Friday, July 23, 2021 |   View in browser

Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights

Every week, a civilian attends the Evanston Police Department’s Deployment Meetings, takes notes on the topics discussed and writes about it and other public safety matters of interest to people who work and live in Evanston.

Beware of this summer's phishing scam. Details in Inquiring Minds.

The trend toward electric vehicles has seen an increase in the popularity of electric bikes and with it, thefts. Recently, garage burglars made off with electric bikes in the 1300 block of Wilder and the 2900 block of Central. According to eBikesHQ.com, “…electric bikes range in cost from a low of $600 to over $8000. Not many quality ebikes can be had for under $1000, with most mainstream ebikes costing between $1500 – $4000.” So it’s no surprise that they are prized by thieves. Best defense: lock your garage.

Crime Analyst Ring and Intelligence Officer Giese reported three robberies, four motor vehicle burglaries, three bicycle thefts, three package thefts, a motor vehicle theft and a shots fired call. Details follow.

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Deployment Meeting – July 21, 2021

• A caller contacted police to report that he was standing in the driveway of his residence in the 1400 block of Ridge around 7 PM on 7/19 when a SUV with three occupants fired shots at him with a BB gun and then fled. The victim sustained minor injuries and reported that a similar incident occurred two weeks prior.
• Officers responded to the 1200 block of Hinman on 7/18 around 8:30 PM to a reported stabbing of a juvenile. Contact was made with homeowners in the area, but no evidence of a disturbance or a crime was found.
• Shots fired:
  • On 7/18, a citizen reported finding a shell casing near his parked car in the 700 block of Case, which police retrieved and inventoried.
  • On 7/17 around 12:45 AM, EPD officers responded to a call about a shot heard in the 1800 block of Maple. The area was checked with negative results.
• Robberies: Detectives are investigating these incidents:
  • On 7/18 at 1:40 PM, a juvenile victim was walking near Greenwood and Dodge, when three offenders in a black sedan approached. Two of the subjects exited the vehicle and demanded money at gunpoint.
  • On 7/16 around 10 PM, a juvenile victim reported being shoved off a bike in the 1400 block of Main by four offenders, who then took the bike.
  • On 7/14, officers responded to a disturbance call at Main and Sherman. They contacted a victim who had been confronted by a known offender who struck and took the victim's money.
• Motor vehicle burglaries:
  • Arrested: On 7/15 around 3 AM, a caller reported that an unknown subject was inside their parked vehicle in the 1000 block of Pitner. Responding officers located Gary Heckrodt in the vehicle. Found with an amount of money missing from a wallet left in the car, he confessed to the crime and was subsequently arrested and charged with burglary to vehicle.
  • Burglaries to unlocked vehicles occurred in the 2800 block of Harrison between 7/9 and 7/10, and the 800 block of Davis on 7/15.
  • Crooks broke a passenger window to gain entry to a secured vehicle and took cigarettes in the 1600 block of Emerson on 7/15.
• Package thefts were reported in the 800 block of Dobson, the 1800 block of Ridge and the 1400 block of Chicago Avenue.
• Motor vehicle theft: A 2018 Acura was stolen between 7/13 and 7/14 from the 2100 block of Keeney.
• One more bicycle theft: In addition to the electric bikes stolen last week, an unsecured bicycle was taken from the back porch of a residence in the 800 block of Dodge between 7/13 and 7/14.
• Officers from Community Strategies continue to address and resolve quality-of-life issues. They attended Homelessness Task Force, 5^th Ward and 9^th Ward meetings. They were also present at the Farmers Market and Safe Summer events across the city.

The Week Ahead

• The Downtown Evanston and Main-Dempster Sidewalk Sale & Chalk Art Contest will take place on July 22 – 25.

Inquiring Minds: ‘Validate Your Driver’s License’ Scams

B.O’C. asked this question: “I recently received a text message from the Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles asking me to validate my driver’s license by clicking on a link. I was suspicious, so I didn’t click on the link. Is this legit?”

No, it isn’t. It’s a version of a phishing scam that started hitting mobile phones and inboxes from coast to coast this spring. And even though Illinoisans may refer to facilities as “the DMV”, we have a Department of Driver Services and a Department of Vehicle Services, but we don’t have a Department of Motor Vehicles. There’s your first clue.

In this most recent scam, consumers are directed to visit a website requiring them to validate details for a ‘driver’s license waiver’ (this doesn’t exist in Illinois) and enabling them to avoid the famously long lines at driver’s license facilities that resulted from the pandemic. A recent article quoted Steve J. Bernas, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois, as saying, “Nobody's gonna text, email or call you out of the blue and ask you for personal and confidential information such as your social security number or driver's license number.”

An earlier version of this phishing expedition elicited a warning in Illinois about text messages from the “Department of Employment Security” urging recipients to click on a link to update their driver's licenses or state IDs to comply with upcoming federal REAL ID requirements.

Below you will find a bogus text message from “The Illinois Secretary of State”, received yesterday.

On the writer's iPhone, 7/22

If you get one of these messages, Jesse White’s office advises you to delete it. Consumers, they say, may be asked questions like these in person at a driver’s license facility, but they won’t do it through a text or email.

The Secretary of State’s office has recently extended the validity of expired driver’s licenses and ID cards to January 1, 2022. Here’s the press release. 

And if you have a question about a suspicious communication from the state, visit the Secretary of State’s website. 

You can also report scams to the Illinois Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Hotline. 

In The Squad Room will be on vacation, returning 8/6.

Have a question or comment? Email Commander Garner and remember to put In The Squad Room in the subject line.

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.