Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights
In the Squad Room - City Manager in the House
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
Glock and ammo seized in May 8 Shots Fired Incident
Detective Tortorello and Crime Analyst Ring noted a more active This Week’s Crime map for the week of 5/9-5/15. In addition to six shots fired calls, there were six motor vehicle burglaries, two construction site burglaries (at the same location) and an armed robbery.
Warmer weather tends to bring crooks out of hibernation. Chief Cook called for the department to maintain the same saturation strategy – cops highly visible in all corners of the city – that has been successfully deployed, tamping down crime along Howard Street.
This week’s guest was City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz
Now the rest of the news.
Weekly Crime Map
Click to enlarge
Deployment Meeting – May 15, 2019
Discussed at the meeting:
- In the early morning hours of 5/15, a subject was entering his vehicle in the 1800 block of Lyons when an individual on a bike displayed what turned out to be a cap gun and threatened him. A shoving match ensued with both offender and victim falling to the ground. The victim’s backpack, containing a cell phone, identification, credit cards and keys, was taken.
- Habitual criminal Darius Morales was charged with Unlawful Use of a weapon by a felon in the shooting incident that took place on 5/8. Twan Daniels, who drove the Jeep that ultimately crashed into a fence in the 700 block of Lincoln as the pair attempted to outrun police, was charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding. Morales is in police custody.
- One business in the downtown area has become a target for shoplifters, with over 30 incidents reported since the first of the year. Crime stats indicate that most of the thefts occur on weekends between 10 AM and 1 PM. Members of the Problem Solving Team are working with the retailer to develop tighter security procedures. The uptick in retail thefts – 67 year-to-date compared to 17 year-to-date in 2018 – represents a significant increase.
- Walking the talk: It was announced on 5/11 that Chief Cook has purchased former Evanston Mayor Lorraine Morton’s home in the 2100 block of Darrow.
- There were six shots fired calls in Beats 72, 77 and 78 last week, including two that were heard by patrol officers in those areas. Police checked those locations, looking for evidence in the form of shell casings, and weren’t able to recover any.
- A construction site in the 800 block of Emerson was hit twice by thieves –first, on 5/11 where copper and metals were stolen and a second time on 5/14 where tools were taken.
- There were no Text-a-Tips last week but there were two citations handed out for dogs off leash.
- Another ruse burglary: This time it happened in the 500 block of Barton on 5/9. A homeowner was lured outdoors by one individual about roofing work while an accomplice entered the residence through an unlocked back door and rifled through a file cabinet. It’s unclear whether anything was stolen. The head crook also attempted to engage the victim in a discussion about his vehicle, a ruse unsuccessfully employed by these same kinds of burglars in Evanston last week. Please do not answer the door to strangers. Encourage neighbors, especially seniors, to do the same and stay safe.
- Primary deployment for the Problem Solving Team (PST) during this period: foot patrols in Beat 77, along Howard Street, stores with high retail theft numbers, and homeless issues downtown. Members participated in a security meeting at St. Nick’s and attended 5th Ward, Explorers and OGA events. Cops read to kids at Learning Bridge and partnered with Midwest Montessori for the Trike-a-Thon at Tallmadge Park. Until it closes in the fall, you’ll also find them at the Evanston Farmers Market every Saturday.
- More and more, the EPD is employing social media to push out up-to-the-minute information. Check out the department’s official Twitter page - @EvanstonPD - for breaking news.
The Week Ahead
- The EPD will be tightening up plans with the NUPD for Dillo Day – the nation’s largest student-run music festival - on 6/1. Over 12,000 celebrants are expected. Admission requires a purchased-in-advance wristband. Evanston residents are welcome. You can find more information here.
- The IDOT Memorial Day campaign starts this weekend and runs through 5/27. The focus is “Click It or Ticket” seat belt compliance.
- What’s next for PST: The Second Annual OGA Empowerment Breakfast and the Fountain Square Dedication, both scheduled for 5/18.
- Future fun EPD events: Cop on Top at the 1900 Dempster Dunkin Donuts on 5/17 and the Torch Run (a fun run from Isabella to EPD HQs – anyone want to run with me and Executive Officer/Commander Glew?) on 6/2. Both benefit a great cause - Illinois Special Olympics.
Inquiring Minds
Inquiring Minds: Like most law enforcement organizations, the EPD has plainclothes officers. Are they all detectives? Besides Special Operations initiatives like gang suppression or drug investigations, how are they deployed?
First of all, let’s not confuse plainclothes officers with undercover officers. Probably the simplest definition of a plainclothes cop is one who wears civilian clothing in order to avoid detection as a law enforcement officer. They also drive unmarked cars that aren’t, from a distance, as recognizable as those Ford Police Interceptor SUVs.
A not so inconspicuous "unmarked police car" from the cop buddy movie Running Scared..
Here’s what Executive Officer - Commander Glew told me:
The EPD has a number of plainclothes officers who are assigned to Investigative Services. They typically follow up on investigations in the Drug and Gang Units. They are almost always in plainclothes. From time to time, there are also patrol personnel in plainclothes and unmarked cars who are assigned to meet specific deployment objective. Burglary suppression is probably the best example.
In those cases, patrol officers in plainclothes are deployed to specific areas based on crime patterns, holidays, events, and NU breaks – times and places that we anticipate a spike in burglaries based on historical patterns. For instance, we have deployed plainclothes officers to the south end of Evanston over the past few months to successfully address an uptick in break-ins there.
Plainclothes operations are effective because officers are able to get much closer to people in their cars or on the sidewalk before individuals identify them as law enforcement. Believe it or not sometimes offenders aren't aware of the presence of an unmarked Ford Police Interceptor SUV until its too late. The absence of a roof light bar and a color that is not glaring white make them a little more inconspicuous. They carry all the same equipment that uniformed officers do – but contain it in street clothes; jeans, t-shirts, hoodies and a baseball cap are pretty much standard attire for the plainclothes officer. Their primary responsibility is look for and identify possible suspects for specific crimes. Assigned to a singular mission, they do not, as a rule, respond to beat calls.
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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