By Gary Jenkins
BAPA Safety Liaison
Meet the 22nd District’s Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy Officer, Kurrin Beamon. Officer Beamon has been at this position for four years. Part of her responsibilities include but, not are limited to, organizing and conducting clergy meetings, safety seminars and beat meetings.
From our first meeting, Officer Beamon’s energy and commitment to her work was immediately apparent. I have served as CAPS Beat Facilitator for Beat 2213 for about 12 years (I’ve lost track of how many!). In those years, the 22nd District has been blessed with very dedicated Beat Officers: Sgt. Hurley, Sgt. Lewis, Officer Northcross and now Officer Beamon.
Officer Beamon continues the fine work of her predecessors, and she has taken it to a new level. As BAPA’s Safety Coordinator, I have attended 22nd District Beat meetings in addition to the Beat 2213 meetings, and seen how Officer Beamon’s meetings are run in a very professional manner, both allowing for spirited conversations, and, more importantly, problem solving discussions. Officer Beamon is quick to remind attendees that the goal of the meetings is for the police and the community to work together to find solutions to problems in the community.
Officer Beamon has organized outdoor community events in areas of the district that have shown a spike in crimes. These events are designed to bring the community and the officers together in a social setting to forge better understanding, trust and communication. Officer Beamon utilizes social media platforms to help keep the residents of the 22nd District updated.
In her years at the 22nd District, Officer Beamon has worked seamlessly with both the 19th Ward office and BAPA, hosting security and safety seminars for residents and small businesses. These events have been popular and successful. among the most successful of these events is where residents and businesses are brought together with actual burglars to hear first–hand how to better protect their homes and businesses from break-ins.
