Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights
In the Squad Room - Meet Our New K-9 Team
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
That's our new dog Aston (See Inquiring Minds)
Foreshadowing comments from police supervisors reporting the prior week’s highlights, Analyst Ring and Detective Tortorello pointed to a ‘quiet’ crime map (see This Week’s Crime below). There were six retail thefts at various grocery, drug and retail outlets, along with two residential and two motor vehicle burglaries.
It’s not exactly back to school for the officers in attendance, but in the furtherance of the EPD’s pioneering commitment to community policing, Chief Cook encouraged meeting participants to take advantage of NU’s vast library resources, pointing to reference materials on the subject of problem-oriented policing. He reiterated the objective of real-time problem-solving for incidents large and small and shared a recent account involving a homeless encampment on our southern boundary.
Outside our borders, sort of. Evanston resident Valando Dixon, who we remember as the suspect associated with harassing NU coeds this year, and charged with criminal trespass just last week, was arrested by CPD on 11/3 for criminal sexual assault stemming from an assault on two females. He is being held, without bond this time, in Cook County Jail. Word of advice to females: beware of strangers and do not socialize with this man.
Now the rest of the news.
Weekly Crime Map
Click to enlarge
Deployment Meeting – November 6, 2019
Discussed at the meeting:
- On 11/4, officers made a routine traffic stop on Andre Johnson near Western and Howard. Police discovered a handgun in his vehicle. Johnson did not have a Concealed Carry License (CCL) and was charged with Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon.
- There was one death investigation during the period. The M.E. (Medical Examiner) ruled it a suicide.
- A Shots Fired call was received around 7 PM on 11/2 in the 1900 block of Grey. Cops detected the smell of gunpowder but were unable to find evidence in the form of bullet casings.
- Unlocked apartments in the 2200 block of Ridge were burglarized on 11/1 and 11/3. Laptop computers, stereo equipment and personal items were reported missing.
- An unlocked vehicle in the 800 block of Dobson was burglarized on 11/1. The owner reported that miscellaneous merchandise was missing. Two days later, a backpack and cosmetics were liberated from an unlocked 2011 Mitsubishi parked on the street near the intersection of Hartrey and Dobson.
- Traffic Sgt. Williams said there were no incidents reported during Halloween’s cold and snowy trick-or-treating hours.
- Police responded to a report of an individual using a flashlight and peering through windows on the south end of town. The perp was not located.
- Assistant Communications Coordinator Kuempel reported three Text-a-Tips last week: suspicious activities (2) and yet another Des Plaines tip from the same tipster about weird goings-on in a residential neighborhood. All tips were dispatched to and handled by police.
- Detectives are investigating the report of an individual – likely the same person – exposing himself at a downtown parking garage and on the NU campus.
- Officers will be focusing on the plaza area near the Davis Street Metra station in the 900 block of Davis to address open alcohol consumption by vagrants.
- Pickpockets are at work in the downtown area, with one incident reported on 10/30 in the 1100 block of Davis.
- They were there: Members of the PST (Problem Solving Team) were in attendance at the EPFF (Evanston Police & Fire Foundation) fundraiser, the pancake breakfast at the American Legion Hall, an ETHS Student of the Month ceremony honoring an OGA (Officer & Gentleman Academy) member and a CPA (Citizen Police Academy) session. They also participated in the (keeping-kids-and-families-safe) department-wide Halloween deployment.
The Week Ahead
- The next NU game pits the Wildcats against Purdue’s Boilermakers and is scheduled for 11/9 at 11 AM. Sgt. Williams says that 37,000 fans are expected, however, frigid temperatures will likely impact crowd size.
- Supervisors will be interviewing pre-screened candidates for a chance to become one of Evanston' finest on 11/12 and 11/13.
- The Armored Car will be back on the streets, this time in the Fifth Ward, but only if temperatures are above 300.
- Here’s where you’ll find the PST in the next several days: at CPA, Foster Seniors Club, Moran Center and Project Bridge meetings. They’ll also be on hand when the Boilermakers take the field on 11/9.
Inquiring Minds
Inquiring Minds: Does the EPD have a new K-9 Unit?
In the sense that we have a new canine and a new K-9 handler, yes.
Rony, who served seven productive years for the force, retired earlier this year. At nine years of age, middle aged or older for most shepherds, he remains with his handler, Detective Sosa and his family, where he lived during his years with the Evanston Police Department.
For all the answers about Rony’s replacement, I reached out to Office Random Johnson, who has taken over the leash from Detective Sosa. He’ll introduce us to two-year old Aston. Here’s how our conversation went:
Rony was a German Shepherd. What about Aston?
Like Rony, Aston is a German Shepherd. He's jet black, so they don't look quite the same. Aston was actually born in the Czech Republic, unlike his predecessor who is from Slovakia.
How long has he been on the force?
Aston and I finished training together back in the very beginning of August, so just over three months now.
How about you? How long have you been on the force?
I was hired in October 2013, so I've just passed my six year mark. I spent most of my time in patrol but for the last few years, I was the Accident Investigator for the 3rd Watch (the afternoon shift) in Beat 379.
Aston at work and play
What training did you have to be a K-9 officer and why did you want to be a K-9 officer?
Aston and I spent a month and a half training together over the summer at Shallow Creek Kennel in western Pennsylvania. He trained with the trainers there alone for about two months before that, and for a short time in Europe before he made the trip.
We were certified by a North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA) master trainer back in July. We also recently received our Canine Team certification from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standard Board. We've got tons of certifications; Narcotics, Tracking, Article Searches, and Obedience just to name some of the major ones.
I love my job and I love dogs, so being a K9 handler has always been a dream job for me. It's an incredible position to have been chosen for and I'm super grateful and looking forward to having a great career with Aston.
Does he live with you and your family?
Aston comes home with me every night, and is a part of our family. He loves my fiancée just as much as she loves him. He also gets along with our other two pups wonderfully.
Anything you’d like to share about his personality?
He absolutely LOVES to work! Every exercise we do is just a game to him. Whether we're searching a building for narcotics, or outside searching for articles that may have been dropped at or near the scene of a crime, he's always ready to go, and anxious to get back at it during down time.
Favorite moment or experience in your time together so far?
We've only been partners for a few months, but it seems like I've got years of memories with him already. Hard to narrow down a favorite but when we get dressed for work every day, the look on his face and his body language screams, "Let's go!" as he hops in the back of our truck. His energy is great motivation and he makes every day at work seem like anything but work.
Does a police dog make a good pet?
In my personal opinion, dogs in general make great pets, But the eagerness to please, loyalty, and the over all drive that Police K9's possess make them incredible sidekicks at work as well as at home.
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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