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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 - Cornucopia of Crime
The
deployment period covered in this meeting was about four days longer than most,
so the crime map was dotted with so many icons of crime categories that
the crime analyst couldn't fit the legend onto the crime map. This didn't make it a particularly active
period, however, it was more diverse.
With so many icons on the map, there were some that were unfamiliar to me, including "Suspicious Fire," "Pocket Picking" and "Burglary-Library". See below for the highlights.
Deployment Meeting – Tuesday, September 29, 2014
Past 10 Days
- On 9/18, there were more disturbances on the 1900 block of
Jackson Ave. In one related incident, dirt
bikes were stolen. Two juvenile offenders
were apprehended and were charged with theft and burglary.
- The Skokie Police Department alerted the EPD to the presence of a cat
burglar on the 9400 block of Lawler Ave. on 9/19 in the early evening hours. (See Inquiring Minds below)
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Maybe P&G should lower the price of Tide. Once again, a thief boosted a 15-ounce size of detergent from a local retail store
on 9/20. Similar events occurred at different retail locations on 9/22 and 9/24.
- Not pennies from heaven: In one of the period’s more bizarre incidents,
an unknown female threw coins at a car near Hartrey Ave. and Dempster St. at 8 p.m. on 9/20
causing damage to the victim’s vehicle.
- There were separate incidents of Latin gang graffiti on the 2200 blocks
of Madison Pl., Washington St. and Monroe St. and the 800 block of Hartrey Ave. between 9/20 and
9/21.
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Evil-doer: In the guise of a "good samaritan," an unknown individual helped
himself to 10-20 pieces of jewelry from a victim moving into a residence on the
700 block of Reba Pl.
- There have been a total of 15 service calls for three addresses on the
1700 block of Payne St.
- On 9/22, Dajuan Blackwell, 23, was arrested for domestic battery.
- Two offenders entered a home on the 800 block of Seward St. on 9/22. Shots were fired and the victim sustained a
gunshot injury to their finger and leg. A small amount of illegal drugs was recovered at the scene. Police do not
believe that this was a random act and are seeking the public’s assistance.
- There was a suspicious porch fire on the 1900 block of Jackson Ave.
- On 9/24, unknown thieves broke into the Garrett Seminary on the 2100
block of Sheridan Rd. and stole $82.85 from a safe located there.
- Bicycle thefts and garage burglaries continue to plague neighborhoods
throughout Evanston. During this period,
15 bicycles were stolen, about half of them were locked and the rest unattended or taken
from unsecured garages.
- South end strong-arm (and attempted) robberies have resurfaced with two
incidents on 9/24 and a third on 9/25. In each case, offenders were
unsuccessful.
- On 9/26, officers were called to a fight between two females armed with
box cutters and pepper spray on the 1800 block of Lyons St. The combatants refused to press charges.
- Evanston police officers were on hand to keep things orderly at the ’Kits, ’Cats and Kids Block Party on 9/18, the Northwestern football game on
9/27 and "Bike The Ridge" on 9/28.
- A routine traffic stop on 9/26 resulted in the arrest of Christian
Pierre Wood, 24, for cannabis possession.
- There were seven "Shots Fired" calls. On 9/28, a "Man With Gun" incident revealed the offender to be a young child
with a BB gun/pellet-type pistol.
Looking Ahead
- The Northwestern/Wisconsin football game is expected to draw well over
40,000 fans on 10/4. Evanston PST and
Traffic officers will be on hand to make sure the rivalry remains peaceful.
- Traffic officers continue to monitor school zones during peak
periods. Synagogues, temples and mosques
are routinely checked throughout all shifts in the wake of global tensions.
- The EPD universe is expanding with three new officers and three new
recruits.
- Illinois’ “no quota” law goes into effect in January 2015, meaning that Illinois law
enforcement agencies will no longer issue officer ticket quotas. The legislation is meant to strengthen the
relationship between law enforcement and citizens, and reduce the anxiety that
motorists feel when they view flashing lights in their rear-view
mirrors. EPD does not have ticket quotas.
- EPD officers will be doubling their efforts to control increasingly
aggressive panhandling in the downtown area.
Inquiring Minds - The Skokie Police
Department reported a theft involving a “cat burglar” last week. What is a cat burglar?
 While it’s not a
definition typically used by police departments, it’s true that the SPD did
identify a 9/19 crime this way when a thief climbed through a bedroom window to
steal currency and other items.
A
cat burglar generally refers to a thief who breaks into homes to steal personal property. Cat burglars slip in unnoticed,
taking what they can before the victim knows what’s happened. In a wider sense, a cat burglar is nothing
more than a thief associated with breaking and entering. This doesn’t require the thief to
actually break something in order to make entry. An open or unlocked window will do. Some
famous cat burglars have been known to scale upper floors of high-rise
buildings to successfully gain entry.
Most people agree that the late Peter Scott was the
world’s most prolific cat burglar. Over the course of his long life of crime in
London, he estimated the worth of the jewels, furs and artwork that he stole at
more than 30 million pounds – the equivalent of nearly 50 million US
dollars. Even after spending 12 years in
prison and publicly swearing off his life of crime, he managed to make off with
a Picasso painting in 1998. His obituary stated that “he often drew on literary
allusions, quoting Confucius, Oscar Wilde and Proust.”
Walk-A-Mile in Her Shoes Event October 5
 On Sat., Oct. 5, the Evanston Police Department will be participating in the "Walk-A-Mile in
Her Shoes" event hosted by the Northwest Center Against Sexual Assault (CASA), a non-profit
organization that provides free services to survivors of sexual abuse and
sexual assault.
The goal of the walk is to bring awareness to the
countless women who are subjected to brutal acts of violence such as sexual
assault and abuse. In support of Northwest CASA and this
initiative, the Evanston Police Department will serve as a sponsor of this
event and invites you to join them. The walk will be held at Centennial
Park beginning at 11 a.m. If you're interested in participating or wish to learn more, please contact
Officer Daley at edaley@cityofevanston.org.
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 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 ONGOING 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 five 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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