Dear Neighbors,
Our community has experienced several difficult days already this fall.
Last weekend there were several incidents of violent crime very close to the 43rd Ward, including a shoot-out on the same block as the 018 District Headquarters and a shooting murder on the 1200 block of Dearborn. We understand that the shooting on the 1200 block of North Dearborn was a targeted shooting of the individuals killed.
In addition, it was reported that an individual near Twin Anchors was robbed by an individual tied to an unsuccessful carjacking in the 1400 block of Cleveland.
You've also read news accounts of other shootings in the City.
These recent incidents are alarming, and our community is justifiably outraged. I have spoken with 18th District Commander Jon Hein and he is implementing a plan, including having more patrols in the area and aggressive towing in the entertainment area so that bad actors are discouraged from being in the area. The department will also be identifying cars that have been reported as stolen, using mobile and stationary license plate readers.
One of our biggest priorities has been to invest in OEMC cameras. Cameras have been placed in response to the incident at Clark and LaSalle and the incident at Oz Park. We have also installed a camera at State and Division, which supplements the cameras at Dearborn and Division and elsewhere, put in by Aldermen Reilly and Hopkins. These, other cameras, and license plate readers have been paid for by the Aldermanic Menu fund and we will be ordering more.
A recent success in the use of these cameras is the arrest of Sam Jones. The 18th District informed us that Jones was caught driving a stolen car on Lake Shore Drive last Saturday from license plate readers on the Drive. He is in custody due to prior arrests. The car he was driving was hijacked on Sept. 16th, and the 18th District will be following this case in court advocacy.
We remain frustrated with Kim Foxx's administration in the Cook County State's Attorney office. As we reported during our August public safety forum, we disagree with the policy of releasing gun offenders on bail pending trial.
As you know, a shooting recently in Austin resulted in no charges being filed at the time of arrest. The Superintendent said such an outcome results in "lawlessness." You can read more here, and watch the videos of my questioning of the Superintendent above.
Public Safety is the highest priority in our quality of life. We will continue to work with all of you to make sure that our public officials take the actions needed to restore the confidence of our community.
