Gang Map Shows North Center, Roscoe Village as Home to Insane Deuces

While North Center and Roscoe Village are widely considered to be one of Chicago’s safest neighborhoods, a section of the neighborhood is tied to two gangs.

According to research by the Chicago Police Department, the city blocks bordered by West School Street to the north, North Wolcott Avenue to the east, North Oakley and North Clybourn avenues to the west and West Diversey Parkway to the south are home to the Insane Deuces, according to WBEZ’s interactive map. A section directly south east of that area encompasses the Black P Stones, the map indicates.

A recent “gang audit” looked at police statistics and talked with residents and gang experts to discover what gangs are present, where they hang out and who they’re currently in conflict with. While the results from the most recent gang audit have yet to be made fully public, WBEZ's map is based on information from 2010.

The Insane Deuces and Black P Stones are the only two gang territories in North Center, according to the map, but as Business Insider reports, nearby gangs, such as Lake View's Gangster Disciples, have been linked to more than a quarter of Chicago’s murders in 2012.

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Police Sgt. Beth Giltmier, formerly the sergeant for community policing with CPD’s 19^th District on Addison Street, said the epicenter of the gang problem on the North Side is around the corner of North Broadway and Wilson Avenue in Uptown.

However, she couldn't comment on what specifically CPD is doing to combat the problem so as not to give out too much detailed information.

“We can’t really show our hand on (what we’re doing to fight gangs) because that would defeat the point,” Giltmier said. “But we give it more attention than any other issues. … Any time you have any kind of gang activity, residents living there need to be aware of that.”

Giltmier says the 19^th district partners with police as far north as the 24^th district in Rogers Park to get a handle on gang-related crimes, and they recognize the area surrounding Belmont and Shefflied as a hot spot.

Commander Elias Voulgaris has even ordered more officers to patrol the area in an attempt to lower crime rates.

As for residents living near a territory, Giltmier said it’s incredibly important that they call 911 if they see any gang-related activates, or if a group simply looks intimidating. Whether someone sees a large gathering of suspicious looking people, an entire group wearing a similar color or people throwing out gang signs, call 911 right away.

CPD Chief of Organized Crime Nicholas Roti spoke with WBEZ after releasing the gang maps, and according to their report, releasing them to the public is considered a double-edged sword. While it helps area police and residents identify potential problem areas, he says it could be used for the wrong reasons.

"We don't want to either glorify a gang or maybe unintentionally cause a gang rift," Chief Roti told WBEZ. "You (a gang member) could look at a map and say, 'They got way more territory than us.'”

Check out the full map of Chicago on WBEZ’s website. 

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Editor's Note: This article was updated on Oct. 23.