Crime & Safety

Check Out Evanston's Mobile Surveillance Truck

The Evanston Police Department recently deployed a new armored surveillance vehicle with six videocameras that record its surroundings and transmit a live feed to police at the station and in the field.

A repurposed Brinks security truck outfitted with six video cameras and 500 pounds of batteries is the Evanston Police Department’s newest crime-fighting tool. 

Police Det. Brian Bartz retrofitted the armored surveillance vehicle with cameras that record and transmit the truck’s surroundings in real-time, meaning that police can park the truck anywhere in Evanston and monitor disturbances from six live video feeds. The hope is that the presence of the new vehicle at a particular location will help deter crime, while the video cameras could make it possible to catch criminals in the act. 

“We’re able to cover an area without an actual police officer in the vehicle,” Police Cmdr. Jason Parrott said at a media event unveiling the truck on Wednesday. “It’s a tool for us to make life better for people.”

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Skokie is considering a 'mobile police substation' that will create a visible, convenient community meeting place while increasing direct access to public safety services, the village said. The measure still needs to be approved before any equipment is purchased, however.

It should be noted, however, that Brinks donated the 1997 diesel truck to the city for $1, while the police department added the cameras and batteries for about $15,000, according to Parrott. The batteries allow it to operate without additional power for 7 to 10 days in one location, but police also plan to add solar panels to the truck, so it will last even longer.

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Several other cities around the country also use surveillance vehicles, but Evanston’s new truck has some of the most up-to-date technology in the country, according to Parrott. Painted white and blue with the Evanston Police Department logo, the truck is topped with five digital video cameras and also has a video camera in the front window that pans or tilts. Police officers can see the high-resolution video feed from computers inside the police station or from an app on their phones while out on patrol.

Police Chief Richard Eddington said he saw a similar vehicle used by the Peoria Police Department at a police chief’s conference, and believed it could be useful in Evanston.

“Peoria’s historical perspective and our initial information is that this will have a huge impact on quality of life issues,” Eddington said.

The police have used the truck in several locations in Evanston already, where officers had documented reports of gunfire. While the truck was present, there were no reported crimes in the surrounding area, according to Parrott.

“So far, it’s been nothing but positive reviews,” said Det. Bartz. 

Police officers recently stationed the truck on the west side of Evanston for several days, and when they went to move it, several neighbors approached the police to find out why it was leaving. 

“Three residents came up and said, ‘Where are you going with the truck?’” recalls Det. Bartz. “They said, ‘When are you bringing it back?’” 

Residents may view the truck with suspicion when it first arrives, but quickly see that it’s presence serves as a visible deterrent to criminal activity, according to Bartz.

Parrott said the truck could be used not just in areas where there had been reports of gunfire or gang activity, but also in areas where there was a high concentration of burglaries, for example, or a pattern of motor vehicle thefts. The truck could even be parked at fairs or festivals, where, if there were an incident like the Boston Marathon bombings, police would have easy access to six surveillance videotapes.

“Our ultimate goal is to reduce the number of victims we have in any type of crime,” Parrott said. 

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