Crime News
The McKinley Park neighborhood and the rest of the Chicago Police Department's Ninth District is getting a new commander, thanks to recent changes in police command structure, said Officer Jason Sollis at the May 8 meeting for Beat 912 of the Chicago Alternative Police Strategy (CAPS) program. Current commander Randall Darlin is getting promoted up the ranks, Sollis said, and 9th District Cpt. Don Jerome will rise into the commander position.
"He is very active," Sollis said of Jerome's on-the-spot presence at Ninth District crime scenes. "If you listen to the scanner, he is everywhere."
Read more: New 9th District Commander, Neighborhood Crime Incidents Highlight CAPS Meeting Agenda
Police have arrested the alleged perpetrator of an April 8, 2019, sex assault on a teenage girl at West 36th Street and South Western Avenue. According to Chicago Police Department statements, Ivan Villegas, 26, is charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor after grabbing the 16-year-old and forcing his hand down her shirt.
Police officers at the April 10 meeting of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) for Beat 912 noted the presence of surveillance footage as helpful for the investigation, having recorded the offender on a "pod" camera. Police arrested Villegas, who lives in the West Elsdon neighborhood southwest of McKinley Park, on Tuesday, April 16.
Read more: Crime Reports, CAPS Detail Sex Assault, Neighborhood Crime Updates
Although a plague of gang graffiti has continued to infest the McKinley Park neighborhood, crime statistics for late winter were astoundingly low compared to averages, a notice happily shared by Chicago Police Department officer Jason Sollis at the March 13 meeting for Beat 912 of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS).
"The numbers are absolutely phenomenal," Sollis said, noting that the period of February 13 to March 13 saw only one reported violent crime in the neighborhood and a single significant non-violent crime.
Read more: McKinley Park Neighborhood Crime Plummets in Late Winter
The Chicago Police Department's Ninth District has invited residents of the McKinley Park neighborhood, including its encompassing police Beat 912, to attend a meeting about the department's new strategic plan for community policing. Held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 14, at the Florence Nightingale School, 5225 S. Talman Ave., Chicago, the event includes a community "conversation" soliciting citizens' input and ideas toward the plan.
"This is part of a new strategy to problem-solve around community concerns," said Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) Community Organizer Holger Del Cid, part of the Ninth District team serving Beat 912. "It will be happening in every district across the city."
Read more: Community Meeting To Kick Off Rollout for Strategic Policing Plan
The Wednesday, February 13, meeting for Beat 912 of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) program again brought together community members and the Chicago Police Department to share information about local public safety issues.
"Overall, crime was down," said CAPS Officer Jason Sollis, noting that zero burglaries were reported in Beat 912 in the past month. "This is significant for this time of year," he said. "Your nosy neighbors are working."
Read more: CAPS Cop Keeps Community Clued In To Neighborhood Crime
