Evanston Police Department reassigns Community Policing Unit members due to staff shortages

Daily file photo by Daniel Tan

Two parked Evanston police cars. Five of the eight officers in the Community Policing Unit will be reassigned for at least 60 days due to staffing shortages across the Evanston Police Department.

Yiming Fu, Managing Editor
August 4, 2022

Evanston Police Department reassigned five out of eight members of the Community Policing Unit, cutting the unit’s capacity, the department announced Thursday.

“This drastic step is necessary due to the continued staffing shortages faced by the Department,” the department said in a news release.

The Community Policing Unit consists of Problem Solving Team Officers, Foot Patrol Officers and School Resource Officers. It makes personal contacts with community members, provides community resources and attends neighborhood meetings. The team members will be reassigned for 60 days.

The three remaining officers in the Community Policing Unit will continue outreach with Evanston’s Hispanic community and monitor downtown and Main Street, according to the news release.

“The overtime and forcebacks created by the sustained shortage has had a negative impact on the health and well-being of Evanston Department personnel, making these reassignments and service reductions necessary,” the news release said.

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