Is Chicago gang violence seeping into the suburbs?
The national spotlight shone on Chicago for the wrong reasons last weekend, as a "60 Minutes" report, a Twitter post from President-elect Donald Trump and a spate of shootings that left five dead and 41 wounded all combined to bring the city's gun violence back to the fore.
While all that was happening, the suburbs saw its own rash of gun violence over the holidays - fatal shootings in Aurora and Elgin, gunfire leaving people wounded in Rolling Meadows and Aurora, and armed holdups in Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Des Plaines and elsewhere.
As with the Chicago violence, at least some of the shootings appear to be gang-related.
All of which caused us to ask, is the gang warfare that's ravaged some neighborhoods of the city bleeding out into the suburbs?
Aurora police Chief Kristen Ziman doesn't believe so.
"As it currently stands there is no indication that the recent shootings in Aurora are in any way tied to the violence that occurs daily within the city of Chicago," Ziman told us in an email this week. "Although gangs in Chicago and gangs in Aurora bear the same name and may be loosely affiliated, the gang activity in Chicago does not trickle into our community."
<h3 class="leadin">'Absolutely' affects us
That said, what happens with gangs in Chicago can affect the suburbs - and vice-versa, said Sgt. Gianni Giamberduca, who leads the Lake County sheriff's Gang Task Force.
"Absolutely it has an effect on us," Giamberduca said of gang activity in Chicago.
For example, he said, a gang member from the city might be called out to the suburbs to conduct a shooting, while a suburban counterpart might be summoned to the city to do the same.
Perhaps more important, he said, the illegal drug trade flows between the city and suburbs, with gang-affiliated dealers setting up shop in the collar counties where many of their customers are. That could lead to fighting over territory.
Because of the ties between gang members in the city and suburbs, the Lake task force works with 15 law enforcement agencies - including federal authorities and Chicago police - to monitor gang activity and share information.
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More on Jacquelyn Greco
There was a lot to unpack last week after the sentencing of Jacquelyn Greco, the former Inverness woman given a 30-year prison term for her role in the 1979 slaying of husband Carl Gaimari in their home.
Among the tidbits to come out of the hearing, courtesy of Daily Herald Assistant Managing Editor/Projects Jake Griffin:
• Although Greco never was charged in connection with the arson that burned down a bar Greco used to own on Chicago's North Side, grand jury testimony from the former live-in nanny for her grandson indicates Greco and her boyfriend at the time planned the blaze and used the nanny as an alibi.
• From June 1979 until her murder conviction in late 2016, Greco received more than $158,500 in mostly illegal Social Security survivor benefits from the death of her husband. According to a special agent from the Social Security Administration who testified during Greco's sentencing, the benefits should have ended when she married Sam Greco a few months after Gaimari's murder.
• Greco said during her sentencing that she likes to listen to a 1997 song by rapper Puff Daddy called "Missing You," because it reminds her of Gaimari. The song is about fellow rapper Notorious B.I.G., who, like Gaimari, was shot to death. And as with Gaimari, the shooter remains at large.
<h3 class="leadin">What was that sound?
Mount Prospect Police Chief Tim Janowick took to social media Wednesday to dispel rumors that police responded with guns drawn to a large explosion on New Year's Day.
There was indeed a large boom about 6:45 p.m. Jan. 1 near Clearwater Park, the chief confirmed, but it was just someone setting off fireworks. Officers searched the area but didn't find anyone who might have been responsible.
"Contrary to some of the erroneous social media posts, the fire department did not respond and our police were not involved in searches with guns drawn," Janowick wrote on the department's Facebook page.
"Hopefully this allays community concerns and provides valid information regarding the incident."
<h3 class="leadin">Help with special needs
Aurora police have launched a new program to help residents with special needs and their families communicate with first responders in an emergency.
Through the Special Needs Aurora Police Program, residents with special needs can voluntarily register for a searchable database that will be available to police, paramedics and other first responders. When officers or other first responders are called to a home, they will be able to search the database for information relating to the person and his or her disability that might help in their response.
Developed in partnership with the Association of Individual Development, SNAPP is available to all Aurora residents with mental and physical disabilities, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
To register, visit www.aurora-il.org/apd/SNAPP.php. For more information, call Detective Jennifer Hillgoth at (630) 256-5554.
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Moving on, moving up
Congratulations to Pete Sotos, who retired this week after 28 years with the Elgin Police Department's Telecommunications Division, the last 13 as the unit's supervisor.
Sotos received numerous awards for his service over the years as well as more than 30 letters of appreciation.
He was honored at a ceremony Thursday that also featured two key promotions: Sgt. Chris Jensen, a 17-year department veteran who serves in the Gang Crimes Unit and also as a SWAT Team Leader, was made a lieutenant, and officer Todd Pavoris, whose 13-year career as a patrol officer has seen him earn two lifesaving awards, was promoted to sergeant.
• Got a tip? Have a question? Please email Charles Keeshan and Susan Sarkauskas at copsandcrime@dailyherald.com, or call our tip line at (847) 427-4483.