[Community Alert] Helicopters Deployed Over Rogers Park Streets as Police Boost Patrols

ROGERS PARK — In response to "heightened tension" in the area, Chicago Police are patrolling Rogers Park and other nearby neighborhoods with a police helicopter, Ald. Joe Moore says.

"The Police Department is including Rogers Park and other North Side neighborhoods as part of its routine patrols, much like a squad car, except it is up in the air and can cover more territory more quickly," Moore wrote in an email newsletter to constituents Wednesday.

He said the helicopter was complementing additional police resources on the ground in an effort to fight crime in the area. There have been several high-profile murders in the neighborhood this year, including that of photographer William Lewis, who was hit by a stray bullet on Devon Avenue in July, and of Markeyo Carr, who was gunned down at a McDonald's in February.Police have assigned the Organized Crime Unit, which Moore says has made eight arrests in the past week, and there are additional mass transit officers at the Howard and Morse CTA Red Line stations.

The effort is "part of an overall strategy to boost police presence and tamp down on the violence. Police in a helicopter can see things that officers on the ground may not be able to see. Plus it sends a message to those contemplating violence."

The helicopter is patrolling the Rogers Park District, which includes Rogers Park, West Rogers Park/West Ridge and a small part of north Edgewater, as well as the lakefront, Moore said.

Police spokesman Martin Maloney would not comment on the air patrols, but said helicopters "are primarily used for visual surveillance" and "deployed based on operational needs of the day or specific situations, and have been since 2006."

Moore said the helicopters would not remain in the neighborhood long-term.

"The Police Department does not intend for the helicopter to become a permanent fixture in our neighborhood, but during this time of heightened tension, they believe it could be a useful tool," he wrote.

But residents have noticed the more frequent visits of the helicopters.

DnaInfo