bumped - great comment activity:
Curbing drug and gang activity, youth-related crime and public drunkenness topped the agenda of a Town Hall meeting on public safety held earlier this week by Rogers Park residents.
Residents are fed up with activities that are eroding the quality of life in their neighborhood and are organizing to help solve the problems. During the meeting, Commander Steve Caluris, the city's deputy police chief specializing in narcotics and gangs, said the community and cops needed to work hand-in-hand to solve the gang problem in Rogers Park. He offered no specific information about gang activity, however. Source/Read more.
16 comments:
One of the big lies we've gotten on the blue light cameras is that they were monitored 24/7. I found out long ago, that wasn't true.
Now, they want help from the citizens to monitor the Pods. Read this.
===He offered no specific information about gang activity, however.===
Because gangs are complex.
I read the story on 22nd District's call for residents to help monitor their surveillance cameras. It's a small step forward and a nice gesture by the police toward involving and collaborating with residents on crime fighting. It's also a better idea than using highly paid staffers or sworn officers to do this.
However, it's unrealistic and an inefficient use of time to ask people to come to a local police station to monitor the live video feeds from police cameras.
The technology exists to cheaply put those transmissions up on the web and give secure access to a select pool of residents to watch for crime and see what's happening on the streets. The idea is the next step up from the current trend of those many people who keep a police radio scanner on in the background.
I work on the computer all day and I would be happy to keep an extra window open on my computer screen to help monitor our local PODs and report street crime.
I would like to know what more the police and the aldermans office expect us to do.
I participate in a neighborhood block club, I am part of a telephone call tree, I walk in the neighborhood safety walks, I call 911, I attend the monthly CAPS meetings. I used to call the Aldermans office also, but their lack of response or concern about the neighborhood and the safety of the residents here annoyed me.
I am tired of reporting the same drug dealers, prostitutes and gang bangers every day.
I called 911 about the same drug dealers and gang bangers on Paulina every morning for 8 months. I brought this up at CAPS meetings for 6 months in a row. The solution was to install a 3rd blue light camera. We now have 3 cameras in a 2 block radius. This did not solve the problem, as the dealers and gang bangers have now moved one block east to Marshfield.
When is someone going to stand up and face the criminal element that controls the area NOH and let them know enough is enough?
I like your idea, Mike. But I would take it even farther. There is absolutely no good reason that each and every one of these cameras is not made publicly available for anyone to view via the internet. The cameras are placed in public areas, areas that could be viewed by anyone walking by or by residents looking out their windows, so there's no privacy violation. The only reason to restrict viewing them would be to keep the citizenry from actually seeing, archiving, and commenting on the dasterdly goings-on. Pure censorship.
We (taxpaying citizens) paid for and continue to pay for these cameras; we have a right to use them to effect positive change in our community. Maybe if all of the cameras WERE monitored 24/7, these crimes would diminish.
I'll say it again: If our so-called leader can't address the most basic needs of our community after 17 years, then he needs to step down.
This neighborhood cannot survive another 17 years of "leadership" that sits on its sizable behind and collects a sizable paycheck.
HOW fed up are they? Willing to do what it takes? Night marches? That "positive loitering" stuff? Do what that one guy in Englewood (I think that's where it is) did, who hooked up a webcam outside his house and provided a feed to the local police? Getting "fed up" is one thing; getting FED UP is another. Not saying the gang thing is easy to fix, but if they see a lot of people are actually getting pissed off and are willing to do something about it makes a pretty big statement.
Man, I have all the answers, don't I? (sarcasm)
What do you want the Police to do?
Choke people till they spit out the dope they are trying to swallow. Unfortunately this is the USA. They have the right to wander the streets aimlessly getting high.
Michael. I can see it now. Mr. Gangbanger decides he "wants to help out" so he "volunteers" to watch the PODS. Of course because he's never been arrested he qualifies. And I'm sure it's only coincidental that he watches the POD that is in the area his gang controls. And also coincidental that he never reports any crime on that POD.
It's just another program the Mayor wants but is unwilling to spend the money on to ensure it's success. Just like the CAPS program.
No sir, a bad idea made even worse by people actually thinking this is a good idea.
Now, now, Big Daddy. Cool your jets. Please, stop shoveling childish and senseless negativity. It is patently ridiculous to criticize the police department's plan, or my suggestions to it, by postulating that anybody off the street or even Mr. Gangbanger could be authorized to monitor police video camera feeds.
To "give secure access to a select pool of residents" clearly entails some stringent requirements to be accepted in the program. Surely it would entail a degree of background screening more exacting than a mere check for arrests as you suggest. How about documenting a record of CAPS participation, endorsements and references from community organizations or neighbors, and demonstrated involvement in the community?
