Gang and Graffiti Update

NOTE: A few days ago I wrote about the sudden upswing in graffiti in the Round Lake Area, I wrote a very vague post deliberately since the area Mayors were very proactive in getting there police departments to aggressively take action. What I am writing below reflects what happened in a very sophisticated multi-jurisdictional effort to combat this problem.

Police Chief Cliff Metaxa is preparing a presentation for the next village board meeting concerning recent gang activity and subsequent enforcement efforts. However, I want you to know this information sooner than next Monday night.
In summary, we have experienced an increase in gang activity in the community and also in the high school. We have taken several proactive steps in addressing the problems including the activities outlined in a previous e-mail (K-9 search of the Round Lake High School, Having at least two gang officers at the High School dismissals, Surveillance of the graffiti sites, More officers in and around the High School, etc.).
The most prominent enforcement activity was a multi-jurisdictional enforcement operation which targeted gang members suspected of committing an array of crimes in the Round Lake Area. This operation occurred Saturday night, February 25, 2006. The operation involved 27 officers from the following agencies: The Lake County Gang Crimes Task Force, The Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Round Lake Police Department, Round Lake Park/Hainesville Police Department, Round Lake Beach Police Department, Round Lake Heights Police Department, Waukegan Police Department, Vernon Hills Police Department, Park City Police Department, Mundelein Police Department, Grayslake Police Department, Deerfield Police Department and the Lindenhurst Police Department.
This operation was very successful on a number of levels:

• 8 Non-traffic arrests.
• 2 Warrant arrests.
• 3 Traffic arrests.
• Removal of drugs, drug paraphernalia and a stun gun from the streets of Round Lake. Numerous gang contacts.
• Development of intelligence that brought charges and closure to seven of the thirteen cases of criminal defacement.
• Business checks and liquor compliance checks of all of the bars in Round Lake and Round Lake Park.

The most important part of all of these activities is that the Round Lake Area police departments are working closer than ever to keep the community safe. This is something that we are extremely proud of and will continue to foster. We plan to host more multi-jurisdictional enforcement operations in the future. We still have some gang activity and some open cases of criminal defacement, but we are confident that we will bring closure to those cases soon.