Gangs on notice in Antioch: Police deploy latest weapon
Gang bangers looking to deal drugs in Antioch have a new force to reckon with.
Antioch Police Chief James Foerster has created an elite team of crime fighters to combat an increasing level of drug trafficking in the village.
The nine-member Special Enforcement Team has been busy since going live this summer. The anti-gang unit has seized 3,682 grams of cannabis, 160 grams of cocaine, 24.4 grams of crack cocaine, nearly 30 grams of heroin, three cars and $5,000 in cash, Foerster said.
The need for the SET became apparent when intelligence from the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group found gang activity in Antioch had spiked to levels not seen in years.
"My eyes were opened in May of 2008," Foerster said. "Up to that point, I hadn't seen it as such an organized and large scale operation. I realized that gang bangers were coming here from other towns to deal drugs and recruit members."
Foerster said gang members from Zion, North Chicago, Round Lake, Chicago and other towns were active in the village.
The SET officers received specialized training from the U.S. Department of Justice on undercover drug investigations, issuing high-risk warrants and evidence collection among other tactics.
The unit focuses on the smaller cases and leaves the large-scale operations to MEG, Foerster said.
Without the SET, he explained, the smaller dealers would operate without much resistance. Being able to crack down on those criminals, at the same time MEG targets the bigger cases, will make for a more comprehensive response to illicit activity, he added.
The idea to form the SET came from Antioch Police Sgt. Craig Sommerville and Cmdr. Ron Nauman. The team was modeled after units in the Mundelein and Round Lake Beach police departments. Foerster said Sommerville and Nauman have been working closely with Mundelein Police Chief Ray Rose.
"Rose is the go-to-guy on this," he said.
The department has incurred some extra cost in forming the team. Foerster said there's been some overtime hours and a few thousand dollars for new equipment, but he added it's money well spent.
"It's a risks-versus-rewards kind of thing," he said. "It's definitely paid off."
At this point, the SET is a part-time operation. Foerster said he has to balance the workload of the new unit with their regular beat duties.
Mayor Larry Hanson lauded the team's efforts at a recent village board meeting. Hanson said the gangs now face a formidable adversary.
"We now clearly have the talent and manpower, trained and equipped to confront and neutralize gang and criminal activity in our community," Hanson said in a statement. "It's time we let the gangs know that if they come here, they'll find Sgt. Sommerville and SET here ready, willing and able to arrest, prosecute and convict them."