Past Week:·

• A 2011 Honda was stolen in the 1200 block of Grant during the nighttime hours on 4/25. Other motor vehicle thefts included two-wheeled vehicles during the past week. A Honda scooter was stolen from an apartment parking lot in the 1700 block of Ridge.
• Hate related graffiti written in pencil the size of a postage stamp was located in a café in the 700 block of Clark. It is an important issue in our diverse community and detectives are investigating.
• On 4/25, a Desert Eagle handgun was reported stolen from a residence in the 2000 block of Foster.
• Three juveniles were apprehended on 4/26 when they were located in the area after a resident reported that someone just removed a screen from their residence in the 2400 block of Lyons. They were charged with curfew violations after not being able to link them to the incident.
• A fight at the Starbuck’s in the 500 block of Dempster on 4/23 culminated in one of the parties being transported to the hospital.
• A road rage incident on 4/26 resulted in Jayson Huynh being charged with aggravated assault.
• Burglars attempted to break into five vehicles near Ridgeway and Colfax Terrace in Beat 75 on 4/27. In two cases, a tool was used to gain entry — in three of the cases, the vehicle was unlocked. That same night in the same area a 2010 Ford that had a spare set of keys in the center console was stolen.
• A victim walking in the 1300 block of Fowler was accosted by two teens that attempted to steal her purse. She managed to fend off her attackers, but not before being knocked to the ground and robbed of her cell phone and cash.
• Also reported stolen: A silver 2003 Hyundai Sonata lent to a known individual by an ETHS student on 4/28 was never returned.
• On 4/28, Shawn Daniels was arrested for battery and resisting arrest in the 1400 block of Emerson.
• Fast work: After stealing a victim’s credit card at a grocery store in the 1100 block of Chicago Ave, a professional crew of thieves purchased electronics at Best Buy and Target before being apprehended by Evanston cops.
• And here’s a personal shout-out to PST Commander Pickett: thank you for providing me with a written summary on everything the Problem Solving Team has done and is planning. I can’t write that fast. So for the past week — attending the 6th Ward meeting, assisting the Substance Abuse Coalition with displaying posters at retail liquor establishments warning against selling alcohol to minors, giving a safety talk at ETHS, assisting with Bring Your Kids to Work Day, visiting New Horizons and presenting at a Curbing Youth Violence Panel Discussion at the Levy Center. I’m probably still forgetting something.

Looking Ahead·

• Officers will continue to monitor ETHS school dismissals, area bank checks, the Lorraine Morton Civic Center and the downtown area for pickpockets, bikes on sidewalks and aggressive panhandling.
• PST officers will attend planning meetings for NU’s upcoming Dillo Day on 5/30. They’re also contacting landlords, resulting from multiple nuisance complaints at three separate addresses.
• The Detective Bureau is on the lookout for the middle-aged male cyclist who was reported to have approached schoolgirls in two separate incidents during the previous deployment period.

Inquiring Minds: Once an officer fires his weapon while working, is there a certain protocol that the department follows in order to investigate the incident?

Commander Joe Dugan provided me with the answer. He said that there are many in-depth aspects that are involved when an officer discharges his weapon in performance of their duty. So in an effort to keep it brief, he will concentrate on the administrative and supervisory response to an incident when an officer is involved in a weapon discharge.

Thankfully according to Commander Dugan, incidents of officers discharging their weapon are pretty infrequent. The administration takes such incidents very seriously. A supervisor will respond to the scene and make sure the scene is secured and locate all witnesses. If a person has been shot, the supervisor will contact the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Unit who will handle the investigation. This is done in order to have an outside independent agency conduct the investigation. EPD runs a parallel investigation that concentrates on any internal rule violations, training opportunities and enhancements to procedures. While the public integrity unit determines if the shooting was justified according to the state law, the EPD takes it a step farther and looks at the officers actions that led up to the shooting in order to look for future training needs as well as department rule violations.

If a person is not injured the entire investigation is handled internally. The on scene supervisor will secure the scene, canvass the area, interview all witnesses including the officer and make notifications through the chain of command. An evidence technician will process the scene and collect any evidence. The officer will complete a use of force report to document the incident. The supervisor will make a recommendation once the investigation is complete as to whether the incident was justified according to state law and if any department rule violations were discovered. The report will be sent through the chain of command for review and ultimately sent to the Office of Professional Standards who will also review the incident for any rule violations and or training issues.

Note: In The Squad Room will be on hiatus next week, returning 5/13

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, 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.

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 atpolice@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.

The Spring 12-week Citizen Police Academy class is currently in its 9th 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.