Gang enforcement task force
The West Suburban Directed Gang Enforcement Task Force, also known as WEDGE, reports that it made 75 felony arrests, and 49 misdemeanor arrests and served 35 warrants in 2014.
“There were 50 task force deployments resulting in 48 arrests for major crimes,” according to a WEDGE news release. WEDGE is provided officers and police support from 10 suburban communities, including Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park, Brookfield and Riverside.
Felony charges were down to 75 from 102 a year earlier, and misdemeanor charges were up to 49 from 35 over the same time period, according to the report. WEDGE officers recovered 15 guns, up from four the previous year. It also seized $21,035 in 2014, more than double the $10,213 seized the previous year.
Disorderly conduct
A 26-year-old Chicago man was arrested on March 9 on the 900 block of Lake Street for disorderly conduct after attempting to retrieve stolen articles that belonged to a minor under his supervision.
The man approached the minor outside of Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School at about 10:51 a.m. on March 9 to retrieve shoes that had been stolen from the minor. Oak Park Police Department spokesman LaDon Reynolds said the KD7 athletic shoes had been stolen by one student and traded to another. A photo of the shoes was posted on Instagram, where the offender was able to identify the new owner.
Reynolds said the shoes were initially stolen from a locker at the middle school. He said the reason for the disorderly conduct arrest “probably had more to do with his demeanor and his approach” toward the student.
“That wasn’t the best way to handle it,” Reynolds said.
Residential burglary
A burglar gained entry to a residence on the 800 block of North Harvey on March 10 between the hours of 8:55 a.m. and 9:35 a.m. Oak Park police say the burglar gained entry by picking the lock at the rear of the residence. The burglar removed a 20-inch Polaroid TV, a 32-inch Samsung TV, Dell and Toshiba laptops, a keyboard piano and an unknown amount of gold jewelry. The estimated loss is $1,950.
Retail theft arrest
A 46-year-old man was arrested on the 5900 block of Madison on March 11 at 3:20 p.m., for a retail theft that occurred at CVS Pharmacy on Jan. 27. Police spokesman LaDon Reynolds said the offender was identified from a photo lineup and arrested several weeks after the incident.
Theft
A man with a thin build and black shoulder-length hair, wearing a blue and white shirt, is suspected of entering a business on the 700 block of South Boulevard between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. on March 13 and stealing an Apple iPad tablet and an Apple iPhone valued at an estimated $600. Oak Park police say the suspected offender entered the business and was seen by a witness in the immediate area prior to the theft. After the subject left the area the items were missing.
A male juvenile was taken into custody on March 14 at 4:50 p.m. in reference to a theft that occurred on the 1100 block of S. Home Ave. on Feb. 21. The juvenile offender was captured on video throwing away the packaging from the stolen items and recognized by authorities as a local resident. Police contacted the parent and the juvenile was brought to the station. The stolen items include a camera and filter housing for a refrigerator.
These items, obtained from the Oak Park and River Forest police departments, came from reports filed March 2-8 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
— Compiled by Timothy Inklebarger
