Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights
In the Squad Room - Not So Fast
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.
This Week's Highlights
 The speed of an Alfa on a test drive in the 300 block of Sheridan
I am a law-abiding citizen who almost always observes
the speed limit in spite of aggravating the passengers in my car or other
drivers, but even I have to admit
it’s easy to see my speedometer creep up to 30 on Ridge. Like most motorists here, I’m adjusting to the
new 25 MPH limit. However, the driver who, according to police, was “flying
down the 300 block of Sheridan Road” on 7/25 probably didn’t have a convenient
explanation for driving 66 MPH in a 30 MPH zone. He was charged with a Class A misdemeanor.
According to Sergeant Tracy Williams, 29 tickets
were issued by about 4 PM during Illinois Speed Awareness Day on 7/25.
According to research, 34.2% of traffic fatalities in Illinois are attributable
to speeding.
The real headline this week: Burglars Attempt to
Break Into Shops and Stores in Five Suburbs. On 7/21 and 7/22, rocks were thrown through
windows in two commercial establishments, one on the 500 block of Main and the
other in the 2600 block of Prairie. Nothing
appears to have been taken at either location.
Skokie, Morton Grove, Niles and Lincolnwood police reported similar
incidents, with evidence that suggests a link.
There were also five residential burglaries, all
involving unlocked doors and windows, along with burglaries to two unlocked
vehicles.
Now the rest of the news.
Weekly Crime Map
Click to enlarge
Deployment Meeting – July 25, 2018
- On 7/24, police were called to St. Francis Hospital where an individual
was reported with gunshot wounds he received in the 1600 block of Juneway. The
victim is in serious condition. Detectives are working with the CPD.
- Cops answering a Man With a Gun call on 7/19 near Green Bay and Central
were able to locate a juvenile with a pellet gun. Pellet guns, by the way, are
used for target practice and hunting of pests and small game. They’re considered more dangerous than BB
guns and are often designed to look like their more lethal cousins. The next day, 7/20, a caller informed police of a person showing another
individual a weapon in the truck of a car near the 1400 block of Emerson. Police at the scene determined that it was a
BB gun.
- The data is searchable 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The system is
in the process of being replaced by the Next Generation Identification (NGI)
which can include more biometrics like palm prints, irises, and facial
recognition.
- Detectives noted that three residential burglaries during the week were
all clustered in Beats 72 and 73. Burglaries and attempted burglaries took
place in the 600 block of Ridge, the 400 block of Dempster, the 1220 block of
Hinman. There were also burglaries to
homes in the 2100 block of Hartrey and the 200 block of Ridge. On 7/22, Evanston resident Anthony
Munsey-Johnson, 18, was arrested for the attempted burglary of a residence in
the 700 block of Sheridan. He was placed on electronic monitoring.
- Officer Howard shared the recap of PST activities: Meetings including a
5th Ward meeting where officers presented updated crime stats and
participated in a Q&A, led ALICE training at District 65 and proposed a
fitness-oriented community engagement program. They monitored the Farmers
Market, attended the Outdoor Roll Call at Betty Washington’s Block Party and
kicked off the weeklong Youth Citizen Police Academy.
- NUPD reported teens stealing bikes on campus.
- There were two car thefts during the period; on 7/19, a key was used to
steal a 2013 Nissan in the 800 block of Hamlin and on 7/22, a 2000 Toyota was
taken by unknown means in the 1600 block of Washington.
- In addition to the early results of Illinois Speed Awareness Day,
Sergeant Williams reported the non-life threatening injuries of an EPD traffic
cop on the job in a collision that occurred near Oakton and Ridge on 7/25.
The Week Ahead
-
Planning is underway for a series of EPFF (Evanston
Police Fire Foundation) events. Stay
tuned for ways you can help to support this organization.
-
Look for the Problem Solving Team at the Thursday
Night Live concert and the Farmers Market. National Night Out meetings continue
for the 8/7 events. By the time you read this, they will
have attended the 5th Ward meeting.
The Outdoor Roll Call was at Florence and Crain on 7/21.
Inquiring Minds
My adult daughter is getting
fingerprinted as part of a background check for a part-time tutoring job this
fall. I know that DNA collected from
ancestry sites have been used to identify suspects in homicide cases. Are fingerprints from background checks
shared with the FBI or other law enforcement organizations?
 The
answer to this question came from Review Officer De La Rossa in the Records Bureau. Here’s what I found out:
The
database that is used for background checks in Illinois is maintained by the
Bureau of Identification, a department within the Illinois State Police (ISP). Fingerprints
are submitted through a third party vendor; in Illinois, the licensed service
is LiveScan. The resulting check provides information regarding an individual’s
criminal history and is limited to convictions.
Other
infractions, such as arrests without conviction, are disseminated exclusively
to law enforcement agencies or those with an agreement with the Illinois State
Police (ISP). Not, for example, potential employers. A background check of the
questioner’s daughter’s fingerprints will only indicate if she was convicted of
a crime.
The
ISP maintains separate databases for employment background check fingerprints
(as in this example) and criminal fingerprints.
Fingerprints submitted
for background checks are not accessed for criminal investigations or shared
with the FBI.
Gun Buyback Program
 The Ongoing 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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Crime Reports
Citizen Police Academy
 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.
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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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