Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights
In the Squad Room - Mob Action In a College Town
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
 Police response to the scene on Saturday, 6/1.
Police responded to a shots fired call in the 1600 block of Orrington after midnight on 6/1. A large crowd, estimated at 50-100 people, had gathered on the sidewalk outside a restaurant where a private party was in progress. According to detectives, revelers were turned away when legal occupancy of the space had been exceeded and that’s when a fight broke out. Cops deployed Tasers and pepper spray to control and disburse the crowd. No one was seriously injured. Two offenders, Chicago residents Devon O’Banner and Deontae Dunnigan, were charged with misdemeanors. No bullet casings were located at the scene.
Newspaper reports referred to the fracas as a “mob action." What constitutes a “mob action?” I wondered that, too. It’s defined this way: “A person commits the offense of mob action when he, acting together with one or more persons and without authority of law knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly disturbs the public peace by the use of force or violence.” The last case of mob action in Evanston happened when a cabal of college students looted Tommy Nevin’s Pub in 2016.
The other notable incident in what would have been a relatively quiet week was a 6/4 call in which cops responded to a report of shots fired in the 1600 block of Emerson around 3:30 PM. The victim was shot in the hip after engaging in an argument with two individuals. Police caught up with him at Evanston Hospital where he was treated for non life-threatening injuries. He didn’t want to pursue charges, but EPD detectives are asking for the public’s help in identifying the pair.
Weekly Crime Map
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Deployment Meeting – June 5, 2019
Discussed at the meeting:
- On 6/4, a female reported being threatened with a knife when she complained about another individual’s shopping cart in the store’s parking lot. When she returned to her vehicle, one of its tires was slashed. She described the assailant as a tall man in his 20s.
- Graffiti artists were busy in the 1500 block of Howard where it was seen in five locations. The EPD continues to deploy special patrols during all shifts.
- Three motor vehicle burglaries were reported during the period. Two – in the 100 block of Florence on 5/29 and the 500 block of Church on 5/31 were unlocked. The window of a VW in the parking lot of an apartment in the 500 block of Church was broken to steal USC (unsecured cash) on 6/2.
- The EPD’s summer law enforcement plan is ready to go into effect. Every year, according to Deputy Chief Pickett, Field Operations responds to the expected increase in activity by instituting scheduling changes that deliver more coverage in the evening hours.
- Text-a-Tips last week: According to Assistant Communications Coordinator Kuempel, there were three last week, that included a report of a driver in violation of the law that prohibits the use of hand-held cellphones, a report of a mentally disturbed individual shouting and a building violation complaint.
- There were no incidents at NU’s 6/1 Dillo Day according to the bureau chiefs and shift commanders who deployed officers there.
- On 5/31, a burglar or burglars entered a 2000 Sherman residence through an unlocked door and made off with a laptop and a purse.
- PST (the Problem Solving Team) was there: Officers attended 8th grade graduations for members of OGA (Officer and Gentlemen Academy) and STAR (Skills to Achieve Results) programs at King Lab, Haven, Chute, and Nichols middle schools. They also met with members of Project Bond and stopped by The Cradle’s Open House. If you’re seeing cops on Cannondales this summer, chances are they’re members of PST.
The Week Ahead
- What’s next for the PST: A seniors’ Bingo event at Fleetwood-Jourdain, strolling the Farmers Market and leading an OGA outing in Buffalo Grove. They continue to monitor Beat 77 (Fifth Ward), retail stores with high theft numbers and the city’s many houses of worship.
- Traffic Sgt. Williams reported that plans are already underway with NU for its first Friday night football game against Ohio State on 10/18.
- Don’t Miss “Coffee with a Cop” at Berry-Pike Café, 1100 Davis, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on 6/14.
Inquiring Minds
This week, we have an editorial suggestion from a reader:
The writer frequently uses the acronym PST in The Squad Room. But the acronym is never spelled out in full or explained. Perhaps it would be useful to use the full words on the first reference and the acronym on subsequent references in every weekly issue.
Our Inquirer has a good point. There are many acronyms used, especially for departments within the police department and the many organizations around Evanston. I tend to default to these, mostly to save space in a post that always, always seems to run a little bit long.
Readers of ITSR (In the Squad Room) have seen these same acronyms many times, especially as they relate to PST (the Problem Solving Team) who engage with many local organizations, so I may have been a little presumptuous in thinking that they’d be remembered from the several times they’ve been spelled out in full.
Here’s a legend to acronyms most commonly used in ITSR (In the Squad Room):
- AGG UUW - Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon
- CDP - Criminal Damage to Property
- CPA - Citizen Police Academy
- CPAA - Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association
- DAP - Directed Area Patrols
- ET - Evidence Technician
- MCAT - Major Crash Assistance Team (Division of NORTAF, forensic investigations and crash reconstructions for member agencies)
- ME - Medical Examiner
- NET - EPD’s Neighborhood Enforcement Team (Primarily responsible for investigating drug activity)
- NORTAF - North Regional Major Crimes Task Force (Comprised of 13 north suburban police agencies, handles homicides and non-parental kidnappings for members)
- OGA - Officer and Gentlemen Academy (Mentoring program for middle school boys)
- PCS - Possession of a Controlled Substance
- PST - Problem Solving Team (Patrol officers most focused on community policing)
- SOG - Special Operations Group
- SRO - School Resource Officer (EPD officers assigned to District 65 and District 202 schools)
- STAR - Skills to Achieve Results (Mentoring program for middle school girls)
- TAC - EPD’s Tactical Unit (Primarily responsible for gang suppression)
- USC - Unsecured Cash
- UUW - Unlawful Use of a Weapon
We need more questions! Email them to Deputy 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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