The Neighborhood Enforcement Team along with the Chicago Police Department completed a six month long undercover narcotics investigation along Howard Street.  Dubbed "Operation Border Patrol," 17 individuals involved in gang and narcotics activity along the Evanston/Chicago border were arrested.

The Citizen Police Academy Graduated classes number 17 and 18 this year, bringing the total number of graduates to 436.  

Reverand John Norwood-founder of the department's Police Chaplaincy Program announced his retirement.  As the department's first Senior Chaplain, Reverand Norwood left a rich legacy.  

To be continued…

The police station undergoes a major renovation project that expands the property room; converts the old fire station bays into offices for Fire Department administrators; upgrades the space above the fire station bays to include more offices, a training room, and lockers for police personnel; and adds a large sally port to the north side of the building. The very out-of-date and poorly functioning cooling and heating systems are upgraded, also.

The police officers assigned to the Service Desk begin April 1 to be replaced by civilian desk officers. Cross-trained civilian telecommunicators for many years supplemented the traditional sworn desk officers who were the first contact with visitors (and nonemergency callers) to the police station. Sworn de

A new position is created October 8 to help the police department coordinate and manage the department’s computer systems. The new Technical Systems Coordinator is Gerry Morin.

The new Police Outpost opens at 633 Howard Street . Formerly a synagogue, the City purchases and renovates the building to include a large conference room in front and three offices in back. The outpost is used for meetings and activities by the police department, other city departments, and community groups. Chicago 's Rogers Park community organizations, as well as the Chicago Police Department, 24th District, are welcome participants at many outpost meetings and events.

Using grant money, the department’s first in car video cameras are installed in squad cars to record traffic stops.

The Problem Solving Team, consisting of the COPPS/bicycle officers and the Dodge Avenue Impact Car, moves back to the Patrol Division to better interact with motorized patrol units and to support the use of COPPS methods as a department-wide strategy. The remainder of the PST, namely the crime prevention programs, school liaison programs, and community development, remain under the direction of the chief and is named Community Strategies.

The Victim/Witness Services Bureau and the Youth Services Bureau are combined on September 1 under one director, Cynthia Harris, to form the Police Social Services Bureau.

The department’s first street -surveillance video camera is installed at the intersection of Howard Street and Custer Avenue , a “hot spot” of trouble for many years. Activity on the street is recorded on videotapes and stored for thirty days. The goal of deterrence seems to be achieved as activity and calls for service are reduced.

At its meeting on July 31 in Montreal , Quebec , the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) accredits the Evanston Police Department for the third time. A team of assessors visited the Department in May and verified the Department’s compliance to over 400 CALEA standards (4th ed.). The Department was initially accredited in 1989 and again in 1994.

The NET unit (see 1995) and members of the Investigative Services Division apply for and are granted access to GRAB (Gang Reduction Analysis Bulletin), a computer intelligence network newly developed by the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department. The system is designed to be a resource for gang-drug intelligence gathering.

Partially funded by a grant, the department purchases a large van to serve as a mobile police outpost for promoting the police/community Partnership. Fully equipped with office space and equipment, the van also serves as a mobile command post for large special operations.

A new, part-time Senior Crime Prevention Specialist position is established to address the needs of the senior population. Evanston resident and Citizen Police Academy graduate Amanda Jones is the first to be hired under this program, which is funded by a grant from the Levy Foundation.

Frank Kreml, former EPD lieutenant and founder of Northwestern University ’s Traffic Institute, dies. A special ceremony honoring Mr. Kreml for his contributions to policing and traffic safety [see 1929, 1932, 1936, and 1995] is held at the police station, and a commemorative picture of Mr. Kreml is hung in the chief’s reception office.

After many months of work, renovations to the police station are completed. The project includes moving the Service Desk to the middle of the entrance hall (under the spiral staircase), opening customer service windows to the lobby for the Patrol and Traffic offices, adding a meeting room to the main lobby, and renovating office spaces in the Patrol Division area. In addition, the firing range is renovated and returned to full operation.

Commander Charles Wernick is appointed to Task Force Commander of NORTAF (North Regional Major Crimes Task Force), placing him in charge of the entire multi-agency task force [see 1997].

Twenty-five police officers initiate the department’s Police Officer Baseball Card Program. Like the cards of big league athletes, each of the police baseball cards has an officer’s name and photo on the front and biographical information and a personal comment on the back. Young people are encouraged to collect all 25 cards.

