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Every week, ordinary citizen and Freelance Reporter Linda Hansen attends the Evanston Police Department’s Deployment Meetings and takes notes on the various agenda topics. Below is her report for the week.
In the Squad Room - Crime Definitions Part I
 Tantalizing
crime stories that can make the weekly Deployment Meeting an exciting hour for
an Ordinary Citizen like me were in short supply this period. Crime Analyst
Marianne Ring-Targonski kicked off the meeting with an unusually short list of
weekly crime stats and BOLOs. It was
such a quiet week that even when shift commanders and specialized units each
reported on significant events during the deployment period, the meeting end
short of its usual length. That made it a low crime, good news week for
Evanstonians
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Deployment Meeting – Thursday, March 6, 2014
Prior to This Week
- There have been 21 incidents of gang graffiti in
Evanston since mid-January, often the result of increasing tensions between the
Latin street gangs. The volley of tagging messages, particularly in Beat 74 (West
Evanston) often escalates into the potential for violence. The TAC unit is
deployed in these areas to ensure safety and attempt to quell any conflicts that
may erupt as winter starts to end.
- Morton Grove resident Veselin Kalev was arrested
for criminal sexual abuse in connection with solicitation of a minor on Craigslist.
- EPD crime analysts attended a Lake County gang
meeting on March 6. Representatives from
suburbs in surrounding counties were in attendance to develop strategies for
addressing the growing infiltration of new gangs in Northern Illinois.
- The NORTAF burglary task force arrested an
individual linked to six commercial burglaries in Morton Grove, Northbrook and
Niles who may be connected to five additional burglaries in the area, including
Evanston.
- There was another incident involving theft of cigarette
cartons purchased at Sam’s Club. These happen sporadically at various warehouse
clubs in the area and are thought to be the work of a transient crime ring.
- In what is hoped to be the last Snow Command of
2014, 131 cars were removed to the Oakton tow lot following last weekend’s
snowfall.
- EPD detectives assigned to the special
operations group executed a search warrant at a Rogers Park address and seizing
170 grams of cocaine and $2000 in cash. Daniel Palomares was charged with Class
1 and Class X felonies for controlled substance violations.
Looking Ahead
- Class 39 of The Citizens Police Academy will
have their second of 12 sessions next week.
The class, 38 strong, and representing a wide spectrum of Evanston
residents, will be learning about patrol, traffic and animal control operations
in a class led by Officer Loyce Spells.
- Officers will be enforcing school zone traffic
laws with increased presence at King Lab, Orrington, Willard, Kingsley and
Dewey schools.
- Gang hotspots continue to be an area of focus.
Inquiring Minds
Here’s the week’s question – and Commander Parrott’s response:
We had four homicides
in Evanston last year. In homicide
arrests, what are the charging options and how are they different?
All homicides are felonies. First-degree murder is the most serious charge and it carries a
sentence of 20 years to life. In this
case, the defendant had no legal justification to kill the victim and did so
intending to kill or do great bodily harm knowing that the act had a strong
possibility to do so – or – that the murder happened in the commission of
another felony. A rape or robbery, for
instance.
So an example might be
one of the gang-related homicides we’ve had in Evanston.
CP: That’s right. Second-degree
murder is next in line and it’s called manslaughter in some states. Here, the
sentence can include a 4-20 years in the penitentiary. The difference in this
case is that mitigating circumstances are considered. Was it an act of passion? Did the offender
believe that the killing was justified? But it actually was not.
What about someone
either driving recklessly or drunk that results in a victim’s death?
CP: That is reckless homicide or involuntary manslaughter.
In Illinois, someone convicted in a DUI involving the death of one victim can
be sentenced to 2-5 years in the penitentiary for reckless homicide. If more than one person was killed, the
sentence can be as long as eight years if run consecutive. Involuntary
manslaughter is an act where someone does not intentionally kill an individual
and there was no legal justification for the act. They are similar offenses. However,
reckless homicide involves a motor vehicle.
CP: It should also be noted that the penalties for the
various crimes of homicide are the usual prison sentence. Circumstances can
enhance those penalties depending as to the severity of the incident.
Next week we will expand the crime definitions to cover,
robbery, burglary, and theft.
And here’s a note from
me:
Last man not standing:
Governor Quinn abolished the death penalty in Illinois in 2011, eight years
after Governor Ryan commuted all death penalties to life sentences in 2003.
The last person executed in Illinois was Victor Kokoraleis.
A member of the Ripper Crew )as in “Jack
the …”, her was executed in 1999 for the murder of Lorraine Ann Borowski. The Crew was suspected of murdering up to 18
women in the Chicago area between 1981 and 1982.
 What would you like to know about what the Evanston Police Department is doing to fight crime? Let us know if you have specific questions or 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’d like to receive Evanston’s Daily Crime Report by email, you can subscribe here or view the Monthly Crime Statistics that are reported on a yearly basis to the FBI by clicking here.
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 The ON-GOING 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 residents’ 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 handled or brought to 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.
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The Spring 12-week Citizen Police Academy started this past Wednesday, March 5. If you’d like to learn more about the Evanston Police Department, take an active role in Community Oriented Policing and join the ranks of 800 graduates since 1995, please visit www.cityofevanston.org/cpa and plan ahead to enroll in the Fall 2014 class which starts in the end of August.
There is no cost to anyone who lives or works in Evanston
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