Parents Want Dedicated Squad Car For Brighton Park School After Shootings
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Some parents in Brighton Park were demanding extra security around their children's school, after two nearby gang-related shootings.
Parents of James Shields Elementary School presented a petition to Chicago police, hoping to keep their kids safe. The petition asks for a police car to be permanently stationed outside the school at 43rd and Rockwell.
Dozens of parents and community residents packed the cafeteria at Shields on Tuesday to deliver the petition to Deering District Police Cmdr. Stephen Chung.
"The children no longer come out and play anymore, because of all the shootings," Anita Caballero said.
Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) also was there to hear their concerns.
One of the shootings last month happened right as school was let out, forcing a soft lockdown. A 47-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were killed when they were shot while walking down the street less than a block from the school around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2016. Two other people were wounded in the attack.
Earlier this month, several people were shot near 42nd and Talman, right outside the school, when someone opened fire on their car around 6 p.m. on Jan. 11. Lopez has said a group of gang members cornered another group of young men, and fired at them with an assault-style rifle. The victims tried to drive to a nearby hospital, but only made it to the parking lot. One of them died.
Police have said both shootings appear to be gang-related.
"Specifically, wherever there's problems, we generally provide additional [security]; the school patrols, the beat cars, and then our tactical units provide extra special attention in those areas," Chung said.
Carmen Castillo, president of the parent advisory council at Shields, acknowledged police have stepped up their presence after shootings, but only temporarily.
"They're there for a little while, but then if they feel that things have calmed down, then the police … they're not there anymore. So we want to have a police officer squad car there all the time, permanently," she said.
Lopez said, beyond relying on police security, the community needs to break the code of silence and come forward with information they know about the suspects. However, he would not commit to asking police to permanently station a squad car outside Shields or other schools in the area.
"When it comes to patrolling, we've had a pretty strong presence in the 9th District, and in Brighton Park and Back of the Yards in particular, because of the escalating gang issues. I don't see that changing anytime soon. We do have to look at the logistics of providing a police car permanently at the schools," he said.
Police said no one is in custody for either shooting.
