Significant Decline in Overall Crime in Evanston

While other communities throughout the nation may have seen a rise in crime between 2008 and 2009, the City of Evanston has achieved a significant decline as it pertains to major part-one crime categories. Statistics indicate that murder is down 50%, criminal sexual assault rose from 5 incidents to 7 translating to a 40% increase, robbery was down a significant 29.6%, aggravated battery & assault down 5.7%, burglary down 12.6%, theft down 12.9%, motor vehicle theft down 23% and arson rose from 8 to 11, equaling an increase of 37.5%. This statistical analysis equates to a year to date comparison aggregate for 2008 to 2009 indicating a total overall decline in crime of 13.4%.

Contributing to this success is the Evanston Police Department’s ability to gather crime data, analyze trends and allocate police resources, to expediently target areas and individuals. The Evanston Police Department believes it is critical that all police efforts to address crime and quality of life issues be timely, specifically nuanced in the delivery of police services, and judicious in their application.

Each week, all members of the Evanston Police Department’s command staff attend a strategic deployment session. It’s during this deployment meeting that crime analysis maps are presented, trends are discussed, and the previous week’s deployment efforts are analyzed. Command staff personnel then review the most current statistical crime category summaries and develop specific deployment strategies designed to expeditiously impact crime in designated geographic areas.

Another important component of successfully addressing crime and quality of life issues has been the Evanston Police Department’s desire to actively establish partnerships with twenty-seven community groups throughout Evanston. Through these community ties information is exchanged, neighborhood events are held, and the police community relationship is strengthened.

The Evanston Police Department also believes it is extremely important to be transparent, have information accessible to the public, and to continually communicate as an agency. This is accomplished by officers attending public meetings, sending information via listservs, and by publishing information on the City of Evanston’s website incorporating monthly crime maps, statistics, daily crime bulletins, and crime prevention publications.

Other examples of cooperation between Neighborhood Watch Groups and the Evanston Police Department include Noyes Street Neighbors, who coalesced when several residences were burglarized. These citizens held public meetings with elected officials and police, increased their personal vigilance, reported all suspicious persons, and opted for instruction from police availing themselves to residential security surveys. On the south end of town, Brummel Park Neighbors have been extremely active and engaged. Some of their successes include highly organized neighborhood walks, a trash busters’ day to clean up the neighborhood, a spring jobs fair, Halloween safety patrols, and most recently, participation in the Full Circle Project, collecting vital data to be used in development planning. All of these efforts are being centrally coordinated by using a well established website.

-Tom Guenther, EPD

Thank you all for taking the time to fill out the budget survey sent out over the e-newsletter last week. I received over 80 responses and I hope to use more surveys in the future to solicit public opinion and feedback on important City issues.

Here is a quick summary of the survey results:

Regarding the branch libraries: 44.2% of respondents preferred closing the branch libraries to close the budget deficit, 10.5% preferred funding the libraries through a separate tax district, 2.3% preferred charging users a fee, 16.3% said to find something else to cut. Other ideas offered were to move the libraries to City-owned properties, slashing hours at the Main library, finding more volunteers and applying for foundation grants.

ECMC: 65.9% of respondents preferred cutting City funding to the ECMC, while 12.2% preferred maintaining the current level of funding. Other ideas included moving the media center to ETHS.

Ecology Center: 50.6% of respondents preferred keeping the Ecology Center open and cutting something else, while 23.5% preferred closing the center. Other ideas included renting out the space for events, applying for grants, higher fees for programs.

City’s handling of budget process so far: 33.8% rate the City’s performance as “OK”, 26% say “Disappointing”, 19.5% “Good”, 11.7% “Very Disappointing”, 9.1% “Excellent”.

City’s responsiveness to citizen input on budget cuts: 52.3% say the City has been “Kind of responsive”, 26.2% say “Not too responsive”, 16.9% say “Very responsive” and 4.6% said "Not responsive at all".

I have received numerous calls and e-mails regarding the City’s budget. Many citizens are concerned about cuts in the budget, including the branch libraries and the Evanston Community Media Center (ECMC). I want to be clear that I am keeping an open mind on all pending budget-related decisions. Over the next several weeks, I plan to carefully analyze the data related to the budget before casting my vote.

As many of you may know, I ran for Ninth Ward Alderman on a platform to balance the budget and support decisions that enable the City of Evanston to live within its means.  I believe it is extremely important to preserve the City's long term fiscal health, which may require making difficult and potentially unpopular financial decisions.

I appreciate the feedback I have received these past few weeks and encourage you to continue to contact me and other elected officials with fresh ideas and suggestions—it is this civic participation that makes our community strong.

The City of Evanston is facing a very challenging fiscal budget for next year, explained Marty Lyons, Assistant City Manager/Finance Director.  In preparation for this budget, the City is launching the 2010-11 Budget Review process through a series of public meetings held throughout the community.

The public is invited to either observe or participate in these budget workshops. However, to participate in the Nov. 12-30 workshops, interested residents and business owners must have attended the November 7 workshop, which will provide valuable background, added Lyons.

Participants will have the opportunity to:

* Learn about the City s budget process and current budget challenges;
* Provide input with ideas for providing services in the most efficient, effective and economical way;
* Suggest and discuss new non-tax revenue sources; and
* Express their opinions about priorities for municipal services.

There will be three additional budget workshops before the recommendations from these are presented to a Special City Council meeting on December 7 at 7 p.m. at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center:

* Thursday, November 12, 2009 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Robert Crown Center, 1701 Main St.:
* Tuesday, November 17, 2009 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St.; and
* Monday, November 30, 2009 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.

The 2010 Fiscal Year begins March 1, 2010 and ends February 28, 2011. If residents cannot attend the workshops, they are encouraged to visit www.cityofevanston.org/budget for background information, video recordings of workshops, and an opportunity to express opinions or suggestions regarding the city s budget.

Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force 2009

2009 2nd Request for Proposals from Community-Based Organizations to Implement Breast Cancer Outreach and Education in Vulnerable Populations in Metropolitan Chicago

Due Date for Completed Proposals: December 1, 2009

Notification of Funding Decisions: January 5, 2010

Public Announcement: January 5, 2010

Funding Start Date: January 5, 2010

For questions about this grant or to receive technical assistance in preparing some aspects of the grant please contact:

Marie Rule Gilliam, Executive Director
Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force
(312) 942-4232
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

This Task Force is concerned with and addresses the widening disparity in breast cancer mortality in Chicago among women of color. The MCBCTF strives to improve breast cancer care for all women across Metropolitan Chicago. The disparities consist of lack of available detection centers, poor mammography quality and poor follow up and treatment.