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Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights

In the Squad Room - Cops Trip Up gun-toting Criminals

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. 

Detective Mike Endre nailed it when he said, “This week’s crime map makes it look like a quiet week with with just a few incidents.  But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a lot going on.” Icons on the week’s crime map were sparse, indicating one stolen car, one residential burglary, one armed robbery and one commercial burglary.

On the other hand, the big headline for the week was the recovery of handguns on 12/12 and 12/13.  The first one was yet another case of social media self-incrimination when NET (Neighborhood Enforcement Team) detectives watched an Evanston gang member live-streaming a video of himself and four other known gang members driving around Evanston flashing a handgun.  Detectives located the suspect vehicle parked in the 800 block of Clark.  Everyone except the driver fled the vehicle, but the four passengers were ultimately apprehended. Evanston resident Stephen Adams tripped and fell, dropping a Glock .40 caliber handgun.   All five were taken into custody.   Adams was charged with a felony and two misdemeanors.  Passenger James Johnson, also of Evanston, was charged with Unlawful Contact with a Street Gang Member, a misdemeanor.

Proving it was a bad week to try to flee from the police, Terrell Wright, also of Evanston, was charged with a felony and a misdemeanor when he fled from a car that had been stopped at 1:40 AM on 12/13 for a traffic violation in the 2300 block of Bradley Place.  He attempted to ditch the Glock .40 caliber handgun around the same time he fell in the snow trying to elude the cops in the 900 block of Pitner.  Police also recovered 4 grams of weed as they were processing Wright at EPD headquarters.

 Now the rest of the news.  

Deployment Meeting – December 14, 2016

Past Week:

• On 12/7 a 5 year old who resides in the 1200 block of Harvard Terrace was brought into St. Francis ER with injuries indicative of possible child abuse.  DCFS and juvenile detectives investigated the case and as a result, the father was charged with Felony Domestic Battery to a child. 
• On 12/11, an individual was reported as unresponsive in the 1900 block of Jackson due to a heroin OD.  EFD was able to revive the victim who was taken to Evanston Hospital, treated and released.
• An auto body shop in the 2300 block of Main was burglarized between 12/10 and 12/12, when a window was broken to gain entry. Welding equipment was stolen.
• On 12/11 around 7:15 PM, three individuals robbed a victim of his iPhone and wallet in the 1000 block of Foster.  A short time later, the offenders used the victim’s credit card to order a pizza.   The offenders were identified by the pizza delivery person.  Detectives are currently working the case and have several concrete leads on the suspects.
• There was an attempted robbery on 12/12 around 11 PM near Jackson and Simpson.  Two males approached the subject and indicated that they had a weapon.  The victim took off running and managed to elude the crooks.
• A 2015 Ford Escape was stolen in the 800 block of Hinman on 12/12.  All vehicle keys were accounted for by the owner.
• Curt Kuempel reported two Text-a-Tips over the past week.  The first was a report of possible drug sales in an alley near the tipster’s residence and the second one, according to Kuempel, was a bogus report of a domestic disturbance in Oak Lawn.  All tips are followed up by the EPD, or in this case, departments of other jurisdictions.
• Of note to Evanston residents as it relates to Snow Emergencies: 116 vehicles were towed when the snow fell on 12/10 and 12/11.  In the days following, another 412 vehicles were removed.  Not sure what to do in snow emergencies?  Click here.
• They were there: PST officers read stories to kids at the Child Care Center of Evanston on 12/8, assisted with the Christmas tree lighting at Fountain Square on 12/9, conducted station tours for two Cubs Scouts troops on 12/13 and attended the 5th Ward meeting on 12/15.
  

Looking Ahead:·   

• PST officers will continue to focus on Beats 77 (north central Evanston) and 78 (Howard east of Asbury). On 12/16, they’ll assist with the Mayor’s Food and Toy Drive at Fleetwood from 8-10 Am and 3-6 PM.
• Sergeant Tracy Williams announced that IDOT’s Click It or Ticket/Drive Sober of Get Pulled Over campaign will begin 12/16 and run through 1/2. 
• There are no anticipated street closings for New Years Eve’s First Night Evanston.  Food trucks will not be present this year and activities will center in the area around Raymond Park.  For more information, click here.

Inquiring Minds:  What happens to weapons that are seized by the police? The answer to this week's question came from the EPD property office.  Weapons seized by the police are destroyed according to standards set by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.   They are not sold or returned to use. When they are destroyed is dependent upon the status of criminal investigations as well as a city ordinance that requires firearms seized by the police to be kept for a minimum of two years.   For example, guns that are connected to court cases are held until the case is disposed. Weapons are melted down and a certificate is issued indicating that the gun was destroyed according to ATF requirements. In the last destruction, EPD melted down 181 firearms.

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.

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.

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.

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.