Sheriff to reopen Wood Street squadroom midyear

By Neal McKnight

New occupants of the closed 13th District city police station will be introduced to the community at the May 6 East Village Association meeting. A representative of Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart will answer questions about the Cook County Sheriff's central warrant unit.

Cmdr. Augie Fabela, leader of the warrant squad, tells EVA he is excited to be working in the neighborhood, and asks that community groups and residents continue a discussion with the sheriff's police. He wants the warrant unit to be more than the new tenant of the Wood Street station.

Fabela answered some questions about the squad, part of the sheriff's police Law Enforcement Operations division:

• There will be about 90 officers working out of 937 N. Wood St., split between two 10- hour shifts. This means there will be 40 to 45 cars working out of the building during each shift. Fabela does not anticipate the officers will use any parking other than on site and in areas previously reserved for police use.
• Prisoners will be brought to the building for questioning and for transfer to other facilities. No visitors will be allowed.
• The sheriff's police will not be patrolling, but Fabela feels that their presence will be a deterrent to crime. The commander also says that if his officers see a crime in progress they will respond. Burke will explain in detail the officers' duties in these situations.
• Shuttered since yearend, the building will require asbestos remediation and abatement. There was a delay in coordinating whether this work will be done by the city or the county. Fabela now anticipates work will be completed in about 60 days. Absent unknown conditions, the county will start using the building immediately after work is completed. Fabela has been working on these issues with the city and Ald. Proco Joe Moreno's office.

Also on Monday's agenda is a presentation from Mary McInerney of Nextdoor.com, a social network for neighborhood watch and community groups. EVA formed an East Village group on Nextdoor early last year.

Energy Impact Illinois, which last visited EVA in October, will give an update on its fuel-efficiency program. The meeting begins at 7pm in the Happy Village, 1059 N. Wolcott Ave.