Shorewood

“In the village of Shorewood, we don’t have a gang problem,” said Shorewood Police Chief Robert Puleo. “We aren’t experiencing those types of problems.” He said a village free of gang activity is probably due to the small size of the village.

About 15 to 20 years ago there were some gang members who lived in the village, but not any more, he said. The village as has seen graffiti written in various locations, but that officials attribute kids expressing themselves, he said.

Puleo also said that the village strongly enforces its no trespassing and curfew laws, which helps to keep down potential activity.

Joliet

The combat gang activity in Joliet, the Joliet Police Department is applying for a smart policing grant through the U. S. Department of Justice. It’s a grant that will enable police to partner with the Will County Sheriff’s Department, Will County Probations Department and Loyola University in Chicago.

Joliet Chief of Police Fred Hayes said that one of the major impacts on gang activity in the area is seeing older, more seasoned gang members returning to the street and bringing with them criminal behavior from prison.

“We think that there is a direct correlation to repeat offenders,” said Hayes. “Older gang members try to bring their culture of violence to the street,” he said. “They direct younger people to do their dirty work.”

The smart grant will enable the departments to improve their communications, so that the probations department will inform Joliet police when certain individuals are released from prison, and Loyola University will assist in monitoring the program.