2006 marked 13 years of improving life for all Chicago residents through the leadership and participants of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy. Everyone at CAPS has made contributions too numerous to list here. The first CAPS initiative was to bring the everyday residents of our city into a positive and mutually trusting relationship with the department's officers.
For a time it was rough going. For a time it could very well have been a big failure, an added embarrassment to our city. In the times before CAPS, the department was in disarray internally and publicly. Gangs and all other types of criminal breed ran roughshod over our city, even holding portions of our city hostage in their own homes. These problems still exist today, but not to such a severe degree. Shootings still happen, sex crimes still happen, domestic abuse still happens, drugs are still happening.....these crimes are also being detected, investigated, and acted on with such aggression by the CAPS relationship that these offenders are getting harsher penalties, heavier jail / prison time, and now understand that they are NOT welcome and are being watched.
As the years at CAPS have gone, new programs have been born from dream stage into solid reality. We now have Parent Patrol, Peer Jury, Court Advocacy, Domestic Violence Sub-Committee, District Advisory Council, and a host of other places where people have found belonging, purpose, direction, connections to neighbors and local agencies that work for the express purpose of improving our schools and classrooms, increased parent involvement in the schools and in their own homes. Improvement of family living environments, improved park district facilities / play areas for our children, more after school programs and park district programs for our kids to choose from.
these things have served to give new life to our neighborhoods, and even to give people vision for their own careers.....that is to say that through participant involvement, better employment has been found by the participants themselves.
On 02 December 2006, the Chicago Police Department held the very first "Mayor Daley's Fall Assembly" at which the highlight was the presentation of several Community Builder Awards and the graduation of the first ever class of CAPS involved citizens from an intense leadership program known as the "Community Policing Leadership Development Institute".
One of these fine graduates was from the 14th district and has a lifetime of Public Safety work behind him. He has developed a CAPS Enhancement Project which is still going through it's growth, but is more than just an intiative at this point. We will be watching him because it is clear that great things can be expected from him. A decision not to name this leader was made for safety reasons, but a name will be mentioned here in due time when safety is not such a worry.
Here's to many more decades of CAPS growth!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Madison Street to Clemente High School
An angry client storms into the office building at 500 W. Madison street, takes hostages, and opens fire, resulting in innocent lives lost over an invention for big rigs that might not even be his.
During the incident from the time 911 was contacted, through the time and effort spent by the brave souls of the Chicago Police Department, evacuation of the building took place and countless lives were saved. It all starts with the call takers and the dispatchers who HAVE to get it down right for the responding units in the field to do it right while staying alive themselves. Mucho grande complaints are voiced about disorganization at Chicago's OEMC, yet it works in the gravest of emergencies because the workers MAKE IT WORK!
Everyone on the zones and citywides did a great job getting the traffic out in a timely, professional fashion. For you responding Officers who got there safely and did it for real whether you are a beat copper, a tact team member, detective, swat specialist, or on another specialized unit......you were awesome in every way you knew how to be. No one but us knows what it takes to answer the calls, get there and find out the whole world has to be called in, and act on a snap judgement to get the job done. Deployment of manpower, resources, communications, use of proper tactics, delegation of operational assignments to everyone, investigation, and tons of other neccessities takes skill, thought, and an angel sitting on one's shoulder to pull off successfully.
On 11 December, 2006, around a few minutes after two o'clock.....
Police stop to deal with individuals causing a disturbance. During the course of the officer's investigation, shots are squeezed off by rival gang members and an officer is struck in the elbow. A bullet doesn't decide where to go, no matter where it's aimed, or who it's meant for.....it just hits wherever it hits. This incident challenged the hard workers at our OEMC once again, along with every officer in the 013th and 014th district. Responding units screamed to the scene without hesitating because they heared the most feared words an officer never wants to hear: "10-1".
