Page 47 - November 2017 Magazine

CAPS on the move in 2nd District
From a street corner cookout to community coffee to handing out free tickets to the circus, members of the 2nd District CAPS have been working hard to keep connected to their community.
“It has really opened up a big line of communication,” CAPS Officer Denise Gathings said. “We’ve been all over the district. The community is awesome over here.”
Gathings joined the Wentworth District, as it is also known, four years ago and jumped into the role as CAPS officer. With encouragement from District Commander Crystal King-Smith, Gathings and the CAPS team have taken an active approach to building a relationship with residents to help reduce crime.
In late September, Gathings took to the streets to give away free tickets to Universal Circus performances which ran through Oct. 30 in Washington Park. A couple weeks later, Gathings and several of her colleagues hit the streets for “Smoke Out at 58th and Prairie,” an informal cookout with hot dogs, soft drinks, chips and even a little music that had Gathings showing off a few dance moves.
The corner is usually occupied by drugs and prostitu- tion, and shootings are common in the area, which is why the spot was chosen for the event. Gathings said deal- ers and gang members eyeballed the gathering before moving on. More importantly, a steady flow of residents stopped by for a bite to eat, some conversation and each received a flyer about an upcoming beat meeting; atten- dance increased at the next meeting because of it.
A week later, officers joined up with another segment of community residents for “Coffee with a Cop” at the Mc- Donald’s on East 47th Street. For three hours, several of- ficers chatted up citizens and posed for photos that were filled with smiles.
“They were blown away...at first (the residents) were like, ‘What’s wrong?’” Gathings said of the coffee meeting. All of this is part of the concerted effort to engage resi- dents of all ages, especially children. A junior beat meet- ing brings a younger group together to talk about what’s happening in the community, but Gathings talks glowing- ly about picking up kids each week to bring them to Dis- trict headquarters for activities, including “teaching them
about the law on their level.”
Gathings credits Smith and others in the District’s CAPS
office – Sergeant Bridget Campbell-Sadler; Officers Col- leen Carcione and Mark Rodriguez; community organizer Levonne Treadwell; and community volunteer Tony New- man – for making a positive difference.
“I love this job,” Gathings offered. “You’re capable of changing lives.”d
Residents gather at McDonald’s on East 47th Street for “Co ee with a Cop.”
The 2nd District CAPS team gave away tickets to Universal Circus perfor- mances to kids in the community.
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