Weekly Deployment Meeting Highlights
In the Squad Room - Conventus Interruptus
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.
This Week's Highlights
Wrong way, guys
There was a cacophony of police sirens as I drove to EPD headquarters for the weekly deployment meeting on Wednesday. When I took my usual place in the Squad Room, just about every sworn officer there was tuned into his or her police radio. I gathered bits and pieces of information from what I was able to hear, but before the meeting even started, it was adjourned and rescheduled for the next day. Many of the cops there, including Chief Cook, headed to the scene.
It was a Shots Fired incident that drew the attention of police as they searched for suspects who fled the scene of the gunfire. A silver Jeep crashed into the fence of a house at the corner of Sherman Avenue and Lincoln Street after fleeing from K-9 Officer Sosa who attempted a street stop after hearing gunfire in the 2100 block of Darrow Avenue at 3:22 p.m. ETHS and Orrington School were briefly locked down as a precaution. There were no verifiable reports of injuries. Two suspects are in custody.
This week’s guests included two members of the EPD Clergy Team, an assistant to Mayor Hagerty and a retired Assistant to Jan Schakowsky.
Not counting Wednesday’s excitement, Detective Tortorello and Crime Analyst Ring noted another quiet week on the crime front.
Now the rest of the news.
Weekly Crime Map
Click to enlarge
Deployment Meeting – May 9, 2019
Discussed at the meeting:
- Officer Carrasco and Animal Warden Pounds retrieved a corn snake from the inside of a washing machine on 5/8. The homeowner was surprised to find it and called the police. How the snake got there in the first place is a mystery, but the runaway reptile, Penelope, was taken to the vet for treatment and reunited with its owner. This has turned into quite the media sensation being featured by the Associated Press, Time online and ABC 7 in New York. See the NBC 5 story with Regina Waldroup here.
- Security videos of recent commercial burglaries and a robbery that took place in Evanston, Skokie and Rogers Park indicate that the same perp was responsible for all. The CPD has arrested that suspect.
- Special watches continue at Evanston’s houses of worship, with an emphasis on area synagogues and mosques. Rabbi Klein suggested that, in addition to Jewish services on Saturday mornings, patrols be deployed to locations where Sunday schools are held. Ramadan began on 5/4 and will end on 6/5.
- Unrelated on the burglary beat: On 5/9, suspicious behavior of Evanston resident Stephen Craig in the 1900 block of Darrow led to his arrest for possession of burglary tools and proceeds.
- You didn’t read it here first: During the month of April, the Evanston Police Department participated in Illinois’ Distracted Driving Enforcement campaign, bringing awareness to area residents and issuing 441 citations. During the month-long campaign, the Evanston Police Department issued:
- 356 electronic communication device citations
- 21 seat belt citations
- 3 child car seat citations
- 5 suspended/revoked licenses
- 34 uninsured motorists
- 22 speeding citation
- More traffic news: According to Traffic Sgt. Williams, over 1600 citations have been issued to motorists ignoring the rules of the road on Ridge since the first of the year.
- The window of a 2017 Toyota was broken on 5/7 in the 1100 block of Emerson. A purse with various credit/debit cards, ID, keys and cash were taken. IN ADDITION TO LOCKING YOUR VEHICLES, PLEASE KEEP VALUABLES OUT OF PLAIN SIGHT. There were three additional motor vehicle burglaries – all were unlocked.
- Lost and found: The 19 year old who was reported missing last week was located, safe and sound, in an area suburb.
- A 2013 Ford was stolen in the 400 block of Florence between 5/5 and 5/6.
- Officer Howard and Deputy Chief Dugan reported a very successful Police Explorers fundraiser at Panino’s and thanked the community for its support.
- They were there: Primary deployment for the Problem Solving Team (PST) during this period were foot patrols and ‘knock and talks’ in Beats 77 and 78. They also continued to manage homeless issues downtown and along Howard street. As usual, members attended multiple meetings: OGA, CPA and these events: Aging Well Event at the Levy Center, Career Day with D65, Church Tea, and a self-defense session at a corporate location downtown.
