In the Squad Room - Support from Grateful
Residents
Every week, Linda Hansen attends the Evanston Police Department’s Deployment Meetings, takes notes on various topics and writes about other police-related matters of interest to ordinary citizens like her.
Many thanks to John
The
one thing civilians learn when dealing with the police is that they don’t find
doughnut jokes very amusing. They’ve heard them all. Even so, they’re not immune (and neither was
I) to the irresistible appeal of assorted varieties there in the Squad Room,
courtesy of anonymous resident John, who also left a kind note saluting cops,
firefighters and other first responders who risk their lives to protect
strangers. There were also several other residents and businesses who generously provided cards, flowers and goodies throughout a tough week in law enforcement.
With
the exception of a spate of offenses involving juveniles, it was a pretty quiet
week for crime in Evanston. In one notable incident, cops were called to a
scene where they retrieved a starter pistol on 7/6 from a teen in the 2000
block of Grey. Detectives
pointed out that the “prop” gun, a semi-automatic with two magazines, could
easily be mistaken – by anyone - for a
lethal weapon. The Crime Analyst addressed several garage and
residential burglaries; all of them north of Emerson and most involving
unsecured properties.
Now the rest of the news.
Deployment Meeting – July 13, 2016
Past Week:
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On 7/8 at 2:30 AM, Chicago resident Gervase Pruett was arrested for
attempting to break into a drive-in restaurant with a hammer. He was charged
with Criminal Damage to Property.
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Evanston residents Mario Hatfield and Devin Wilson were apprehended on
7/9, one day after eluding cops in a stolen Hyundai they were driving. They were charged with Criminal Trespass to
Vehicle; Wilson was also charged with Possession/Intent to Deliver for 66 grams
of cocaine he was carrying.
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There were three residential burglaries in 7/9 in the 900 block of
Gaffield, the 2200 block of Maple and the 2200 block of Ridge. Consumer electronics – game consoles,
headphones, and computers – were taken at all three locations. In two of the
burglaries, the offender gained entrance through windows, one unlocked and in
the other; a window air conditioner was removed. In that incident, the resident confronted the
crook and was able to provide a description to the police. Cops have a suspect
in mind.
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They where there: PST officers attended the Thursday Night Live event
on 7/7, presented a safety talk at Lincolnwood School on 7/8, monitored the
peaceful protest at Fountain Square on 7/9, the Food Truck Festival at Brummel
Park on 7/12 and … handed out two tickets for bikes on sidewalks downtown. They continue to monitor the downtown areas
and parks for homeless complaints, hotspots for gang activity and nuisance
properties for ordinance violations.
-
Owners of SUVs beware: it’s the time of year when catalytic converters
are being stolen. There was one on 7/7
in the 100 block of Clyde. Good idea to park your car in the garage rather than
on the street if you can.
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At 10PM on 7/10, an offender displayed a weapon and robbed a sandwich
shop in the 1500 block of Sherman of $1500 in cash.
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Bicycle thieves made off with two locked bikes, one on 7/5 from a bike
rack in the 800 block of Church and another on 7/11 from a bike rack in the 600
block of Lake. A third, unsecured, was
stolen on 7/11 from school grounds in the 1500 block of Wesley.
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Two cars were stolen during the deployment period, both on 7/12 – a
Nissan Pathfinder and a Dodge Caravan. Detectives pointed out that several of
Evanston’s vehicles have been stolen by Chicago teens. They were later recovered
on the far south side. An additional
danger is that fleeing juveniles often drive the stolen cars at a high rate of
speed. …
Looking Ahead:
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Mark your calendars for the next ”Coffee with a Cop”. It’s on Friday, 7/22 from 9-11AM at Berry
Pike Café, 1100 Davis. Hang out with a
couple of PST officers and enjoy a cup of Joe.
-
The ‘Armored Car’ location for the upcoming week: 1700 block of Dodge.
- PST officers will be on hand at the Evanston Farmers Market on 7/16 and
the Starlight Concert in Mason Park on 7/19 when gospel quartet The Victory
Travelers will perform from 7-8:30 PM.
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Inquiring Minds: Here
is a question from reader H.A.
I always wondered - what's
the benefit of having officers on motorcycles (besides looking awesome). Is
there something about their maneuverability or visibility?
The
answer comes from Traffic Sergeant Tracy Williams: “The Evanston Police
Department's first police motorcycle was acquired in 1908. (Editor’s note: The Evanston Police Department
is thought to be the first in Illinois to have a motorcycle and a motorcycle
cop.) We currently have seven 2016 Harley-Davidson Road Kings in operation.
The
members of the traffic enforcement bureau use them on a daily basis. In
addition to traffic enforcement, the ‘motors’ are regularly assigned to handle
various traffic escorts, funeral details, parades and dignitary escorts. The
maneuverability of the police motorcycles allows the officers to get in and out
of heavy traffic events (such as Northwestern Big Ten games).
The
police department takes great pride in making sure that our officers are proficient
on these vehicles. All motor officers are certified and receive yearly training
by two Harley Davidson/Northwestern University Center for Public Safety instructors. They also train throughout the year with members of the Northern Illinois Motor Officers Association.”
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Please keep your questions coming. Send them to Commander Joe Dugan and we’ll do our best to get you the answers. If you put In The Squad Room in the subject line, they’ll find their way to me.
 The ON-GOING GUN BUYBACK
PROGRAM allows Evanston residents to turn in an operational firearm to
police at any time in exchange for $100. Residents can utilize this
service by calling 311 or the Evanston Police Department
non-emergency line at 847-866-5000. A police officer will pick up the unwanted
firearm at the resident's address and present the resident with a voucher that
can be exchanged for $100 at the city collector’s office located in the Morton
Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.
Firearms should not be brought to
the police department, unless prior approval has been granted from a supervisor at the police department. An officer will call the resident after a request is
made for the officer to come to a person's residence and retrieve the firearm.
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 What would you like to know about what the Evanston Police Department is doing to fight crime? Let us know if you have specific questions or concerns about issues in your neighborhood. Submissions are always welcome at police@cityofevanston.org or by calling the community strategies bureau at (847) 866-5019.
If you’d like to receive Evanston’s Daily Crime Report by email, you can subscribe here or view the Monthly Crime Statistics that are reported on a yearly basis to the FBI by clicking here.
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Congratulations to the Spring 2016 12-week Citizen Police Academy who graduated. If you would like to learn more about the Evanston Police Department, take an active role in Community Oriented Policing and join the ranks of over 900 graduates since 1995, please visit the Citizen Police Academy webpage and enroll now for the Fall class which usually begins in early September.
There is no cost to anyone who lives or works in Evanston. Getting to know your police force is essential in reducing crime, building trust in the community and serving the needs of the community.
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The
weekly deployment report is an informational bulletin prepared by a community
member that keeps citizens informed about what police do on a weekly basis.
Information contained in this report is not to be considered as a media/press
release. Any information considered by a media source from this bulletin needs
to be verified by an official from the department. This can be done by
contacting the media line at 847-866-5026.
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