementary School after school hours attempting to recruit or harass school kids was arrested with possession of a gun by police. SGT Giambrone said this gang member is a student at Clemente High School. Apparently this is a common practice, lesser ranking/influential gang members at Clemente have been loitering at elementary schools such as Goethe to harass young children, hit on girls and recruit.
3) Resident reported a mugging near the Belden and Milwaukee intersection, behind Max Gerber at approximately 8am Halloween morning. A young woman had her purse snatched by another young Hispanic woman. The victim struggled with the mugger before giving up her purse. The resident heard the victim yell for help and dialed 911 while noting the license plate number of the car believed to pick up the fleeing mugger - a silver Pontiac Grand Am sedan with IL temporary plates, #200H501. The victim was wearing headphones before she was mugged.
4) Garage at Lyndale and Talman was tagged with blue MLD graffiti between the hours of 7 - 10pm November 1st. Another building further south on Talman near Milwaukee also was tagged with gang graffiti.
5) A resident reported that his house was egged Halloween night.
action: Gang activity at Goethe Elementary School needs to be addressed. Residents are urged to call 911 when witnessing any gang activity.

SECTION 5 (Borders: California, Logan Boulevard, Rockwell, Fullerton)
1) Between 7:30 - 8pm the night of Halloween there were shots fired at 2427 Washtenaw. The shooting is believed to be gang related. Casings were found in the alley.
2) Gang members were arrested after they were caught throwing rocks at passing cars and flashing gang signs at 2730 Fullerton avenue.
3) Resident reported seeing numerous spent syringes on the street near the Midas garage and Haas Park on Washtenaw.
4) The Haas Park construction is preventing park facilities from providing programs for youth in the area.
5) MLD and Latin Lover graffiti was reported in this section
6) The Liberty Bank on Fullerton was apparently "held up", Nov 2nd.
7) Resident requested more police presence during the weekends on Washtenaw to ticket cars that are illegally parking in permit zones.
action: Gang activity is still rampant in this section and residents should continue to call 911 to report gang activity and 311 for graffiti removal.

SECTION 6 (Borders: Rockwell, Logan Boulevard, Western, Fullerton)
1) Graffiti was reported on the 2500 block of Artesian near Western
2) Cheerios gang driving and loitering around Artesian continues. Several garbage cans in the alley behind Artesian have Cheerios gang tags of "CHE" or "38" where gang members are believed to stash drugs.
action: Residents should continue to call 911 to report gang activity and 311 for graffiti.


Recurring Problem Areas for BEAT 1431
1) Property at 2113 Bingham
2) Gang graffiti
3) Gang loitering and recruiting
4) Gang drug trafficking
5) Gang violence

DISCLAIMER
Beat 1431 CAPS volunteers prepared these meeting minutes to the best of their ability.

BEAT 1431 CAPS
Meeting Minutes
October 5, 2006

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 2nd at 7:00 pm at Goethe Elementary School, 2236 N. Rockwell.

Officers Present: SGT Giambrone, PO Trempe, PO Macniff, PO Crawford, PO Lombard, PO Augustyn 14th District Community Policing and Liz Rios CAPS organizer for the 14th District.

Number of Beat 1431 residents present: 14

General Announcements

There has been a major increase in burglaries to the West of our Beat, residents are strongly urged to keep windows and doors securely locked when away from the premises. Also when walking in the neighborhood and using public transportation please be vigilant and mindful of your surroundings.

Parent and Youth Programs
1) The 14th District Police Station, 2150 N. California, will be hosting a Haunted House event October 27th - 31st from 5pm - 6pm. The station welcomes volunteers to help with this event, please contact Liz Rios at the 14th District Police Station.
2) There are 2 Internet Safety Forums left, Oct. 7th at the 10th Police District Community Room, 3315 W. Ogden at 11am, and Oct. 14th at the 25th District Community Room, 5555 W. Grand at 10am. This forum is designed to provide residents, parents, children and community leaders with the information related to Internet Safety.
3) There will be a 14th District youth Beat 1413 meeting Oct 17th at the Logan Square Girls and Boys Club, 3228 W. Palmer at 4pm. For more information please contact Liz Rios at the 14th District Police Station.

Citizen ICAM
From August 1st through August 31st, according to the Citizen ICAM, Beat 1431 suffered 91 crimes, an increase of 11 from last month (80):
- 24 Person
- 52 Property
- 2 Society (Narcotics, liquor law violation)
- 8 Domestic (person and property)
- 5 undetermined

Betty Major Rose: Narcotics Nuisance Abatement Program
Ms. Rose works within the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and represents the Nuisance Abatement Unit. The 1st Ward Alderman Flores' office suggested Ms. Rose attend the CAPS meeting to discuss properties that may qualify to be part of the Nuisance Abatement program.
This office investigates properties that have been filed by residents as problematic drug properties. When a property is reported to the Nuisance Abatement Unit, they contact the district that the property is in and attempt to verify if there have been any drug related arrests on the premises. If there have been arrests, the Unit contacts the owner of the property to address the problem.
The steps in this process are as follows: 1) The Nuisance Abatement Unit sends a letter to the property owner notifying them of the problem and to abate it 2) If there are subsequent arrests, the Unit meets personally with the owner of the property to discuss the problem and how they can make the property "drug free". 3) If arrests contine after this second meeting they take the property to court which can result in the property being quarantined and boarded up.
Ms. Rose also emphasized that the Nuisance Abatement Unit cannot address drug sales that occur on the streets surrounding a property. Her office only deals with drug activities and arrests that occur within a particular property.
Finally, Ms. Rose provided forms for residents and police officers to fill out, these can be obtained at the 14th District police station or by contacting the unit at 609 West Washington - 7th floor, Chicago, IL 60602.

Additionally, Ms. Rose can be reached at (773) 677-9947 for questions or if residents have specific properties that they want to check on. These conversations will be confidential.

Beat Facilitator Jim Rhodes asked Liz Rios to obrtain the list of problem buildings that have been reported in our Beat over the past several years and reporting on their current status for the next CAPS meeting.

Finally, Ms. Rose mentioned that an effective means to work with problematic properties is to have the district commander (the 14th District Commander is Salvador Avila) call and invite the owners of problem properties in the Beat to the police station along with concerned residents to establish a timetable to curtail the activity on their premises.

SGT Giambrone commends 14th District Officers
SGT Giambrone gave a letter of commendation to PO Park, an officer in the bicycle patrol, for being a key player in addressing the increased gang activity involving Chase Elementary School leading to several arrests during the last couple weeks of September.

Beat 1431 Section Reports
SECTION 1 (Borders: California, Milwaukee, Armitage)
1) There was an increase in bike patrol officers in response to 2 incidences within the last 30 days at Chase Elementary School:
a) The mother of David Nieves (David is reportedly a Spanish Lord gang member residing on Francis Place) was at the school to pick up family members when assumed local rival gang members began shouting verbal assaults at her. Police asked these 3 attackers to leave, and when they refused, they were placed in custody for failure to leave the school - a criminal trespass to state supported land. Three males were arrested (2 were juveniles). The non-juvenile offender in this arrest has a last name of Alvarado.
b) A juvenile delinquent who frequently associates with the MLDs (Maniac Latin Disciples) was seen displaying gang signs trying to insult any witnessing local gang members. Patrol officers placed him under arrest for criminal tresspassing.
2) During the Night of Sept. 26th, shots were fired in the alley behind 2738 W. Francis at the corner of Point and St. Helen. The four Latin King gang members implicated in the shooting have been arrested. One of these offenders, Simon Stoyas, drives a gray, Chevy Impala, and can also be identified by a Tatoo on his neck that reads "ACLK" (Armitage and California Latin Kings). He, along with his younger brothers (under 21) were arrested that evening for drinking alcohol since they could not be directly tied to the shooting. SGT Giambrone reported that a rival Cobra gang member shot at the Kings while they were in the alley drinking. The next day of the 27th there was another shooting at Francis and Point at 2:30am which should have been recorded by the Police camera, however, part of it's viewing angle remains blocked by a neighboring tree.
After these shootings, PO Trempe proactively visited the grandmother of one of the young males involved in the shooting, and because of her grandson's illegal activity PO Trempe would try to report her property to the Nuisance Abatement Unit. Her grandson has been a delinquent in the neighborhood for the last 4 years.
3) There has reportedly been no followup with the owners of Mariano's on Milwaukee for the reported drug activity that has been occurring on their premises. For the last several months a meeting was supposed to be organized with the owners, Alderman Flores' office and CAPS to address the drug activity on their property.
4) 2113 Bingham continues to be a haven for illegal drug and gang activity. This property was also involved in an auto theft. Spanish Lords gang members reportedly stole a car parked at this property, ran it into a pole and then returned it. This property is part of the Nuisance Abatement program and the police have spoken to the owners about this recent incident.
5) Attrill and Milwaukee have seen increased graffiti. 2042 N. Point was also vandalized with gang grafitti.
action: The tree obstructing the camera needs to be trimmed at the very least, otherwise, a better location for the camera should be considerd to allow it to have an unimpeded view of the area it's intended to monitor. Police to continue attention to Chase Elementary School. Property at 2113 Bingham needs 14th District attention as well as the State's attorneys office. Also, residents are strongly urged to call 911 when they see the drug activity behind Marianos providing very detailed descriptions of the offenders.

