Hanover Park leaders try to tackle rise in violence

A spree of gang-related violence has Hanover Park residents on edge.

Three stabbings and two shootings - all involving teenagers - have taken place since mid-March. The latest came on Saturday, when 16-year-old Jesus Sanchez was gunned down a block from home.

A team of community leaders promise they're on top of it.

In response to two homicides last November, Hanover Park Mayor Rod Craig assembled a group of advisers representing police, schools, clergy, business and other agencies to address the increase in violent crime in his community.

The Public Safety Awareness Advisory Committee, as it's now known, is taking on the monumental task of identifying current shortfalls, coordinating resources and ultimately preventing crime.

"This young man getting shot and killed indicates to me we're headed in a direction we don't want to be going in," Craig said. "It's tragic to think people are uncomfortable just taking their dog out for a walk."

Craig believes Hanover Park's gang problem is in its infancy, and could escalate as gangs get more organized.

However, Sanchez's family said it's already prevalent - at least in their neighborhood. Two of the recent gang-related attacks were within two blocks of their home on the 7100 block of Mulberry Street.

"There's no point in denying that the gang problem is getting worse," said Sanchez's cousin, Jesus Jimenez of Streamwood. "Parents need to know the gangs are out there."

The Public Safety committee is in its formative stages and progress has been slow. The four meetings so far have mostly served as a dialogue so members could familiarize themselves with available resources and discuss how to proceed.

They'll meet again June 9, but the committee is reluctant to set a time frame for making recommendations.

"This is a complex equation and we don't even have a clear understanding of what's going on yet," Craig said.

The most tangible idea so far is to publish a community resource guide listing information on every agency and organization in the area from the health department to after-school programs. The committee has also discussed putting on a resource fair.

"We first need to communicate and get the word out so people know about services and make sure they're cheap and accessible," said Jim Barber, executive director of DuCap, which runs programs to keep kids out of trouble.

Another committee member is Jennie Swanson, pastor of Living Christ Lutheran Church in Hanover Park. She helped open the Hanover Park Resource Center in the church in part to serve the crime-ridden Tanglewood neighborhood. She reiterated that the group's function at this point is to build awareness about resources.

"It's vital we have a clear understanding of who's got computers, who can teach ESL or where we can hold a dance," Swanson said. "The next step is to get families on board with a program that will help us pursue the kind of community we want Hanover Park to be."

What that program will entail, no one really knows.

U.S. Rep Peter Roskam attended the first meeting and has subsequently sent a staff member to represent him. He said the group can be a successful tool to combat gang violence.

"Effectively reaching gang-susceptible youths is a daunting task and won't be solved overnight," Roskam said in a statement, "however, out-of-the-box thinking and strong collaboration are important first steps."

Craig hopes Roskam and state Rep. Fred Crespo, also on the panel, will be able to tap into resources at a state and federal level. For example, Roskam secured $175,000 for DuCap this fiscal year and has worked with the FBI's gang task force.

Crespo said the understaffed Hanover Park Police Department needs more manpower. The village will apply for a federal grant that would pay to hire three more officers.

Deputy Police Chief David Webb said the department acknowledges Hanover Park has "experienced some serious activity" of late, but pointed out the village in 2008 recorded its lowest crime rate since 1974.

"We don't see a growing gang problem," Webb said.

Police Chief Ron Moser was unavailable for comment.

The department's investigations unit recently conducted a school gang presentation in Spanish. And Greenbrook Elementary School Principal Tod Tecktiel, also a committee member, said police put on a seminar in March about gang awareness.

"They talked about what to look for, say if their kids are coming home with one pant leg rolled up or wearing certain colors," Tecktiel said.

Evelia Sanchez said her son used to get in trouble. Police are investigating the possibility his death was connected to an incident last year, in which Sanchez was expelled from Bartlett High School for stabbing another student. But since his expulsion, she saw him transform.

"He worked to become a different person, taking care of himself and his family," Evelia said in Spanish. "He told his two little brothers to stay in school and don't get involved in gangs."

In addition to being the family clown and an avid artist, Jimenez said his cousin was a talented goaltender for an Elgin league team. He hoped to get his GED or return to school in the fall.

Visitation for Jesus Sanchez will be held 3 to 9 p.m. Friday at O'Connor-Leetz Funeral Home, 364 Division St., Elgin. A funeral service will be held at noon Saturday at St. Ansgar Catholic Church, 2040 Laurel Ave., Hanover Park.