Near West Suburban Police See Rise In Chicago Gang Arrests
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Near west suburban police departments report more Chicago gang members being arrested in their communities as they are pushed out of the city of Chicago.
The Riverside Police Chief, Thomas Weitzel said Chicago Police are keeping pressure on the gangs, which is causing challenges that his and other neighboring communities did not see a few years ago. WBBM's Mike Krauser reports.
"Chicago is doing a fantastic job of pushing crime west," Weitzel said. "And when they push crime west, it coming right into the near west suburbs."
They are seeing more drug corners, more carjacking, more burglaries and more juveniles because they get out quicker and more repeat offenders back on the street.
"And I think that they believe at times that suburban police agencies do not have the manpower Chicago does, or have specialized gang and drug task forces or even have the sophistication," Weitzel said.
Weitzel is chairman of the West Suburban Directed Gang Enforcement Task Force, or WEDGE, made up of near west suburban departments.
"Quite frankly many of these individuals we arrest, if you look at the addresses, where they live, when we are making these arrests in these west suburban communities – they are not anybody in our west suburban communities," he said.
Weitzel said WEDGE had about 75 arrests last year, mostly felonies.