Friday, March 26, 2021 |   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.

They're after the platinum, palladium and rhodium

This week’s deployment meeting included in a lesson on the value of platinum-group metals (PGMs). This discussion was prompted by four catalytic converter thefts in Evanston last week. This time, Hondas were targeted in the 2000  and 2100 blocks of Howard, the 1500 block of Oak, the 1500 block of Greenleaf and the 700 block of Reba. The value of the PGMs in cats continues to skyrocket, making thefts increasingly attractive to thieves armed with jacks and reciprocating saws.

Here’s what I can tell you: As a general rule: the older the vehicle, the more platinum is present in the catalytic converter. Likewise for hybrids like the Toyota Prius. SUVs and trucks are also preferred for their high ground clearances that make it easy for crooks to slide underneath to access the undercarriage.

Here are some things you can do to keep your vehicle safe:

• Whenever possible, park in well-lit areas, close to building entrances.
• If you have a garage at your house, park your car inside it and keep garage doors locked. This may be a good time to clean out your garage.
• Consider engraving your vehicle identification number (VIN) on the catalytic converter — this may help alert a scrap dealer that it was stolen and make it easier to identify the owner.
• Calibrate your car's alarm to alert when it detects vibration.
• Purchase an anti-theft shield or cage. These are widely available online for less than $200 and can be installed by your mechanic.

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Deployment Meeting – March 24, 2021

• The tragic homicides that occurred last week placed special demands on most units within the EPD. Investigations is working closely with NORTAF (the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force) to solve the case. Traffic and other bureaus have stepped in to bolster patrol coverage.  As reported last week, Victim Services is providing counseling and support to families of the victims as well as traumatized community members. 
• Car theft: A victim reported that between 3/18 and 3/19 her black 2009 Dodge Journey was taken from the 1400 block of Simpson.
• Shell casings were recovered from two of five shots fired calls that came in last week. Those were in the 100 block of Clyde and the 800 block of South Boulevard, both on 3/19. Calls about gunfire heard in the 1400 block of Sherman, the 800 block of Ridge and the 900 block of Michigan failed to yield any evidence.
• Security cameras caught a subject stealing large screen TVs from a warehouse club on 3/18 and 3/19. Detectives have issued a Special Bulletin with the images.
• A six-month narcotics investigation by the EPD’s Special Operations Group (SOG) resulted in the 3/18 unlawful use of a weapon arrest of Anthony Davis. Weapons, ammunition and $20,000 in cash were seized. Cook County Sheriffs Police and the FBI assisted. Another suspect remains at large.
• Just one package theft from the common area of a multi-unit building in the 1200 block of Ridge between 3/18 and 3/20.
• We’re going to start seeing more bike thefts. There were three last week on sidewalks, at schools and near playgrounds. Please remind your kids to lock their bikes and while you’re at it, it may be a good time for you to review your own bike security practices.
• Making it worse: Officers responding to a service call around 3PM on 3/18 encountered an intoxicated Jamere Gregory. He assaulted an officer as he was being escorted out of a residence in the 1900 block of Asbury and was taken into custody, charged with assault to a police officer.
• Community Strategies (PST – the Problem Solving Team) attended the Mayors Summer Youth Job Fair, assisted patrol operations in the city’s hotspots and continued to monitor and resolve quality of life issues at problem properties across the city.

The Week Ahead

• Community Strategies officers will assist at the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Fair on Saturday, 3/20. Also, good news for residents and commuters in the Main/Chicago area: more security cameras are planned.
• Early voting for local elections begins on 3/22. Election Day is 4/6.
• Dang: The Trustees of the Evanston Fourth of July Association voted to cancel the fun run, parade, concert band performance and lakefront fireworks planned for July 4, 2021 based on COVID-19 concerns.

Inquiring Minds: Talking to Christopher Voss at the 911 Center

TCO Harold dispatches police and fire calls in EPD's 911 Center

The 911 Center, located on the second floor of EPD headquarters, is manned by a highly-trained staff of three to four telecommunicators. It is modern, large and dimly lit with huge flat screen monitors encircling about a third of the room (formerly a racquetball court).

The staff handles calls for the Fire Department, EMS and the Police over five wireless lines, five landlines, three administrative lines and a direct connection phone line with Northwestern University Police Department (NUPD). It was the first 911 center on the North Shore when it was built in 1970 and the fifth in the entire state. In 2005, the suspended ceiling collapsed, disabling the entire 911 center. An offsite back-up facility had the service up and running in under an hour.

I hadn’t talked to anyone at the 911 Center for a few years, so I reached out to Christopher Voss, the Acting Communications Coordinator of the 911 Center, for updates and a few more facts:

Telecommunicators

• 480 hours of training are required for 911 Center staff members.  
• They are civilians and not sworn officers.
• They wear uniforms.  
• They’re dedicated to Fire, Police or EMS calls and rotate assignments on a daily basis.
• Evanston’s 15 telecommunicators have nearly 240 years of combined experience with the agency.
• Their work stations are ergonomically designed with desks that raise and lower according to their preferences.
• They are born multi-taskers – typically watching multiple monitors while they gather information from callers and access databases on their workstations.
• They work an unusual schedule: Seven 12-hour shifts, every two week period of time.

By the Numbers

• Over 38,000 9-1-1 and over 29,000 administrative calls were made to the 911 Center in 2020.  There were 65,863 Police Events (11,675 Police reports) and 9,149 Fire Department calls for service in 2020.
• 72% of the calls are made by mobile phones. (Landline and VoIP calls pinpoint exact caller addresses.  Wireless calls are triangulated to indicate a general location but not a specific address.)

Technology

• All software, hardware and network systems are upgraded regularly.  In 2020, the Communications Center upgraded the 9-1-1 phone system and police radio system.

Please note:

Telecommunicators are honored annually during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week scheduled for the week of April 11th-17^th this year. What a good week to send some treats to these hardworking first First Responders. 

Have a question for us? We’re always looking for reader input and suggestions. And starting right now, you can include questions for the Traffic Bureau. Just send them to Commander Garner and put In The Squad Room in the subject line. We’ll make sure to direct them to the appropriate person for an ITSR response. 

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.