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Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights

In the Squad Room - Focus on Commercial Burglaries

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. 

In what was characterized as a relatively quiet week for crime in Evanston, the EPD has focused its attention on the six commercial burglaries that have taken place in the last month. The most recent happened on 4/2 when a crook forced entry into the Wheel and Sprocket bike shop in the 1000 block of Davis by breaking the front door glass just after midnight and fleeing the scene on a red Trek electric bicycle.  The offender was described as a male wearing dark clothes and gloves. 

Previous burglaries included a car wash in the 2200 block of Green Bay on 3/18 and 3/1, a restaurant in the 700 block of Main on 3/13, a restaurant in the 1500 block of Sherman and a gas station in the 2300 block of Dempster, both on 3/5. Police do not believe that the crimes are connected.  Additional patrols are being deployed during the early morning hours when the burglaries have occurred.  

The EPD is also inviting businesses to contact the Problem Solving Team at 847 866-5018 to schedule a security survey.   

Now the rest of the news.  

Deployment Meeting – April 4, 2018

Past Week:

• Chicago resident Preston Gresham was taken into custody at Cook County Jail on 4/4 by EPD detectives for the 1/22 attempted and armed robberies of two businesses on 1/22.  Cops solved the case by interviewing witnesses, reviewing video and analyzing physical evidence.
• Good results from the 3/28 Tobacco Compliance Check: There were no violations among the 30 merchants. How do they do it? The EPD, with the permission of their parents, sends youth aged 16-19 to specific retail operations in an effort to purchase tobacco products.
• The Evanston Substance Abuse Prevention (ESAP) Coalition in partnership with the Evanston Police Department visited retail liquor establishments and other concerned businesses on 4/5 to hang posters, place decals on cooler doors, post bottle tags on alcohol packaging and distribute coasters reminding patrons of the risks when purchasing alcohol for minors.
• Crime Analyst Ring noted a pocket of car break-ins – all of the vehicles were unlocked – on the south side of Evanston.  There were six last week.
• PST officers were there: ALICE training at Chute and Dewey, Police Explorers, Citizen Police Academy, Destiny Bridge and OGA sessions along with assistance at Evanston’s First Annual Marshmallow Drop. And on that subject...
• There was a massive turnout – as many as 2000 kids and parents according to some reports – for Evanston’s first Marshmallow Drop.   
• In just three weeks, EPD officers have issued over 250 citations for traffic violations on Ridge.  Most of these were for speeding. On a more positive note, there was just one traffic accident during the same period.
• On 3/29, Skokie resident Terrell Wright was charged with UUW (Unlawful Use of a Weapon) and PCS (Possession of a Controlled Substance) when EPD and SPD officers found a loaded Smith & Wesson semi-automatic weapon and 11 hydrocodone pills in executing a search warrant.
• Assistant Communications Coordinator Kuempel noted five Text-a-Tips during the week.  They included two dogs off leash complaints, a report of possible drug activity, a parking complaint and a report of al fresco sexual activity in a residential alley. 

Looking Ahead:·

• Deputy Police Chief Parrott, a 26-year veteran of the EPD who most recently managed the department-wide implementation of the body-worn camera initiative, has been named Lincolnwood Police Chief. Hail and farewell, D.C Parrott.
• The rumors were true: Canal Shores Golf Course (formerly the Peter Jans Community Golf Course) will be the locus for several outdoor concerts this summer.  Unlike Ravinia, there’s no BYOB but the city has OK’d food and beverage sales on site.  This is also true: Mavis Staples is on the bill!
• On the calendar for the Problem Solving Team: A Community Walk and a Youth Empowerment event at the Levy Center.   They continue to focus on Beats 77 and 78 (Howard Street and the Fifth Ward) as well as the downtown area for homeless and panhandling complaints.  They’ve also been called into service to address the leash low scofflaws along the lakefront. And support Animal Warden Rose.

Inquiring Minds:  Given the increase in commercial burglaries over the last month, what can a business do to protect itself from being burglarized?" The answer this week comes from Perry Polinski, who is not only the City’s 9-1-1- Communications Coordinator, but this week’s ITSR editor and the expert I tapped to answer this question.  (Homeowners and residents, some of these apply to you, too.)  Have a functioning alarm system. Keep some lights turned on after hours. Use deadbolt locks on exterior doors. Secure your keys. Make sure all keys are signed for and turned in when an employee leaves your business. Make bank deposits frequently, but avoid a discernible pattern. Empty cash register drawers and leave them open where law enforcement and potential crooks can see them.  Keep any cash left on the premises after hours hidden and secure.  Securely anchor your safe. Consider installing video cameras in or outside the premises. Illuminate all entrances to your business. Call 9-1-1 immediately and provide a detailed description of any suspicious persons including any vehicle description and license plate information. Before closing for the day, check hiding places like bathrooms, closets and storage areas. Trim trees and shrubs around entrances. Secure skylights and windows. Be aware that there has been an increase in the number of commercial burglaries over the last month and notify other businesses. If you’ve been the victim, keep in mind that burglars like familiarity and will strike the same establishment more than once. It happened here just last month.   Finally – contact the Problem Solving Team at 847 866-5018 to schedule a security survey.

Please keep your questions coming.  Send them to Commander Ryan Glew 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.

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..   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.