Cook County Suburbs Dealing With Big City Crime
Areas around Chicago are seeing a migration of gang members and struggling to keep crime in check as the supposed gangsters leave the city for a quieter suburban life. According to the Sun-Times, Sauk Village south of the city and areas like Northbrook, Glenview, and Palatine north of the city are experiencing similar influxes.
While these townships and areas often have their own police forces, the Cook County Sherriff’s Department is picking up much of the slack. Black P Stones, Vice Lords, Latin Kings, Black Disciples, and Gangster Disciples are just some of the organizations the Sherriff’s Department reports seeing more of. And with this increase in gang members, they say, comes increased crime.
The gang members aren’t leaving the city to abandon their criminal ways, according to police. Instead, they’re moving because they know there’s less police in the suburbs, less chance they’ll get arrested.
Although the Sherriff is quick to say the newcomers in the burbs are from Cabrini-Green public housing, a housing authority spokesperson says there’s no evidence the elevated crime in these small communities is directly related to former public housing residents—stating in Sauk Village, only one is a transplant from the Chicago Housing Authority.
While there’s little doubt that an influx of gang members could have a potential negative effect on the crime rate, it’s a little silly to go on blaming “those project guys” as on Cook County Sherriff’s Sergeant calls them. Instead, the local police need to be preventing the crime rather than pointing fingers.
In one illustrated example, the police spot a 23 year old man standing outside in the 14 degree cold. They confront him and ask for identification. When he refuses, he’s slammed on the police car and searched. Though it’s all in an effort to keep the suburbs quiet—one has to wonder if this is the best method of crime prevention.
When it comes to gangs and police, it might be easier than you think to get caught up in a situation where you didn’t do anything wrong. If you know someone in a gang or know someone who knows someone, you could be seen as a potential gang member simply by being in their presence. And being a potential gang member is a great way to get hassled by the cops and potentially thrown on a police car.
If you’ve been accused of a criminal charge in Illinois you don’t feel that you should be held responsible for, a consultation with a defense lawyer should be your first step. Contact our offices today to discuss the details of your case and what your options are. Whether you’re in the Chicago metropolitan area or one of the surrounding communities, we may be able to help.
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