Monday, June 2, 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.
Field of Schemes
He's not selling anything
The victim stated she had been sending gift cards to actor Kevin Costner via the messaging app Telegram. In the past six months, she told police that she had sent approximately $62,000 to an impostor promising to multiply her investment. She never received the promised cryptocurrency.
According to the EPD, this scam has been around since at least 2018, when the FTC warned consumers to not send money to celebrities who contact them over social media.
Here’s how it works
Celebrity cryptocurrency scams often use gift cards as a key component in deceiving victims. Scammers pretend to be celebrities to lure victims into sending them gift cards, claiming to help them with cryptocurrency investments or other fake schemes. These scams target individuals who are vulnerable (seniors, let’s say) and believe the scammer is a certified celebrity, leading them to send gift cards to the scammer's email address or QR code.
How to Protect Yourself from Scams
- Be cautious of unsolicited messages. If a message is from someone claiming to be a celebrity, it’s a scam.
- Never send gift cards to strangers. Requests for payment by gift card are a dead giveaway. Ditto for cryptocurrency.
- Verify information. Try to verify a celebrity’s identity by contacting their official representative or website. Learn how to use reverse image searches. Celebrities are not going to use a photo of themselves filched from the National Enquirer.
- Check out respected sources like the FTC and the FBI. Use search terms like “top 2025 scams” or even “scams targeting seniors” (because, yes, fraudsters target older folks).
The past week was notable for a couple of reasons. First of all, no catalytic converter thefts and no vehicle break-ins. Then, three robberies. Two of them involved ruses, in which an unsuspecting victim was lured to a location, then robbed at gunpoint. Other incidents discussed at the meeting follow.
Weekly Crime Map
 Click to enlarge
Deployment Presentation – May 28, 2025
Arrest
- On May 27, an individual who had been trespassed from Robert Crown returned to the location and refused to leave. Police found drug paraphernalia on his person. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance and trespass.
- Around 1:45 a.m. on May 25, officers stopped a vehicle for running a red light near Hartrey and Dempster. Suspected narcotics were observed in the car. One of the three occupants was wanted on a February battery charge and taken into custody.
- A habitual retail thief was arrested for a theft in progress at the 635 Chicago CVS around 9 a.m. on May 24. She was also wanted for additional theft in Evanston and Skokie.
- On May 23, a Pace bus driver managed to detain a passenger until police arrived. The man had assaulted a female passenger as she exited the Davis station CTA platform.
- An individual wanted on a Cook County arrest warrant was taken into custody on May 23. The man had been arrested by EPD officers in 2024 for battering his neighbor.
Assist EFD - Three cheers for Narcan (naloxone). On May 23, EPD officers responded to the 1600 block of Benson around 2 p.m. for an unresponsive passenger on a Pace bus. Officers administered Narcan and the man regained consciousness. EFD transported him to the hospital. (The easy-to-administer drug is effective in reversing over 75% of opioid overdoses.)
Bike Theft - A bicycle locked to a fence near the viaduct at Church and Maple was stolen on May 23 in the early afternoon when its owner visited the movie theater.
Burglary
Garage Burglary
- A lawn mower and garden trolley from an unlocked garage in the 2700 block of Eastwood On May 26
- Two bicycles from a garage in the 2100 block of Ridge on May 24.
- A Trek bicycle from an unlocked garage in the 2100 block of Pioneer between May 23 and May 26.
- A Pinorello racing bike valued at $5500 from a garage in the 2300 block of Brown while the owner was on vacation. Reported on May 23.
Motor Vehicle Burglary
- A box of masks was reported missing from a vehicle parked in the 1700 block of Oak on May 27.
- Between May 24 and May 25, two iPads, a laptop, and a car tuner were taken from a Cadillac Escalade in the 1500 block of Chicago.
- On May 24, the owner’s manual, insurance card, and the vehicle’s registration were taken from an unsecured Audi at a bank parking lot in the 1900 block of Central.
