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| A Chicago police POD camera in Lakeview | Google |
With criminal activity and quality of life crimes still menacing the River North community, Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) and the River North Residents Association have identified locations where additional Chicago police POD cameras should be installed.
The River North area, known for its nightlife and restaurants, is in a police district that has experienced a 146% robbery increase compared to 2014, and more than a 60% increase in overall crime over the past four years. Among the crimes making headlines in the neighborhood recently are the murder of an off-duty police officer, the killing of a nightclub security guard, and mob activity along the Magnificent Mile.
Muggings are being reported at least twice as often as they were just five years ago in the heart of Chicago’s business and tourism districts, according to city data. And a police beat the covers the Mag Mile, River North, and Streeterville recently ranked among the worst for robberies in the entire city.
Money has now been allocated for installing police cameras at the intersections of North Franklin St. and West Chicago Ave.; North La Salle St. and West Hubbard St.; and North Kingsbury St. at West Ohio St.
The Office of Emergency Management and Communications surveyed the locations and recently OK’d placement of the city-operated surveillance cameras.
Police officers assigned to the 18th Police District’s “Strategic Decision Support Center” will be able to monitor the new cameras in real-time from an intelligence hub at the district station.
This story appears in the Sept. 11 edition of Skyline, one of three local weekly newspapers published by Inside Publications. You can support the 100-year tradition of Skyline, Inside-Booster, and News-Star with a modest $20 annual subscription.
