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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 - 'Tis the Season
A
comparatively light crime week in Evanston was marked by four motor vehicle
thefts, bringing the total to 12 in just five weeks. Two of the vehicles were recovered by
police, including one that was stolen from a garage on the 800 block of Lincoln
and located, with the quartet to thieves inside, on the south side of
Chicago. In that incident, thieves stole
the car by using a spare key in the glove box.
Another incident involved the attempted theft of a Honda on the 300
block of Sherman Avenue where thieves tried and failed to start the car by
removing the ignition.
Then,
of course, there were incidents involving the Grinches that steal packages left
on doorsteps. (But more about that in Inquiring Minds at the end of this
article.)
The
Crime Analyst also pointed to several incidents during the December 4-9
deployment period involving the theft of items – wallets, cell phones and
tablets – left momentarily unattended in commercial and retail locations. It only
takes a few seconds for a thief to steal your vehicle or your valuables and
about the same amount of time for you to secure these things.
Deployment Meeting – December 10, 2014
Past Week
- There were two battery incidents reported in the past week, both on
12/3 at around the same time (3:30-4:00PM).
The first occurred on the 1100 block of Chicago Avenue when an offender
struck a victim in the stomach and the second occurred just a few minutes later
on the 1000 block of Davis when a victim was punched in the face. Police are investigating and neither appear
to be related.
- On 12/3, an offender broke into four secured gym lockers at a fitness
club on the 1600 block of Sherman and made off with wallets containing IDs,
credit cards and cash along with mobile devices, clothing and athletic shoes.
- On 12/4, two witnesses called 911 to report shots fired on the 1300
block of Dodge. They observed
individuals exchanging weapons and heard a loud report. Police investigated. Shell casings were not found.
- One man’s trash (can): A City of Evanston trash can valued at $75 was
stolen from an address on the 1000 block of McDaniel on 12/4.
- Forensics and good police work were responsible for the 12/4 arrest of
Jaren Walker, 20, for a 7/15 burglary on Leonard Place.
- Three graffiti incidents took place on the 1000 block of Dodge on 12/5. More graffiti was reported on Asbury and
Harvard the same day.
- In the week’s one lone bicycle theft, a Trek secured to a parking meter
on the 600 block of Davis was stolen on 12/5.
- Unlocked cars continue to attract thieves: there were four incidents of
items taken from vehicles on the 1800 block of Keeney, Greenwood and Hinman,
Euclid Park and Ingleside and the 1000 block of Wesley. Jewelry, cash, credit
cards and IDs, a laptop and a car key for a separate vehicle were stolen. The separate vehicle was stolen, too and
later recovered by CPD with some help from EPD.
- On 12/8, an unattended purse containing over a thousand dollars in
cash, money orders and cashiers checks was stolen from a locker room on the 400
block of Davis.
- A business owner on the
1600 block of Simpson reported the theft of two mobile devices left in plain
sight on 12/8. The victim was able to electronically
track the phone to the Dodge and Lyons area.
The offender – a juvenile – was arrested by the EPD and charged with
burglary
Looking Ahead
- The fall semester ends at NU on 12/12.
Students will return to campus for classes that begin on 1/5. The EPD will be deploying additional patrols
during the holiday break, especially in the wake of area residential and garage
burglaries.
- The EPD is investigating the 12/10 rollover crash of a vehicle on the
2600 block of Grant. The 81-year old
victim was treated for upper body contusions at Evanston Hospital.
- PST officers will patrol the downtown area to monitor potentially
aggressive panhandlers, keep cyclists off busy holiday sidewalks and impede the
efforts of pickpockets.
- The Howard Street EPD Outpost is scheduled to move a block west to a
leased location at 745 Howard. The present location at 633 Howard, owned by the
City of Evanston, was previously a synagogue. A coffee and coffee-roasting shop
will move into the location.
Inquiring Minds - For the past several months,
there have been numerous package theft incidents reported in the Daily Crime
Bulletin. How big a problem is this and
what can residents do about it?
Drive
down any neighborhood street, especially in the afternoon on these days
following Cyber Monday and you’ll see FedEx and UPS trucks everywhere. Look a little closer and you’ll see packages
leaning against a front door or tucked between the front door and a storm door,
leaving it slightly ajar. For thieves, these
are easy pickin’s.
The
delivery companies aren’t willing to share the statistics, except to state that
“a very small number” of packages are stolen.
Authorities in Michigan caught teenage thieves tailing a UPS truck and
absconding with packages left on porches.
Five crooks were arrested in Chicago for stealing packages from porches
and here in Evanston, there were two such incidents one afternoon on the 1500
and 1700 blocks of Grey. One theft involved mail.
Here’s
advice from experts on how to protect your packages:
Sign up for delivery alerts
Many shippers will provide
tracking that estimates a date and time window for your shipment.
Add signature confirmation
For
a small fee you can require that someone sign for your package before the
delivery person drops it off. It's not foolproof, but it increases the odds of
a safe delivery. At FedEx, either the shipper or recipient can make that
request.
Get it delivered to your
local mail facility
All the major carriers will allow you to
re-route packages to your local mail office. "These centers can serve as a
"mailroom receiving agent" and offer a real street address, secure
24-hour access (at participating locations) and email or text notification when
you have a package waiting," said UPS's McGowan. At FedEx, this is free;
UPS and USPS charge a fee. UPS also accepts packages from all carriers.
Enlist a friend or neighbor
If
you can't be home, have a trusted friend or family member pick up your package
and hold onto it.
Have it shipped to your
workplace
Have
the package mailed to your office or the workplace of your gift recipient.
Use premium package control
programs
For
$5-$10 per request, you can get access to power delivery tools at UPS at FedEx
that allow you to reschedule times or specify delivery windows. For a $40
annual fee, UPS My Choice members can make as many requests as they want. FedEx
Delivery Manager also has some free options, like a 14-day vacation hold or
specifying that you want it delivered to a specific area, like tucked behind a
grill or planter.
Keep a watchful eye
Neighbors
protect neighbors by flagging suspicious activity or enlisting the help of the police. Be aware, though – thieves work very quickly.
Use free online
tools
You
probably already receive the Daily Crime Bulletin to stay up to date on criminal
activities. There are also free online
resources like Nextdoor.com where you can share and read posts on crime and
other local topics from subscribers in your own neighborhood. (Nextdoor also publishes news bulletins from
the EPD.)
Call your credit card company
If you’re the victim of theft
in spite of these safeguards, contact your credit card company. Many
offer theft protection. File a police report immediately and send it to your
credit card company. They may refund the
cost of your purchase - up to $500 or $1,000 - depending on the issuers’
policies.
Sources: Bay City News, EPD, TODAY Money
 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 12-week Citizen Police Academy is over until next year. We are currently accepting applications for the Spring 2015 session which celebrates our 20th year for CPA. 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 900 graduates since 1995, please visit www.cityofevanston.org/cpa and plan ahead to enroll in the 20th Anniversary 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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