Schedule Change

The Department has decided morale was too high, so they're throwing a wrench into a lot of lives 

(click for larger versions):

So much for caring about families with young kids who might need a little more than two weeks to make alternate arrangements to pick up / drop off / trade cars with kids.

That's the thing you can count on with this department - always taking care to make sure families are okay.

Leslie Leslie Leslie

Everyone remembers alderasshole Arena, right? He had an "assistant" named Leslie Perkins that he used as a stalking horse since he was too much of a giant pussy to file complaints against police and firefighters. She was his troll, going through social media posts and collecting information before filing complaints against city workers who dared to have actual opinions that differed from Arena's concerning bringing in giant buildings of low income residents to ruin stable neighborhoods.

Evidently, she thinks it's amusing if firefighters burn:

Leslie landed softly over at another aldercreature's office - 49th Ward Maria E. Hadden - who might be unaware that one of her staffers thinks it's funny if First Responders burn doing their jobs rescuing people. Perhaps she should be made aware?

Punch back twice as hard.

Classy Democrats

Evidently, we should be asking the political affiliation of calls that we respond to:

• A charity event planned in honor of an officer killed in a 2018 mass shooting at a country music bar in in Southern California has been postponed indefinitely -- reportedly because a police chief didn't want Republicans invited.
  
  The Blue Bowl, a charity flag football game, was intended to raise money for the family of fallen Ventura County Sgt. Ron Helus as well as other officers killed in the line of duty, FOX 11 of Los Angeles reported.
  Sgt. Ron Helus was killed during a mass shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif., last year.
  
  Helus died last Nov. 7, when a 28-year-old suspect allegedly attacked the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, killing a total of 13 people and wounding about a dozen others. The suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities have said.
  
  Thousands of dollars had already been raised for fallen officers' families, but the money is now being returned to donors because Thousand Oaks Police Chief Tim Hagel reportedly withdrew the police department because Trump supporters would be speaking at the event.

This is the epitome of a consummate asshole.

But we can see what with Groot telling us we shouldn't assist ICE because they might be enforcing Federal Laws regarding immigration statuses, it's only a small leap to responding to calls involving those who only vote a certain way.

Rod Goes to FBI School

He really ought to go to Anger Management classes and maybe have a some blood work done to check for chemical imbalances:

• Rod is headed to the FBI training academy for three months which means he’ll probably be promoted in the near future...
  
  He is now blocking anyone from leaving 007 trying to go to units. Allegedly 007 will get a temporary commander and people are banking on this temp to sign off on them, allowing them to get the hell out of 007. If this happens, there will be a mass exodus while this clown is gone.
  
  Between the watch and tact there is a total work stoppage about to happen in the district. Good luck to whomever inherits this shitstorm as the temporary and/or new commander.

Rumor has it that the entire Tact watch came in with zeros for almost a week to protest Rod's bullshit, and the Tact Lt told everyone they were replaceable. No shit Lt, but try getting decent work out of people you have to draft by reverse seniority who didn't ask for that spot in the first place.

Fundraiser

Click for larger version:

This is what happens when COPA goes trolling for cases that were closed five years ago.

Comments closed here.

Cops Hurt in Crash

Both out of the hospital now:

• One of two Chicago police officers who were hospitalized following a Wednesday afternoon collision in Oak Park had to be extricated from the vehicle, but neither suffered serious injuries in the wreck, officials said.
  
  The T-bone crash happened when an SUV and a four-door police car collided at the intersection of Jackson Boulevard and Harlem Avenue about 12:30 p.m., said Oak Park Deputy Fire Chief Peter Pilafas. Pilafas said he was unsure if the four-door car was a marked or unmarked police vehicle, and said one of the car’s front doors had to be pried open. “We used extrication to open up a door and get one of the patients out,’’ Pilafas said.
  
  According to Oak Park village spokesman David Powers, the CPD car was traveling northbound on Harlem and was “not on an emergency response” when the other car, traveling west on Jackson, collided with the police vehicle.

Business as Usual

Shouldn't this have been disclosed prior to his current investigation?

• A court filing has revealed that Dan Webb, the special prosecutor appointed in the Jussie Smollett case, once donated $1,000 to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
  
  Foxx’s attorney first revealed the donation to Webb, who in turn disclosed it to the court.
  
  “On Tuesday of last week, my campaign staff notified me that Dan Webb had contributed $1,000 to my campaign in October 2016,” Foxx said in a statement. “Mr. Webb was notified that same day, and my office continues to cooperate fully with the investigation.”

So we're sure that this will be a completely unbiased investigation.

Anyone want to buy a bridge?

Changes

Released at 2013 hours last night, evidently hoping no one would notice:

• Ernie Cato Area North Deputy Chief
  Gloria Hanna- Street Deputy (WTF?)
  Yolanda Talley- Commander 015
  Eve Quarterman- Commander 003
  Sean Loughran lateral to Special Functions
  Brendan McCrudden- Commander 020
  Karen Konow- Chief IAD

Groot, who is giving you advice? Because it sucks.

