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Violent
crime impacts the families of Evanston far too often. Despite the excellent work of the Evanston
Police Department, the City’s Youth and Young Adult Division and our partners
throughout the community, acts of violence continue. I am writing today to give you an update on
the City of Evanston’s efforts to combat violent crime and to ask for your help
and support of these efforts.
The
Evanston Police Department has responded to the recent upsurge of handgun violence
by forming a Gun Recovery Team comprised of officers extremely familiar with
the individuals participating in the armed conflict and with the neighborhoods
in which the violence has occurred. Working a minimum of eight hours per day, the Gun Recovery Team is
guided by the HEAT map, a compilation of shots fired and other gun-related
calls located within a square-mile grid. Its efforts are augmented by members of the Problem Solving Team and
Foot Patrol, who use the HEAT map to actively engage residents in the affected
area in knock-and-talks and who visit businesses, schools, parks and places of
worship to contact citizens who may have direct knowledge about gun-related
crime.
In
addition, the Police Department’s Gun Buyback Program now operates on a daily
basis in order to gain control of unwanted guns as quickly as possible. Reasons for a daily program include (1) unattended
firearms may fall into the wrong hands during a burglary to a home or into the
hands of children, often with tragic results; (2) it is unrealistic to expect
people to wait six months to relinquish an unwanted firearm; and (3) a daily
program is fiscally responsible, in that it involves no overtime.
Certainly
the community is safer when unwanted firearms are taken out of
circulation. For the reasons given, I
believe turning in unwanted firearms is a win-win for the program and for the
community. The Evanston Police Department
continues to collect unwanted guns every day. Please feel free to call 3-1-1 to arrange for a member of the Problem Solving
Team to finalize arrangements for transfer of a weapon to the department.
Active
law enforcement efforts are only part of the solution. Staff from the City’s Youth and Young Adult
Division work every day with young people who find themselves without jobs or
enrolled in post-high school education programs needing assistance. This past summer, the Mayor’s Summer Youth
Employment Program employed 550 Evanston youth, a 9 percent increase over 2014, with
over 20 unique Evanston employers. These staff members are not in offices in
the Civic Center, but instead are out in the community every day working one-on-one
with individuals. Division staff helps
these young people find jobs, enroll in education programs, and, in some cases, assists them in relocating from Evanston for a fresh start.
So
what can you do to help make Evanston a safer place? First, if you know of individuals involved in
criminal activities, let the Police Department know. So often I hear from residents that they know
the people committing violent crimes, but unless individuals come forward, criminal
charges cannot be filed against these offenders. Second, if you can help provide young
Evanston men and women jobs, let us know. Call 3-1-1 and ask to be connected to our Youth and Young Adult Division
staff. They will help put you in touch
with people who need jobs. Finally, make
sure you are getting the most up-to-date and accurate information about the City’s
efforts to combat violent crime. The
City sends regular updates via e-mail as well as on Facebook and Twitter. Sign up to get these updates. More information can be found at cityofevanston.org, or
by calling 3-1-1.
Keeping
Evanston safe is everyone’s business. Many of us are working every day to make sure Evanston remains a safe
place to live, raise a family, work and recreate. Please join me in these efforts.
Elizabeth
B. Tisdahl
Mayor
City
of Evanston
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