In the Squad Room - Safety and Security for
Everyone
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.
Nice, not naughty - area cops at Toys for Tots Event
Chaplain Joey Rodger of the EPD Clergy Team was present at
this week’s meeting to explain, as frigid weather approaches, the services that
are available to Evanston’s homeless population. Connections for the Homeless coordinates soup
kitchens and shelters at rotating locations, most of them houses of worship
throughout the city. She distributed
information that shift commanders can share with their officers to provide
assistance and resources to Evanston’s homeless community when the mercury dips
below 15 degrees.
On 12/2 around 4 PM, the EPD responded to the report of a
person struck by a CTA train at the Foster station. The CTA Purple Line was
shut down for several hours as the EFD worked to remove the decedent who was
pinned under the train. The Cook County Medical Examiner ruled the death a suicide.
Drunk driving was the cause of a rollover accident when a
sedan struck two parked vehicles in the 900 block of Asbury in the early
morning hours of 12/3. The driver’s car
caught fire and the EFD was also called to the scene. The driver of the car, a Skokie resident,
fled the scene but was later apprehended by the EPD and taken to Presence St.
Francis Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Now the rest of the news.
Deployment Meeting – December 8, 2016
Past Week:
- A garage burglary in the 2700 block of Ridge on 12/5 resulted
in the theft of a 2012 Acura. In two
other incidents – one in the 1600 block of Dobson on 12/2 and the other on 12/3
in the 300 block of Wesley, nothing appears to have been taken.
- Colder temperatures (or good police work) may have deterred vehicle burglars
cruising city streets at night. There was only one incident in the 900 block of
Greenleaf in which a car window was broken to steal a purse and its contents on
12/1.
- There were two residential burglaries, the first on
11/29 when an offender forced entry through a rear door of a residence in the
2400 block of Ridge and ransacked several rooms. Jewelry was reported missing. A family was asleep on 11/30 when a burglar
gained entry through an unlocked door of a residence in the 1200 block of
Elmwood and made off with jewelry.
- On 12/3, EPD officers responded to a Shots Fired call
at 8:24 AM in the 1300 block of Hartrey.
According to the caller, four shots were fired by a person wearing a ski
mask.
- According to Sergeant Tracy Williams, Traffic will be
focusing attention on area schools in response to complaints about drivers
ignoring school zone rules when
picking up kids after dismissal.
- Curt Kuempel reported three Text-a-Tips over the past
week. These included the report of
suspicious activity, possible drug dealing and aggressive panhandling.
- They were there: PST officers attended a seniors meeting at Fleetwood-Jourdain
on 11/30, a meeting at the Friendship Baptist Church on 12/2, led instruction
on The Law and Your Community at
Family Focus on 12/5 and the 1st Ward meeting at the EPL on 12/6.
Looking Ahead:·
- PST officers will continue to focus on Beats 77 (north central
Evanston) and 78 (Howard east of Asbury). They will also conduct a station tour
for a group of Cub Scouts on 12/13.
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Inquiring Minds: Here is a follow-up
question, based on last week’s queries about situations in which citizens must
provide identification to police officers.
It comes from reader M.N.:
Citizens are asked to provide information. Are police required to provide their names
when asked?
I was pretty sure I knew the
answer to this one, but I asked PST Commander Brian Henry anyhow. So here it is: Yes, officers are required to
state their names when asked.
Most of the time this isn’t
necessary because cops, unless they’re working undercover, wear a name badge
that bears their surname. And if you’re
unlucky enough to receive a citation, the issuing officer’s name will be
clearly indicated. (Ditto if you file a
police report as I did recently when someone hit my car and left the
scene.) I wondered about asking for an
officer’s badge number, but Commander Henry indicated that they do provide their badge number, but it’s more popular in
the movies than in the real world. And
by the way, there’s isn’t a single episode in Dragnet where Sergeant Joe Friday says, “Just the facts, ma’am.”
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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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The Fall 2016 12-week Citizen Police Academy recently 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 Spring class which usually begins in early March.
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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