Friday, November 6, 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.

Drama-Free Election Day

This Week's Inquiring Minds: Joining forces to serve people experiencing homelessness

Cities nationwide braced for potential trouble at polling places. Many businesses, including those located in our neighbor to the south, did the same and boarded up storefronts. One respected media source even predicted ‘panic at the polls’, resulting from issues related to voting technology. Here in Evanston, the EPD deployed special patrols to keep watch on the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center and the city’s multiple polling locations from the early morning to early evening hours.  According to shift commanders at this week’s deployment meeting, all that happened was … voting. There were, one shift commander reported, only two election-related service calls and they were, he said, of “no significance”.

With the exception of the 10/31 NU student protest that made the local news (details below), Crime Analyst Ring noted another light week for reported crime. There were five car break-ins, three package thefts, three bike thefts, two residential burglaries, a car theft and 17 reports of NU protest-related graffiti.

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Deployment Meeting– November 4, 2020

• On 11/2/20 at 5:30 PM, officers responded to the 1700 block of Ashland for several calls of multiple shots fired. Witnesses in the area described two vehicles exchanging gunfire. Two shell casings and a bullet were located. Vehicles were described by witnesses. Detectives are investigating.
• Motor vehicle thefts followed a common pattern. All were reported in the south end (Beats 72 and 78) with four of the five unsecured.
• Between 3 and 3:30 PM on 11/2, a victim stated that a known offender forced entry into his apartment in the 300 block of Dempster and stole his Sony PlayStation4. Earlier that day, a PlayStation was reported stolen from another unit in the same building. Security camera footage may exist.
• Intelligence Officer Giese reported an increase in gang activity and gunfire in Rogers Park (the CPD’s 24 District). The CPD (Chicago Police Department) reported several incidents last week.
• Package thieves struck common areas of buildings in the 700 block of Hinman and the 1400 block of Chicago. They also failed (but I don’t know why) to steal a package from a single family home in the 1600 block of Dempster. Doorbell camera?
• By now, we probably all know that NU Community Not Cops (a/k/a CopsOutOfNU) incited violence on Halloween night, 10/31, that resulted in injuries to officers and significant property damage. The group fired fireworks and threw bricks at the police. Laser pointers were directed at officers' eyes. Dispersal orders were given with no compliance. There was one arrest for misdemeanor charges, including battery to police officer.
• As the weather cools, we must be reaching the end of bike theft season. But once again, all three were secured and stolen from bike racks.
• Auto theft: A victim reported that sometime between 10/25 and 10/28, her 2007 Dodge Caravan was taken from the 1400 block of Pitner. Keys were accounted for and the vehicle has not been recovered. Interesting to note: Many of Evanston’s car thefts involve juveniles and result in the youthful driver losing control of the car and smashing into objects like fences, trees and other vehicles. This is why the EPD, when identifying a stolen car, does not engage in car chases that put, according to Chief Cook, everyone in danger.
• Off the street: On 10/30, Julius Francellno pled guilty and was sentenced to 23 years in IDOC for his involvement in the 2/8/2018 murder of Yakez Semark in the 1800 block of Hovland. His co-defendant, Malik Caswell, is still awaiting trial. Both offenders were 18 years old when the crime occurred; the victim was 20. 

The Week Ahead

• The second NU Football no-fans-allowed home game is scheduled for Saturday, 11/7 at 11 AM when the Wildcats take the field against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Traffic and patrol officers will be on hand to keep the peace.
• Members of the PST will be live and in person at the last Farmers Market of the year on 11/7. Commander Garner noted ongoing efforts to address concerns and services for Evanston’s homeless individuals, including participation in a task force with other local stakeholders. (See Inquiring Minds)
• Congratulations to graduates of the CPA (Citizen Police Academy) Class #52.

Inquiring Minds: What are we doing to help adults experiencing homelessness in Evanston?

It takes a village. And that’s why the coordinated efforts of charitable organizations, city government and law enforcement are needed to provide services for Evanston’s unhoused individuals. There have been discussions about this population at most deployment meetings over the past few years, but more recently, issues at the Sherman Plaza Parking Garage downtown have amplified them.

On the Subject of Homelessness

The National Alliance to End Homelessness doesn’t have post-COVID data, but their studies indicated a downward trend in this population until 2016. In 2019, numbers increased by 3% for the third year in a row.  According to their 2019 snapshot, over 560,000 people in the US are homeless. Half of those are unsheltered.

Here in Evanston, a newly-formed task force has been assembled. This news made it a good time to talk to one of the key participants – Interfaith Action of Evanston (IAE) and its Executive Director Susan Murphy.

Interfaith Action of Evanston

IAE dates back to 1970, when it was founded as the Evanston Ecumenical Action Council, an association of local Christian Churches. In 2006, members voted to expand the membership to all religious and spiritual communities and change its name. Then as now, its mission is to serve hungry and homeless people, pursue interfaith dialogue, and engage in advocacy that promotes social justice.

The organization, serving adults who are homeless, offers breakfast at a weekday morning Hospitality Center, four soup kitchens at member houses of worship, a once-monthly Producemobile, and starting on 11/8, the November-March rotating Emergency Shelter. (View a short slideshow here.)

Susan explained the wraparound services that IAE and partners like Connections for the Homeless deliver. “Everyone who comes to our Hospitality Center has a caseworker at Connections. And if one of our guests doesn’t have a caseworker, we direct them there for the help that they can provide.” In fact, she said, “Their outreach people come here almost every day.”

Six different faith communities provide space, on a rotating basis, for the overnight Emergency Shelter that IAE operates from 9 PM to 7 AM. COVID-19 has impacted the number of available beds in the area; even the Shelter is affected. “In the past”, she said, “we had space for 40 people, but safety protocols have limited our available beds to 20.” Connections provided IAE with a list of the most vulnerable people, so they’re assured a spot. She’s hoping, like the rest of us, “that things will be different a year from now.”

A new Evanston Homelessness Task Force, including members of organizations serving the homeless and various City of Evanston staff, are meeting regularly. One of their tasks? Adults sleeping in the Sherman Plaza Garage. “We’re trying to work together,” she told me, “and hopefully, we’ll be able to invite some of them to come to our Shelter.” 

I wanted her opinion about the #1 problem facing Evanston’s homeless adults. I got a surprising (and passionate) response. Here’s what she said: “We used to have and hopefully we still will have afternoon warming centers in the winter. But because of COVID-19, it’s hard to find houses of worship able to open and volunteers willing to staff them.”

Her issue is bathroom facilities. “Back in March”, she told me, “I talked to the City and eventually, porta-potties went up all over. Now they’re gone." I asked again. (Note: Turns out that they’ve very expensive and people in the community don’t like having them around.) But what acceptable options do people have now that nothing’s open? "Even the library has limited access and hours. We’re open until 11 AM and Connections is open until 2:30 PM but our Emergency Shelter doesn’t open until nine o’clock at night.

We still have soup kitchens, but now we can’t let people in – we just hand them their meals at the door. A couple of porta-potties or cleaning stations would be really helpful downtown. This is on my mind.”

And so it was. Something so basic, so essential. Something we all take for granted. Toilets.

You don’t have to be a member of a congregation to pitch in and help Interfaith Action of Evanston fulfill its mission, especially in the cold months ahead. Donations are always welcome, but Susan said they are in need of volunteers to set up and clean up at their Emergency Shelter locations and assist with placing boxes in vehicles on monthly Producemobile days. More information is right here.

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.