The 19th police district’s razor-thin manpower was depleted at 3:47 this morning and the “Radio Assignment Pending” (RAP) status was not lifted for over an hour.
Given all of the promises that our alderman and police commander have made recently, you’d think that a bar on the corner of Roscoe and Halsted would have a police officer nearby. Or at least an empty bus. You don’t think the alderman and commander would lie about these things, do you?
Here’s a run-down of last night’s activity:
11:35PM Saturday, August 31
A woman called police to report that a man stole her phone and ran into a house in the 660 block of Aldine. She waited for officers outside of the home. Resolution unknown.
2:26AM Sunday, September 1
A patrol car happened upon a huge brawl in the street at Clark and Addison. Additional units were requested and were then cancelled when the fight broke up on its own.
2:48AM Sunday, September 1
Progress bar at 3359 N. Halsted, restrained a man who tried to steal money out of a cash register. Several calls were made and the police response was delayed due to limited manpower in the 19th district.
Reliable information indicates that on Saturday afternoon, five of the district’s 15 police beats did not have patrol cars assigned.
3:05AM Sunday, September 1
The first robbery of the new month was recorded in Wrigleyville and Boystown. A female victim walked up to an officer at Clark and Newport after an attacker stole her black Motorola Razr phone and tried to take her purse. The offender, described as a male, Hispanic, about 19 years old, skinny, wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans was last seen running eastbound from Sheffield. Case #HW432563.
3:46AM Sunday, September 1
Wrigley Field security guards called for police assistance with two offenders who tried to enter the stadium.
We were intrigued to see that the Chicago Tribune considers a report of intruders at Wrigley Field to be worthy of top billing on their web page, yet they offer no coverage of the brawl and stabbing that took place across the street 44 minutes earlier. The story selection seems particularly strange since CWB has mentioned overnight trespassing arrests at Wrigley on at least three occasions this summer. They’re hardly front page news.
The trespassing report is recorded in case HW432623.
4:00AM Sunday, September 1
A man who lives just outside of Wrigley’s right field wall called police after discovering a complete stranger sleeping inside of his Sheffield Avenue apartment. Resolution unknown.