Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights
In the Squad Room - Residential Burglary Task Force
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
It hasn’t risen to the level of a crime wave, but, in addition to tamping down criminal activity on Howard Street, Chief Cook is turning his attention to residential break-ins, including those that have occurred most recently in condos and apartment building in south Evanston.
The off-campus neighborhoods where NU students rent apartments are prime targets for burglars, too - especially during holiday and spring breaks. According to Crime Analyst Ring, 10 break-ins occurred there between 12/22 and 1/1.
At this week’s Deployment Meeting, Chief Cook asked for the bureau chiefs’ and commanders’ recommendations for officers to be assigned to the NORTAF Burglary Task Force.
This Week’s Crime Map below illustrates a five-day 1/4-1/8 deployment period where over ¾ of the offenses were commercial, residential, garage or vehicle burglaries.
Now the rest of the news.
Weekly Crime Map
Click to enlarge
Deployment Meeting – January 09, 2019
Discussed at the meeting:
- Here are the official results of the Holiday Traffic Campaign: 168 citations were issued during the 17-day mobilization. The top three were Seat Belts (64), followed by Cell Phone (48) and speeding violations (21). There were also 8 child seat citations. Remember, effective 1/1, all child seats must be rear facing for kids under 40 pounds. And here’s something else that Sgt. Williams wants you to know: Effective 1/1, drivers with a valid Illinois Drivers are no longer required to sign traffic citations issued for a petty offense. (The change does not apply to out-of-state motorists.) The change in the law still requires that, depending on the citation, bond be posted.
- Residential burglaries for the period: two apartments in the 800 block of Mulford between 12/21 and 1/2 where jewelry and electronics were taken, the 100 block of Asbury on 1/5 where cash was taken and the 200 block of Custer on 1/6 where digital devices and jewelry was reported missing. Burglars forced entry using a pry tool in all three incidents.
- With body-cams now de rigueur for all encounters between citizens and cops, Chief Cook reminded everyone in the room to watch the colorful language and pass it along to the rank and file. This is good advice for everyone, including legislators and blog post writers (since just this week I let something slip in the presence of a client).
- A teen was able to identify another juvenile who, along with a partner, brandished a weapon on 1/8 in the 2000 block of Emerson and took the victim’s money. Detectives from the Juvenile Bureau are handling the investigation.
- Hooray for the EPD: Kerry Farina of Evanston was arrested on 1/4 in connection with three home repair scams perpetrated on local residents. Apparently, he accepted deposits for various home repair projects and failed to show up to do the work.
- Reminder: It is against the law when public intoxication leads to the harassment of passersby. Michael Malley learned this the hard way.
- The Long Arm of the Law: Commit a certain number of felonies – including weapons charges - in a given period of time and face be labeled a Habitual Criminal. Virgil Houston’s most recent skirmishes with law enforcement landed him in the IDOC until 2022.
- Assistant Communications Coordinator Kuempel said there were three Text-a-Tips this week and here they are: the first involved a planned shoot-out between students at two different high schools, the second was a report of a fistfight in an alley and the third involved a suspicious vehicle near a city park. Cops called to the scenes investigated all three. The shoot-out threat was discounted when the police interviewed both students. Chief Cook underscored the importance of responding to any incidents of potential violence involving juveniles, especially in school settings.
- Outside our borders: Former Evanston resident Benson Saintil was pronounced dead at the scene of a shooting that occurred in North Chicago on 1/6.
- Another individual was taken into custody as part of the long-term FBI Operation Flawed Deal investigation and assisted by local law enforcement agencies, including the EPD.
- They were there: PST officers monitored the FAAM All-Star game, attended Police Explorers and WEABC meetings and led a mediation session to resolve a dispute between neighbors. They also deployed additional patrols along Howard Street and the Fifth Ward.
The Week Ahead
- Hail and farewell to Officer Nicholas Demos who retired on 1/10 after 30 years to service to the EPD. Officer Demos did not want the typical pomp and circumstance that comes with retirement. Instead, reminiscent of a Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, some of his colleagues told a few humorous stories at his expense during his final roll call.
- The Armored Car remains in hibernation.
- PST officers will attend 2nd, 5th and 8th Ward meetings, along with attending a Homeless Outreach meeting at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center and a STAR session at Chute.
Inquiring Minds
Police departments are fashioned, in some ways, after the military. What are the ranks in the Evanston Police Department and do they apply to every bureau?
A Deputy Chief, Commander, and Sergeant
The answer comes from Commander Jody Wright who works in the EPD’s Investigations Bureau.
Here’s what he told me: “It’s really very simple here. The entry-level rank is Officer. Officers can be promoted to Sergeant, then Commander and after that, Deputy Chief. The top rank is Chief of Police.
This structure doesn’t exist in every department or bureau here. For example, our Traffic Bureau has two levels – officer and sergeant. The sergeant reports to the Deputy Chief of Patrol. The Office of Professional Standards, where I work, has a Sergeant and a Deputy Commander. Detective is a position that doesn’t indicate a rank. Here in Evanston, a detective is a police officer who handles investigations. Like most other departments here, the Investigative Bureau has a sergeant, a commander and a deputy chief.”
We need more questions...from you...the COMMUNITY! Email them to Commander Glew and we’ll do our best to provide the answers. If you put In The Squad Room in the subject line, they’ll find their way to me.
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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