Rally to keep 13th Police District station open
In mid-September, Chicago Police Supt. Gary McCarthy said that he was exploring the idea of closing district police stations to save money and free more officers for street duty. His $1.3 billion budget is to be cut by $190 million. It was stated that closings would not be based just on the age of the buildings but also on demographics and crime in the surrounding neighborhood.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been avoiding answering questions about closings by emphasizing that his concern is about getting more officers on the street. "Everything I'm thinking about is how to strengthen the beat officer to fight crime - not the bureaucracy. ...It's not a budgetary question. It's a crime-fighting strategy.
"Over the years, the beat officer and community policing have been hollowed out. The bureaucracy got fat. The whole strategy here is to ... strengthen the beat officer and make sure the bureaucracy doesn't become the focus of fighting crime.
"The beat officer is the backbone of a crime-fighting strategy. ...How do you make sure that all the communities have the proper resources, not in the buildings but in our communities and on our streets." Emanuel said.
The Wood Street station is one of the nine oldest stations among the twenty-five in the City. In 1960 there were twenty-five stations and five were closed. Over the years, five were added bringing the count back to twenty-five.
Many community members believe that service will diminish and that the relationships built up with local officers who care about the district will be lost, if the station is closed. "Help make a difference! (Come to the rally!) Bring your neighbors, family, friends and roommates! We will have petitions, fliers and information for you," say the organizers.
For more information: Sun-Times; ABC; Fox
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