March 30, 2011 – “You put milk out, you’re going to get cats.”

That wisdom was shared Tuesday evening by Kenneth Angarone, commander of the 18th police district that includes River North. He urged about 75 people attending a meeting of the River North Residents Association not to listen to their hearts when approached by a panhandler.

“I know…the people of River North…wish we could make this problem vanish overnight [but] it’s difficult.”

Angarone reminded the group that panhandling is not against the law. “Aggressive panhandling, however, is clearly against the law and we do make arrests everyday for that.”

Blocking someone’s path, grabbing onto clothes, and not taking “no” for an answer help panhandlers make the leap to aggressive panhandling. The next step, warns Angarone, is robbery. “It’s our position that it often turns into robbery or theft.”

According to Angarone, panhandlers cannot be at financial institutions, ATMs, or in the doorway of a store. “Most of them know this.”

One of the people fighting back against aggressive panhandling is Jim LoBianco, executive director of StreetWise, a social services agency and Chicago magazine about poverty and homelessness that is typically sold on the street by low-income vendors.

LoBianco, says Commander Angarone, has “a multi-faceted presentation” that includes approaching panhandlers himself, interviewing them and trying to place them with the agency. “And if that doesn’t work, if it’s someone who needs to be arrested, they’ll get arrested.”

A side effect of this effort, acknowledges Angarone, is an increase in StreetWise vendors. “My position on legitimate StreetWise vendors,” he says, “is that at least there’s some dignity. It’s better than aggressive panhandling.”

LoBianco (left), currently a member of Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel’s transition team, was the deputy commissioner of Chicago’s Office of Homeless Services until last August, when according to the Chicago Sun-Times, he resigned following a traffic accident in which charges against him were filed.

Crime down but keep an eye on your iPad

During the first quarter of 2011, crime in River North decreased “in most categories,” reported Angarone at Tuesday’s RNRA meeting at Erie Cafe. Compared to a year ago, there were fewer arrests for assault, battery, property damage, drugs, and prostitution.

But while thefts decreased 21 percent, robbery – taking property using violence or intimidation – is up. Items high on the wish list for thieves are electronic devices, particularly the Apple iPhone and iPad.

It happens mostly in restaurants and coffee shops. “People will set their iPad down and their mind will wander a little bit, attention be diverted and before you know it, the iPad is gone.”

And it happens fast. “You’ll see a person come in, posing as someone that sells maybe StreetWise newspaper and they’ll engage you in a very friendly, very polite conversation, very close to your face, though, in your space. And they’ll put their papers down on your device. They’ll typically end with ‘God bless you’ and pick up their papers, and you won’t notice right away but your device is gone.”

He says they are urging merchants not to allow StreetWise magazines to be sold inside their places of business.

Angarone also warned about people handing out flyers asking for donations to a basketball team. Typically, he says, the name of the team is “Raptors.” But it’s a scam. “I can tell you that unequivocally. There’s no such team.”

 Hear District 18 Police Commander Kenneth Angarone’s entire report (duration: 21:15)