Bike Cops In West Loop Would Make ‘Huge Difference’ In Crime Spike
By Ariel Cheung, DNAInfo.com, October 26, 2017 6:03am
[Near West District community policing Sgt. Chris Schenk (right) discusses public safety with West Loop neighbors as Capt. Phil Kwasinski listens on.]
Community policing Sgt. Chris Schenk is setting up public safety workshops on topics such as self defense and burglary prevention, he said.
Ideally, the district will soon add bicycle patrols with six officers to supplement the single squad car and two foot officers patrolling the Fulton Market District, Capt. Phil Kwasinski said.
"That's the only way to police this area," Kwasinski said. "I think you would see a huge difference with everything. Bike teams are amazing."
Kwasinski said he is looking for the manpower in his district to make the bicycle patrols possible.
Romanelli steered the meeting's focus to achievable goals like getting more businesses to install high-quality security cameras.
After an Oct. 15 robbery left a West Loop woman bleeding and unconscious in the street, Romanelli said he was shocked to hear how few buildings on the block had available footage of the attack.
"Some were broken or the video recording was backlogged," he said. "It was truly a wakeup call for all of us."
After Romanelli encouraged businesses and condo buildings to improve their surveillance capabilities, some asked what kind of city money could be used to reimburse them.
Kinzie Corridor tax-increment financing and money from the city's Small Business Improvement Fund were suggested as two options, although only the latter would be available for mixed-use residential buildings, officials said.
Romanelli and his business-oriented association are also advocating for better street lighting, particularly along dark stretches like Lake Street. Some wondered whether they should push for more innovative options like noise-triggered surveillance cameras known as ShotSpotters or smart lights that can adjust brightness based on need.
But, Kwasinski noted, nothing thwarts a criminal like a nosy neighbor. Officers encouraged neighbors to call 911 any time they would need police to respond. Even reporting someone acting suspiciously merits a call to the emergency line, they said.
"A criminal will do what he does until he gets caught," Kwasinski said. "We'll put the cuffs on them, but we need you to break that pattern and be the disrupters."