Two initiatives further involve citizens in department activities and community problem solving. Under the Disabled Parking Enforcement Project, trained citizens issue 513 parking citations to violators of disabled parking restrictions. The department loans radar guns to trained citizens under the Speed Awareness Program to monitor speeding vehicles in their neighborhoods. The citizens cannot issue citations, but the chief sends identified speedsters a letter of reprimand and warning.

Chief Kaminski significantly reorganizes the department to streamline management and to work more effectively with the community using community-oriented policing methods. The last deputy chief position is eliminated, reducing the layers of management from five to four: chief, commander, lieutenant, and sergeant. A specialized unit, the Problem Solving Team, is placed under the direction of the chief and staffed with youth/school officers, community policing officers, crime prevention officers and park rangers. Retaining the bicycle patrols, the new unit is an expansion of the COPPS unit, formerly assigned to patrol. The PST unit is placed centrally in the organizational structure to allow team members to work with each division and the community to solve crime and disorder problems.

The Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association is formed to create an organization of citizen volunteers to assist the department and the community. Some of their first contributions include sponsoring retraining classes for CPA alumni, participating in the 4th of July parade, and assisting with the annual citywide community/youth picnic.

Twenty-seven citizens accept Chief Kaminski’s invitation to form the Police Advisory Board. Representing Evanston ’s diverse community, the board is formed to advise the chief about the community’s perception of crime and disorder, to provide feedback about the department’s plans and activities, and to discuss police and community problems.

The DARE Program, formerly operated by youth officers in the Juvenile Bureau, is incorporated into the new School Liaison Program, operating out of the new Problem Solving Team. DARE officers John Lindley and Charlie McNeal are joined by youth officers Carl Babb-Fowler and Michael Keenum to become the new school resource officers. Under the new program, the SROs, while continuing to present the DARE program, are more involved in other school activities and are available to assist with youth problems in and around the school neighborhood. Local businessman Joe Levy donates three colorful classic cars—a burnt-orange 1982 Buick Century, a turquoise 1973 Chrysler Newport, and a black 1971 Pontiac Grand Prix—for the officers to drive, heightening the visibility of the program.

The department’s first police chaplaincy program is started with three members from the Police Clergy Team: Reverend John F. Norwood of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church , Rabbi Dov H. Klein of Tannenbaum Chabad House, and Father Robert H. Oldershaw of St. Nicholas Catholic Church. Youth/school officer (and chaplain program coordinator) Charlie McNeal laid the groundwork for implementing the program to provide spiritual support and guidance to all members of the department and to people in crisis throughout the community.

Members of the Detective Bureau, with members of twelve other north suburban police departments, form the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force (NORTAF) to provide participating departments with greater investigative resources and skills than any one department could apply to a major crime within its own jurisdiction. Evanston 's Commander Charles Wernick is appointed NORTAF’s first Operations Commander. [See 1999]

For the first time in many years, a new, permanent eighth beat is added to the existing beat structure. Beat 78 is established on the evening and midnight shifts to increase police visibility and improve police response in southeast Evanston .

Deputy Chief Frank Kaminski is promoted October 14 to chief of police.

After 27 years as bargaining agent for sworn personnel and telecommunicators, the Combined Counties Police Association lost reelection—garnering only four votes. The Fraternal Order of Police received 37. The Teamsters were elected, with 84 votes. No votes were cast in favor of not being represented by a union.

To rejuvenate the department’s commitment to serving the community, the Partnership logo and motto is changed to The Evanston Police and Community Working Together

The change from The Partnership—We Walk Together (1987) emphasizes the shift in community policing from specialized units to a department-wide strategy. The Partnership also is made a part of the department’s new mission and value statement.

Princess Di’s visit to N.U., the Olympic Torch Train, the Chicago Bulls’ continued NBA championship, and the N.U. Wildcats’ first winning football season in many years—all provide a challenge to the department’s special events planning abilities.

The Foot Patrol Bureau is renamed the COPPS Bureau (Community-Oriented Policing and Problem Solving) to reflect a broader bureau mission.

The ETHS Beat School/Liaison Program is created to coordinate safety and police-related issues at the Evanston Township High School and in the surrounding neighborhoods. Officer Carl Babb-Fowler, a 1978 ETHS graduate, becomes the first beat officer assigned to the high school.

