Article by: Ariel Cheung
“LAKEVIEW — Making good on a pledge made in its bid for Central Lakeview money, the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce is hiring private security to patrol two major thoroughfares in the neighborhood.
Last week, the chamber posted separate requests for security service proposals for both Central Lakeview and Lakeview East.
The private security firm or firms would patrol the Wrigleyville entertainment district along Clark and Halsted Streets, the area around the Belmont “L” station, North Broadway and the southern Lakeview portions of Halsted Street and Sheffield Avenue.
Particularly with the Belmont “L” station, these densely populated areas have heavy foot traffic — and higher concentrations of crime in Lakeview. Crime in the neighborhood rose about 5 percent last year compared to 2015, with sharp spikes in robberies and burglaries that have even Town Hall Cmdr. Marc Buslik concerned.
The chamber declared last year that creating a security plan for the area around the Belmont “L” station was “No. 1 on our plate,” according to Maureen Martino, the chamber’s executive director.”
