Seated at a table by the window, Jaconetti recalls how he became a policeman in the 1960s. As he talks, people wave to him from the sidewalk. A few come in to chat and shake his hand. The young people working in Zoom also take time to talk with Jaconetti. Walking the streets of Wicker Park and Bucktown, which the foot patrolman has been doing for the past 25 years, Jaconetti gets a similar reaction.
Several people honk and wave as they drive past.
Business owners seek out Jaconetti to tell him about recent drug dealing activity and where homeless people have been sleeping on rooftops. This is the kind of policing that Jaconetti preaches about - getting into the neighborhoods, talking to the residents, distinguishing the good guys from the bad guys. Jaconetti still uses those words - good guys and bad guys. Today, Wicker Park and Bucktown is filled with a mix of people and cultures. Standing at any corner, one is as likely to see African-Americans, Hispanics or young, white men wearing all black and an earring.