The Week Ahead
- PST will lead a security meeting at a local house of worship, attend the 5th Ward and Explorers meetings at Paninos and read to kids at Learning Bridge. They’ll also attend a Midwest Montesorri Trike-a-Thon at Tallmadge Park, plant trees with OGA at Twiggs Park, and of course, monitor the Farmers Market. On that note, dogs, no matter how nice, are not allowed inside the Market area.
- On Saturday, May 18, The Officer & Gentlemen Academy presents the 2nd Annual Empowerment Breakfast, a fundraising event geared toward the education and mentor-ship of the young men in our program. Enjoy a delightful breakfast, guest speakers, and an awards ceremony for our young men. Tickets can be purchased for $50 here, and donations are always accepted. All proceeds benefit the OGA.
- Don’t miss these upcoming EPD events: Cop on Top at the 1900 Dempster Dunkin Donuts on 5/17 and the Torch Run (a fun run from Isabella to EPD HQs – anyone want to run with me?) on 6/2. Both benefit Illinois Special Olympics.
Inquiring Minds
Inquiring Minds: What impact does cutting my landline cord have on calling 9-1-1?
This week’s answer comes from Communications Coordinator and alternate In The Squad Room Editor Perry Polinski.
“In this day and age, more and more people are 'cutting the cord’. There are advantages and disadvantages. First of all, the cost - you are saving money.
Depending on what you are replacing the landline with, reliability varies when it comes to calling 9-1-1. The danger of calling 9-1-1 on a cell phone or VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) system is that your call may be routed and dispatched to the wrong location due to incorrectly transmitted GPS or nonexistent VoIP location data.
Now, lets talk location determination. When you dial from a landline phone, the 911 call taker can get a location without you having to tell them where you are. That's not always the case with a cell phone (which over 70% of 9-1-1 calls originate from nowadays). Location data delivered from a cell phone is in the form of GPS latitude/longitude (X,Y) coordinates, which is an approximation (landline is more exact as it delivers an address point).
As a default, cell phone 9-1-1 calls deliver the cell (tower) site/sector that routed the call. In this case, the 9-1-1 call taker would at least know what area to "send the cavalry" to search if the caller couldn't tell where they were. (This is more of an issue in rural areas, not semi-urban areas like Evanston where a single emergency can result in several cell phone calls placed to 9-1-1 reporting the same incident.)
However, you should still always know where you are! Look for landmarks, cross street signs and buildings, Know the name of the city or county you are in. Knowing the location is vital to getting the appropriate police, fire, or EMS units to respond. Providing an accurate address is critically important when making a cell phone 9-1-1 call.
The FCC is trying to implement new rules so that 9-1-1 call takers can more readily locate cell phone callers. Additionally, the 9-1-1 industry is currently working to more precisely "pinpoint" a cell phone 9-1-1 callers location by utilizing "location services" similar to ride sharing apps and leveraging Wi-Fi access points and Bluetooth beacons as well as adding the altitude location (Z-factor) to GPS coordinates.
Finally, if you replace your landline with VoIP, 9-1-1 location determination is similar to landline depending on the product (don’t forget to read the fine print). However, you may not have access to 9-1-1 services if the Internet goes down or there is a power outage.”
We need more questions...from you...the COMMUNITY! Email them to Commander Glew and we’ll do our best to provide the answers. If you put In The Squad Room in the subject line, they’ll find their way to me.
Gun Buyback Program
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 resident's 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 brought to the police department, unless prior approval has been granted from a supervisor at 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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Crime Reports
Citizen Police Academy
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 over 900 graduates since 1995, please visit the Citizen Police Academy webpage.
There is no cost to anyone who lives or works in Evanston. Getting to know your police force is essential in reducing crime, building trust in the community and serving the needs of the community.
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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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