CHICAGO, IL – CBS News reported that the Chicago Police Department (CPD) has been receiving some help from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pilots in tracking suspects and keeping the streets a little safer.
ICYMI, Police announced attempted murder charges on Friday against two men they say shot and critically wounded a 12-year-old boy at random on the city's Lower West Side earlier in the week.#Chicago #chicagoscannerhttps://t.co/dTz8H92nDq
— Chicago Journal (@chicagojournal) September 17, 2022
In September, CBP helped the CPD Carjacking Task Force track down two suspects wanted in the shooting of a 12-year-old.
The shooting happened near 21st Place and Wood Street, right in the heart of a Chicago neighborhood. The young boy was standing outside when he was shot in the head and critically wounded.
The Air and Marine Operations team with CBP helped track the suspects in the shooting from the air until they were successfully taken into custody.
At the time of the shooting, the young boy was on his way back from a toy store to a family party. He was with two other 12-year-old boys and two young men who were said to be his uncles. They were all standing near the alley when police said shots were fired from a black Dodge Charger with no license plates.
#Chicago #CookCounty #Illinois Follow @CWBChicago for REAL crime news.
#38: Gunman shot 12-year-old boy in the head while on $1,000 bail for one of Illinois’ most serious gun crimes: https://t.co/5ACEjh2oNk
— U.S. Route 41 (@USRoute41) September 22, 2022
CPD did pursue the vehicle, but had to stop due the speed that the car was going. Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Brendan Deehiham said in a statement:
“The car was traveling at such a high rate of speed, they had to stop following it.”
To help, CBP Air and Marine Operations swooped right in. Detroit-based director of CBP Air and Marine Operations Marc Sledge said:
“It was being in the right place at the right time. The guys were able to locate the Charger – a Charger – that matched the description to ground units.”
Police were able to arrest three people, charging two of them with attempted murder. The suspects, 22-year-old Izaiah Renteria and 23-year-old Pedro Molina, have been charged with five counts of attempted murder.
Renteria, who police state was driving the getaway car, has also been charged with three counts of aggravated fleeing. Deenihan said:
“Without that helicopter, we’re just not able to do this.”
Sledge added:
“The value that we provide is providing really a unique situational awareness, not only for officer safety, but to improve the law enforcement operation just because we can see things that not everybody else on the ground can.”
Surveillance footage shows the Dodge Charger circling the neighborhood for 15 to 20 minutes prior to the shooting. According to Deenihan, the victims have no gang affiliation. He said the violence was a case of bad guys looking for someone to shoot.
After retracing the men’s movements, the police recovered a gun that matched shell casings from the Chicago shooting. Additional evidence allegedly tied Renteria and Molina to the crime.
Sledge’s team joined forces with CPD back in March of 2021 and he says that they have had success, especially in carjacking cases. He added:
“We’re not dealing with stop signs, speed limits, traffic, road construction. They can stay there, and they have lots of fuel for loitering.”
A 12-year-old boy was left in “extremely” critical condition after being shot in the head during an apparent “random act of violence” Tuesday night on the Near West Side, according to Chicago police officials.
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) September 14, 2022
Reportedly, between January 1st and September 19th, operations involving Air and Marine Operations and its partners led to the felony arrests of 66 people, recovery of 114 stolen vehicles, 13 carjacked vehicles, and 25 guns in Chicago.
Sledge agreed that there is still work to be done, but he said that he is happy with the progress they have made so far. He also said that the partnership will continue on.
Welcome to police-defunded Chicago: Postal workers being robbed for ‘master keys’ for residential, commercial properties
October 14th, 2022
Chicago, IL: The Chicago police department has issued a new warning, directed to postal employees specifically, to be on the lookout for criminals robbing postal employees at gunpoint.
As if the people of Chicago don’t already have enough to worry about.
The robbers are targeting the postal workers’ keys, not cash or personal property. The keys control many lock boxes that contain the mail of numerous properties, both residential and commercial.
With a set of keys, criminals can gain access to multiple, sometimes even dozens of mailboxes in one swift move.
The keys can also gain access to the blue mailboxes located throughout communities.
There is a growing concern among the postal worker community in Chicago- and rightly so.
In an interview of a postal union official, Mack Julion, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, stated:
“They’re traumatized. I mean,they’re out there doing their job. You’re at work delivering the mail, and someone comes up and sticks a gun to you for some Arrow keys.”
He continued:
“It really will impede mail service, because if our carriers are not feeling safe, they’re not going to deliver the mail.”
There have been 5 reported gun point robberies of postal carriers since August. There has been no end in sight as no one has been arrested for any of the robberies.