SECTION 2 (Borders: Rockwell, Lyndale, Western, Milwaukee)
1) Parking nuisances continue to plague Congress Theater events.
2) PO Trempe reported that there was an arrest made on an individual involved in auto thefts along Milwaukee and Talman during events.
3) Owner/operator of Danny's Liquors was present and did not report any major problems over the last month involving transients.

SECTION 3 (Borders: Rockwell, Fullerton, Western, Lyndale)
1) Mid America bank on Western sustained a robbery, arrests have not been made as of yet.
2) Graffiti has been reportedly down in this section.
action: Residents are urged to be wary of suspicious individuals on Western and to call 911 at any criminal activity.

SECTION 4 (Borders: California, Fullerton, Rockwell, Milwaukee)
1) PO Trempe reported that 4 - 5 members of the Latin Lovers gang have been consistently seen loitering at Goethe Elementary School at the end of the school day (3:15 - 3:30pm) trying to recruit. The Pricincipal of Goethe Elementary has spoken with PO Trempe about this recurring problem and is very anxious to remedy this situation.
2) There was a 14th district roll call on the premises during the month.
action: Gang activity at Goethe Elementary School needs to be addressed. Residents are urged to call 911 when witnessing any gang activity.

SECTION 5 (Borders: California, Logan Boulevard, Rockwell, Fullerton)
1) Armond Williams and Darius McDonald have been charged with the shooting death of Eddie Kurland during the early morning of August 25th, in the second level apartment building on the 2500 block of California.
As reported last month, these murderers invaded Kurland's apartment early in the morning resulting in a fatal shooting.
2) Latin Lover and MLD graffiti vandalized Glade Memorial Hall at 2640 W. Altgeld facing the alley. The 311 service number is 06-01900434 to remove the graffiti.
3) A resident reported that his garage was broken into by an alley transient on the 2500 block of California. The resident admitted to leaving his pedestrian garage door open, making this a crime of opportunity.
action: Residents should be wary of transients loitering in alleys and should keep gates and doors locked securely.

SECTION 6 (Borders: Rockwell, Logan Boulevard, Western, Fullerton)
1) Resident on Artesian with property facing Western reported consistent gang activity. Over the summer, this resident sustained a blow to the head by a bottle thrown by a young male who was asked to leave after urinating on his property. The resident suggested that a fence be placed around the vacant property behind the alley of Artesian to Western to combat the loitering (this area is currently proposed to be a dog park). This resident has had to deal with petty harrassment by local Cheerios gang members who have been a major blight to this neighborhood month after month.
2) Arrests were made in the alley behind Altgeld for cocaine sales and public drinking.
3) A resident at 2418 Artesian who is rumored to play a role in neighborhood drug activity had his car severely vandalized.
4) Three cars were broken into on Altgeld between Artesian and Maplewood, residents believe this vandalism occurred during the major rain storm.
5) There has been an increase in homeless activity across from Fullerton and Artesian, and in the vacant lot on Artesian and Western. A particularly disgusting vagrant named Daryl who has a scruffy beard and blonde curly hair may have a warrant out for his arrest due to past convicted drug activity. He may be sleeping on Western by the exit ramp from the highway.
action: Residents should continue to call 911 to report gang activity and 311 for graffiti.


Recurring Problem Areas for BEAT 1431
1) Gang graffiti
2) Gang loitering and recruiting
3) Gang drug trafficking
4) Gang violence

DISCLAIMER
Beat 1431 CAPS volunteers prepared these meeting minutes to the best of their ability.

BEAT 1431 CAPS
Meeting Minutes
September 7, 2006

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 5th at 7:00 pm at the 14th District Police Station, 2150 N. California.

Officers Present: SGT Giambrone, PO Strazzante, PO Macniff, PO Ortiz, PO Karwowski, and PO Augustyn 14th District Community Policing

Number of Beat 1431 residents present: 12

General Announcements

Citizen ICAM
From August 1st through August 31st, according to the Citizen ICAM, Beat 1431 suffered 80 crimes, a decrease of 19 from last month (99):
  - 11 Person
  - 47 Property
  - 5 Society (Narcotics, liquor law violation)
  - 9 Domestic (person and property)
  - 8 undetermined

Warning: US Energy Deceptive Sales Practices
A representative from Alderman Colon's office announced a warning to 1431 residents of a current door to door sales scam performed by US Energy encouraging residents to switch from using Peoples Energy to US Energy, promising lower energy rates. Upon closer review, however, the US Energy contracts turn out to cost hundreds of dollars more and are designed to be very difficult to terminate. Therefore, residents are encouraged to refuse these sales requests and contact Alderman Colon's office if you are confronted by this company.

SGT Giambrone commends 14th District Officers
SGT Giambrone gave a letter of commendation to two 14th District gang and tactical officers for a recent arrest of unlawful use of weapons, retrieving a .357 revolver.
SGT Giambrone also gave officers Macniff and Trempe (not present) a letter of commendation for their recent participation in an "Internet Safety" seminar at St. Mary's Elementary School.

GGNA Listserve Inflammatory Remarks
SGT Giambrone voiced his displeasure with an email posting that appeared a couple weeks ago on the GGNA listserve that contained "libelous" remarks of the integrity of the 14th District Police and one of it's officers. SGT Giambrone takes these remarks seriously and condemns these sorts of attacks. He also criticized the GGNA listserve manager for allowing this particular email to be posted to the community for it's inflammatory message that was clearly flaming the 14th District. SGT Giambrone underscored the importance of CAPS working with the community and this sort of email is antithetical to this effort. If residents have a complaint of Beat 1431 officers they should contact SGT Giambrone directly and he will take their complaints seriously.

Beat 1431 Section Reports
SECTION 1 (Borders: California, Milwaukee, Armitage)
1) Two section residents representing "Friends at Chase Elementary" petitioned for volunteers to help supervise the teenager and pre-teenager presence at the school on the weekend. Activities would include sports and gardening. Interested residents should contact Chase Elementary School. There has been a lot of loitering around the school by this age group requiring more adult supervision as well as police attention. PO Karwowski suggested residents call the Chicago Public School Board, 1st Ward Alderman Flores' office and the 14th District Police Station demanding a consistent police presence at neighborhood schools.
2) Chase Elementary School is offering after school activities including studio arts, film, theater and yoga for both students and adults. Contact Lilly, the Community School Manager (and after hours school supervisor), at Chase Elementary for more information.
3) The police camera at Stave and Francis is operating, however, the 14th District police remarked that nearby trees are blocking a substantial percentage of the potential viewing area. There also was questioning as to why the camera was placed at Stave and Francis versus Bingham.
4) Gang and drug activity is still rampant on the 2100 block of Bingham, particularly 2113 Bingham. Residents should contact Officer Torres (312) 744-8290 to investigate 2113 Bingham - it has been reported as a problem address by section residents every month. Building complaint forms can also be filled out at the 14th District Police Station.
5) SGT Giambrone mentioned there are more police on bicycles assigned to Section 1
6) Residents reported that there are several trucks that park across the Chase Elementary schoolyard and drink alcohol in their trucks and then litter on the parkway.
7) PO Strazzante reported that the police have the MLD gang member who was responsible for hitting a young male in the head with a fire hydrant cap back in June (reported in July minutes section 1 item 8).
8) Officers are also looking for street gambling as it can lead to disagreements and violence.
9) For the 3rd month in a row Mariano's has been mentioned as a site for drug activity and again, there has been no word from Officer Robles who promised to bring the owners of this establishment to the 1431 Beat Meeting to address this problem (see section 4 item 7).
action: Police to pay more attention to the loitering at Chase Elementary School. Property at 2113 Bingham needs 14th District attention. Also, residents are strongly urged to call 911 when they see the drug activity behind Marianos providing very detailed descriptions of the offenders. 911 calls are encouraged to maintain police presence in this section.

