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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 - Sobering Thoughts Not About DUI
 We were warned. The
Evanston Police Department was out in force patrolling the roadways for drivers
who shouldn’t have had that second pint of Guinness. There wasn’t a single DUI
arrest during the extended St. Patrick’s Day period that started on Friday,
March 14 and ended into the early hours of Tuesday, March 18. What they did find, in addition to 64 seat
belt violations, were 14 drivers holding
cell phones.
What a perfect time
to remind everyone that April is the National Safety Council’s Distracted
Driving Awareness Month! Sure, you’ll
want to avoid that $ 50 to $75 ticket depending if being cited on a city
ordinance violation or the new state law, but consider these facts:
- The National Safety Council
now believes that about 21% of all traffic crashes can be attributed to drivers
talking on cell phones.
- Drivers talking on cell
phones are 4X more likely to be involved in a car crash.
- One study indicated that
the reaction time of using a cell phone while driving equals the effect of a
.08 BAC, the legal intoxication limit in Illinois.
So far, Illinois law allows
hands-free cell phones to be used while driving. Those of us who don’t feel the
need to be tethered to our mobile devices may find it easier to drive
phone-free should the law change. For
others, it’s a habit that borders on addiction and sometimes with deadly
results.
Interested in taking the National Safety Council Distracted
Driving Pledge? Find it clicking here.
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Deployment Meeting – Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Prior to This Week
There were three separate South Evanston robbery
incidents during the deployment period from March 13-19: the first on March 14
in which two offenders with a toy gun were thwarted by the victim, the second
on March 16 in the 300 block of Ridge when a single robber flashed a gun and
made off with the victim’s purse and a final incident on March 17 in the 700
block of Forest Avenue when two youthful offenders robbed a woman of her purse
and iPhone.
- Gang activity, with incidents of graffiti on
garages and fences in the 1500 block of McDaniel, continues to be monitored by
the NET and TAC teams.
- There were identical residential burglaries on
the 800 block of Simpson where burglars used break-in techniques (pry tools, holes
drilled near the front door lock) similar to recent burglaries.
- Detective Vince Santillo, on the EPD force for
26 years and will be retiring from the department in the next two weeks and
will be replaced by Det. Mike Endre as the new intelligence officer.
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In a random check of several Evanston
establishments serving liquor, all were found to be compliant.
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Officer Safety: Chief
Eddington reminded all present that extreme caution should be used, especially
in the handling of their own firearms, by Officers in the wake of new Concealed
Carry laws. At this point, 75 Concealed
Carry license applications have been received and processed by the Illinois
State Police for Evanston residents. Most applications are still being
processed, however 6 have been approved and 6 have been rejected by the state
police.
Looking Ahead
- The PST unit will participate in an Anti-Bullying
session at the Family Focus center on Dewey Ave. & Foster St.
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Officers will continue to enforce 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 - Crime Definitions Part II
Whether it’s the City
of Evanston’s Daily Crime Bulletin or the news, there is often some confusion
about the classification of offenses and what makes them different. This time, we’ll tackle how Illinois defines
robbery, theft and burglary - all felonies or potential felonies. Convicted
felons can temporarily or permanently lose their right to vote. Convicted felons cannot own a firearm.
Theft is defined
as obtaining or exerting control over another person’s property without that
person’s permission. There also has to be an intent to permanently deprive the
person of that property. Example: a
bicycle stolen from a downtown bike rack, receiving stolen property. A
conviction can result in up to 7 years in jail depending on property value.
Retail theft involves
property taken from a retail establishment.
Shoplifting is the most common example.
Robbery is taking
property from another person through the imminent use of force or the threat of
imminent force. The distinguishing factor
between robbery and theft under Illinois law is whether force was used in the
commission of the crime or the threat of force was occurring when the property
was taken. Example: A person or person
demanding your wallet or cell phone without brandishing a weapon. It is
punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Armed robbery occurs
if a deadly weapon (often a gun but an include anything capable of killing or
maiming – a baseball bat, for instance) is used in the commission of a crime.
Far more serious than robbery, a conviction can put the offender in jail for up
to 30 years.
Burglary is a
crime of breaking and entering. A person can be charged with burglary even if
items were not taken. The charge includes the intent to commit a felony or theft
from within a structure. There have been several residential and commercial
burglaries in Evanston; not all involved the theft of property. Residential
burglary is considered a far more serious crime and is the theft or intent to
commit a theft or felony in a dwelling place of another.
Criminal Trespass is
a crime of entering property without permission or authority. Examples: a
homeless individual inhabiting an abandoned house, a ex-boyfriend refusing to
leave a residence when asked or cross-country skiers traversing a private golf
course with signs posted no trespassing. Most violations of criminal
trespassing are misdemeanor offenses however, there are felony offenses, such
as trespassing to a residence.
 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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 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 Spring 12-week Citizen Police Academy just completed week two. 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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