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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 - Helping Victims
We were reminded that this period – 11/5 through 11/13 – was two days longer than the previous deployment period. Even so, the Major Incidents & Accidents map was absent of the crimes that concern citizens the most – Assaults, Armed Robberies and Man With Gun incidents. Crimes committed followed last week’s pattern of garage and vehicle burglaries in Beats 76 and 77. Thieves continue to steal power tools and bicycles from unsecured garages.
Eleven bicycles were stolen including two that were locked to racks near Metra stations. Whether next week’s bike thefts will show a decrease with the arrest of Clarence Wilson who was caught red-handed with the headlight of a just-stolen bike on the 800 block of Lake Street remains to be seen.
It’s doubtful that anyone who has been victimized by a bicycle thief (just about everyone in my family, for instance) will require the counsel of the Victim Services Unit, but if you’d like to know more about what they do, check out Inquiring Minds at the end of this article.
Deployment Meeting – November 13, 2014
Prior to This Week
- Police were able to recover a Trek bicycle stolen on the 1500 block of Sherman when the aforementioned Clarence Wilson was apprehended on 11/5. He was also found with a bolt cutter and drug paraphernalia.
- Copper radiators and wiring were stolen from a warehouse on the 200 block of Hartrey.
- In one of the more heart-rending events, a puppy was stolen on 11/8 from a yard on the 1700 block of Dodge.
- There were four separate incidents of graffiti between 11/10 and 11/11 in Beat 76 (near the NU campus).
- Three separate garage burglaries occurred on the 1900 block of Darrow on 11/11. That same day, the window of a residence there was shattered and $800 in cash was stolen.
- An alcohol-fueled altercation between two individuals on 11/11 and 11/12 resulted in the arrest of Larry Posey of Evanston who was charged with aggravated battery. He didn’t make matters any better for himself by spitting at an EPD officer.
- PST officers have added three additional residences to their list of hotspots. These addresses have been the source of a steady stream of complaints – loitering, loud parties, drug use and general mischief. One address has yielded 62 separate calls to the EPD.
- We were updated on the criminal justice status of seven juveniles arrested for various crimes thought to be associated with the rash of south Evanston burglaries this summer.
- PST officers continue to issue citations to cyclists who jeopardize pedestrian and their own safety by riding on downtown sidewalks. Cops have been handing out flyers and issuing citations.
- Only one citation was issued at the NU game between the Wildcats and the Wolverines on 11/8. That for was public urination at the Metra station on Central.
Looking Ahead
- Portable lights supplied by the Cook County Department of Homeland Security will be back in action for the Northwestern Wildcat game against U of I’s Fighting Illini on 11/29. Sherman Avenue will be closed that day for the annual tree lighting on Fountain Square. A busy day for the Traffic Department
- We’d all like to know where stolen bikes end up. NET/TAC units are investigating.
- IDOT begins its Thanksgiving “Drive to Survive” traffic enforcement campaign from 11/17-30 Special attention will be given to DUI, seat belt and cell phone violations.
Inquiring Minds - We hear a lot about offenders and criminals. What does the Police Department do for victims of crime?
For the answer, I visited with two advocates, in the EPD’s Victim Services Bureau. They’ve been with the Bureau for over seven years and both trained with Cynthia Harris who launched the unit in 1978. A third Victim Advocate, wasn’t present the afternoon I stopped by.
First of all, Victim Advocates are not sworn officers – they’re civilians. They’re social workers with undergraduate degrees in psychology, social work and criminal justice. All three have Masters degrees in Psychology. Along with one member of the Youth Service Team, they’re scheduled on a rotation that assures victims someone is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Their mission is to provide emotional support to victims of any crime – robbery, sexual assault, identity theft, domestic violence, harassment – and direct them to available resources. It can run the gamut from grief counseling to assisting victims with Orders of Protection in criminal cases of domestic violence. And yes, they also perform death notifications. In person. Sometimes they’re called to the scene of a crime to render victim support so that the police can do their work. There are few typical days. Advocates say, “We see people on their worst days. We’re not usually the messengers of good news.”
I wanted to know what support they receive. Where do they go for advice? One Advocate told me they’re part of an association of forensic social workers, so if they need assistance on resources, they can turn to members, many in neighboring jurisdictions, for advice. But what about their own emotional needs? Let’s say they just returned from a crime scene or hospital where a victim has just died. According to the advocates, “We talk about it.”
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 twelve-week Citizen Police Academy is approaching their graduation next week. Wednesday, November 19, 2014 at 7:00PM graduates of class 40 of the Evanston Police Department's citizens police academy will be honored with elected officials and the featured guest speaker, Hon. Anjana Hansen who was recently elected to Judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County. If you would like to learn more about the Evanston Police Department, take an active role in Community Oriented Policing and join the ranks of 850 graduates since 1995, please visit www.cityofevanston.org/cpa and plan ahead to enroll in the Spring 2015 class which starts in March. 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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