SECTION 2 (Borders: Rockwell, Lyndale, Western, Milwaukee)
1) A representative for the security detail hired by the Congress Theater was present and asked the attendees of the meeting if they had any problems with the security at theater events. No issues were raised in respect to the security detail.

SECTION 3 (Borders: Rockwell, Fullerton, Western, Lyndale)
1) Resident reported rival gang shooting possibly involving the Spanish Lords and MLDs.
2) PO Strazzante reported that the police have been dispersing transients who are congregating behind Danny's Liquors. As mentioned in last month's meeting, the homeless tend to walk down the alley from Danny's Foods North to Fullerton and to the expressway.
action: Residents should call 911 to report gang activity or any drinking in the public way.

SECTION 4 (Borders: California, Fullerton, Rockwell, Milwaukee)
1) Latin Lover gang activity remains a problem at Goethe Elementary. Several calls of service were reported over the last month including 2 just before the CAPS meeting pertaining to gang loitering at the school.
2) A resident reported that during the early morning on a Sunday, August 13th, a couple individuals in a beige van with plate #9638044 attempted to steal the spare tire off his pickup truck.
action: Residents are urged to continue to call 911 to report gang activity at Goethe Elementary and consistent police attention is also needed.

SECTION 5 (Borders: California, Logan Boulevard, Rockwell, Fullerton)
1) During the early morning of August 25th, there was a homicide in a second level apartment building on the 2500 block of California. SGT Giambrone reported that the iron gate enclosing the rear of the building was left open which gave the suspects an opportunity. Also, the backdoor to the second floor apartment was also unlocked. The suspects entered the apartment rummaging through the back room when the girlfriend of the victim heard the criminals and screamed. Edward Kurland, responding to his girlfriend, entered the room and was fatally shot in the chest. SGT Giambrone referred to this tragedy as a "crime of opportunity" where the open gate and open apartment door gave these criminals a better opportunity to commit this heinous crime.
2) Also during the early morning of August 25th, there was a shooting at Fullerton and Western wounding four people. SGT Giambrone reported that this was a gang related incident, both shooting parties being rival gangs involving drugs. The police are currently investigating this incident.
3) Resident reported repeatedly seeing a number of late-teenage, Hispanic males loitering at 2503 N. Talman during the early evening that could be gang related.
4) Resident reported numerous people walking up and down the alley behind the 2500 N. block of California peering into garbage bins and backyards where possible. SGT Giambrone recommended that residents install motion detector security lights 10ft or higher on garages and backyards near pedestrian entrances to help deter possible crimes.
5) Resident reported his car was stolen on the 2500 block of Fairfield. The car was later recovered by police and he said the policeman he worked with was very helpful. The car theft victim was also able to recover a part from his car on the street near where it was stolen that seemed to have fingerprints on it - the police will test the part for evidence of the car thief.

SECTION 6 (Borders: Rockwell, Logan Boulevard, Western, Fullerton)
1) The bar "Huckleberries" recently passed an undercover test arranged by the 14th District Police by not selling alcohol to a minor.
2) Graffiti marred several buildings shortly after the gang related shooting at Western and Fullerton on August 25th. The graffiti appeared to be the work of the Spanish Lords gang.
3) Cheerios gang members have been loitering on the 2500 block just west of Western. PO Strazzante reported that they recently arrested these criminals for drinking in the public way.
4) The restaurant space at Fullerton and Rockwell believed to be the new location for a restaurant called "Caliente" recently had it's sign taken down and resident's were concerned that it may not occupy the space after all. A local resident reported that the police were called by neighbors near the establishment for a party in the space. The police found that there was alcohol at the party but it was brought by the guests and no alcohol was apparently sold on the premises. The restaurant was in the process of obtaining a liquor license. 1st Ward Alderman Flores will be addressing the status of the restaurant to residents soon.
action: Residents should continue to call 911 to report gang activity and 311 for graffiti.


Recurring Problem Areas for BEAT 1431
1) Gang graffiti
2) Gang loitering and recruiting
3) Gang drug trafficking
4) Gang violence

DISCLAIMER
Beat 1431 CAPS volunteers prepared these meeting minutes to the best of their ability.

BEAT 1431 CAPS
Meeting Minutes
August 3, 2006

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 7th at 7:00 pm at Chase Elementary School, 2021 N. Point.

Officers Present: PO Strazzante, PO Ortiz, SGT Giambrone, PO Trempe, and Liz Rios CAPS Community Organizer

Number of Beat 1431 residents present: 20

General Announcements

Citizen ICAM
From July 7th through August 2nd, according to the Citizen ICAM, Beat 1431 suffered 99 crimes, a decrease of 1 from last month (100):
  - 13 Person
  - 61 Property
  - 6 Society (Narcotics, liquor law violation)
  - 9 Domestic (person and property)
  - 10 undetermined

Child Curfews
Children under the age of 17 must be home or accompanied by a parent or guardian 18 years or older after 10:30pm on weekdays and no later than 11:30pm on Friday and Saturday nights. Children who violate curfew often become victims of crime.
Contact the Chicago Police Department, Preventive Programs at 312-745-5838 if you have any questions.

Auto Theft
There were several reports this month of car related theft. For example, SGT Giambrone mentioned that garage door openers are being stolen from parked cars and then being used to try to open garage doors nearby. Keep extra garage doors well hidden or out of your car if you are parked on the street. Also, it is recommended that you lock your bikes in your garage to make them more difficult to steal in the event your garage is compromised.
Due to the heat, many people are leaving windows cracked in their cars providing a means of entry for thieves. Please keep your car windows and doors locked when parked. Place purses and other valuables under the front seat or in the trunk, but never in plain view. Also, never carry more money than absolutely necessary.

Home Burglary Protection
Residents are encouraged to keep windows closed and locked while away. If windows must be left open consider buying window locks that prevent the window from being opened any further to allow for forced entry. Burglars also try to push in window unit air conditioners to gain entry. Please make sure that your A/C window unit is securly screwed into the window frame/sill to prevent it from being forcibly pushed in.

Graffiti and 311
Again, Graffiti continues to be a major problem in our beat as well as citywide. Residents again are strongly encouraged to call Graffiti Blasters (dial 311) to report incidences of graffiti. Anyone can call and report graffiti at a particular location, you do not have to own or reside at the particular vandalized property to report the crime. After reporting an incident to the 311 call taker, ask for the Service Request Number (SRN) that is assigned to your request in case your request goes unanswered for several days. You can call 311 again and ask for a status update on your SRN (you can also share this SRN with friends and have them inquire as well).


