Bucktown Burglary Victims Say Chicago Police Are Dragging Their Feet
(CBS) -- From pleading with police to pleading with thieves, some crime victims in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood are taking action.
CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports on why residents are so upset.
Their main concern is lack of police patrols and police action after area burglaries.
One victim wrote a note asking burglars to "please stop robbing" local establishments. It's the second time in a month the Bucktown shop's been targeted.
In another incident, Bucktown's Martinez family wishes police would be quicker to respond after a brazen, late morning burglary was caught on a security camera.
Miguel Martinez says police officers were called and a police report was filed after $10,000 worth of property was taken. He says officers then promised evidence techs and detectives would soon follow up. But almost a month after the March 19 crime, it took the social media posting of a video to get detectives to act.
"I think there's an issue city wide. I know a few detectives, and they are overworked," says Steve Jensen, president of the Bucktown Community Organization.
Jensen believes many cases are backlogged a month to a year.
"The mayor needs to hire more police, and we've been demanding this for about six to eight years. We need boots on the ground," he says.
Chicago police say detectives are now actively investigating the Martinez family burglary and reviewing the video. The chief deputy superintendent has also asked the chiefs of patrol and detectives to look into whether that crime was dispatched and handled properly.