Those not familiar with the radio term, "10-1" should now come to understand that it signals an officer in life threatening danger. A foot chase took place during this response but no one was taken into custody. By the time it was over, not just the two districts were on top oif it all.....the 019th district sent it's units to lend a hand. Every specialized unit a copper can think of was present, and two detective divisions involved. In matters like this, certain notifications must be made. Notifications made included the first deputy superintendant's office and the superintendant's office.
Superintendant Phil Cline didn't waste any time showing up, and did a great job as usual!
Without question, everyone in the neighborhood nearby was scared something awful! Had it not been for the officers keeping control of both of these incidents, a major panic could have erupted. A panic on that scale is very hard to avoid in times like these calls, but both times that kind of public panic was avoided. God gives each life a calling and direction, thank you from the community for answering yours!
During the incident from the time 911 was contacted, through the time and effort spent by the brave souls of the Chicago Police Department, evacuation of the building took place and countless lives were saved. It all starts with the call takers and the dispatchers who HAVE to get it down right for the responding units in the field to do it right while staying alive themselves. Mucho grande complaints are voiced about disorganization at Chicago's OEMC, yet it works in the gravest of emergencies because the workers MAKE IT WORK!
Everyone on the zones and citywides did a great job getting the traffic out in a timely, professional fashion. For you responding Officers who got there safely and did it for real whether you are a beat copper, a tact team member, detective, swat specialist, or on another specialized unit......you were awesome in every way you knew how to be. No one but us knows what it takes to answer the calls, get there and find out the whole world has to be called in, and act on a snap judgement to get the job done. Deployment of manpower, resources, communications, use of proper tactics, delegation of operational assignments to everyone, investigation, and tons of other neccessities takes skill, thought, and an angel sitting on one's shoulder to pull off successfully.
On 11 December, 2006, around a few minutes after two o'clock.....
Police stop to deal with individuals causing a disturbance. During the course of the officer's investigation, shots are squeezed off by rival gang members and an officer is struck in the elbow. A bullet doesn't decide where to go, no matter where it's aimed, or who it's meant for.....it just hits wherever it hits. This incident challenged the hard workers at our OEMC once again, along with every officer in the 013th and 014th district. Responding units screamed to the scene without hesitating because they heared the most feared words an officer never wants to hear: "10-1".
Those not familiar with the radio term, "10-1" should now come to understand that it signals an officer in life threatening danger. A foot chase took place during this response but no one was taken into custody. By the time it was over, not just the two districts were on top oif it all.....the 019th district sent it's units to lend a hand. Every specialized unit a copper can think of was present, and two detective divisions involved. In matters like this, certain notifications must be made. Notifications made included the first deputy superintendant's office and the superintendant's office.
Superintendant Phil Cline didn't waste any time showing up, and did a great job as usual!
Without question, everyone in the neighborhood nearby was scared something awful! Had it not been for the officers keeping control of both of these incidents, a major panic could have erupted. A panic on that scale is very hard to avoid in times like these calls, but both times that kind of public panic was avoided. God gives each life a calling and direction, thank you from the community for answering yours!
A Place For Everyone
With all the other Chicago Police blogs having their place, it was decided that CAPS should also have it's place as well. First, it needs to be said that this blog is in no way officially sponsored by the City of Chicago, the department, or any of it's agents or assigns.
It also needs to be said that this blog is a place for everyone! On the flipside of the same coin, this blog is in no way to be considered a primer or place of intelligence gathering for Chicago's criminals! If you are here with any intent to "get one up" on the police or their civillian counterparts....you are in the wrong place!
One big hope is that everyone involved with CAPS will visit and take part in this blog in some way. We hope "everyone" will include even the big brass downtown.
Merry Christmas to all!
It also needs to be said that this blog is a place for everyone! On the flipside of the same coin, this blog is in no way to be considered a primer or place of intelligence gathering for Chicago's criminals! If you are here with any intent to "get one up" on the police or their civillian counterparts....you are in the wrong place!
One big hope is that everyone involved with CAPS will visit and take part in this blog in some way. We hope "everyone" will include even the big brass downtown.
Merry Christmas to all!
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