Beat 1431 Section Reports
SECTION 1 (Borders: California, Milwaukee, Armitage)
1) A new pole will be installed to support the police camera at the intersection of Stave and Francis. The police camera will be at thsi location for 6 months and then it will be moved to another area yet to be determined.
2) Known drug dealer J.J. Morgan was seen driving around the section in a beige colored Buick. PO Trempe reported that this car was ticketed and towed and impounded recently.
3) Tony Crespo will soon be out on parole for a gun violation after being sentenced for 61 days in the penitentiary. He apparently resides on Bingham.
4) 2113 N. Bingham continues to have problems with gang loitering and drug dealing.
5) A resident reported that on July 27th several attempts were made to remove the wheels on their older Jeep Cherokee SUV.
6) The 1st Ward Alderman's office has notified the business owners of "Marianos" of the drug and gang activity on their property and that a community meeting with them is required. Cocaine, marijuana and heroin drug dealing and gang activity has been rampant surrounding this local vendor.
There were 5 drug related arrests at "Marianos" in June, 2 for cocaine, 3 for marijuana. The dealers/users are often seen wandering in the parking lot behind the vendor under the El tracks on Prindville.
The Alderman's Office will attempt to hold a community meeting with the business owners of "Marianos" in attempt to hold them more accountable for being a sanctuary for this criminal activity. If they do not cooperate they will be jeopardizing their restaurant license.
7) 2100 N. California resident, Barry Anderson, who works for the Chicago Bulls as their mascot Benny the Bull, was arrested at the Taste of Chicago for hitting a police officer while riding a mini-motorcycle. You can read more on this at the Chicago Sun Times: http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/benny03.html and for a more humorous perspective, you can read The Onion's account: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/50817.
8) A resident reported that a known drug offender has been seen back on the street behind ACE Hardware on Milwaukee Avenue and Tony Crespo's residence. PO Trempe was familiar with this individual.
9) A group of 3 - 4 young, black males were reportedly in Section 1 and neighboring Beat 1434 stealing various items from parked cars. They were seen checking door handles and stealing loose change and other items from unlocked cars. An arrest was made on one of the juveniles who had a cell phone that was reported stolen by a local resident. The juvenile apparently made a number of lewd crank calls to numerous contacts stored in the owner's phone.
10) Christoval Villareal was arrested on July 1st on Francis st. for selling heroine and cocaine. He is considered a "rogue offender" based upon his arrest history preventing him from receiving bond for any subsequent offense. He is not affiliated with a local gang, however, the Cobras and Latin Lovers allow him to sell his drugs in their areas.
11) A 13 year old boy was stopped near Chase Elementary School carrying a bag containing 3 marijuana plants.
12) There were a few employees from US Energy were reported in this section trying to solicit business from local residents by promising lower gas rates than Peoples Energy. The solicitors apparently are using deceptive practices and residents should call the 1st ward aldermans's office with any questions.
13) There were a few calls regarding parking permit violations involving a state/municipal vehicle and workers who setup cones in the street to perform building maintenance. First, police will not ticket a car with legitimate state/municipal government plates. Second, the building maintenance workers were also not ticketed for setting up cones in the permit parking street area as they were hired to do their job and that was the only area they could use to do their job. In both cases the police could not do anything about these situations and were taken out of service while having to perform these duties.
action: As stated last month, with the continuing problems at 2113 Bingham, if indeed subject to the city's Nuisance Ordinance, it should receive appropriate fines and attention from city officials. 911 calls are encouraged to maintain police presence in this section.

SECTION 2 (Borders: Rockwell, Lyndale, Western, Milwaukee)
1) The Congress Theater is scheduled to host at least 6 events during the month of August. Residents should report any violations to the police and notify the 1st Ward Alderman's office of parking violations at Chase Elementary School during these events.
- PO Trempe claimed the venue has new management after being recently purchased by Live Nation, Inc. Officer Trempe also expressed that the management up to this point has been very cooperative with the police when managing the crowds.
- During a recent wrestling event held at the theater, a drunken patron incensed at the outcome of the wrestling match, was arrested after getting into an altercation with a security guard. The police reported that the outcome of this altercation was: Security Officer 1, Drunken Patron 0.
2) A resident reported that she saw a van full of bicycles being unloaded by a couple men who appeard to be junkies in the Congress Pizza parking lot. There is concern that the restaurant is being used as a front for illegal bike sales.
PO Trempe also reported that Spanish Lords gang members have been seen loitering outside the restaurant trying to use the property as a main drug dealing location. On July 25th a Spanish Lord was arrested at the property.
3) One early evening around 5:30pm, a young black male was arrested after mugging a woman at 2420 W. Charleston. Apparently, the mugger approached the woman asking for sex, punched the woman in the face and ran off with her purse before he was arrested by police. The mugger is not a resident of our Beat and apparently comes from the 1700 block of Talman.
4) A shoplifter was arrested at CVS Pharmacy (formerly Osco Drug) for trying to steal numerous off-the-shelf cold medicines. He was found with numerous products stashed in his clothing after setting off the store theft detectors walking out the door. After trying to convince police he was just "testing" the store detectors, he was found to have outstanding offenses on his record and was sentenced with felony charges.
5) On July 12th, on the 2100 - 2200 block of Maplewood a long time resident named Francisco, was arrested after police conducting a search warrant found a drug scale, cocaine, marijuana and a large amount of cash.
action:Local residents are encouraged to keep a close eye on the Congress Theater during the events in August. Calls to 911 are required for any gang and drug activity in the area, especially at Congress Pizza.

SECTION 3 (Borders: Rockwell, Fullerton, Western, Lyndale)
1) A resident reported seeing 4 Spanish Lords in full colors walking through this section around midnight.
2) The owner of Danny's Liquors was in attendance and claimed there has been very little homeless and transient activity behind his store. When he sees any activty he calls the police, however, the homeless have been seen to disperse when they see him arrive at the store. The homeless tend to walk down the alley from Danny's Foods North to Fullerton and to the expressway. Many homeless have been seen behind an apartment building at 2417 Fullerton.
Residents were reminded that it is not against the law to be homeless, however, public drinking, drug use, urinating and/or defecating in the public way are offenses that warrant calls to 911.
3) A resident who lives on the 2200 block of Campbell reported that there have been numerous failed break-in attempts on their garage facing the alley. The police told the resident to report each break-in attempt.
action: Residents should call 911 to report gang activity or any violation currently happening.

SECTION 4 (Borders: California, Fullerton, Rockwell, Milwaukee)
1) Latin Lover gang activity at Goethe Elementary gradually diminished over the month of July. Police claim this decrease in activity resulted after they arrested LL gang member "Gizmo" for possession and delivery of narcotics. He was arrested within 1000 ft. of Goethe School increasing the severity of the crime. Gizmo was arrested in May with other gang members, was back loitering at Goethe Elementary in June, and has now been arrested again for drug offenses.
2) A 16 year old male was arrested with possession of Crack on Talman avenue, a resident of this section.
3) On July 21st a black male held up the KFC on Milwaukee and Washtenaw as the store was about to close. The male pulled a gun on the employees and forced them into the restaurant freezer. There is an emergency switch in the freezer that the employees used to call for help.
action: Consistent police attention are needed at Goethe Elementary School and the surrounding diagonal parking on Talman to discourage the Latin Lover gang activity. Also, residents are strongly urged to call 911 when they see the drug activity behind Marianos.

SECTION 5 (Borders: California, Logan Boulevard, Rockwell, Fullerton)
1) The gang activity at Haas has subsided since the gang shooting occurred, Saturday, July 1st. A welcomed contrast.
2) There was a decrease in the amount of graffiti in the area.
3) A recent block party on Fairfield encouraging resident participation at the park was well attended, police bike patrol officers were present as well as Liz Rios the CAPS organizer.
Three teenagers that looked like gang members started loitering in the area shortly after the bike police left but were told to leave by participating residents.
4) There was a robbery at a gas station at Fullerton and California, a man was filling his car with gas when another individual held him up for $300. The victim then went to the police station to report the mugging and while at the station police discovered that the victim had a warrant out for his arrest from the Customs agency. He was arrested.
action: The police maintain that no person over the age of 13 is allowed within the Haas Park kiddy play lot unless they have a child who is using the play equipment. Residents should call 911 if they see violators of this policy or any gang activity. Police to continue presence in area to address gang activity and vandalism.

SECTION 6 (Borders: Rockwell, Logan Boulevard, Western, Fullerton)
1) During the evening of Saturday, July 8th, graffiti went up on the garages of the following Artesian properties: 2521, 2523, 2527. The graffiti included freqently seen tags of "385", "che" and "depte". The 311 Service Request Number for the graffiti removal is 06-01212251.
2) Cheerios gang members Ricky Fischer, Ivan Burmudez and Mars Ferrar were seen circling the block of Artesian in cars frequently over the month.
3) Over the month of July, Ivan Morales has been seen selling drugs at 2451 N. Campbell. He has been seen selling drugs while holding his infant child in his arms in the past and residents are encouraged to call 911 if they see this activity.
4) Residents reported that they have seen some young individuals loitering near Campbell and Artesian that do not live in the neighborhood. 5 young males and 2 young females were seen loitering by a garage at the interstection of Campbell and Altgeld. Local residents were curious if these could be new gang members.
5) The new restaurant, "Caliente", at the corner of Rockwell and Fullerton will soon be opening and has applied for a restaurant license to sell food and liquor. They are not applying for a PPA (Public Place of Amusement) license. Residents expect Caliente to be a welcomed new restaurant in the area.
action: Residents should continue to call 911 to report gang activity and 311 for graffiti.


Recurring Problem Areas for BEAT 1431
1) Gang graffiti
2) Gang loitering and recruiting
3) Gang drug trafficking
4) Gang violence

DISCLAIMER
Beat 1431 CAPS volunteers prepared these meeting minutes to the best of their ability.

