New Crusading CAPS Leader
By Sean Stillmaker in News on Jun 13, 2010 2:30PM
In Chicago, we know violence escalates in the hot summer months. Overall crime is down, but murders are slightly higher this year. The Chicago Police Department cannot alleviate the situation alone, community assistance is needed. The CAPS program is a 15-year-old unique outlet designed to open communication, partnerships and be a problem solving tool for residents and the police. Ron Holt, a 19-year Chicago police veteran, was recently chosen as CAPS director.
Holt became a community crusader after his 16-year-old son Blair was gunned down on a CTA bus in 2007. Since then, Holt co-founded Purpose Over Pain, an organization to support survivors of gun violence and help at risk youth. “I have to continue to work on his behalf and the dreams he had and instill those dreams, those hopes into other children,” Holt told the Sun Times.
The CAPS program has suffered from budget cuts with its staff reduced by 25 percent. Despite the challenges, the program is still advancing. The CAPS office in the 6th district implemented a new strategy for total block organization in its beats. The South Side district has been a hotspot for crime, but is relying on community involvement to help take back its streets.