Saturday, February 8, 2025 | View in browser
Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights
In this post, a community member who sits in on the Evanston Police
Department’s weekly Deployment Meeting, shares notes on the topics discussed and writes about public safety matters of interest to people who work or live in Evanston.
Way Over the Legal Limit
 Ill-gotten gains seized three days ago
On Feb. 5 around 2 a.m., officers observed a 2022 Hyundai commit a traffic violation. They conducted a routine stop in the 2300 block of Main and were able to speak to the driver and the front seat passenger. Drug paraphernalia and THC cartridges were in plain view. Further investigation revealed a box of ammunition, an uncased but loaded Smith & Wesson 1911 .45-caliber handgun, cannabis, and suspected psilocybin. The vehicle was towed after the driver was unable to show proof of insurance. Back at EPD headquarters (post-Miranda), the man admitted to ownership of the handgun and narcotics. He was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance (the psilocybin mushrooms, 38.9 ounces), and possession of cannabis (62.7 grams).
It was a relatively quiet week for crime. And it’s not the first time this has happened, but an owner was surprised, on Jan. 29, to find that all four tires of their 2023 Honda Civic (on cinder blocks) parked in the 1600 block of Keeney were removed. What stood out most were three domestic incidents.
Details of incidents covered in the meeting follow.
Weekly Crime Map
 Click to enlarge
Deployment Presentation – February 5, 2025
Aggravated Fleeing and Eluding
SOG (Special Operations Group) detectives attempted to stop a vehicle associated with an Evanston domestic case at a gas station in Skokie. They observed the man enter his vehicle, but he made good on his escape, fleeing at a high rate of speed and blowing several red lights. Later in the day, he was located and taken into custody in North Chicago. Returned to Evanston, he was charged with aggravated fleeing and other warrants. Felony charges were approved. (See the third paragraph of Domestic Incidents for the man’s prior offenses.)
Burglary
Garage Burglary
Between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, a Cannondale bike and a table saw were removed from a garage in the 1100 block of Colfax.
Motor Vehicle Burglary
All to unsecured vehicles:
- Feb. 4, an attempt in the 1200 block of Wesley.
- Feb. 2, in the 1600 block of McDaniel.
- Feb. 1, in the 1400 block of Grey.
- Between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, in the 1400 block of Hartrey.
- Between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, in the 400 block of Custer.
A person of interest has been identified.
Domestic Incidents
On Feb. 3, a caller reported hearing a disturbance coming from a nearby apartment unit. Upon arrival, the occupant of that apartment told officers that her ex, who was present, forced his way into her apartment by breaking the front door. She reported being strangled but refused to answer further questions about the assault. While on scene, her abuser made statements about harming himself and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. He was charged with VOOP (violation of an order of protection) and misdemeanor domestic battery.
Officers responded to a residence for a domestic disturbance and violation of an order of protection on Jan. 30. While attempting to take the subject into custody, officers were battered and requested backup. Responding units breached a locked front door and assisted in taking the man into custody. He was charged with VOOP and two counts of aggravated battery to police.
On Jan. 30, EPD was dispatched to a residence for a domestic disturbance. Dispatch informed officers that the victim stated, "I'm afraid he's going to hurt me. He might still be here. Can you send the police in stealth mode?" Once on scene, cops discovered that the man was wanted in Waukegan for a recent domestic incident, had removed his ankle monitor, and fled the scene. Officers located the man’s Jeep and set up a perimeter to search with the help of a K-9 and a drone but were unable to locate him.
He was arrested in North Chicago the next day.
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233
YMCA Evanston North Shore Survivor Services Crisis Line: 877-718-1868
Motor Vehicle Theft
Theft
- On Feb. 2, a resident in the 900 block of Michigan reported that his 2020 Dodge Durango was stolen while parked on the street. One set of keys is unaccounted for. The vehicle has been entered into the LEADS system.
- On Jan. 29, a 2019 Jeep Cherokee was reported missing from the 2300 Marcy block. All keys were accounted for. The vehicle has been entered into LEADS.
Recoveries
- A 2013 Toyota Highlander was reported missing from the 1100 block of Harvard Terrace between Jan. 28 and Jan. 29. It was located on Jan. 31.
- Between Jan. 28 and Jan. 29, an unlocked 2022 Toyota in the 800 block of Washington was taken. It was recovered later in the 1500 block of Florence.
Obstructing ID
Here’s a new one for you. Obstructing ID means presenting law enforcement with false identification. An offender’s true identity was revealed last week in the investigation of a retail theft that occurred on July 14 last year at Jewel-Osco in the 2400 block of Howard. A wanted bulletin has been disseminated.
Package Theft
Just two this week:
- Between Jan. 16 and Feb. 2, from a government building in the 1100 block of Davis.
- On Jan. 29, ceramic items from a residence in the 2200 block of Central.
Weapons-Related
Shots Fired
On Feb. 1, EPD received a call from a person who reported hearing 5-6 shots fired in the 1200 block of Howard. Responding officers were unable to locate evidence.
Random Notes
- The Dog Beach has reopened. But please, mind the ice.
- A caller reported that a subject was standing on the corner of Dempster and Ridge with a Palestinian flag attached to a City of Evanston sign. Police told him that he needed to remove the flag from city property and that he could stay there as long as he didn’t break any laws or cause problems.
- Wait, what? Last week, two EPD officers were investigating a hit-and-run incident when they learned that the owner of the offending vehicle called her vehicle in as stolen. The officers were able to tie the owner back to the crash and charge her with a Class 2 felony of filing a false stolen vehicle report.
- According to Traffic, EPD continues to receive complaints about crosswalk issues at the city’s schools.
- Applications are currently being accepted for the Spanish Language Community Police Academy’s upcoming Spring 2025 session. It begins on Feb. 27. Apply here.
Great Moments in EPD History: FALN Comes to Town
 FLAN Logo
On April 4, 1980, Carlos Torres and eight other members of the FALN were packed into a van parked on Hamilton. Torres and his colleagues (who were armed with a sawed-off shotgun and eight handguns) were planning to rob an armored truck carrying $200,000 in cash that was parked at Northwestern University’s loading dock.
For over six years, FALN (the Armed Forces of National Liberation) pulled off successful robberies around the country and managed to elude capture. But they needed more cash to finance their guerrilla war to end the United States’ hold over Puerto Rico. With collateral damage that included five deaths and dozens of injuries through bombings and armed attacks, they hoped to spark an insurrection among Puerto Ricans living in the U.S.
On that fateful day, EPD officers, following up on a noise complaint about kids partying in a van, managed to stop and interview Torres. As his associates were ordered to vacate the van, one cop noticed that the fake moustache of one of the crew members was slipping. Before long, other cops were on the scene.
In 1981, Torres and more than a dozen other FALN members were given 35- to 105-year prison terms on charges ranging from seditious conspiracy to armed robbery, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and various weapons violations. Torres’ wife was convicted of murder. It was ‘game over’ for the small but dangerous cabal of terrorists.
President Bill Clinton ordered clemency for 16 convicted FALN members who renounced violence in 1991.
Today, Puerto Rico remains attached to the United States under commonwealth status, with most residents (about 60%, depending on which study you read) seeking statehood. That being stated, the FALN is remembered, if remembered at all, as a “dangerous fringe group of committed young activists pushed into radicalism by their own uncompromising ideology and by a narrow view of Puerto Rican history.”
Send us your questions. What would you like to know? We’ll respond with an answer in the next issue or two. Comments and suggestions are welcome too. Contact us here.
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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