It is also unclear whether it is one individual, a team of individuals or completely unrelated persons committing the brazen robberies.
Worse yet, there is growing concern that this is becoming a trend and encouraging other criminals to jump on the band wagon.
Julion, the union president, feels it is a growing problem and he wants it to stop now, especially considering that half of the carriers are females.
He stated to the press:
“It’s more than just one person, it’s becoming widespread.”
He continued:
“‘So these young sisters are out there delivering the mail and you’re sticking a gun to them asking for some arrow keys. How brave is that? But you know, it needs to stop. And if it don’t stop, there’s going to be instances where people are not receiving their mail,’ Julion said.”
18th Ward Alderman Derrick Curtis and Julion are working together to introduce new legislation.
They intend to introduce law that will require all multi-box units be located indoors, inside a secured area. They hope that will reduce the likelihood that carriers will be robbed at gunpoint and give them the added comfort of knowing they can work in a safer environment.
Alderman Curtis, told local media and stated that:
“Anything that I can do or we can do as a whole, I’m willing to help.”
Interfering with a postal carrier is a federal crime and carries severe penalties. Chicago police are still investigating the robberies and hope to catch the suspect (or suspects) very soon- and hopefully before any postal workers gets hurt or worse, killed.
The Chicago Crime Problem
Chicago has been rife with crime and criminal activity in recent years. They, like several liberal cities across the nation, have adopted extreme soft on crime policies and introduced bail reform.
There have been countless instances where a suspect was arrested, charged with a serious crime and, due to new bail reform laws, have been quickly released, only to commit another crime shortly thereafter.
In one recent instance, a man was arrested in four times in one 24-hour period. It wasn’t until the final arrest that police discovered that the suspect was wanted for pushing a passenger onto a subway platform early that morning.
Another recent Chicago incident found a man to have been arrested 15 times since the start of the year. In every case, the man was quickly released, and no lesson was learned.
Whoever is robbing innocent postal carriers at gun point is likely emboldened by the current laws and the soft on crime policies. They know that when they get caught, and they will, there’s a solid chance they will be quickly released, and the revolving door will keep turning.
LET will update this story as the investigation progresses. Stay tuned.
Crime is rampant in Chicago.
Thanks to bail reform, Chicago man arrested 15th time this year – and crime set to get worse in 2023 from new bill
Posted October 7, 222
Chicago, IL: Chicago’s ineffective criminal and bail reform laws have been proven ineffective yet again as another story of a Chicago career criminal has been arrested for the 15th time this year alone.
And it’s about to get worse.
Chicago has been a hotbed of crime and violence in recent years with the delusional- on- crime leader, Mayor Lori Lightfoot at the helm of it all.
Now the revolving door of a criminal justice system in Chicago is doing nothing to improve the lives of law-abiding Chicago residents who are the ones who have to put up with the disastrous politics associated with bail reform laws.
You can thank Cary Mamola, 44, for being the latest to prove the system is broken and headed in the wrong direction.
According to a Breitbart column, it stated:
“One week prior, on September 21, Cary Mamola, 44, was arrested for the 14th time after allegedly shoplifting at Walgreens, threatening to punch a female worker for confronting him about the shoplifting, and then stealing $135 worth of clothes at a Gap store.”
The column continued:
“He was also arrested on September 18 for assault at a Jewel-Osco store but was released three hours after his arrest on his own recognizance.”
Mamola’s long history of criminal activity has taught him nothing, just like the countless others who prey on the innocent to get by.
But the system has been modified to enable their behavior, which will only get worse over time.
The SAFE-T Act
In fact, it is slated to get worse in 2023. It has the residents concerned over what the already disastrously crime rates prove.
Starting on January 1, 2023, legislation known as the SAFE-T Act will take effect.
The controversial bill is intended to make significant changes to the already failing system that will further complicate the law enforcement options. Another aspect of it is to eliminate cash bail.
But a major concern over the bill is how it will allow people to simply accuse police of misconduct without disclosing their identity.
According to a Fox News column that covered the new poorly planned bill, who conducted an interview with Eugene Roy, retired Chicago police Chief of Detectives, spoke with Fox News. The interview column stated:
“Roy took issue with several aspects of the bill beyond the one eliminating cash bail, including one that eliminates the requirement that officers accused of misconduct be told the identity of their accuser as well as the identity of the official who is investigating them.”
It continued:
“‘The problem that nobody sees or turns a blind eye to is the effect on morale, recruiting and retention,’ Roy said. ‘Anybody can just make a complaint against an officer. The department or the investigating body does not have to tell the officer who it is, which hinders their ability to respond to the complaint accurately and honestly. It has a bad effect on morale.’”
