Friday, August 20, 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.

A new ride for a teen victim of hit-and-run

This week's In The Squad Room is a double issue, covering the period of August 5 -18. (Same for This Week’s Crime map). During this time, an August 10^th storm knocked down trees, tree branches, put the Union Pacific North Line on full stop and resulted in power outages to thousands of Evanston homes. Details on police related events from the last two weeks follow. 

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Deployment Meeting – August 18, 2021

• Around 8:45 AM on 8/18, first responders and neighboring fire departments were called to a house fire in the 1300 block of Dewey. Residents were able to exit the home safely; one firefighter was treated for minor injuries. Several cats were also rescued. An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.
• Man with a Gun: Cops responded to a call of two suspects with guns in the 500 block of Howard around 4:45 PM on 8/15. They checked the area but were unable to locate the suspects.
• Motor Vehicle Thefts during the period: The first of a 2001 Toyota Highlander on 8/7 in the 700 block of Chicago. The second between 8/13 and 8/15, a 2017 Ford Fusion in the 1800 block of Laurel, which was later recovered in Evanston.
• Police received a call from an individual who observed a suspect engaged in an act of public indecency parked in a silver Ford Explorer in the 600 block of Forest around 8 AM on 8/15. 
• Carjacking: On 8/15, a motorist stopped in the 100 block of Ashland was confronted by an individual armed with a gun who forced the motorist to exit the vehicle, get on the ground and surrender the vehicle. The carjacker and accomplices left a vehicle stolen out of Chicago earlier that day. The victim’s 2012 Hyundai was located in Hyde Park around 6:30 PM.
• Bike Thefts: There were eight bicycle thefts during the two-week period. According to Crime Analyst Ring, six were secured to bike racks.   
• The seven Shots Fired calls during the deployment period failed to yield any evidence. Here’s when and where shots were reported:
  • 8/5 around 1:15 AM in the 100 block of Asbury and 4:00 AM in the 100 block of Dempster
  • 8/6 around 1:15 AM in the 300 block of Callan
  • 8/11 around 10:30 PM in the 800 block of Hinman
  • 8/12 around 10 PM in the 1400 block of Foster
  • 8/15 around 11:30 PM in the 300 block of Custer
  • 8/16 around 11 PM near Emerson and Dodge.
• Catalytic Converter Thefts: Since the last ITSR, one more catalytic converter theft has been reported, this time on 8/13 from a 1997 Chevrolet in the 2200 block of Ashland. Crime Analyst Ring noted that all the thefts in the last 30 days have occurred in Beat 75 (northwest Evanston) in the Saturday-Sunday overnight hours. 
• Happy ending: On the Fourth of July, a teen became the victim of a hit-and-run driver while riding a bike. On 8/12, Target store staff, EPD officers and community members (see photo above) were on hand to make sure the teen had a new bike when school started this week.
• Chicago resident Irvin Jimenez was stopped for a traffic violation on 8/11 around 8 PM in the 1900 block of Howard. A search of his vehicle yielded 530 grams of cannabis. He was arrested and charged with Felony Possession of Cannabis with Intent to Deliver.
• Package Thefts are on the decline with just two incidents reported. On 8/7 at 3:30 AM, a video captured a person stealing a package from a home in the 2300 block of Ridge and sometime between 8/5 and 8/6, a thief forced entry into a building in the 800 block of Judson.
• Officers from Community Strategies (the Problem Solving Team) continued to address and resolve quality-of-life issues. In the last week, members attended Problem Properties Task Force and Special Event Committee meetings. They also visited a Latinx event at St. Nick’s and monitored the downtown area, lakefront and Main Street from Dodge to Chicago.

The Week Ahead

• By the time you read this, a group of EPD officers will have participated in the 8/19 memorial services for fallen CPD Officer Ella French.
• Community Strategies will be present at Homelessness Task Force and 1^st Ward meetings. Look for them at Friday’s “Coffee for Champions” Special Olympics event at Dempster and Dodge, the District 65 Fair in Mason Park, the Evanston Farmers' Market and Taste of Hovland Court, all on Saturday.
• NU’s first home game is scheduled for 9/3 at 8 PM. Twenty to twenty-five thousand fans are expected. The EPD is working with NU on traffic and event details, especially in light of bridge construction on Central.

Inquiring Minds: We hear a lot about offenders and criminals. What about victims of crime?

For the answer, I spoke to Kelli Nelson, who along with colleague Ariel Jackson, staffs Victim Services. Under the supervision of the City’s Health and Human Service Department, their mission is to provide support to victims of crime – robbery, sexual assault, identity theft, domestic violence, harassment – and direct them to available resources. Kelli sees their location inside EPD Headquarters as an advantage to the people they serve, rendering support and resources at the point of contact.

Kelli and Ariel are not sworn officers – they are civilian social workers with (between them) undergraduate degrees in Sociology, Psychology, and History, along with master’s degrees in Educational Psychology, Social Work and Community Counseling. Kelli has worked in Victim Services since 2014; Ariel was a Youth Service Advocate for seven years before joining Victim Services in 2017.

Together, they provide round-the-clock support, working a typical 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM shift, then alternating, on a weekly basis, for after-hours on-call duty. “If there’s a crisis, a sex assault, domestic battery or a homicide,” she said, “we’re called to the scene.” There is no typical day or call.

They also perform death notifications when a family member or someone close to the deceased needs to be informed. “We’re trained to handle difficult situations. Every year we take continuing education units to maintain our licensure. There’s a wide spectrum of trainings - trauma, domestic violence, suicide, sexual assault - so we’re able to keep up with best practices and develop the skills to address those issues.”

“There’s a steady stream of crisis and trauma,” she said, “and some days are harder than others.” To alleviate the stress inherent in the role, Ariel and Kelli check in with each other. “Sometimes,” she told me, “we need to talk, especially after a crisis call.” Self-care can be a challenge, with a week that leaves little time to de-compress. Fitness regimens like running and boot camp classes help with that; so, do opportunities to socialize with friends, another challenge in the pandemic era.

What Kelli wants you to know:

“There have been a lot of changes over the past several months, but Victim Services is here and ready to help.  

The scope of our services hasn’t changed. We follow up with victims of crime, but we also serve non-victims, people, for example, who may be struggling with their own or a family member’s mental health issues. We can provide references to services. A phone call to Victim Services will put residents in touch with us.”

Victim Services Direct Line

847 866 5015

Other helpful resources:

Domestic Violence Hotline

877 863 6338

Mental Health Crisis Hotline

708 681 4357 (Amita Health Crisis Line)

Thanks to Kelli Nelson for her contributions to this issue.

Have a question or comment? Email Commander Garner and 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.