Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights

In the Squad Room - It Didn't Happen Here This Week

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

When Crime Analyst Ring describes the Crime Map as sparse and various shift commanders note a “very uneventful week”, you know it was a good one for those of us who live and work in Evanston.  Rising to the very top of reportable events were a garage burglary, a residential break-in, two motor vehicle burglaries and an aggravated assault. Details follow.

The worst of times: EPD and NU law enforcement both mentioned the appearance of stickers on light poles in various locations around the city and on campus from Patriot Front, a white supremacist group.  Divisive politics and the recent discovery of pipe bombs delivered to the addresses of national figures and the media mean that, even in communities like Evanston, law enforcement is focusing more attention on protecting local politicians.

This Week’s sparse Crime Map below reflects the dearth of criminal activity during the six-day period.

Now the rest of the news. 

Weekly Crime Map

Deployment Meeting – October 24 , 2018 

Discussed at the meeting:

• Homeless individual Zachary Spear managed to be charged with five offenses over a period of two days, from 10/22 to 10/23. He was charged with trespassing and theft at the same house of worship location in the 1500 block of Ridge two days in a row as well as retail theft.
• On 10/23, cops detected the unmistakable odor of cannabis in a routine traffic stop in the 1300 block of Simpson and found Evanson resident Jeremy Nicholson with 21 grams of weed and 2.5 grams of hudrocodone. He was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance.  
• Unlocked vehicles in the 2000 block of McDaniel and the 900 block of Wesley were the targets of burglars who made off with cash and office equipment. An unloocked garage in the 2300 block of Hastings resulted in the theft of a bicycle.
• Police responded to the scenes of three Shots Fired calls in the the 600 block of Hinman on 10/20, the 1700 block of Cleveland and the interescetion of Church and Brown on 10/22. All areas were checked; nothing was found.
• On 10/20, a dust up between domestic parnters in the 1700 block of Orrington resulted in damage to one of the couple’s vehicles. The victim stated that her partner pointed a weapon at her and then hit her car before driving away.
• Communications Coordinator Curt Kuempel noted these Text-a-Tips this week: loitering in Mason Park, a barking dog, a hit-and-run incident involving a parked car and a tip about the whereabouts of a wanted criminal.
• A burglar broke into an apartment in the 900 block of Washington on 10/19 and took jewelry, documents and a video recording device.
• Porch pirates are back at it; a package was taken from a single family home in the 2000 block of McDaniel.
• Events and meetings for the Problem Solving Team, events first: PST officers attended the Civics Fair at ETHS, facilitated a Project Bond session at Mason Park and conducted a Q&A at Northwestern. They also attended an 8^th Ward meeting, hosted a Citizen Police Academy class, met with residents of the Presbyterian Homes to discuss holiday scams and worked with Peer Services administrators to plan future trainings.
• Motorists continue to ignore the 25 MPH speed limit on Ridge. There were four accidents there this week.

The Week Ahead         

• Large crowds are expected for the 10/27 NU/Wisconsin football game. Kickoff is at 11 AM. Record crowds are also expected at the 11.3 matchup against Notre Dame.
• Upcoming events for the PST: Police Explorers, Project Birdge, 3^rd and 9^th Ward meetings, in additional to FAAM basketball at Fleetwood, a NU/Traffic and PST joint bike enforcement meeting, the next CPA session and the Wisconin/NU game this weekend

Inquiring Minds

Inquiring Minds: When can we expect to see the EPD’s response to the Lip Sync Challenge?

In early September, I spoke to Sgt. Charlotte Hunt about the gauntlet thrown down by former EPD Deputy Chief and current Lincolnwood Police Chief Jay Parrott.  You may remember that the Lincolnwood PD was challenged by the Skokie PD, the first among Evanston’s neighboring communities to participate in the ad hoc national public relations effort designed to cast, literally, law enforcement in a different light. Lincolnwood took the bait and at the conclusion of their video, Chief Parrott challenged Evanston and the 24^th District (Rogers Park) police departments.

The resulting EPD video, two months in the making (featuring local extras and some of the all-stars pictured above), is scheduled to make its debut in the next week.  Details are scant for outsiders like me, but here’s what I was able to extract from Commander Glew:

• The video has a seasonal theme. (Thanks a lot – with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching, that clue doesn’t reveal much.)
• There’s a twist that involves the greater, authentic world of entertainment. I guessed an appearance by one of Evanston’s notables – a Cusack, a Piven, maybe Eddie Vedder. I hypothesized that Ted Kazurinsky would reprise his role as Officer Sweetchuck from the Police Academy Movies. Commander Glew's only response was a smirk...ugh. 

The guessing will be over, maybe even by the time you read this.  Watch your email for an announcement and a preview link from the EPD.  Be prepared for an amazing display of talent along with a serious dose of chutzpah.

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.

Crime Reports

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.   Subscribe to Evanston’s Daily Crime Report by email or view the Monthly Crime Statistics that are reported on a yearly basis to the FBI.

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.

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.