BEAT 1431 CAPS
Meeting Minutes
July 6, 2006

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 3rd at 7:00 pm at the 14th District Police Station, 2150 N. California.

Officers Present: PO Crawford, PO Park, LT Ruiz, SGT Rubio, PO McNiff, PO Trempe, PO Ortiz, PO Reyes, PO Radulescu, PO Williams, PO Rios

Number of Beat 1431 residents present: 23

General Announcements
- LT Ruiz mentioned that he was impressed with the effective organization and leadership of the Beat 1431 CAPS meeting
- The Mutiny, at 2438 N. Western and Cafe Bolero at 2252 N. Western were both praised for passing a recent undercover test by the 14th District that randomly selects establishments with liquor licenses checking that alcohol is not being sold to minors.

Citizen ICAM
From June 1st through June 14th, according to the Citizen ICAM, Beat 1431 suffered 100 crimes, an increase of nearly 30 from last month:
  - 15 Person
  - 63 Property
  - 2 Narcotics
  - 12 Domestic (person and property)
  - and 8 undetermined

Graffiti and 311
Again, Graffiti continues to be a major problem in our beat as well as citywide. Fullerton avenue along the southern border of section 6 between Western and Rockwell has been especially vandalized by MLD, Latin Lover and Spanish Lord gang graffiti. Residents again are strongly encouraged to call Graffiti Blasters (dial 311) to report incidences of graffiti. Anyone can call and report graffiti at a particular location, you do not have to own or reside at the particular vandalized property to report the crime. After reporting an incident to the 311 call taker, ask for the Service Request Number (SRN) that is assigned to your request in case your request goes unanswered for several days. You can call 311 again and ask for a status update on your SRN (you can also share this SRN with friends and have them inquire as well).

14th District Court Advocate Volunteers Are Needed!
As mentioned last month, the 14th District is in need of court advocates from our community. "The judicial process can be a daunting experience. Victims are sometimes intimidated by the process and the defendant. Court Advocates provide the necessary brace some victims need to continue with their case and testimony.
Court Advocacy has a direct impact on the safety of our neighborhoods. By attending court, advocates send a strong message to the defendant and the judicial system that they are interested in their community, its problems, possible solutions, and will not accept things as they once were."
The court dates vary throughout the day and volunteers can choose which time works best for them. A strong community representation in court is a very effective influence on criminal sentencing and will help keep criminals off the street.
If you feel you may be interested in being a Court Advocate please call or stop by the 14th District to learn more (312-744-8290).

Beat 1431 Section Reports
SECTION 1 (Borders: California, Milwaukee, Armitage)
1) The police camera has been installed at the intersection of Stave and Francis and according to police has already made a visible difference in decreasing the amount of gang activity in this area.
2) Police reported that an influential Cobra gang leader will be moving to the western suburbs. It is not safe to assume this will end Cobra activity as many of the gang members that currently loiter in our Beat do not live in the area.
3) A Latin Lover gang member with a lucrative drug selling business residing on Stave street was arrested last month.
4) 2113 N. Bingham continues to be a sanctuary for illegal gang activity along with additional traffic reported kitty-corner in a 3 flat next to 2 empty lots. PO Trempe remarked that 2113 N. Bingham address is currently liable under the city's Nuisance Abatement Ordinance which levies costly fines to the property owner until the problems are resolved. This property has been reported as a consistent blight to this section for months.
5) A resident reported a Hispanic male with a shaved head in his 20s - 30s wandering near Francis and Stave angrily and irrationally carrying on with himself. The police were called.
6) Graffiti was reported at 2029 N. Bingham near the alley.
7) An arrest was made for graffiti vandalism in this section. The city is augmenting the punishment for graffiti violations by making it a felony, requiring community service hours as well as full payment of the cost of removing the graffiti from the property.
8) A week ago Thursday, June 29th, a young male was hit in the head by a fire hydrant cap by MLD gang members. Apparently, the brother of the injured boy was the original target of the MLDs, however, he escaped and therefore the MLDs decided to injure his younger brother instead. The younger brother was hospitalized and did not suffer a permanent head injury.
9) Several residents complained of daily car honking starting at 4am, especially on Stave street. These drivers are honking in front of buildings where they are picking up individuals. Although it is not known to be a crime, the noise is clearly a disrespectful nuisance to neighborhood residents at any time of day. A car horn should not be used as a doorbell.
10) Garbage scavengers often seen driving pickup trucks sagging under the weight of precariously stacked "treasures" have been seen parking without permits in permit only parking in the area. This is illegal and residents should call 911 to report the nuisance.
action: 2113 Bingham, if indeed subject to the city's Nuisance Ordinance, should receive appropriate fines and attention from city officials. 911 calls are encouraged to maintain police presence in this section.

SECTION 2 (Borders: Rockwell, Lyndale, Western, Milwaukee)
1) There were no large Congress Theater concerts over the past month providing a welcomed break from the crimes and nuisances reported at the theater during the month of May. A resident mentioned the recent acquisition of the House of Blues by Live Nation, Inc. which may or may not have an influence on the number of concerts at the Congress Theater, a House of Blues venue.
2) 2 vans containing a total of approximately 6 - 10 males have been consistently loitering and drinking in and around their vehicles on Friday afternoons at the intersection of Palmer and Maplewood.
3) June 18th, 6 juvenile delinquents were arrested for disturbing the peace while walking south on the 2200 block of N. Maplewood. One of the kids arrested was apparently also involved in the gang shooting later in the month at Haas Park.
action: It is against the law to drink in a parked car (DUI crime) or in the public way (this includes the sidewalk). Local residents are strongly encouraged to call 911 to report these crimes.

SECTION 3 (Borders: Rockwell, Fullerton, Western, Lyndale)
1) Medill Avenue suffered a rash of gang Graffiti.
action: Residents should call 311 to report graffiti, remain vigilant to the increased gang activity.

SECTION 4 (Borders: California, Fullerton, Rockwell, Milwaukee)
1) There has been a dramatic increase in gang activity at Goethe Elementary School. The Latin Lover gang has been maintaining almost a daily presence in the diagonal parking on Talman between Lyndale and Medill throughout the month of June during afternoons and evenings. Groups of 5 - 10 gang members typically wearing red shirts, hats and blue jeans loiter, watching traffic while younger groups of kids ride bicycles apparently keeping a lookout for police or rival gang members. These bikes have been seen locked to the fence surrounding the elementary school as well as residential corner street signs.
Police have identified a couple gang owned cars seen parked at the school: 1) red, Honda civic hatchback, license plate #812 6027 2) blue, Honda accord sedan with body damage along the entire driver's side, license plate #834 6305.
Finally, PO Trempe commented that the loitering problem would be much worse if the basketball hoops were installed in the school playground. Basketball rims are apparently a magnet for larger groups attracting more gang attention.
2) Known gang member "Gizmo", who was arrested with several others in the month of May, has been released and has been seen again at Goethe School.
3) Neither PO Robles nor the business owners of "Marianos" he offered to bring to the next CAPS meeting were present. Cocaine, marijuana and heroin drug dealing and gang activity has been rampant surrounding this local vendor.
There were 5 drug related arrests at "Marianos" in June, 2 for cocaine, 3 for marijuana. The dealers/users are often seen wandering in the parking lot behind the vendor under the El tracks on Prindville.
The Alderman's Office will attempt to hold a community meeting with the business owners of "Marianos" in attempt to hold them more accountable for being a sanctuary for this criminal activity. If they do not cooperate they will be jeopardizing their restaurant license.
action: Calls to 911 and strong police presence are needed at Goethe Elementary School and the surrounding diagonal parking on Talman to discourage the Latin Lover gang activity. Also, residents are strongly urged to call 911 when they see the drug activity behind Marianos.

