Friday, January 29, 2021 | View in browser
Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights
Turning a Corner on Cats
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.
What impact has the legalization of cannabis had on law enforcement incidents in Evanston? See Inquiring Minds.
Last week, examiners from ILEAP (Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program) visited EPD headquarters at 1454 Elmwood for a two-day review of department procedures, policies and the facility itself. This happened to coincide with the Deployment Meeting, so the weekly Google Meets call was cancelled. This post covers the period of 1/15-1/27 where, once again, catalytic converters thefts take the lead. The good news? They’re on the decline.
These thirteen days served up an attempted carjacking, three armed robberies, eight package thefts, a shots fired call, two car thefts and a total of twelve catalytic converter thefts. No residential or commercial burglaries were reported. Some details follow.
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Deployment Notes – January 27, 2021
- Nakia Banks was taken into custody on 1/27 for attacking a victim with a propane tank in the 2000 block of Howard. The victim sustained facial injuries and was admitted to an area hospital for treatment. Banks was charged with battery.
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Catalytic converter thefts: The trend continues with three (none of them Hondas or Toyotas) last week and seven (five of them Toyotas) during the 1.15-1.21 period. Ten occurred on streets south of Dempster, but last week, two were reported, for the first time, in Beat 75, the neighborhoods north of Golf. Detectives are working closely with neighboring jurisdictions, many of which have been hit as hard, or even harder, than Evanston. Special patrols have been deployed with what appears to be promising results.
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Motor vehicle burglaries: On 1/27 around 3 AM, an officer patrolling the south end of town (where most of the break-ins have occurred) observed a burglary to auto in progress in the 1500 block of Brummel. After a foot pursuit, Raekwon Meeks was taken into custody and charged with criminal trespass to vehicle. During the two-week period, break-ins to unlocked vehicles parked on the street were reported in the 700 block of Wesley, the 900 block of Sheridan, the 1600 block of Greenwood and the 1900 block of Emerson. An unlocked garage door led to the burglary of a vehicle in the 3300 block of Noyes on between 1/16 and 1/17. In the wee hours of 1/16, detectives from the Special Operations Group observed two juvenile subjects checking car door handles in the 600 block of Michigan. The juveniles fled on foot but were located.
- On 1/21, members of the EPD’s Special Operations Group observed a vehicle driving in the 2500 block of Prospect without its lights on. Obviously unaware of police presence, the three occupants of the vehicle began burglarizing a vehicle parked on the street, but were soon confronted by Detectives and neighbors. Two offenders fled on foot, but one member of the trio, a juvenile, was taken into custody. The offenders' vehicle, containing proceeds from other burglaries, was towed.
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Suspicious fire: The EFD responded to a dumpster fire in the rear of 1500 Oak on 1/21. Two dumpsters, recycling bins and a wooden fence were ablaze before being extinguished by first responders.
- According the Chief Cook, the two-day onsite review of EPD procedures and practices by examiners from ILEAP (Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program) on 1/20 and 1/21 went well. The accreditation decision is expected in March.
- Attempted carjacking: On 1/20 around 8:30 PM, a driver attempted to deliver an order in the 800 block of Seward, but was told by a person at the delivery address that no one there had placed an order. On the way back to his vehicle, he was approached by an offender who implied a weapon and demanded the victim’s car keys. The man refused and fought with the robber. A nearby citizen called the police, but the subject fled before units arrived.
- On 1/16 at 2 AM, a man parked his vehicle in the 700 block of Dewey when an offender in a SUV approached his vehicle. When the victim crossed the street, the robber demanded his money and grabbed the man’s lunch box. The victim struck the offender, who fell on the ground before running away.
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Package thieves continue to strike the common areas and mailrooms of apartment and condo buildings. But last week, they lived up to their ‘porch pirates’ moniker by stealing packages from porches in the 1100 block of Michigan and the 1700 block of McDaniel, along with the common areas of buildings in the 100 block of Callan and the 200 block of Ridge. There were four during the 1/15-1/21 period; one in the 1700 block of Dodge, one in the 700 block of Clark and two in the 300 block of Callan.
- An unlocked apartment in the 500 block of Main was reportedly burglarized between 12/24 and 1/14.
The Week Ahead
- Early voting begins for local elections on 2/8. You can find more information here.
For (let’s say) mature residents of Illinois who witnessed efforts to decriminalize the possession of cannabis, it was a fifty-year marathon that finally came to a resolution with the passage of HB 1438 on May 31, 2019, legalizing recreational use and sale for adults. It became effective 1/1/2020.
Illinois was the 11th state to legalize recreational weed, but the first state in the nation to legalize recreational sales by an act of the state legislature. On 12/31/19, Gov. Pritzker pardoned more than 11,000 people convicted of low-level marijuana offenses.
NORML (the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws) dates all the way back to 1970. The intervening years have seen valid arguments on both sides of the debate. Among them was this one: marijuana use would increase the number of car accidents involving users. According to Forbes, “When the roughly one-third of Americans opposing legalization were asked about the most important reasons for keeping legal marijuana out of circulation, driver safety was the chief reason. 79% said that an increase in the number of accidents involving drivers using marijuana is a major reason for their opposition.”
This got me to wondering, a year after the decriminalization of marijuana here in Evanston (some municipalities have opted out), if there has been any impact on law enforcement. This, I am obliged to point out, in my unofficial role as a civilian scribe in the squad room, is anecdotal only. (Not much in the way of statistics, yet.) And here’s the shocking response: Nothing of significance. And while my armchair research doesn’t even rise to the level of cursory, it doesn’t appear that law enforcement has been called to many weed-related incidents, other than complaints about the unmistakable and unwelcome odor detected by neighbors.
Fun Facts
On January 1, 2020, there were 37 dispensaries open for business across the state. That total more than doubled during the year. By December, Illinois had licensed 80 adult-use dispensaries.
There are 21 licensed cultivation centers in Illinois. Marijuana sold in Illinois must be grown in Illinois — with licenses for 40 smaller craft growers yet to be awarded.
Illinois generated nearly $106 million in combined recreational and medical marijuana sales in November, reaching $913 million for the year, with one month to go in its first year of adult-use cannabis sales, according to the state. Forecasters expect the final tally for 2020 to reach $1 billion in sales.
Source: Chicago Tribune
Same, same: The long lines that typified the first days of legal pot sales a year ago have disappeared as supply caught up with demand. We have one dispensary just like we did a year ago. Are more coming? A call to Paul Zalzemak, the City of Evanston’s Economic Development Manager, revealed that licenses for dispensaries are issued by the State, but subject to local ordinances. "There are," he said, “no current proposals from dispensaries," then added, “but there is a lot of interest.”
So what has changed in the year since recreational marijuana was legalized in Evanston? Exactly nothing. No BREAKING NEWS here. Nothing to see.
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 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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