Recent Crime Trends from HPKCC

HPKCC summarizes recent crime trends in Hyde Park and Kenwood.
All of these have been covered to some extent in the Hyde Park Crime Watch. However, HPKCC tries to summarize these events and pick out trends:

Late summer into fall 2006. Serious, violent and predacious sex offenses connected with robberies continue to punctuate a quieter year.

Several of the late summer-early fall 2006 crimes are in broad daylight and peopled areas, especially at the University and Hospitals. In the 5 months through September, 5 shootings and 3 murders vs. 20056 11 shootings and 5 fatalities. We also had a bank robbery, Bank Financial Lake Park branch (the robber got awy, although the dye-pack money was recovered.)

On September 7, Patrick Starks of 5200 block S. Harper was charded with aggravated crimnal sexual abuse, kidnapping and robbery of a 16-year-old boy. Starks allegedly forced the youth into his car, brandishing a gun. The youth was allegedly robbed and molested in Starks' appartment but was cleverly able to get awy; police shortly thereafter apprehended Starks. Starks was held in lieu of $300,000 bond and was to appear in court September 21.

September 8 an accompanied(!) woman was sexually assaulted by the Lab School in the 5800 block of S. kenwood, again by a man announcing robbery and showing a gun, although this time mot from a gun. The assailant allegedly threatened to shoot both victims. Police are looking for an African-American male aged 18-23, 6 foot, 280 to 200 pound, brown eyes and black hair in braids wearing dark baggy pants adn a white T-shirt. Call 312 747-8380 if you have any information.

In one of the more bizarre crimes, a 79-year-old Hyde Park woman (5300 block of S. Hyde Park) named Melvena Cooke is alleged to have attempted unsuccessfully to rob ae Bank of America downtown branch.

Burglaries continue in all parts of the community.

The cameras are installed along Drexel Blvd. at about 48th/49th and 52nd and a different kind south (5th Ward?). They have to be funded from aldermanic menus. They are theoretically part of the "Homeland Security Grid" and managed by the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

And the university is putting up 5 additional security phones along 47th and in west Hyde Park.

There is a new one that keeps an eye on Kenwood Academy grounds and students coming and departing. Whether there will be opposition is unknown.

There is a strong call to implement cameras at hot locations, and the first locally will probably be at 47th/48th Drexel. Alderman Preckwinkle and the 21st District, with strong support at recent CAPS meetings, had selected by early April 2006 4 locales, to be narrowed to 2 and be placed in the vicinity of 47th and Drexel. Cameras are linked to the Office of Emergency Management and Communication. Some say such cameras are little more than deterents--and sometimes invite daredevils-- by the time dispatched officers come the damage is done.