- Between May 23 and May 24, a Ford Escape’s window was broken to steal a purse in the 800 block of Florence. The next day, the owner’s credit card was used at a liquor store in Rogers Park.
Residential Burglary – On May 21, unknown persons entered a home in the 2000 block of Brown. Clothing and jewelry were reported missing.
Graffiti – Observed on May 24 on a playground in the 600 block of Brummel.
Package Theft – A resident’s Ring camera captured a man wearing a hoodie and a surgical mask riding away on a white bike after stealing a package from the front porch of a home in the 1200 block of Dewey on May 24.
Robbery
- On May 26, a victim reported being approached by teens wearing masks and carrying handguns in the 1600 block of Simpson around 11:00 p.m. The males took the man’s Michael Kors bag, $5000, his car’s key fob, as well as identification and credit cards. A canvass for security video was successful. Detectives are investigating.
- A Facebook Marketplace transaction turned out to be a ruse when the seller of a Cartier watch ended up meeting with two armed individuals around 9:15 a.m. on May 25 in the 1500 block of Emerson. The victim was able to elude the robbers. A few minutes later, a female who arranged the transaction sent him a threatening text message.
- On May 21, an encounter with a female at the Howard Red Line station around 9:30 p.m. led to a man’s assault in the 500 block of Hinman. The victim invited the woman, who then invited three friends, to join them at his apartment. They arrived and proceeded to batter the man, spray him with pepper spray, and take $67 from him before fleeing the scene. The victim sustained minor injuries.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: Just a reminder that a safe location for online transactions is right in front of EPD HQ at 1454 Elmwood. It’s open 24 hours. If your buyer or seller does not want to meet there, beware.
Weapons Related – Just one report this week from the 2400 block of Greenwood around 8:30 p.m. on May 26. Police determined that the shots fired were fireworks.
Random Notes
- Here are the results from the Memorial Day Weekend “Click It or Ticket” Campaign. 81 citations in all. The top three: 24 (30%) for seat belt violations. 17 (21%) for distracted driving. 11 (14%) for speeding.
- Continued conflict in the Middle East has extended EPD’s Special Watches on area synagogues, Jewish community centers, and mosques.
- A former Evanston resident, well known to the police for 2024 weapons offenses, was apprehended by CPD during a traffic stop on May 15. A loaded Taurus 63C handgun, later associated with EPD 2024 shots fired calls, was found inside the vehicle.
It’s time for our quarterly shout-out to the EPD Intelligence Unit for their time and effort in creating the weekly Deployment Meeting presentation. INSIDER would not exist without it.
Inquiring Minds: True Crime
Any measure of law enforcement effectiveness has to include its impact on crime, regardless of unforeseen and unpredictable external factors. In the last few years, we’ve experienced a global pandemic, social and political unrest, and economic uncertainties. In spite of these factors, EPD, along with law enforcement agencies across the country, has seen a notable decrease in serious crimes.
The Council on Criminal Justice reported that last year property crimes and crimes against persons in 40 American cities dropped to pre-pandemic levels. Chicago, for instance, saw a 6.7% decrease in Type A offenses (more serious crimes ranging from arson, burglary, and robbery to kidnapping, rape, and murder); Evanston experienced a nearly parallel decrease of 6.8%.
What INSIDER wanted to know was how the first four months of 2025 compared to the same period last year in Type A offenses. Here’s the good news:
Crimes Against Persons 2025 2024 Percent Change
(January 1 – May 14) 237 298 - 20.47%
Crimes Against Property
(January 1 – May 14) 957 1106 -13.47%
Crimes Against Society*
(January 1 – May 14) 44 57 -22.81%
*This category includes drug, prostitution, and gambling offenses, along with weapons violations and animal cruelty.
What’s Responsible
It’s hard to say with any certainty what one factor is most responsible for the significant dip in violent crime. However, many experts agree that the implementation of innovative public safety strategies and community-driven initiatives has played a role.
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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