Residents Demand Change in 19th District Crime, Criticize Police

By Andy Ambrosius

North Siders packed the 19th District Police Station Wednesday night to demand change in area crime in an at-times heated exchange between neighbors and police.

Roughly 75 people showed up to the evening’s Community Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) meeting in nearby Lake View to hear what new tactics police are taking to cut down on crime. But according to Commander Elias Voulgaris, crime is already down.

He buzzed through statistics showing that overall crime in area beats is down compared to last year, including a 62 percent reduction in burglaries under his control. But to the neighbors in the room, it wasn’t so much about the stats, but about their perception.

“Especially if you’ve been the victim of a crime, nothing I’m going to tell you is going to satisfy you,” Voulgaris said. “… The statistics are showing a decrease, but it’s the perception I need to work on. My goal is for everyone in here to say, ‘OK, the statistics are matching what I’m seeing on the street.’”

But as residents said improving perception is important, they too pulled out statistics showing Lake View is No. 6 on the city’s list of most robberies.

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Combined with area graffiti, community alerts and viral blog posts about increasing crime, they’re worried.

The crowd asked, outside of calling 911 after seeing a suspicious person or an area crime, what can they do to help the police fight criminals? The commander says to help spread the word about prevention. That’s what Friday night’s community police walk is for, and he wants to keep the momentum going.

“What I’m aiming to do is increase policing in the district, but I also need to increase (things like) prevention seminars and prevention flyers,” Voulgaris said. “We need to get the word out there: Don’t be a victim. I know the responsibility of crime rests on me, but it also rests on you. You have to protect yourself as well.”

Voulgaris is talking about residents continuing to walk late at night talking on their iPhone, texting, walking with earbud headphones in and making shortcuts through dark alleys. He says moves like that are like advertising yourself to robbers. 

And while residents asked what they could do to petition for more police in the 19th District, Voulgaris says he’s working hard to change that. When it comes to increasing policing, Voulgaris says he’s making the most of every man and woman on his team to increase visibility and hopefully make changes.

“I don’t think there’s a police chief in the country that doesn’t want more officers,” he said. “I need to utilize the officers that I have. I’m going to start using my administrative officers and CAPS officers, putting them in uniform and putting them on the street.”

But by the end of the meeting, residents were still heated over area crime, demanding more information about how things will change. As one man stood up to shout and present his own statistics, the commander seemingly gave up hope of trying to present his case.

“You’re comparing stats without any basis to them,” Voulgaris said, saying the angry man’s statistics were flawed for reasons like population and nightlife attraction density. “Nothing I’m going to tell you you’re going to believe.”