Friday, August 28, 2020 | View in browser
Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights
Every week, Linda Hansen attends the Evanston Police Department’s Deployment Meetings, takes notes on the topics discussed and writes about other police-related matters of interest to the people who work and live in Evanston.
Unlucky 13
AR-15 style assault weapon seized in a routine traffic stop on 8/20
EPD detectives were near the intersection of Ashland and Payne around 8 PM on 8/20 when they initiated a stop for a traffic infraction. Officers discovered weapons, ammo, and suspect narcotics in the vehicle. Three of the vehicle's occupants – Antoine Hill, Derell Pruitt and Anthony Henley, Jr. - were arrested and transported to the EPD, garnering a total of 14 charges ranging from seat belt violations to armed habitual criminal and violation of parole. Hill, who served five years in prison for the 2005 homicide of Robert Gresham at The Keg in Evanston, remains in custody. A female passenger was not charged.
Crime Analyst Marianne Ring noted a rash of motor vehicle burglaries (thirteen of them, including several that contributed to the week’s five car thefts), five residential burglaries, and five reported bike thefts. Details follow.
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Deployment Meeting – August 26, 2020
- On 8/25, the EPD’s Hispanic Liaison Officers held a virtual (and well-attended) Coffee with a Cop via Google Meets.
- Physical fights occurred in the 1700 and 1800 blocks of Hartrey. Police were called to the scene to investigate a report of a person being threatened at knifepoint. When they arrived, a battle was on between the warring factions, with objects and punches thrown. John Ross and Curtis Carter were taken into custody and charged with, respectively, battery to a police officer and battery.
- On 8/22 around 11 AM, a thief took a chainsaw and hedge trimmer from a trailer in the 2600 block of Lincolnwood. The owner attempted to stop the unknown male black subject, who lifted his shirt and displayed the handle of a handgun. The subject fled in a white sedan with tinted windows and no license plate.
- On 8/22 at 7 PM, a cashier was in the back of the 7-Eleven in the 800 block of Davis when he heard a loud crash and saw two unknown subjects smashing the store’s cash registers. The clerk fled to the rear of the store. Investigators are reviewing security video. Crime Analyst Ring pointed out that there have been four 7-Eleven burglaries in Rogers Park since 8/18.
- There were five residential burglaries between 8/13 and 8/22, three of them in Beat 76 (northeastern Evanston). Crooks entered through unlocked doors and windows.
- Motor vehicle burglaries (check out the This Weeks Crime map) happened throughout Evanston. All of the vehicles, except one, were unsecured. And in a familiar pattern, break-ins led to car thefts when key or key fobs were left in vehicles. Apparently, burglars are becoming bolder; Crime Analyst Ring told us that five of the incidents occurred during daylight hours.
- Car thefts this week: on 8/19 in the 1300 block of Seward where a 2009 Jeep was taken (keys inside), the 2300 block of Ridgeway on 8/22 when two vehicles were stolen – a 2009 Subaru and a 2007 Toyota Camry, and the 700 block of Mulford on 8/23 where keys taken from inside the residence were used to steal a 2011 Volkswagen.
- On 08/20 around 6 PM, EPD Units responded to a report of a vehicle crash in the 1300 block of Church. A 2005 Pontiac that had crashed into a fence and some bushes, was located off the roadway on the north side of the street. Jesus Hernandez was identified as the driver of the vehicle. Cops located an Armscor M1911A1-Fs .45 caliber handgun on driver’s side floorboard. Jesus Hernandez was charged with DUI and UUW (unlawful use of a weapon).
- Bike thefts occurred at various locations throughout Evanston, with no real patterns established. Two of the five were taken from yards and playgrounds; three were secured.
- Police closed Emerson on 8/25 for a rally and peaceful protest in response to the 8/23 Kenosha shooting of former Evanston resident Jacob Blake.
- There were two arrests for domestic battery last week.
The Week Ahead
- IDOT’s Labor Day “Click it or Ticket” traffic campaign is in full force and runs through 9/7.
- On 8/30 at 2 PM there will be an outdoor service honoring Jacob Blake at the Ebenezer A.M.E church where his grandfather was a pastor.
The Forensic Services vehicle may not look like what you see on television and no one has come forward to share the kind of personal intrigues that make for good drama. Even so, Evanston’s Forensic Services Bureau faces its own share of mysteries, processing as many as ten incidents in a single shift.
The team is called into action along with the first responders to secure and photograph crime scenes, collect and catalog evidence and in some cases, process it. According to Sergeant Marla Dukler, “Every call is a crime, until we prove otherwise.” These incidents cover everything from the death investigation of a 95 year old or a street full of cars with slashed tires to break-ins, robberies and murders.
The 24-member team consists of sworn officers who are certified in fingerprinting, blood spatter, ballistics, footwear impressions and pretty much everything else you might see on crime shows.
For homicide investigations, the regional NORTAF (North Regional Major Crimes Task Force) CSI team steps in. DNA and other evidence is sent to the Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Lab, but some evidence, fingerprinting for instance, can be processed right at the EPD headquarters.
Service Desk Supervisor Sue Pontarelli explained who gets fingerprinted and how. First of all, not all arrestees are fingerprinted. “We print all felonies and misdemeanors, except for Class C (the least serious of misdemeanor offenses). We don’t print on ‘basic traffic’ like some agencies do, but we will print on a revoked driver’s license or a DUI.”
These days, most fingerprinting is done electronically, except for major cases where the ink method (we’re all familiar with) supplements live scan digital imaging. Live scans have two advantages: one, the images can easily be enlarged for viewing and two, scans are sent automatically to the State, and in some cases the FBI, for identification and matching. “If the offender is in the system, a reply will confirm the identity and any aliases”, she told me. Every set of unique fingerprints is assigned a state identification number.
Maintaining a chain of evidence is another responsibility. So is testifying in Court since the evidence has to stand up to the most aggressive grilling of a crime scene investigator by a defense attorney.
Here are some other things that Hollywood doesn’t glamorize: hours of standing, the physical and psychological demands of the job and mounds of paperwork.
Contributors to this week’s In The Squad Room: Sue Pontarelli, Service Desk Supervisor.
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.
Property Recovered in Evanston
Think your property may have been recovered by the Evanston PD? Click here to start your search. Be sure to check out the third party service that displays items found within the last 21 days. Here's the link.
 Subscribe to Evanston’s Daily Crime Report by email or view the Monthly Crime Statistics that are reported on a yearly basis to the FBI. Take a look at the Evanston Police Department Dashboard.
Let us know if you have specific questions or concerns about issues in your neighborhood. Submissions are always welcome at police@cityofevanston.org or by calling the community strategies bureau at 847-866-5019.
 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.
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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