SECTION 5 (Borders: California, Logan Boulevard, Rockwell, Fullerton)
1) At 3pm Saturday, July 1st there was a shooting with injuries at Haas Park involving rival gangs the MLDs and the Latin Lovers. The injuries were sustained by the gang members, no innocent bystanders including children were physically harmed. MLD gang members loitering at the playground apparently threw a brick at a passing car being driven by rival Latin Lover gang members. The car then turned around and it's passengers jumped out prompting a fight which then escalated to a shooting between the rival gangs. One of the gang shooters was only 13 years old. A local resident called 911 to report the incident while it was occurring. Several officers responded to the incident. Police on bicycles were able to stop one of the cars involved in the shooting which had one of the injured gang shooters in the back seat and arrests were made. The driver of the vehicle that was stopped with the injured gang member in the backseat is a Latin Lover gang member named "PJ" who, according to PO Trempe, resides at 2411 Fairfield. The police commended the resident who called in the crime offering detailed descriptions of those involved, greatly influencing the arrests. Residents also recognized and applauded the efforts of the police in their attention and handling of the situation.
Haas Park for the last 15 years has been considered MLD Altgeld Washtenaw (MLD AW) "turf". Recently, the Latin Lovers going by the name of Latin Lovers Altgeld Washtenaw (LL AW) have been attempting to claim the park as their "turf". It is this battle that seems to be causing the context for the escalated gang activity at the park. The police are clearly aware of these turf wars and have assigned additional police attention to area parks including Haas and Humboldt.
Despite this recent activity, neighborhood residents are encouraged to continue frequenting the park and not be deterred from enjoying this valuable greenspace. Continued positive resident attention to the park will also help decrease the gang presence.
2) As reported at the CAPS meeting last month, the police announced that no person over the age of 13 is allowed within the Haas kiddy play lot unless they have a child who is using the play equipment. Police are using this law to help them disperse and arrest gang members who are often seen loitering in the playground.
3) Between 4pm and 5pm young males not recognized as neighborhood residents have been seen loitering within the Haas Park building.
4) Graffiti was reported at Washtenaw and Altgeld, Rockwell and Fullerton, and Talman and Altgeld. Residents suggested that the property owners should consider using cameras to help deter the vandalism - even cheap, fake cameras were reported to be useful deterrents.
5) There was a domestic offense requiring the police to temporarily take custody of an 8 year old child accidentally left unattended in a residence for several hours.
action: Residents are urged to call 911 to help decrease the MLD AW and LL AW gang violence. Police to continue presence in area to address gang activity and vandalism.

SECTION 6 (Borders: Rockwell, Logan Boulevard, Western, Fullerton)
1) The Cheerios gang continues to be active in this section.
June 6th, at 5:45pm, gang members Ricky Fischer and Mars Ferrar were seen driving in a gold Lexus with temporary license plate #219G425.
Later in the month, June 30th, during the early evening Mars and Ivan Burmudez were seen interacting with passengers in a maroon Jeep with license plate #T23 1122 at 2501 N. Artesian.
The gang has been loitering in alleys between 2400 N. Campbell and Artesian and the 2500 blocks of Western and Artesian, afternoons and evenings.
2) Gang graffiti went up in the neighborhood on the night of the 4th of July:
- Tile Outlet at 2434 W. Fullerton was vandalized on all 3 sides of the building - MLD and Spanish Lord over-tagging. The 311 service request number is #0601197527.
- 2606 W. Altgeld was tagged with gang graffiti, 311 SRN #0601197567.
- 2500 N. Western was also tagged with gang graffiti.
3) Ivan Morales has been seen selling drugs at 2451 N. Campbell. It was also reported that he has been seen holding his baby in his arms while making these drug deals. Kids on bicycles are being used as runners and scouts. A van has also been seen regularly stopping by this address.
4) A new restaurant called "Caliente" is planned to open in the vacant building at the corner of Rockwell and Fullerton (formerly "Missala"). Residents are interested in finding out whether the restaurant owners will be seeking a liquor license and a PPA (Public Place of Amusement) license which would allow the establishment to charge for "some form of entertainment".
action: Month after month, the Cheerios gang continues to be a blight in this section. Graffiti continues to be a major problem and residents should continue to call 311 to help remove the vandalism and deter more from occurring. Residents should continue to call 911 to report gang activity.


Recurring Problem Areas for BEAT 1431
1) Gang graffiti
2) Gang loitering and recruiting
3) Gang drug trafficking
4) Gang violence

DISCLAIMER
Beat 1431 CAPS volunteers prepared these meeting minutes to the best of their ability.

BEAT 1431 CAPS
Meeting Minutes
June 1, 2006

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 6th at 7:00 pm at Nazareth Church, 2500 N. Talman.

Officers Present: PO Crawford, PO Rivera, PO Robles, SGT Schackelmayer, PO McNiff, PO Strazzante, PO Ortiz and Liz Rios CAPS Organizer

Number of Beat 1431 residents present: 16

General Announcements

Citizen ICAM
From May 1st through May 25th, according to the Citizen ICAM, Beat 1431 suffered a total of 69 crimes:
  - 15 Person
  - 41 Property
  - 3 Narcotics
  - 8 Domestic (person and property)
  - and 2 undetermined

Graffiti and 311
Graffiti continues to be a major problem in our beat as well as citywide. Residents again are strongly encouraged to call Graffiti Blasters (dial 311) to report incidences of graffiti. Anyone can call and report graffiti at a particular location, you do not have to own or reside at the particular vandalized property to report the crime. After reporting an incident to the 311 call taker, ask for the Service Request Number (SRN) that is assigned to your request in case your request goes unanswered for several days. You can call 311 again and ask for a status update on your SRN (you can also share this SRN with friends and have them inquire as well).

A resident reported a relatively recent act of vandalism at the new Concordia Avondale community center being built at 3300 N. Whipple just outside our beat to the west. Over $30,000 dollars worth of damage was caused by the vandals. Police were led to the vandals by using information found at the blog site MySpace.com where the vandals were bragging about the damage they caused. The the full story is available at the Chicago Suntimes: http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-tag26.html

City Noise Ordinance
The city council passed a new ordinance against playing music that is louder than a normal conversation at a distance of 100 feet between 10pm and 8am. A first offense is $300 and increases to $500 and then $1000 for second and third offenses if occurring within the same year. Call 911 if you are being disturbed between these hours due to this level of noise.

Fireworks, Garage Arson and Alley Fires
Soon we will be hearing the sounds of fireworks as we approach the July 4th holiday. SGT Schackelmayer reported that residents can report fireworks being illegally set off, however, unless a major bounty of fireworks is found, this offense is considered a misdemeanor and may be a lower priority to other police emergencies.

People are still encouraged to call 911 if your peace is disturbed whatever the cause.

The Bomb and Arson Department ((312) 746-7619) have the following helpful advice to help prevent garage arson and alley fires:
  - Trash Storage and Removal: do not allow your trash to overflow your city Supercart (a.k.a. "garbage can"). If possible keep your garbage in the yard until garbage pick up day, and away from any structures. If you are doing a spring cleanup project and have a large quantity of trash, call the ward office and request a bulk trash pick up. Available materials (trash) are often ignited and the resulting fire can cause property damage to your garage or home. A juvenile prank of setting a garbage can on fire can quickly get out of control and results can be hazardous. Keep your trash cans and any large items, ie. a mattress, bundles of papers, etc. inside of your yard and take them out on the day of garbage pick up.
  - Vehicle Fires: vehicles parked in an alley or vacant lot are more likely to be set on fire by vandals than one parked on the street. If you observe any abandoned or dilapidated vehicles in the alley call your district police or 311 to have them removed.
  - Garage Security: Locks: use deadbolt locks not spring locks. Use one way screws which cannot be removed. Hinges: pin door hinges on all exterior doors so the door cannot be removed, even with the hinge post out. Overhead doors: doors can be easily secured with a padlock through the roller track. Use a double locking hardened steel padlock that requires a key. Remove any identifying numbers on the lock or the burglar can order a key to fit it.
  - Lights: lights are a good deterrent. Sodium vapor automatic lights, photo sensitive switches on outside lights that go on and off automatically are all good. Keep shrubbery and trees trimmed around the garage.
  - Be a nosy neighbor: be aware of strange vehicles or persons in and around your alley. Advise the police if you have any abandoned vehicles or suspicious people loitering in your alley or vacant lot.

Mayor Daley's Chicago Summer Assembly
This event will be June 24th at Navy Pier (official web site: http://citizenportal.chicagopolice.org:8080/apex/f?p=2006:1:1164430358629944). This is a great opportunity to visit with the numerous Chicago departments and to participate in various programs and workshops. A bus will be running to and from the event from the 14th District Police Station the day of the event. Breakfast and lunch will be provided at the event free of charge. Registration will be from 8am - 9am.

