CHICAGO (WLS) — A bustling section of the South Loop is now under the watchful eye of local law enforcement.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office is channeling substantial resources into the Roosevelt Road corridor to crack down on drug-related activities and enhance neighborhood safety.
Targeting this specific part of the South Loop has led to numerous arrests by sheriff’s deputies.
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Roosevelt Road in the South Loop is a hub of activity, featuring shopping centers, public transportation, and numerous residential buildings. According to police, these factors create opportunities for concealing drug transactions.
Frustrated residents and community leaders are collaborating with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to initiate meaningful change.
“I might not see it myself, but it’s definitely happening,” shared South Loop resident Darlene Callazo.
Callazo lives two blocks from Roosevelt Road and State Street. She and other residents say they’re very careful about when they walk the sidewalks in their own neighborhood.
“In the morning, it’s, it’s fine, you know, it’s normal,” South Loop resident Dalia Olsauskas said. “But then there come certain times during the day when you just kind of want to stay away from, like, this whole area, because there’s just, like, so much, you know, activity.”
The South Loop represents a portion of Alderman Bill Conway’s 34th Ward. Conway says there’s been significant criminal activity in the area around Roosevelt and Wabash for a long time.
“You have a lot of drug dealing and crimes being staged in the Jewel parking lot,” Conway said. “You have an unacceptable increase in violence on the CTA. We’ve had a few shootings nearby as well.”
Conway describes thw area as a gateway into the loop and says the prevalence of crime here is not the kind of entrance anyone wants for downtown Chicago.
“You have a lot of commercial activity. You have a lot of residential activity, and you have criminal activity that comes with that, and that’s why this has been a hot spot for decades, and it’s why it needed additional law enforcement presence, which I’m grateful that the sheriff’s department has responded with,” Conway said.
The stepped-up presence from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in the South Loop started in June. Over the last six months, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office says it’s made more than 1,700 traffic stops and 136 arrests, including 17 arrests resulting in felony gun charges and 18 resulting in felony drug charges.
Tonight, in an ABC7 Eyewitness News exclusive, see how ABC7 rode along with Cook County Sheriff’s Officers and how quickly an evening patrol in the South Loop turned from a high-speed pursuit down Lake Shore Drive to a traffic stop discovery of a loaded gun and 60 grams of cannabis.
Sheriff Tom Dart sat down with ABC7 to break down the problem and his office’s efforts to make people feel safe.
We’re feeling pretty good about where we’re at so far,” Dart said. “We know we have more to do, but I’ll tell you one thing. We haven’t been bored, at all.”
