What is CAPS?
CAPS stands for Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy. CAPS is a partnership between police and community that is the foundation of community policing. CAPS uses Beats to develop relationships between the community and the police. These casual, monthly public meetings are an opportunity for residents, business owners, and Beat Officers to get to know each other and share information to help solve and prevent crime.

18th District Beats (1833 and 1834) meetings 

Location
Northwestern University
303 E. Superior

Time
Beat 1833 meets at 5pm.
Beat 1834 meets at 6pm.

2024 Schedule
Thursday, January 25
Thursday, March 21
Thursday,  May 23
Thursday, July 25
Thursday, September 19
Wednesday, November 21

18th District Near North 2024 Beat Meetings Schedule

Apply today!
You can make a difference! Get involved and stand behind our community.

What does a Court Advocate do?
Court advocates appear in court on behalf of the community and victims. The presence of Court Advocacy volunteers sends a strong message to the defendants and the courts that we will not tolerate crime in our community. Meetings are held periodically at the 18th District Police Station.

How does the program work?
This program consists of individuals who want to support their community by following cases/arrests made within their districts. The group meets via Zoom (until further notice), the first Tuesday of every other month to discuss cases (both New and Old cases). For the cases discussed, CPD provides the group with information regarding each case, where it happened, what happened, and when/where the court case will be held for the offender in custody. The Court Advocates can pick and choose whichever case interest them and which cases they want to show their presence for. By attending these cases, the Advocates are showing their support for the victims and the community in which it occurred. That presence makes a statement that they are standing up for their community and that they don’t want this activity in their neighborhood. We hope that when the judge sees this type of support from citizens that they will take the cases and sentencing methods more serious.

How do I sign up?
Officer Brenda Garcia leads the program. If you are interested in joining, all that is required is filling out an application. Upon receiving this application, Officer Garcia will perform a name check to make sure you don’t have any warrants, which will make you ineligible to join the program. After the name check is performed, she will send you an email notifying you of your acceptance or non-acceptance into the group. CPD will provide a 1-hour training class, which will prepare you for what to expect when you attend court cases. With this program, you will be provided with an ID Badge which shows that you are a Court Advocate and will allow you access to enter court locations when open through the same entrances police and attorneys.

CLICK HERE to download the application.

Please fill out the application and send it to Officer Brenda Garcia: [email protected]

If you have any questions and/or concerns, you can contact Officer Garcia at (312) 742- 5778 or contact the 18th District at [email protected]

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills. Learn more here.

Every call creates a record that helps officials make resource allocation decisions. Operators triage each call to determine an appropriate response, and every caller who is not a victim may request anonymity. Learn more here.

The City’s Home and Business Protection Program (HBPP) provides limited rebates for the costs of security cameras, cloud storage, motion sensor lighting, vehicle GPS trackers, and subscriptions. All Chicago residents, businesses, religious, and non-profit organizations are eligible. Learn more here.

The Private Sector Camera Initiative (PSCI) enables businesses and residential properties to connect their surveillance cameras to the Office of Emergency Management and Communication (OEMC). Learn more here.

Take preventive measures by registering your car with the Cook County Sheriff’s department. Click here to access The Sheriff’s Office Consent-to-Release-Data Form. Filling out and submitting this form will allow law enforcement to access data location information for the described vehicle from the relevant car company if the car has been unlawfully taken and such information is available. Swift access to such information can help law enforcement recover the vehicle.

Alderman Brian Hopkins and Alderman Brendan Reilly publish a weekly newsletter that is full of interesting and important information for those living in Streeterville. These give safety update, street closure information, events and other topics that might be interesting to you.

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