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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 - Where did everyone go?
Because
I’m obsessive about being late, I usually arrive in the squad room about 5 or
10 minutes before the Deployment Meeting begins. Cops have more pressing issues
to handle - fighting crime for instance
- than meeting editorial deadlines so they generally arrive just a few minutes
before 3:30 when the meetings usually begin.
Wednesday’s meeting was different.
There were lots of empty seats as Commander Dugan fired up the
PowerPoint. Even the Chief was absent.
Turns
out there was breaking news. Earlier in
the day there was a shooting in the 300 block of Custer involving a foot chase,
and the apprehension of two individuals in what was regarded as a gang-related
incident. Two weapons were recovered and
while a vehicle took three shots, no one was injured. Investigators and Commanders who regularly
attend the Deployment Meeting were on the scene assisting in the investigation. More details next week.
Notable
this week: The crime analyst reported four separate vehicle burglaries from an
apartment parking lot in the 1500 block of Ridge. This time, aggressive crooks broke windows of
all four cars, stealing GPS devices and in one case, a passport. There were also three forced residential burglaries
in South Evanston.
Deployment Meeting – April 1, 2015
Past Week:·
- On 3/26, Evanston resident Rayshawn Taylor attempted to elude police on
foot by running out of a vehicle during a traffic stop. The subject discarded a weapon during the
chase, which cops later recovered. He
was apprehended in the 200 block of Callan and has been charged with Unlawful Use
of a Weapon by Felon.
- An individual brandishing a Nerf gun on 3/30 surprised customers at a
café in the 1600 block of Chicago Avenue.
He aimed and shot foam bullets at several customers, loaded more ammo
into the toy, shot at several more and left on foot. He was located a short time later, but no one
involved wished to press charges. The
individual did have an active warrant for his arrest and was charged
accordingly.
- There were two Man with a Gun calls during the period – the first on
3/27 near Lake and Brown and the second one near Darrow and Foster on 3/29. In
both cases, the area was checked and nothing was found.
- By now, most of us know that the liquor compliance check conducted by
the EPD on 3/25 resulted in one citation.
Smylie Brothers Restaurant and Brewery was cited for underage sale of an
alcoholic beverage to a minor.
- Detectives investigated three deaths during the period, including one
suicide.
- The Traffic Bureau reported 176 seat belt and 141 cell phone violations
in March.
- Dogs running loose in Centennial Park? No matter how well behaved you
think your canine is, there are leash laws in Evanston. The EPD has received numerous complaints and
will be issuing citations.
-
Walking the talk: PST officers attended the West End Business District Association
meeting, a program entitled “When Ex-Offenders Come Back” at the
Fleetwood-Jourdain Center, chatted up citizens at the well-attended “Coffee
with a Cop” event at C & W Market, 1901 Church, and found time to assist
with the liquor compliance check, apprehend a vehicle burglar downtown and attend
the Youth Job Fair at ETHS on 3/28.
Looking Ahead·
- Spring break begins for District students next week.
- Party animals should know that the EPD maintains a list of premises that result from multiple citizen complaints. These locations are routinely monitored by patrol officers. If you’re hosting loud parties, be
warned. And if you’re the unlucky
neighbor of someone who host parties like these, call the cops.
- Members of the Problem Solving Team (PST) will make a presentation to
members of the Levy Center on 4/2.
- The bikes are out. This means
you’ll see more cops on Cannondales. It
may surprise you to know that they’re not only out there to make sure that
cyclists are staying off downtown sidewalks, but also to interact with people
like us. There’s something a lot
friendlier about a bike.
Inquiring Minds: It used to be that cop cars
were Ford Crown Victorias but they aren’t being built anymore. Now, we’re seeing more SUVs. How does the EPD make its fleet
decisions? Where do these vehicles come
from and will all squad cars be SUVs some day?
I turned to Commander Dugan for the answer to the above question. According to Commander Dugan, EPD takes part in a state-wide purchase order for emergency vehicles that pools together municipalities in order to get a better price per vehicle. All of the squads are "police package" vehicles that are equipped with heavy duty parts in order to be run on the street 24 hours a day. Each manufacturer, Ford, Chevy, Dodge, etc., assigns dealerships throughout the state as delivery points for emergency vehicles obtained through the state purchase order.
Currently because of the all-wheel drive feature and larger size to accommodate two officers plus their equipment, EPD has been purchasing Ford Explorers. The Explorers have the ability to handle inclement weather and get better gas mileage then some of their counterparts. They are also easier to maneuver in alleys and other areas where officers often patrol on a routine basis. Officers like the SUV because it gives them a good line of sight being higher up than normal sedan squad cars.
 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 class is currently in its 5th week. 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 and plan to enroll in the Fall 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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