Court Advocates
CAPS is in need of court advocates from our community,"The judicial process can be a daunting experience. Victims are sometimes intimidated by the process and the defendant. Court Advocates provide the necessary brace some victims need to continue with their case and testimony.
Court Advocacy has a direct impact on the safety of our neighborhoods. By attending court, advocates send a strong message to the defendant and the judicial system that they are interested in their community, its problems, possible solutions, and will not accept things as they once were."
If you feel you may be interested in being a Court Advocate please call or stop by the 14th District to learn more (312-744-8290).

Beat 1431 Section Reports
SECTION 1
1) A police camera will be installed at the intersection of Stave and Francis after a 35 to 3 vote held by section residents on May 11th. The exact location is currently being determined and there is no set date for the final installation at this time. Officers at the 14th District Station will be able to view the activity captured by the camera at the station. PO Strazzante commented that the camera is not infrared and that the images it captures can be blocked by trees and other obstructions, however, the presence of the camera alone should deter criminal activity.
2) The 2000 - 2100 blocks of Bingham are rife with Cobra gang activity. Several residents reported gang members loitering in the street with golf clubs and baseball bats carefully watching oncoming street traffic and selling drugs. Notorious criminals Crespo and Vasquez have been seen in the neighborhood, however, both are expected to serve jail sentences based upon recent convictions.
3) Lino Quinn, Tony Crespo, J.J. and Jeffrey Morgan, known Cobra gang members, have been seen loitering at 2043 and 2025 Bingham late in the evening through the early in the morning (5:30am).
4) A few 15 year old males on bicycles were involved in a shooting on Stave between 4:00 - 4:30pm in the afternoon May 30th. No one was harmed in the shooting. They were also seen on their bicycles at Armitage and Western and are believed to be members of the Spanish Lords.
5) A resident reported potential drug activity just south of the California "El" stop near St. George behind the property at 2201 N. California. A black male in his 30s commonly seen wearing a baseball cap, and a white male in his 40s with a mustache and sun glasses also wearing a baseball cap, have been seen making exchanges with a blue car and an older gray car with plate #8519141 between 11am - 1pm and 3:30pm - 5pm.
6) PO Strazzante and PO McNiff reported that they arrested a male that has been seen tresspassing in numerous properties in this section and is believed to have broken into a few of the residences.
action: Bingham remains a major problem with gang activity. Residents are strongly urged to keep calling 911. The more calls, the more attention this area should receive. Also, please call 311 to remove graffiti in the area whether it is your property or not that has been vandalized. Police are required for continued presence in area paying particular attention to the 2000 - 2100 blocks of Bingham.

SECTION 2
1) The Congress Theater events over the past month have caused parking problems and acts of violence.
- On May 28th, after the "Best of Both Worlds" event, between 10 - 11pm there was a stabbing in the theater, the victim survived and the stabber was arrested.
- After a recent rap concert, the security detail for the artist was blocking the alley behind the theater while the artist signed autographs. The police made it clear that the alley needs to be clear for safety reasons and the Theater should not allow this public way to be blocked.
2) Recently released felon, Anthony Jones, has indeed moved back to 2206 Campbell. As was reported last month, he is a known sex offender (targeting prostitutes) and a member of the Maniac Latin Disciple gang. The 14th district police as well as the First Ward Alderman's office are aware of his return.
3) SGT Schackelmayer announced that there are a couple young Hispanic males that have been seen carrying replica pistols and performing "stick ups" on people near the Walgreens on Milwaukee near Armitage. They have also been seen near the area of Margie's Candies late evenings from 7pm - 2am. They are believed to be living around McLean and Western. Please call 911 if you see these kids and give as complete a description of them from head to toe as possible.
action: Congress security and management need to better control crowd and parking practices. Residents are strongly encouraged to call 911 to report gang activity especially in light of Anthony Jones' return.

SECTION 3
1) Gun shots were reported at 4:30pm on May 20th, police rapidly responded to the calls, however, the shooters were not found.
2) Owner of Danny's Liquors is being counseled by the 14th District police and the Alderman's office on how to better handle the transient individuals that have been congregating behind the establishment.
3) Graffiti was reported in a few areas.
action: This section has seen consistent gang activity during the last 3 months. Residents are strongly encouraged to call 911.

SECTION 4
1) Automatic gun fire was reported around 11:30pm, Sunday evening, May 28th. A dark sedan without it's lights on was seen traveling south of Fullerton between Rockwell and Belden firing shots. No one was apparently harmed during the shooting.
2) From 7pm - 8:30pm on May 6th, a two-tone Lincoln sedan was seen loitering at Lyndale and Talman consistent with the pattern observed during the month of April (and reported in the minutes last month) of the Latin Lover gang recruiting.
3) Between 9:30pm - 10:30pm several young Hispanic gang members were reportedly loitering just outside the Goethe Elementary school campus watching cars near the intersection Talman and Belden.
4) PO Strazzante reported that known gang member "Gizmo", owner of the two-tone Lincoln sedan seen loitering at Lyndale and Talman avenues was arrested for drug possession within the proximity of a school which should keep him off the streets for a while. The car was also impounded.
5) Latin Lover and MLD (Maniac Latin Disciple) gang graffiti vandalized the condominium building at Washtenaw and Belden.
6) "Wheelchair Tony" sightings continue, recently tresspassing at Osco Drug. This individual is often seen on Milwaukee avenue and is usually looking for cars to break into. He is notorious for throwing a spark plug at a car window, making it shatter, allowing him to push in the window to steal whatever is inside. Anyone who sees this criminal being pushed down a street should immediately call 911 and describe his whereabouts.
7) The business owners of "Marianos" will be invited to the next CAPS meeting by PO Robles to discuss the noticeable gang and drug activity on their premises. If the problem continues a complaint will be filed to the licensing commissioner.
8) The Tini Martini lounge at Milwaukee and Talman had a knife stabbing incident during the last week. The police were able to get the stabber but the victim would not press charges.
action: Goethe Elementary School and surrounding diagonal parking continues to be a sanctuary for Latin Lover gang activity. Residents must continue to call 911 to bring more police attention to this problem.

SECTION 5
1) There was a self-inflicted shooting accident involving a Maniac Latin Disciple on the 2400 N. block of Fairfeld during the evening of May 19th or 20th. The victim tried to convince police he was wounded by another but it was clear that he shot himself while his gun was pointed down in his belt, he narrowly missed hitting a major artery. On May 9th this shooter along with a few fellow MLD members had been arrested by PO Strazzante and PO Trempe for obstructing traffic on Fairfield near the cul de sac off of Fullerton.
2) During the weekend of May 13th-14th, heavy gang loitering was witnessed on Fullerton at Haas Park.
3) Police announced that no person over the age of 13 is allowed within the Haas kiddy play lot unless they have a child who is using the play equipment. Police are using this law to help them disperse and arrest gang members who are often seen loitering in the playground.
4) Residents reported continued gang activity at the vacant lot at 2415 N. Fairfield. This gang activity is believed to be influenced by the 40+ year old male Latin Lover gang member who resides at 2418 Washtenaw. Individuals have been seen ringing doorbells, knocking on the surrounding fencing and simply loitering at 2415 N. Fairfield.
5) The upcoming Haas Park movie night will have police protection from a parked car and officers on bicycles.
6) Resident reported that she had several flowers stolen out of her garden.
action: Drug and Latin Lover gang activity has been reported for the last three months. Residents of this section should call 911 at the sight of a crime and are encouraged to attend the beat meetings to help provide more information and support.

SECTION 6
1) Ricky Fisher, Ivan Burmudez and Marciano Ferrar, known Cheerios gang members continue to terrorize this section. They have been seen vandalizing street signs and electrical boxes with their gang tagging, often moving between their various cars: white Dodge Durango, red sedan, and station wagon. These criminals have been seen selling drugs and drinking in public.
2) The red station wagon with believed expired temp plate #780F907 continues to park in this section.
3) On May 9th, Tile Outlet was badly tagged with large Spanish Lords gang graffiti.
action: Call 911 to report expired temp license plate numbers, the cars will be impounded. The Cheerios gang is a monthly problem and their graffiti and drug activity continues to be a blight in this section. Residents should continue to call 911.


Recurring Problem Areas for BEAT 1431
1) Gang loitering and recruiting
2) Gang graffiti
3) Gang drug trafficking

DISCLAIMER
Beat 1431 CAPS volunteers prepared these meeting minutes to the best of their ability.