Chicago is already facing critical staffing shortages within the police department. The last thing they needed was another reason for potential recruits to avoid pursuing a law enforcement career in the city of Chicago.
Many officers are already over worked, exhausted and, worst of all, underappreciated by the public, especially the politicians who are quick to blame an officer for anything.
This growing problem is becoming more and more evident on the streets of Chicago, where criminals are continuing to break the law, only to be released hours later to start all over. Just like Mr. Mamola, who has been arrested an impressive 15 times this year alone.
In fact, prosecutors appear to begin showing signs of frustration with the current Chicago bail reform laws.
In the Breitbart column, it stated:
“At the 44-year-old’s [Mamola’s] bail hearing for the alleged Merchandise Mart trespassing incident, prosecutor Jeff Allen told the judge, ‘I would note that the defendant has no less—and I say no less ‘cuz I stopped counting at 27—misdemeanor convictions, including seven from this year alone.’”
It continued:
The prosecutor also highlighted that Mamola has forfeited his bond ‘no less than 14’ times before saying, ‘I stopped counting at 14.’”
Mamola is just the latest proof that Chicago is heading in the wrong direction. Their poor political decisions are only emboldening criminals to continue breaking the law. They know there are fewconsequences.
And starting in January, it’s only going to get worse.
More on Chicago.
Chicago mayor upset about plans to hire armed security guards in neighborhood as crime explodes
December 25, 2021
CHICAGO, IL – Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has heard of the Bucktown neighborhood hiring armed security patrols in one of the many crime ridden areas in Chicago.
Lightfoot believes this is a bad idea and vows that no one other than Chicago Police Department will patrol the area.
A Chicago neighborhood is deploying an armed private security patrol starting Wednesday in a bid to “help deter the rash of crime” there.The Bucktown Neighbors Association, in a letter sent to the community said the "armed guard" it intended to hire is from P4 Security Solutions. pic.twitter.com/gjfn7HgQcJ
— FlyestAround (@around_flyest) December 15, 2021
The residents of the Bucktown neighborhood are fed up with the violence they are seeing on their streets daily and have decided to take steps to curb the carjacking and other violent crimes that have been occurring nightly.
The Bucktown Neighbors Association has been working with a private security firm to provide armed patrols of the neighborhood at night.
The belief is extra people on the streets watching will cause criminals to look for somewhere else to commit their crimes.
Lightfoot, who claims to understand that business owners and residents desire the need to feel safe, is disturbed at the thought of having armed security guards patrolling the streets. She said:
“I need to know more about what their [Bucktown] specific plan and scope is, but the patrolling the streets, responding to crime, that’s the job of the Chicago Police Department and they will do it effectively.
We are not going to start, because people can afford it, standing up a group of…well, I think I’ve said enough. There’s a slippery slope here and I am very concerned about that.”
P4 said “only off-duty police officers are employed by P4 and will be handling patrols. [They] will be present to observe and report. They do not have arrest powers and if a crime is witnessed, they are directed to call 911 immediately.” https://t.co/hnTzSOyw7h
— Howard Altman (@haltman) December 16, 2021
While Lightfoot has expressed her disdain of having armed security patrols in one of her neighborhoods, she has yet to issue any type of plan to curb the violence throughout a city which is seeing significant spikes in violent crimes this year.
Because of her alleged lack of action or inability to deter crime, areas like Bucktown have tried to find ways to increase the safety of their residents and businesses that are outside the scope and control of Lightfoot.
According to the Block Club, Bucktown seemingly has already contracted with a private security firm, known as P4, to begin providing armed security services in the area as soon as December 15th.
The armed security guards will be patrolling the north end of the neighborhood.
The plan, according to the Block Club, is to have the armed security guards patrol the areas between Armitage Avenue to the north, Damen Avenue to the west, North Avenue to the south, and Paulina Street to the east.
The patrols would begin at some point in the evening hours and the shifts would last beyond midnight.
The move comes as the city has seen over 1,658 carjackings in 2021 which has increased from a total of 1,303 in 2020 and 544 during 2019.
Additionally, the Chicago Police Department 14th Police District which patrols Bucktown as well as other neighborhoods have reported 86 carjackings in the area which has increased from 53 from last year.
P4’s vice president of operations, Kevin Conway, released a statement that the people who his company employ are only off-duty police officers. He goes on to note:
“Only off-duty police officers are employed by P4 and will be handling patrols. Off-duty officers will be present to observe and report; they do not have arrest powers and if a crime is witnessed, they are directed to call 911 immediately.”
