Some residents are asking why a Chicago Police officer who has maintained a beat in Lakeview and established a rapport with neighborhood LGBT businesses and residents is being reassigned to a new beat.
Officer Jeff Dubinski is being reassigned because of CPD's standard assignment policies, said spokesman Adam Collins in an email to Windy City Times.
"Officers pick the watch they prefer to be on for the upcoming year, but not all get their pick because by contract those with the most seniority are given the first option," said Collins.
"Officer Dubinski, who has been working the Halsted Street foot post, will move to a different watch as part of this process. The foot post will continue on 3rd watch, and Officer Dubinski is likely to assume this role on his new watch as well … . We're thrilled that members of the community have had such positive experiences with Officer Dubinski, and we fully anticipate those experiences will continue on Halsted Street and throughout the city."
But some community residents said they were concerned that an officer who had forged close ties with the LGBT community had been re-assigned.
Chris Howard, a manager at Gay Mart, 3457 N. Halsted, said Dubinski has been stopping in the store a few times a week and chats with him and the store's owner, Shelly Rosenbaum.
"He asks if anything is going on," Howard said. "It's the first time that I've had a personal relationship with an officer. I feel like it's a great example of community policing, which is what everyone seems to want.
"If we see something happening, it's easier to call his cell phone number than it would be to go through dispatch—I don't just work in the neighborhood but I live there too, and that means a lot," he added.
Michael, who asked that his last named not be used, said, "He's our community's favorite officer." Michael has been active at CAPS meetings and in trying to rally community members around the safety issue.
He said that he was friendly with Dubinski and spoke with him on a number of occasions.
Michael often sees the officer keeping watch near the Belmont El platform. This past fall, Michael was injured when someone attempted to steal his iPhone as he got off the train there. Shortly thereafter, he talked to Dubinsky about the episode.
"He told me to be sure to be careful, and gave me some tips about keeping safe," Michael added.
Dubinski's re-assignment follows a long controversy in Lakeview, as a number of residents have voiced concern about safety in the neighborhood.
Many arguments have centered around social service agencies that largely serve LGBT youth, such as Center on Halsted, Broadway Youth Center or Night Ministry's The Crib. Some residents feel that those agency's clients often can cause trouble when they come to Boystown; the agencies themselves, however, say that these facilities need to be in Lakeview, which, as an LGBT entertainment destination, is likely to attract young people who may be unsafe in other parts of the city. Residents have also said at CAPS meetings that police are often extremely understaffed.
A Yale University working paper, "48 Years of Crime in Chicago: A Descriptive Analysis of Crime Trends from 1965 to 2013," released Dec. 9, said Lakeview was one of ten neighborhoods to experience growth in violent crime, though only by a small amount. According to the study, which utilized police data, there were 435 violent crimes in Lakeview in the first 11 months of 2012.
See more info here: www.papachristos.org/Welcome_files/48yearsOfcrime_final_ISPSWorkingPaper023.pdf .