BEAT 1431 CAPS
Meeting Minutes
May 4, 2006

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 4th at 7:00 pm at the 14th District Police Station, 2150 N. California.

Officers Present: 1431 Beat Sergeant Clark, PO Trempe, PO McNiff and PO Rios of Community Policing

Number of Beat 1431 residents present: 8

General Announcements

From April 13th through April 23rd (Again, full Citizen ICAM functionality was not working at the time of this report), Beat 1431 suffered 12 property crimes last month, a decrease of 1 from last month during a period of less than 2 weeks. There were also 4 crimes committed against people (2 battery charges, 2 domestic battery charges, 1 weapons violation and 1 theft). There was also an identity theft crime involving less than $300 at the 2300 block of N. Western.

The Latin Lovers gang continues to plague our beat and are apparently trying to regain turf they once controlled in our Beat. Reports of Latin Lover presence has been mainly in sections 4 and 5. Ranking LL members have been seen regularly loitering at Goethe Elementary School during and after school dismissal and are believed to be trying to recruit school children.

Residents again are strongly encouraged to call Graffiti Blasters (dial 311) to report incidences of graffiti. Anyone can call and report graffiti at a particular location, you do not have to own or reside at the particular vandalized property to report the crime. Also, the police suggested asking for the Service Request Number (SRN) that is assigned to your request in case your request goes unanswered for several days. You can call 311 again and ask for a status update on your SRN (you can also share this SRN with friends and have them inquire as well).

The Senior Citizen Program within the CPD is currently warning citizens of a "$299 Ring" scam asking "Medicare Beneficiaries for money and checking account information over the telephone to enroll in a non-existent Medicare prescription drug plan. The scheme has been named the '$299 Ring' after the amount of money the Medicare Beneficiaries are talked into authorizing to be deducted from their checking accounts to pay for this plan." Victims of this scam should call SAFERX at (877) 772-3379. Residents should be aware of the following rights:
1) No one can enter their home uninvited
2) No one can ask for personal information during their marketing activities
3) Always keep all personal information, such as your Medicare number safe, just as you would with a credit card or a bank account number.

Finally, there is a Mother/Daughter Day event scheduled for Saturday, May 20th from 9am - 2pm at the Humboldt Park Field House promoting the following:
- Healthy relationships and teen dating violence
- Domestic violence in the immigrant community
- Elder abuse
- Abuse of animals
- Free facials and manicures will be offered from Mary Kay Cosmetics and there will be free products from Avon. Child care and lunch will be provided.
For more information call PO Laura Kramer at 312-744-1261.


SECTION 1
1) Drug activity at 2113 Bingham has decreased over the last month and was reportedly quiet.
2) A property at Chinay St. and Point St. was badly tagged on both sides with layers of warring gang graffiti (Latin Lovers, Cobras and Kings). A resident saw one of the vandals and his description was passed along to the police.
3) The police have talked with a ranking Cobra member to stop the amount of graffiti in this section and our beat.
4) Well known gang members including Lino Quinn and Tony Crespo were seen loitering in the section but were thought to be merely visiting their old neighborhood. They do not currently live in the area.
5) One evening last month, a resident was mugged in the alley at Milwaukee and Bingham around midnight.
6) An apartment at 2067 N. Bingham was broken into on Easter Sunday between 8am and Noon. The thief broke a window to access the apartment and apparently only stole loose change.
7) The local delinquent named "Tank" who used to frequent section 1 has moved to Cicero with his mother and is not expected to be seen in the area for the foreseeable future.
8) There is a meeting Thursday, May 11th at 6:30pm at Chase Elementary School regarding community interest in placing a police camera at the intersection of Stave and Francis.
action: Residents are strongly urged to keep calling 911. The more calls, the more attention this area should receive. Also, please call 311 to remove graffiti in the area whether it is your property or not that has been vandalized. Police are required for continued presence in area paying particular attention to the property at 2113 Bingham.

SECTION 2
1) Notorious felon, Anthony Jones will be released from the penitentiary in the next month and is expected to return to this section (He previously lived at 2206 Campbell last year). He is a known sex offender (targeting prostitutes) and member of the Maniac Latin Disciple gang. The police and First Ward Alderman's office are aware of his pending release.

SECTION 3
1) Police reported the presence of 2 Maniac Latin Disciple gang members in the area of Milwaukee and Campbell last month.
action: This section has seen more gang activity over the last 2 months. Residents are strongly encouraged to call 911.

SECTION 4
1) High ranking Latin Lover gang members have been seen loitering in the diagonal parking at Goethe Elementary School at Lyndale and Talman avenues during school dismissal. These same members have also been loitering at the same location between 7-9pm every Friday and Saturday evening. They have been seen driving a dark red 2 door Chevy Blazer, a blue two toned Lincoln Continental and a white Dodge Caravan with black striping and tinted windows. These ranking members are not residents of this beat.
PO Rios has been making her presence at the dismissal of Goethe Elementary School her priority for the last several weeks to help ensure the safety of the children. She has voiced concern that the school allows students to linger on the playground without adult supervision.
2) "Wheelchair Tony" has been seen being pushed in his wheelchair down the middle of streets in this section. This individual is often seen on Milwaukee avenue in our beat and is usually looking for cars to break into. He is notorious for throwing a spark plug at a car window, making it shatter, allowing him to push in the window to steal whatever is inside. Anyone who sees this criminal being pushed down a street should immediately call 911 and describe his whereabouts.
action: Goethe Elementary School and surrounding diagonal parking continues to be rife with Latin Lover gang activity. Something needs to be done to protect the school, school children and residents surrounding the area from this gang. Residents must continue to call 911 to bring more police attention to this problem.

SECTION 5
1) The van being driven by the gang members who smashed the windows of 8 cars on Fairfield on March 31st was recovered by the police.
2) Another resident confirmed the drug activity reported around 2443 - 2445 N. California in the alley. This activity was originally reported by residents at last month's CAPS meeting. The drug dealing apparently occurs at all hours of the day and witnessed in the alley behind these properties.
3) Police informed the attendees that there are a few older (40+) Latin Lover members who live around 2415 Fairfield. They have been seen in front of their property and giving guidance to younger gang members in the area.
4) Haas Park is not being locked during the evenings. In the past, the police were responsible for locking the basketball courts, but apparently no longer. The police did indicate the no one is allowed to stay in the kiddie park unless they are playing basketball.
action: Drug and Latin Lover gang activity has been reported for the last two months. Residents of this section should call 911 at the sight of a crime and are encouraged to attend the beat meetings to help provide more information and support.

SECTION 6
1) The homeless problem is much better than it has been in the past. The police have been doing a good job dispersing the homeless away from the area, especially around the expressway. They have also found numerous homeless people living amidst the garbage cans behind St. John Berchman's Church.
2) At 7pm in the evening on April 11th, a resident saw two males loitering at the corner of Maplewood and Altgeld for a long time. Thought to be drug dealers, one was about 5'10" with dark hair in a pony tail, the other was shorter, skinnier with a closely shaven pencil beard.
3) On April 22nd, Cheerios gang graffiti was reported at 2500 N. Rockwell. The tagging was done very large in blue paint and read: "RIP DEPT 385 BURGZ". A resident called 311 and received the SRN 00680541. If this graffiti is not cleared, residents are encouraged to check back with 311 on this request number.
4) During the late afternoon of May 3rd, a resident reported seeing a thin Latino male leave 2513 N. Artesian to make a drug deal on the corner of Artesian and Altgeld. This same individual was also seen making a drug deal on the north side of Altgeld, where it meets the alley between Artesian and Western.
5) The Goon brothers have been seen driving a blue van.
6) Cheerios gang members have been seen circling the section. Ivan Burmudez has been seen in a white 4 door Dodge Durango SUV, IL plate #963 3945. Ricky Fischer has been seen in a dark red/maroon Nissan, IL plate # 515 5364.
7) There is a red station wagon with expired temporary IL plates #780F907 that has been seen in this section.
action: The Cheerios gang activity needs to be addressed by law enforcement. This gang and their graffiti continues to be a blight in this section. Residents should continue to call 911.

Recurring Problem Areas for BEAT 1431
1) Gang loitering and recruiting
2) Gang graffiti
3) Gang drug trafficking

DISCLAIMER
Beat 1431 CAPS volunteers prepared these meeting minutes to the best of their ability.