UPDATE: Palatine Police Deal With Frequent Rand Grove Village Calls

In the 16 weeks that , the Palatine Police Department responded to 99 calls to the apartment complex at the 700 block of E. Rand Grove Village.

Palatine Police released the information in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Patch.

“That does have a high incident rate over there,” Palatine Police Cmdr. Kurt Schroeder said. “Different parts of town, different demographics, different income levels.”

According to a 2010 report prepared by the Village of Palatine’s Planning and Zoning Department, “The low- and moderate-income areas of Palatine have different characteristics than the Village as a whole. Those areas have a higher immigrant and minority population and lower household incomes.”

The planning and zoning department stated the most severe low and moderate income areas are in the northeastern corner of the Village. That is where Rand Grove Village is located at the 700 block of E. Rand Grove Lane. This area was annexed in the early 2000s, and is comprised of a large number of multi-family residences.

When Palatine annexed that area around and including Rand Grove Village, Schroeder said the Palatine Police Department had to hire more officers. “We reconfigured different beats and manpower,” Schroeder said, “We had to make some changes in staffing for that area.”

In 2010 the Planning and Zoning Department reported, “Survey responses from a variety of community service organizations have indicated concerns in this area related to crime, language barriers, and housing standards.”

According to Village of Palatine Community Development Block Grant Five-Year Consolidated Plan, Palatine has prioritized the allocation of funds within specific geographic areas. The projects the Village plans to support have been identified to improve living conditions in the lowest income areas of Palatine. The five-year action started in September of 2010 and is set for completion on August 31, 2014.

About half way through that plan, the Palatine Police Department is called out to the Rand Grove Village apartments on average, 6.2 times a week, that number is based of the number of reports from the last four months.

Schroeder said, “We will never consider doing anything but that no matter how many calls we get to one location or area.”

While many have pointed out and complained having that many officers repeatedly sent to the same location is a waste of tax dollars, Schroeder said he does not look at it that way. “There are some decent people in there trying to make a living, people who may have fallen on hard times.” Schroeder said, “We’re here for those people who are trying to better their living situation so they can live in peace.”

After the Schroeder said more officers are patrolling Rand Grove Village both on foot, on bicycle and in vehicles. “That area usually has increased patrols ad we just stepped it up a little bit since this instance,” Schroeder said.

Since then, Schroeder said they have not had any major incidences at the 700 block of E. Rand Grove Lane. Schroeder said, “It’s been fairly quite, but I guarantee it won’t stay that way.”

As for the Village’s five-year action plan to improve the area around Rand Grove Village, Schroeder said he could not comment on the progress that has been made thus far. The Commander said the Palatine Police Department along with the Gang and Tactical Unit is doing what it can to curb the violence out there by increasing patrols, working with the property managers at the complex and hosting community involvement events there.

According to Schroeder, the number violent crimes tends to spike in the warmer weather, “You see an uptick in the summer when people are outside more, when it starts to cool down the activity usually dies down until next spring. “

On Sunday, Aug. 19, Frazier was stabbed to death by a 22-year-old man who had sold him a pit bull nearly a year ago. Police said the 22-year-old man acted in self-defense and he has not been charged with a crime.

Police said the feud between Frazier and the man had been brewing over the last eight months. Schroeder also said that Frazier was known to police and had run-ins with the law. Frazier was on parole when the stabbing happened.