Some Chicago gang activity is moving out of the city.
West suburban police now face an influx of gang-related thefts, drugs deals and graffiti, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The publication found that gang activity moved west thanks to full-blown pressure from police. Gangsters began sending juveniles to the suburbs to burglarize homes and steal TVs, computers, jewelry and whatever they can grab. Graffiti recently was painted on 30 locations in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park, police said.
Cook County officials told the Sun-Times the demolition of Chicago public housing also displaced gang members to the suburbs, as well as members being released from prison into “intensive gang probation" programs that prevent them from returning to their old neighborhoods.
Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said gang activity increased in the last year, right around the time when Police Supt. Garry McCarthy focused his attention on the Maniac Latin Disciples and Spanish Cobras.
In response, the Riverside passed an ordinance requiring the removal of graffiti on businesses within seven days. They also began working with the Illinois Department of Corrections to check on parolees and partnered with the U.S. Marshals Service to track down fugitives.
