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Every week, Linda Hansen
attends the Evanston Police Department’s Deployment Meetings, takes notes on
various topics and writes about other police-related matters of interest to
ordinary citizens like her.
In the Squad Room - Quiet Week in E-Town
It happens once every thirty-five weeks - such a
dearth in criminal activity that there is almost nothing to report. Even the Major Incidents & Accidents map
covering this deployment period was practically naked. There were the usual
bicycle thefts from unlocked garages. Two separate incidents of shots fired in
the Fifth Ward and on the South End. Graffiti.
It was a good week for Evanston residents and the cops but a challenging one
for reporters covering the crime beat.
The disappearance of fine art consultant Keith
Tomaszewky, 55, last seen on 9/7 near his residence on the 3200 block of
Hartzell. Police discovered the missing
man’s vehicle at O’Hare and on 9/12; the EPD issued a release seeking the
public’s help in locating him. Tomaszewsky
was found near an O’Hare parking garage deceased. No foul play is suspected and
Chicago Police were handling the death investigation.
Deployment Meeting – Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Prior to This Week
- Gilbert E. Henry, 21, was arrested on 9/12 when he crashed his Chevy
Impala on the 1700 block of Sheridan Road and attempted to elude police. EPD officers gave chase and apprehended
Henry, who was charged with endangering the life and health of a child.
- A woman was robbed of her purse by a bicycle-riding youth on the 900
block of Washington on 9/12. She was able to give police a description of the
assailant. A juvenile matching this description was arrested later the same day
for possession of a BB gun.
- On 9/13, Jimmy L. Henley Jr., 46, was arrested for possession of a
controlled substance.
- On 9/14, police returned to the same house on the 1900 block of Jackson
in response to another in a long series of disturbance calls.
- Police continue to sweep Raymond Park and the parking garage on the 1500
block of Sherman at the beginning and end of each shift for vagrants. The EPD
has also worked with the City to remove refuse and waste from the shared
public/Best Western parking facility.
- On 9/17, Commander Parrott, SRO Ron Blumenberg and PST Officer Napier met
with citizens for the “Coffee with a Cop” event at the Perla Café.
Looking Ahead
- Park(ing) Day is 9/19 in front of the Rotary Center on Grove from
9AM-3PM. Three parking spaces will be
transformed into green spaces, complete with faux turf and furniture for passersby
to enjoy. The EPD Traffic unit will be
on hand to make sure that no one actually tries to park there. It’s part of an initiative to raise awareness
on the viability of green spaces in urban areas.
- This Saturday, September 20th NU takes on Western Illinois
in football. Evanston Police Officer Ivan Reza will be honored as a part of the
Wounded Warrior Project in the 3rd Quarter of the game. Ofc. Reza was
wounded while serving in the armed forces overseas.
- Illinois Rail Safety Week ends on 9/20. EPD officers have stepped up
their presence at transit stations, distributing educational materials.
- PST and Patrol officers will be completing their “Knock and Talk”
campaign in the student areas surrounding Northwestern University. The goal is to reduce nuisance calls by
educating students and residents on just how much noise and rowdy behavior will
be tolerated before charges are filed.
- It’s time to clean out your medicine cabinet. The Evanston PD is ready to accept dangerous
expired, unused and unwanted drugs on 9/27 from 10AM to 2 PM. The initiative, in partnership with the DEA,
addresses a vital public safety and public health issue – the misuse and abuse
of dangerous prescription drugs. Last
year, Americans turned over 390 tons of the stuff. Just bring your pills to the Service Desk at
EPD Headquarters.
Inquiring Minds - When will be
able to text an emergency to the 9-1-1 Center?
 This is the question that I put to Communications
Coordinator Perry Polinski who manages the 9-1-1 Center on the second floor of
police headquarters. Here’s what he
said:
“We’ve identified a web-based software solution that
is similar to Text-a-Tip. We’re in the process of implementing it right now.
The process involves installation, training and the development of written
procedures. Part of setting it up also
entails testing with five carriers – AT+T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and
Cricket. (Note: The FCC has required that all wireless carriers must support
text-to-911 by the end of this year.) That testing is underway right now, and depending
on how things go, we hope to launch by the end of the year.
The only surrounding communities that have a program
in place right now are the Northwest Central group - Arlington Heights, Buffalo
Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Mount Prospect, Palatine,
Prospects Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg and Streamwood. In Chicago, text messages can be sent to
224911 (CHI911) but those are limited to non-emergency messages.
We’re not expecting an increase in the number of
calls. What this enhancement provides is another option for contacting 9-1-1 that
is especially helpful for people with hearing or speech difficulties or those
who can’t access 9-1-1 with a voice call.
When the system is up and running, I encourage citizens
to continue to place voice calls to 9-1-1 whenever possible. Texting uses SMS
(short message service) technology and it has inherent limitations such as delays
and failures. The reliability just isn’t
there yet. The system will send a return text to the person initiating it if
the message doesn’t meet the standard for deliverability – for example, if the
individual doesn’t have a text plan or an agency is texted that isn’t set up to
receive emergency text messages. Those bounceback texts inform callers that they
need to place a voice call.”
 Here is also another reminder for victims of crime that had property taken. The Evanston Police Department puts descriptions of recovered property online so victims can view this information and see if their stolen property has been recovered. Click here to view list.
If you believe that an item belongs to you, please make a note of the case number and contact the property office at (847) 866-5029, Mon - Fri, during normal business hours. You may also inquire via e-mail by clicking on the envelope icon that appears next to each listing.
In order to claim your property you will need to provide a valid form of identification. Depending on the item, you may be asked to provide an additional identifying description or other proof of ownership.
Note: Unclaimed property, where the owner is unknown, is subject to disposal after 90 days.
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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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 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 Fall 2014 Citizen Police Academy just completed week three of the 12 week program. 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 Spring 2015 class. There is no cost to anyone who lives or works in Evanston.
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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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