1-Apr-10 – It may be the second largest police department in the nation, but for many River North residents, the face of the Chicago Police Department is Karen Wojcikowski. She is one of two officers assigned to a police beat that includes Marina City.

From the Chicago River north to Grand Avenue, and Wabash Avenue west to Orleans Street, this has been Wojcikowski’s beat for five years. She patrols the neighborhood, preferring a squad car, in the morning and early afternoon, handing off to Police Officer Edward Maras, who is often seen on foot.

Marina City is the hot spot, says Wojcikowski (pronounced “wo-jih-KOW-skee”).

“That’s like the Beat City,” she says. “It’s like a hub of everything that happens in that beat.”

The reason? House of Blues, the music venue at Marina City. “A lot of people like to be around that area.”

The venue has attracted notable artists. In 2009 alone, Grammy award winners Kings of Leon and Lady Gaga performed there, along with Grammy nominee Katy Perry. “They book these people and then they come in there and then they’re on the way up. It’s popular. House of Blues, everybody goes there and everybody knows that place.” Where the police actually get involved, of course, is when the party goes on too long for the largely residential neighborhood.

“Sometimes what happens with the House of Blues, you’ll get in there, like, a dance party that lasts to five in the morning. And you get a lot of people in there. It gets a little crowded, plus what they do is when they come out of there, then they roam into the Crimson Lounge and the Hotel Sax and they straggle along the street.”

Armed with a schedule of shows at House of Blues, officers have some warning of when the crowds might be big or up late.

“We actually have a group of police officers, they’re called the Entertainment Detail. And they start at 11 o’clock. And then they’re assigned to different places in the area.”

Notice fewer ticket scalpers?

Thank Wojcikowski for that. HOB did attract its share of scalpers, people who buy tickets and then resell them outside a venue.

“Ticket scalpers – we used to have a problem with them. They’d sit over there by Bin 36. I make it my business to be over there. So I go over there and I’ll park the squad car by Marina City and I’ll walk along there to make sure that they’re gone.”

Aggressive panhandlers are not welcome, either. Police Commander Kenneth Angarone has called aggressive panhandling “an attack on our lives and property here in the 18th district.”

“We don’t tolerate the panhandlers,” says Wojcikowski, who invites the nickname “Wojo.” “Even the shoe shine guys that hang out by Harry Caray’s, I make it my business to [chase away] those guys and tell them, look, you don’t come back. I warn them one time. I say, ‘I see you again over here, you’re gone. You come back, you’re going to jail.’”

How Wojo sees the neighborhood

In the early 1990s, an effort called CAPS – Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy – got underway with the goal of bringing communities, police, and other city agencies together to prevent crimes rather than react to them after they happen.

One of the ideas was to increase police presence with officers who are assigned to a specific neighborhood.

With her current assignment lasting more than five years, Wojcikowski has seen enough of River North to know the issues are not as severe as other parts of Chicago. Closer to Merchandise Mart, she says the biggest problem is burglar alarms going off unassisted by any actual burglars.

“There hasn’t really been a lot of problems,” she says. “We’ve taken care of problems in the past. There used to be a lot of problems but not so much anymore. It’s changed.”

Statistics suggest that the Near North neighborhoods are relatively safe from violent crime, but still see their share of trouble. In 2008, the 18th police district had an estimated population of 110,995 and 9,499 crimes were reported, or one crime for every 11 residents. Perhaps not as safe as the 16th District in the northwest corner of Chicago, with one crime for every 36 residents, but the 1st District south of the Loop had one crime reported for every four residents in 2008.

The work day for Wojcikowski begins at 5:30 a.m. Her favorite part of the beat is a 15-minute break at Gene & Georgetti’s, the steakhouse on North Franklin Street. It was one of her tips when interviewed recently by The Travel Channel. A segment called “Arresting Tips” will air in June.

“It was really cool. We had a great time. We explored the neighborhood. They actually asked me questions about the beat, what goes on and what I like about the beat.”

Next week: Officer Maras (Left) Chicago police badge (with number obscured) from the web site of a collector. (Above) Police Officer Karen Wojcikowski, photographed by Officer Andy Barrezueta at the 18th District police station on North Larrabee Street.