Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights
In the Squad Room - Man on a Mission
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
Chief of Police Demitrous Cook at the first Deployment Meeting of 2019
It’s been quite a week for our new Chief of Police. On Wednesday, 1/2, he was introduced by City Manager Wally Bobkewicz, sworn in as Chief and hugged by his mother, all at Council Chambers in the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center. The next day, there he was in a chair at the front of the squad room once occupied over the course of 11 years by Richard Eddington. It was Cook’s first Deployment meeting as Chief of Police.
No stranger to the EPD, he served 27 years here, leaving as Deputy Chief before joining the Glenwood, Illinois Police Department as Chief of Police 8 years ago. It was clear from the easy exchanges and casual conversations that he probably knew half of the room’s occupants.
Something else was clear, too: on a mission to make citizens safe traveling to and from work or school, the joint forces of patrol, traffic, special operations and PST (Problem Solving Team) are about to be unified in addressing this common cause. Howard Street – from the CTA station to Ridge – is first. He’ll be there, he said, because he’s a police officer, too.
Now the rest of the news.
Weekly Crime Map
Click to enlarge
Deployment Meeting – January 03, 2019
Discussed at the meeting:
- Crime Analyst Ring highlighted four motor vehicle break-ins. Windows were smashed in two vehicles parked near Dodge and Davis between 12/28 and 12/29. Unlocked cars in an apartment parking lot in the 1500 block of Howard were burglarized on 12/31. NU’s Christmas break tends to attract crooks to the off-campus residential area where apartments in the 900 block of Gaffield and the 2000 block of Pratt Court were struck. (Note to anyone whose first floor window air conditioner hasn’t been removed for the winter: pushing it in is an easy way for burglars to break into your home.)
- Cops responding to a 9-1-1 call on 12/30 found a suspect and a victim at the scene of a shooting. Initially, the victim and two witnesses agreed to cooperate with police. Later the victim and witnesses withdrew their cooperation. And that’s a reason why some cases, even serious crimes, don’t result in criminal prosecutions.
- A victim withdrew $700 from an ATM around 1:15 PM at the Wells Fargo Bank in the 2200 block of Howard on 12/29 and was robbed at gunpoint.
- What, no Text-a-Tips? It was only a four-day deployment period (12/29 – 1/3) and maybe everyone was still in a holiday mood. No complaints. No hot tips.
- On 12/28, an offender broke into a church in the 2500 block of Central Park. Nothing appears to have been taken.
- By now, most of you know that Evanston resident James Collins was arrested on 12/23 for several knife-related incidents, including the stabbing of a dog on 11/23 and four other attacks. He was charged with felony counts of armed robbery, aggravated battery and animal cruelty.
- The Armored Car, hibernating for the past few weeks, may be back on the streets as long as the mercury remains above freezing.
- They were there: PST officers caught a little bit of a break from their packed schedules of events and meetings. They attended an OGA meeting at Gibbs-Morrison and met with the Cook County Housing Authority in reference to a local nuisance property.
The Week Ahead
- PST officers will attend 5th and 8th Ward meetings, along with patrolling Howard Street during morning and evening rush hours with their law enforcement brothers and sisters.
Inquiring Minds
What do I need to know about the new Illinois car seat law?
On January 1, 250 new Illinois laws will take effect. Here’s the one that’s likely to have the greatest impact on you and your family:
Children younger than 2 years old must ride in a rear-facing car seat. The only exception: if the child is taller than 40 inches or weighs more than 40 pounds. Under the previous Illinois law, parents or legal guardians were only required to provide approved child restraint systems while transporting their children under the age of eight. For complete details about the new law click here.
The change in law comes years after the Academy of Pediatrics recommended it in 2011. Studies show that children this age are 75% less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are riding rear facing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 80% of car seats are not used properly.
If the new law is violated, parents can face a $75 fine for a first offense, while second offenses can run up to $200.
Here in Evanston, we’re fortunate to have our own Certified Child Seat Technician, Reinaldo Rebollar, who installs, according to this recent ABC News story, about 500 seats a year.
If you’d like to schedule an appointment to have your car seat evaluated to comply with the new law, the friendly folks at 3-1-1 can hook you up.
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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