Friday, June 04, 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.

Street patrols increase as the temperatures rise

Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, typically signals an increase in violent crime. And while Chicago was largely spared this past weekend, with a significant decrease in shootings and shooting-related injuries, the EPD received reports of four shootings and multiple shots fired calls last week. No one was injured. Detectives believe that gang rivalries have fueled the incidents and that, in the case of shots fired calls, some originated in District 24 (Rogers Park).

Other notable incidents mentioned included a carjacking, catalytic converter thefts, an attempted motor vehicle break-in, and teen vandalism. No public indecency reports were received.  Details follow.

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Deployment Meeting – June 02, 2021

• Catalytic converter thieves: On 6/1, an EPD officer responding to a hit and run report in the 2100 block of Hartrey picked up a Skokie PD flash of three vehicles heading eastbound on Main involved in catalytic converter thefts. The officer observed all three vehicles on the 1900 block of Washington that, upon seeing the squad, fled at a high rate of speed. One of the vehicles, an Acura SUV, was located at Hartrey and Madison with substantial front-end damage. Witnesses told the officer that two Hispanic males fled the vehicle. Keys were still in the ignition; a reciprocating saw and a trolley jack were found inside the trunk. Detectives are investigating.
• Catalytic converter thefts: A rental yard in the 2100 block of Dempster reported that catalytic converters had been stolen from three of their rental trucks on 5/28 around 5 PM.
• IDOT’s “Click It or Ticket” safety campaign has ended. Here are the local results: During the enforcement period, the Evanston Police Department wrote 86 citations for seat belt violations. There were also 30 cell phone citations, along with 84 other tickets for various traffic-related offenses.
• Motor vehicle burglary: Police responded to a car break-in call on 5/31 in the 1200 block of Mulford where a subject had been confronted by civilians inside the owner’s car. The individual surrendered his state ID and Ventra card (now in EPD possession) to his accusers, along with plunder from the burglary, before fleeing the scene.
• Criminal damage to city property: On 5/30, Dispatch observed that two City of Evanston cameras at Clark Street Beach were inoperable. Video revealed a group of seven juvenile subjects (males and females) in the area around 2:15 AM. Two members of a group, a Hispanic male and a Black male, were seen smashing and removing the cameras.
• Carjacking: A woman who stopped her car in the 1700 block of Dodge on 5/30, when she thought she’d struck an object, was approached by a Black male who demanded her keys and drove off with two females. The 2017 Honda CRV was recovered the next day in the 1800 block of Hovland. A subject, matching the victim’s description, was captured on video at a local convenience store.
• Package thefts: CCTV captured an unknown Black male subject using a pry tool to enter the front door of a building in the 900 block of Chicago on 5/30. Multiple packages were taken.
• Shootings (No injuries reported)
  • On 5/29, the EPD received multiple calls of shots fired near Dempster and Dodge. Bullet casings were recovered in the 1300 block of Darrow and a vehicle with damage from gunfire was located in the 1800 block of Dempster.  TAC units observed a Ford sedan leaving the scene and conducted a traffic stop in the 1600 block of Dodge. The backseat passenger, James Potts, fled on foot but was located by K-9 “Officer” Aston. Potts was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated UUW by a felon and is in CCDOC custody.
  • EPD Dispatch received multiple calls for shots fired in the 1400 block of Oakton on 5/28. A caller said there was a disturbance in the area and that a white vehicle fled the scene. Two subjects in the area were interviewed by the police. Five shell casings were located.
  • Damage to two addresses and a vehicle were observed by cops called to the 1900 block of Ashland responding to shots fired calls on 5/28. A black SUV was reportedly seen along with several individuals feeling the area on foot. Shell casings were recovered.
  • A victim reported being shot at while waiting for the light to change at a stoplight at Oakton and Ridge on 5/26. Three shell casings were recovered near Ridge and Monroe.
• Shots Fired (No evidence found)
  • 6/2 - 12:25 AM – 1200 block of Monroe
  • 6/2 - 1:11 AM – 800 block of Hinman
  • 5/30 - 1:25 AM – 2000 block of Darrow
  • 5/28 - 10:00 PM – 1200 block of Darrow
  • 5/27 - 1:30 AM – 1800 block of Darrow
• On 5/26, the owner of an auto repair shop on the 2200 block of Green Bay reported that an alarm alerted him to a burglary on the premises. The front door glass of his business had been shattered and a vehicle was missing. The vehicle’s owner is suspected.
• Officers from Community Strategies assisted Property Standards at several locations in Evanston, participated in a Special Olympics video shoot and attended the 5^th Ward Summer Youth Program meetings. They will be assisting with ETHS patrols as Summer School returns from 6/3 to 7/14.

The Week Ahead

• Community Strategies (PST) officers will continue to address quality-of-life issues related to problem properties, the city’s homeless population and downtown panhandling, and be present at both the Farmers Market and the Hovland Block Party on 6/5.
• Check out this Round Table article for details on Juneteenth celebrations. 
• And of course, June is Pride Month. Evanston Pride is sponsoring several events on 6/26. You can find more information here. 

Inquiring Minds: Citizen Ring Cameras and the EPD

The doorbell-camera company Ring has forged video-sharing partnerships with more than 2,000 police and fire departments across the United States, granting them potential access to homeowners’ camera footage and a powerful role in what the company calls the nation’s “new neighborhood watch.” Now the EPD is one of them.

According to Detective Giese, the department’s Neighbors Public Safety Service (NPSS) Ring account will allow the EPD to communicate with Evanston residents who have Ring cameras or the Neighbors app.  

Examples, he said, include “traffic crash locations causing traffic congestion, requests to stay clear of specific areas due to major incidents and other public safety alerts”. Residents must opt in through Neighbors to connect with the EPD. “Contrary to popular belief”, he said, “we don't have access to people's cameras in real time or on recorded video storage.” So it’s completely voluntary.

The company’s media releases say that “the partnerships let police request the video recorded by homeowners’ cameras within a specific time and area, helping officers see footage from the company’s millions of Internet-connected cameras installed nationwide. Officers don’t receive ongoing or live-video access, and homeowners can decline the requests, which Ring sends via email thanking them for ‘making your neighborhood a safer place’. Ring officials and law enforcement partners position the vast camera network as an irrepressible shield for neighborhoods, saying it can assist police investigators and protect homes from criminals, intruders and thieves.”

Download information about Ring’s Neighbors app here.

A map of Ring's  police and fire partnerships here. 

More info with the Neighbors Public Safety Service One-Sheet here.

Thanks to Detective Giese for his contribution to this week’s post.

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.