Monday, May 26, 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.

Time Capsule and a Light Week for Crime

Bart catches up on reading a counterculture classic

On May 15, SOG (Special Operations Group) detectives responded to a trespass call and located a male who matched the description provided by witnesses.

During a consensual search, detectives located mail stolen from residences in the 1700 block of Hinman. Further investigation revealed that the subject entered an apartment on the same block and stole a book aptly titled “Steal this Book.” He was charged with burglary and criminal trespass.

Note: Readers of a certain age will certainly remember Abbie Hoffman’s Steal This Book. Written in 1970 and published the following year, it sold a quarter of a million copies between April and November 1971. The number of copies that were stolen is unknown.

Residents of Evanston, rejoice! A quick glance at the map below tells you that it was a quiet week here. No catalytic converter thefts, perhaps thanks to more nighttime burglary suppression patrols on the south end, where most of the thefts have occurred. Nothing related to firearms. Also just one potentially violent crime: a road rage incident. Other incidents mentioned at the meeting follow.

Otherwise, it was a comparatively quiet week. Details of other incidents covered at the meeting follow.

Weekly Crime Map

Click to enlarge

Deployment Presentation – May 21, 2025 

Special Operations Group Arrests - On May 20 around 8:30 p.m., officers responded to a road rage incident possibly involving a firearm in the 500 block of Dempster. The officers discovered that there was no firearm in play, but witnesses at the scene said that a man exited his vehicle and threatened a victim with a baseball bat. The perpetrator was detained by police and admitted that he had approached the victim’s vehicle with a baseball bat. He was charged with aggravated assault and possession of cannabis.

Assist Outside Agency

• A 2016 Infiniti stolen out of Skokie was recovered on May 19 in the 2000 block of Greenwood. Skokie police responded to the scene and took custody of the vehicle.
• On May 17, officers responded to Asbury and Cleveland for a report of a stolen vehicle pinging in the area. They found the Jeep Grand Cherokee parked and unoccupied on the 1300 block of Cleveland. Upon notification by police, the vehicle was retrieved by its owner.

Bike Theft  - On May 14, a victim left his $2,500 bicycle unlocked at McDonald’s in the 1900 block of Dempster. When he left the restaurant, his bicycle was gone. GPS on the bike tracked it to the 1900 block of Jackson. Teens, two of them juveniles, were identified. Police recovered the stolen bike and turned it over to the complainant.

Burglary

Commercial Burglary - Officers responded to a convenience store in the 500 block of Main on May 14 for a burglary. Entry was made by breaking a front window near the entrance. Officers viewed security video and issued an attempt to identify bulletin. The offender was located and charged with criminal damage to property and burglary. He had been arrested a few days prior in the 18th district of Chicago for burglarizing a drugstore.

Garage Burglary – Between May 17 and May 18, a burglar forced entry to a garage in the 1400 block of Washington and took a Starkvarg Enduro electric motorcycle. It was recovered in Morton Grove.

Motor Vehicle Burglary – A vehicle registration was reported missing from an unlocked car in the 1800 block of Leland between May 18 and May 19.

Residential Burglary – In addition to the aforementioned burglary in the 1600 block of Judson on May 15, there was an attempt the same day in the 3200 block of Grant. 

Disturbance

On May 15, around 8:45 a.m., a tow truck driver and a City of Evanston Parking Enforcement Officer were in the process of towing a vehicle in the 500 block of Custer when the vehicle’s owner arrived on the scene and started arguing with them. During the dispute, the woman produced a can of pepper spray and sprayed it at the towing employee while threatening him. (Fortunately, the pepper spray missed its targets.)

Domestic Disturbance

• On May 19, officers responded to a domestic disturbance involving family members at a residence in the 600 block of Hull. One of the females demonstrated suicidal intentions. Police at the scene were able to deescalate the situation and transport the woman to an area hospital for evaluation.
• On May 18, around 8 p.m., a woman reported that her ex-boyfriend/father of her child had been harassing her and suspected that he had broken into her apartment while she was at work. She authorized police entry, and the unit, in a state of disarray, was cleared by officers. The victim told officers that her former partner had also battered her as recently as last week. She plans to seek another order of protection.
• Around 4:45 p.m. on May 16, officers responded to Clark and Judson for a report of a female with a child seen escaping from a vehicle. Officers learned that the victim had been battered and strangled by her boyfriend in the presence of the child. The offender was taken into custody and charged with aggravated domestic battery.

Graffiti – Observed on May 20, near Dempster and Forest.

Motor Vehicle Theft

Attempted – In the wee hours of May 18, a caller reported that unknown subjects entered his white Dodge Durango by breaking the sunroof and attempted to steal the vehicle. The offenders fled the scene in a black Durango as the vehicle’s owner approached them. The victim was nearly struck as the crooks made their escape.

Recovered:

• On May 21, an unreturned rental vehicle associated with a crime in Grayslake was recovered by CPD unoccupied in Chicago. The Nissan Sentra had been entered into LEADS by EPD.
• Between May 19 and May 20, a 2018 Ford Edge was stolen from the 2000 block of Colfax. It was located in the 1900 block of Wesley.
• On May 19, a 2016 Infinity Q50 stolen out of Skokie was located in the 2300 block of Greenwood.

Note: The Crime Analyst reported a recent spike in Dodge Durango thefts. Why Dodge Durangos? According to some, they are easy to steal, have a high resale value, and in some cases, crooks just like the power and performance. 

Random Notes

• On May 17 around 1 p.m., EPD and EFD responded to a crash where a vehicle drove into the front of Kenny the Kleeners. The driver was unharmed, and no one inside the business was injured. Property Standards personnel responded to the scene and deemed the structure stable. The Subway next door had a similar incident in March. No charges were filed.
• Swimming beaches opened here on May 24. Don’t forget to pick up your free beach pass. They are available at all community centers in Evanston as well as the Dempster Street Beach Office. (At the time of this writing, the water temperature was 53.1 degrees.)

Inquiring Minds: Evanston's Safe Sidewalk Initiative

Obey the signs

According to the American Community Survey, nearly 29 percent of Evanston residents walk, bike, or use public transit to get to work. About 16 percent of Evanston households don’t own a car, and almost half own just one.

But 100% of Evanston residents use sidewalks and expect them to be safe, shared spaces.

The City of Evanston has long required that cyclists ‘walk their wheels’ on sidewalks in the Central Business District, aka downtown, which is bounded by Elgin and Clark on the north, Hinman on the east, Lake on the south, and Ridge on the west. Even though the ordinance addresses the Central Business District, it is safer and more considerate to walk your bike on the sidewalks in any business area. Additional business areas include, but are not limited to, Central Street, the Dempster Main Mile, and Howard Street. 

Cyclists must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians when they are permitted to be on the sidewalk, as required by ordinance. Violators of Local Ordinance 10-9-4 can be fined. Bicycles, skateboards, scooters, in-line skates, or roller skates (considered micro-mobility vehicles) are still welcome inside the boundaries, but they are required to operate in the roadways.

Signs are posted throughout the area, but scofflaws tend to ignore them. Last June, a 75-year-old resident of a condo in the area was knocked down by a cyclist and ended up in Skokie Hospital with multiple injuries. A pleasurable trip to the Farmers Market on a sunny Saturday could easily have had serious consequences.

More Patrols

EPD will be deploying educational and enforcement initiatives in business districts this summer. In fact, they’ve already begun. The plan is to lead with warnings and education to increase compliance, but noncompliant cyclists could receive citations.

News You Can Use: Sign up for the City’s new Transportation and Mobility email list to get updates on courses and other news.

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.