Joliet's Chief Talks About Shootings, Homicides

JOLIET, IL - The topic of gun violence came up at Monday's pre-meeting of the Joliet City Council. Police Chief Brian Benton was asked to give his input on the shooting incidents around the city's Cunningham Neighborhood area and the city as a whole. Benton's assessment was that shooting incidents have been up so far in 2018, but homicides are down over the first six-and-a-half months of the year.

During Monday's meeting, Cunningham Neighborhood Council President John Sheridan referred to the overall neighborhood area as a "shooting gallery." Later in the meeting, Benton explained, "we do have additional officers that work that area as a violence suppression unit based on the statistical analysis we do on a weekly basis."

'There may be an increase in one particular neighborhood because of some conflict or maybe some resident that moves in ... that could bounce around," Benton said. "Typically, it's been the near west (side) more than the east side. Sometimes, we'll have it up in the Forest Park area.

"Some of these violent offenders, these gun offenders, are mobile and depending on where they happen to have a feud at that time, or where they see each other, you might see an increase in the shooting activity."

Next, Benton offered a general assessment of the first six months of violence around Joliet for 2018.

"This year, we have noticed an uptick in our shootings. Our homicides are down, but our shootings have been up a little bit. We realize there is a conflict going on with several local known gang members. Our intelligence unit has been tracking them."

Benton explained that he has a meeting lined up for later this week with the Will County State's Attorney's Office as well as several Joliet-area police chiefs to discuss the continued efforts to take more of these criminals and gun offenders off the streets.

"We know they're not exclusive to Joliet," he said. "They travel throughout the surrounding communities as well. We're pretty familiar with some of the people that are causing the problems."

Benton stressed how Joliet's Police Department is reaching out and working with the neighborhoods and community to solve these crimes, wherever they happen.

"I understand the concern that Mr. Sheridan has in that community. There has been an increase in some of the shootings," Benton said. "But it's not exclusive to that area and it's not constant ... in that area. It's actually not constant in any particular area, so we continue to move our resources around as the crime dictates."

Prior to the chief's comments, Joliet community activist Bob Hernandez and Sheridan addressed the council. Here's some of the key points made by both men.

First, Hernandez applauded Mayor Bob O'Dekirk, Councilwoman Bettye Gavin, the Joliet Police Department and the city's Neighborhood Services Division for joining him two weeks ago in the 1100 block of North Hickory Street to meet with some of the neighbors.

"As many people know, I move around this city. I walk this city. I walk the walk, not just talk the talk, and I walk all over this city because we are a very diverse city and that should be respected.

"I was a little surprised at the president of the Cunningham Association who would say it was a shooting gallery. It's not. I have family who's lived there. My cousins had a home there for seventy years on Elizabeth Street, so it's close to home for me. It's a very beautiful neighborhood. There's some issues. There's some problems. Our Joliet Police Department is doing an outstanding job in addressing those issues."

Here's a short summary of Sheridan's comments.

"I've run (Freedom of Information Act requests). It is a shooting gallery in the Cunningham area. When you have two drive-bys two days apart; not everything makes it to The Herald-News by the way. For example, the shooting at Hickory Street and Western Avenue at that grocery store, that never made the paper. But there was videos all over the Facebook pages.

"Our area has changed over forty years. You wake up to gunshots when somebody's emptying a magazine at a house or out in the air or wherever. We have a lot of activity that has been increased tenfold."

Sheridan mentioned a drive-by shooting in the 1200 block of North Center Street and the subsequent May gunshot murder in the 1400 block of North Center Street.

"The list goes on," Sheridan continued. "So I know my areas. I know it very well, and that's why I'm concerned about getting extra officers in that area because times have changed and that our area is a shooting gallery."

At the meeting's end, Mayor O'Dekirk spoke up, reflecting on his younger days as a former Joliet Police officer before he became an attorney. "Joliet has a fraction of the violent crime that it had when we were younger policemen so I think the policing model, the neighborhood policing model works well. It's unfortunate that someone wants to denigrate their own neighborhood, but I think the police department's doing an outstanding job. I know you're proactive. I think you have the computer models and you're out there trying to identify problems, solve them before they happen.

"So I think you're doing a great job. Thank you," the mayor told Benton.

RELATED JOLIET PATCH COVERAGE:

Joliet Teen Fatally Shot On North Center

2 Joliet Homes On North Center Street Get Shot Up

Nightmare On Hickory Block Gets Visit From O'Dekirk

Gunshots Fired Near Nightmare House

Main image via Joliet Patch files, images of John Sheridan and Bob Hernandez via City of Joliet website