Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights
In the Squad Room - Restorative Justice
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
A Memorial Day Weekend ritual...a Police Safety Check making the roads safer
While the This Week’s Crime Map looks a little sparse, there was plenty of activity in the period between 5/23 and 5/29. Crime Analyst Ring noted a pair of Shots Fired calls, two residential burglaries (one was an attempt) and a shooting that started in Evanston and ended in Wilmette with the police department there intercepting and assisting the victims.
Vehicles were stolen in the 1100 block of Fowler, the 2300 block of Ridgeway, the 1900 block of Green Bay and the 300 block of Ridge. According to all four owners, keys were missing. Police are investigating and believe that teens may be responsible for the thefts.
In one incident, the stolen vehicle crashed and was abandoned in Chicago. Chase was not given, but Chief Cook made a point of stating that EPD officers will no longer participate in high-speed chases in crimes of this nature since they can put officers, offenders and the public at serious risk.
Now the rest of the news.
Weekly Crime Map
Click to enlarge
Deployment Meeting – May 29, 2019
Discussed at the meeting:
- Thanks to a brand-new city ordinance, youthful offenders of non-violent crimes will avoid the criminal justice system and experience Administrative Adjudication, more commonly known as Restorative Justice. Restorative Justice emphasizes repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior and requires that all willing stakeholders meet. The goal behind it: getting to the root cause and transforming (especially young) people, relationships and communities.
- Nineteen days of IDOT’s ‘Click It or Ticket” campaign yielded a grand total of 190 citations, including one DUI, 91 seat belt citations and 42 cell phone violations.
- Around 9 PM on 5/25, police were called to the 2000 block of Jackson Avenue for a report of fighting in the street. Shell casings were located at the scene.
- Chicago residents Jawaun Alexander and Johnny Hodges were arrested at a construction site in the 1500 block of Sherman for Trespass on 5/26. They admitted several visits to the same site in recent weeks.
- On 5/24 Trenton Harris-Hunt was stopped by police who subsequently discovered a BB gun, a quantity of weed and $2100 in cash. He was charged with PCS – possession of a controlled substance.
- On 5/23, crooks forced entry into a residence in the 800 block of Case. Camera equipment and jewelry were taken.
- Text-a-Tips last week: According to Assistant Communications Coordinator Kuempel, there were five traffic-related tips altogether; one disturbance complaint and a report of kids on bikes checking garages
- PST was there: Primary deployment during this period was foot patrols in beat 77 and Howard Street, stores with high retail theft numbers and the city’s numerous Houses of Worship. They got out on those Cannondales, attended the CPA Class 49 Graduation, met with Across the Table and walked the Farmers Market. Animal Warden Pounds continues to patrol the lakefront for dogs on the beach and off leash. He reports that dog owners are finally starting to get the message.
- 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
- NU’s Dillo Day is the big deal this weekend, with at least 15 EPD officers on hand to help with traffic, crowd control and fallout from any potential over-partying. The all-day event is scheduled for 6/1.
- What’s next for PST: Officers will attend 8th grade graduations for members of OGA and STAR programs at King Lab, Haven, Chute, and Nichols middle schools. Officer McCray is meeting with Project Bond. PST members will check in at the Cradle’s Open House and will also lend a hand during Saturday’s Dillo Day on the NU campus.
- The Armored Car is back on the street and will be moving from its current location on Darrow to the NU off-campus area for Dillo Day.
- Sign up for the 6/2 Torch Run benefitting Illinois Special Olympics here.
Inquiring Minds
Inquiring Minds: Is there a new Police Dashboard on the City of Evanston website? How does it work?
If you like data, numbers and statistics, you will love the Dashboard that made its debut on 5/30. It is a spoke in the wheel of Evanston Open Data; a tool intended to deliver full transparency in a number of key areas, including the Police Department.
What’s really great about the Police Dashboard is that it allows you to query the database in precisely the way you want to view the results. Major categories include:
- Police Activity
- Arrests/Field Contacts
- Traffic Stops/Citations & Crashes
- Weapons Recovered
- FOIA Requests Processed
- Use of Fore
- Part I Crimes
If you see this you are in the right place
Here’s an example: You want to know about police presence in your part of town during the last week.
- Go to this URL:https://www.cityofevanston.org/government/departments/police/dashboard
- Click on Police Activity
- Above the map, find Call Received Date/Time and either specify start and end dates in Range or click on Custom in Relative Date and choose Last 7 Days
- Don’t forget to click on Apply
- This will display the calls for service. Scroll down and you will see a pie chart with a breakdown call types. (Hint: Directed Area Patrols take up the largest piece of the pie; they are routine patrols – Howard Street or Downtown Evanston – that are deployed week in and week out.)
The interface is intuitive and really easy to use. Varying by type, you can also view (where data exists) the ethnicity of offenders and motorists detained in traffic stops. Want to know how many FOIAs requests the Department has filled (and how this year’s numbers compare to 2018 and before)? It’s there, too.
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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