A Citizen Police Academy is established for the purpose of offering evening instruction (2 hours/week for 10 weeks), free of charge, to citizens wanting to learn more about the functioning of the police department. In addition to classroom instruction, students spend several hours observing police dispatch in the Communication Center and ride along with patrol officers in their squad cars. The first series of classes begins on March 7. Frank Kreml [see 1929, 1932, 1936, and 1999] is the featured speaker at the first graduation with 19 students. With strong public interest, a second class of 21 students was held in the fall of 1995. Two graduating classes each year, spring and fall, become the academy’s tradition.

NET, the Neighborhood Enforcement Team, replaces WEDGE [see 1990].

COPPS—Community-Oriented Policing and Problem Solving—is expanded to a department-wide strategy. Members are encouraged, through trainings and retreats to focus on the community and use problem-solving methods in all divisions and bureaus.

Fixed beats and long-term shift assignments are enacted to enhance The Partnership and neighborhood problem solving. Previously, officers rotated through three shifts on a 28 day cycle. Spending more time in the same beat and shift is expected to help officers be more familiar with the community and problems in their assigned areas.

Foot patrol officers begin using specially equipped bicycles in their beats. Bicycles greatly improve the formerly “foot patrol” officers’ mobility while retaining their close contact with people in their beats, especially pedestrians and neighbors in their yards. Bicycles also are a very effective and versatile means for police to participate in patrol, tactical and enforcement operations.

To free up officer time for problem solving and improved response to incidents, a differential response assignment is implemented in the patrol division. To apply differential response on a shift, an officer is assigned to take selected reports by phone and conduct delayed in person follow ups.

As part of the Anti Panhandling Strategy intended to quell aggressive panhandling in the downtown business district, police officers and volunteers attempt to persuade citizens to change their response to panhandlers (many of whom are neither homeless nor needy). Citizens are encouraged to make donations to social service agencies serving people known to be homeless or needy, rather than simply handing over cash to anyone who requests it.

A state-of-the-art Enhanced 911 Communication Center opens May 9. The new high-tech equipment enables telecommunicators to respond to lost or interrupted calls, or to callers who cannot communicate well. For all 911 emergency calls, it provides the phone number from which the call initiates and the address at which that phone number is located. The center features an automatic vehicle-location system that allows telecommunicators to determine the police vehicle closest to an emergency call for service.

At its meeting on July 30 in Grand Rapids , Michigan , the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) accredits the Evanston Police Department for the second time. A team of assessors visited the Department in May and verified the Department’s compliance to over 700 CALEA standards (2nd ed.). The Department was initially accredited in 1989.

Gerald A. Cooper is sworn in November 1 as chief of police.

The transition from 1993 to 1994 is celebrated with Evanston ’s first "First Night Celebration," a family-oriented alternative to the traditional New Year’s Eve celebration. The City plans a variety of events, including musical and dramatic entertainment, food and beverages, late-night shopping and a fireworks display. The event requires one of the year’s largest police special operations plans, and the night is a great success.

The Victim/Witness and Youth Outreach Bureau is separated March 1 into two components. The director and two victim advocates become the Victim Services Bureau. The City’s Youth-Advocacy Program is absorbed into the department’s Youth Outreach Program, thereby creating a Youth Services Bureau.

For the second year in a row the Department is recognized by the National Association of Town Watch for its excellent leadership in mobilizing Evanston for National Night Out—the annual anti-crime demonstration involving 23.4 million people in 8,370 communities from all 50 states and U.S. territories, as well as military bases worldwide.

The Department becomes part of ALERTS (Area-wide Law Enforcement Radio Terminal System), a computer network developed and managed by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. By combining traditional radio technology with data communications, ALERTS allows police officers to use in car computers (thus far ten Evanston squad cars are computer-equipped) to access LEADS [see 1969] and the FBI’s National Crime Information Center for information about stolen vehicles, wanted and missing persons, drivers’ licenses, vehicle registrations and state criminal history files. The direct access to such data provides officers in patrol cars with the information they need for making quick, effective decisions on the street. The in car computers also can be used to communicate between squad cars and the communications center.

For the first time, the Department is represented on a multi-disciplinary advisory board addressing the emerging issue of elder-abuse. A detective attends monthly meetings of the Elderly Abuse Board with legal, mental health, financial, clerical, and medical practitioners to discuss specific cases of elder abuse. The Family Counseling Service of Evanston and Skokie Valley is the state-designated elder-abuse agency for this area.