Precautions to maintain "secure access" would include regular monitoring of the volunteers and measures like changing the passwords to the video feed weekly or daily.
I'm not a program designer or a tech geek who can set this up. However, I am a willing to add to the thinking about this and work with the police department.
Finally, we should be able to make suggestions to help the police without the kind of worrisome fearmongering you're pushing.
Your right Michael, I'm sorry. How childish of me to even think let alone suggest that the criminal element could gain access to a POD and use it to help their fellow criminals in doing what they do. I know, a gang member hired to watch a POD would never ignore criminal activity committed by a member of his gang that he happened to view on his assigned POD. He would never report non existent crime on a POD far,far away from where his crew works simply to get the Police away from where his friends operate. Never. How childish of me to think that they could somehow circumvent the requirements for being allowed entry into this program. They are not smart enough to figure out how to do that, right? Right. To think that there are less than stellar people in the CAPS Program, working at the 911 center, working in Police Stations as the janitorial staff across this city or that there may even be a Police Officer sympathetic to some of the gangs is childish and fear mongering on my part. Please forgive me for acting this way. I apparently had assumed that some of those things which I have seen over the years would somehow compromise the integrity of this proposal. I guess I was wrong. Good Luck with this new idea. I for one however will have nothing to do with it.
Big Daddy, right here and now I apologize to you for snapping and being snarky in my previous response. I had just taken a break from too much holiday cheer at my house – too many family members, kids, and guests to manage while also fretting over several hot pots on the stove and pans in the oven. Maybe I should have gone outside for a smoke instead of plunging into our always exciting, high anxiety local blog environment. Just an explanation, not an excuse for lack of civility.
Well, you and I are in agreement on some major points. To restate what I said earlier, I see 1000 reasons why access to the POD video technology can be dangerous in the wrong hands. I oppose the notion of making such access free and easy to anyone with a computer. For instance: I can imagine some local drug boss on his daily routine. He’s driving the streets of Rogers Park (or anywhere in Chicago) making drug supply deliveries to his salesmen at their retail outlets and collecting his revenues. He’s also watching his Blackberry and checking the video feeds to see if his troops are at their 5AM posts. If they aren’t, he’ll send a replacement and schedule the tardy guy for a beat down punishment later. Or, he is watching for the appearance of rival dealers, in which case he’ll send armed reinforcements over to defend his turf.
The idea of recruiting residents to be volunteer POD monitors needs to be refined a lot more before implementation. However, the idea for the police to recruit volunteer help should be studied rather than dismissed as forever unworkable.
Now, on another point you raised - regarding criminals infiltrating CAPS, the program’s management, or the police department. Can you elaborate on this with some details? Have you formally written about it and filed a complaint, even anonymously, with the U. S. Attorney’s office? That info needs to come out.
As for criminals infiltration CAPS, they're not exactly criminals, but the bleeding heart fools from that church on the NW corner of Pratt & Ashland go to the 2432 meetings & then immediately go to the gang members living in or squatting in the CHA building at Pratt & Bosworth & tell them all the bad stuff said about them at the meeting.
They think that the gang members are just misunderstood children victimized by racism.
Michael, no need to apologize. But it is nice to see one offered. It's also nice to have a conversation in which while we may have differing viewpoints, we do not resort to childish or personal attacks. I thank you for that. Now, as far as criminals infiltrating the CAPS program, knowing or suspecting and proving are two different things. Also, I was not referring to the city employess that are hired to run the CAPS program, I was referring more to something along the lines of what Sock Puppeteer mentioned. Civilians who are less than stellar attempting to become part of the program who have an agenda other than improving the community. Case in point. I have on more than one occassion observed civilians who are active in the program or attempting to become part of the program, conversing with known criminals when they think they are not being seen, away from a police facility. Makes me wonder why. I've had hard core criminals who claim to have changed their ways do everything they can to get involved in the program. It makes me suspicious. I've had people ask me about search warrants that were being planned. Why? Things like that. And let's not forget about one of the janitors that was working at one of our stations for quite awhile. Until it was discovered that he was on the FBI terrorist watch list. I could go on and on, but I won't. Nor will I condem everything and everyone that is a part of the CAPS program. I've seen many civilians work very hard and donate a huge portion of their time to the CAPS program. I've met some outstanding people who believe in CAPS and have the best interests of the community at heart. It's just that I've been aroung too long and seen too many things to not be suspicious. And for the record, my ire is not reserve solely for the civilians. There is more than one policeman who I often wonder about. How did they get on this job, how did they pass the background check.
As to the PODS. I hope you can see why I'm against this program. If I could be guaranteed that people such as yourself or people like you would be part of the program, then perhaps I would be more agreeable about it. But who will be vetted and who will do the vetting? That's my main concern.
You two are enlightening my readership. I thank you both for that.
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