Police work may seem like a thankless job sometimes. Today, the Roscoe Village Neighbors Association (RVN) hopes to do something about that. The North Side group has declared this “Roscoe Village Police Appreciation Day.”
Volunteers from the neighborhood are serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the 280 police officers who will be working in the 19th (Town Hall) Police District today.
“We know the risks the men and women of the Chicago Police Department take to protect this city and our neighborhood,” RVN President David Kerber said. “We are grateful to them and to their families for the sacrifices they make to keep us safe.”
The group is also spending $40,000 of private funds to create its own security camera network called “Neighborhood on Watch.” More than 25 high-definition cameras are being installed in Roscoe Village, the group said. Local business owners and residents can enroll to be part of the network.
Camera footage is saved on a cloud network where it can be shared with Chicago police, RVN said.
The video network was put into use almost as soon as the first cameras were installed this summer. On July 2nd, a group of thieves targeted patrons at two Roscoe Village-area bars, including Commonwealth Tavern at 2000 West Roscoe Street.
Commonwealth just happened to be the site of the first RVN camera installation, according to a resident who is familiar with the system. Images from the network helped police connect the same offenders to both theft cases.
Roscoe Village residents and businesses who want to learn about joining the camera network may contact RVN via email: roscoevillageneighbors@gmail.com.