Oh, and this happened:

• A Chicago police commander was demoted after he was accused of allowing Lollapallooza attendees into a restricted area, police officials confirmed Monday.
  
  Darren Doss lost his position as commander of the department’s Special Functions unit following an allegation that he improperly authorized civilians to watch the four-day music festival in Grant Park from an elevated observation area where only law enforcement is allowed, said Chicago police spokesman Anthony [Google-me].

No word on the Wod or Escamerit yet - but we hear it's coming.

And Nagode got bumped down to Inspector?

No Penalties Again

So what's the motivation to follow the rules?

• The Chicago Public Library system plans to eliminate late fees starting Oct. 1. — making Chicago the largest city in the nation to adopt the growing trend.
  
  Not only will the move do away with late fees going forward, it will also erase all outstanding overdue fees currently owed to the city.
  
  “I think our staff members are going to be practically jumping over their circulation desks to tell people that fines have been eliminated,” Chicago Public Library Commissioner Andrea Telli said.
  
  “We’re removing one of the most important barriers to access,” she said.

Except when there are no fines to compel people to return books, exactly what is left for others to access? Empty shelves?

Rod Loses His Shit...Again

Rod gets angry when his name appears on the blog, especially when it's pointing out his incompetence. He's not going to like this post, and there are waaaay to many witnesses and camera footage for him to deny it:

• When is someone going to pull an EEOC beef on RR? This is the second time this year that he has falsely accused an officer of racism without any proof. This time he included his merit hack Admin Sgt. And double merit hack Tact Lt. In on the fun. The bosses ganged up and tried to convince the officer that they had BWC evidence that was so overwhelming that he should just take their recommended 3 day spar, thus depriving the officer of his right to FOP representation when accused. These three geniuses and the officer’s own Sgt. told the officer that he should take the 3 days or else they could turn it into more. They were doing him a favor by not pulling a CR. The officer was adamant that he has never uttered a racial slur at any time, and demanded to see the video. After reviewing the video with all parties present, RR saw that the officer did NOT utter a racial slur. He actually apologized and then told everyone to keep this to themselves, they were going to keep it in the office. The following day word got around and other officers started asking if it was true that this officer was a racist.
  
  Once again, RR acts based on emotion, damaging the reputation of an officer with baseless allegations. Even worse is that the Lt. and the officer’s own Sgt. did nothing to kill it before the officer was accused. Then they actually encouraged the officer to take the three days and admit to something he never did.
  
  Saddest thing is if these officers who have been wrongfully accused by RR do file a complaint, they will be retaliated against, targeted and bricked by the soon to be again promoted RR and his cabal of inept gold stars.

Hide the radios and desks!

• Well SCC the shitshow continues! Angry Rod needs anger management. must have Logged on here this morning and saw red because I heard him rip the head off of some poor day watch sergeant for releasing the tact team prior to checkoff. Not sure why the day sgt was getting screamed at and not the tact sgt, but rod had a fit and kicked the desk. At least he didn’t hurl a radio at a wall in the station like he did the last time a bunch of people got shot. Maybe he needs to go to the academy for yoga training to chill out. If he screams at sergeants in front of us, I guess he will scream at anyone.

Perhaps Rod will be in the next round of demotions?

Just Another Machine Politician

Groot finishes her slide into political hack:

You'd think someone who won all 50 wards would have a tiny little clue about why the voters up north shitcanned alderasshole Arena. We're pretty sure the term alderasshole was invented particularly for Arena, a riff on Mike Royko's "aldercreature" pejorative.

And ignoring her own hiring "freeze" for political reasons?

Dumb Idea in Print

Be careful:

• The Chicago Police Department advised officers not to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security, particularly in situations involving immigration arrests, according to an internal department memo obtained by Fox News.
  
  Instead of assisting DHS upon request, officers are instructed to wait for their supervisor to arrive, the memo said. Once the supervisor arrives, “if the request is to assist with an immigration arrest or detention, CPD personnel will leave the scene as directed by the CPD supervisor,” according to the memo.
  
  CPD confirmed the memo came from an internal superior but would not say if the directive came from the mayor. The mayor’s office has not responded to requests for comment from Fox News.

Advised? That's a hilarious statement.

Let's be real here - Special Ed and Riccio don't even fart without Groot's permission. Riccio has been selected to be the face of this order, seeing as how his name is prominently featured in the AdMin Fax Message that's all over the TV (they actually put this thing in writing):

Someone knows this is a dumb idea and spoke to the news on deep background:

• “See what happens when that happens and a DHS agent is injured because of a lack of response by CPD. Sickening what’s happening here,” a ranking CPD source told Fox News.
  
  “You’ll not find a single real police officer that would refuse to assist another agency,” another law enforcement source told Fox News.

Hopefully, when the Administration starts taking action against so-called "sanctuary cities," this is Exhibit A.

Remember, your presence at a scene to maintain peace and order is not "assisting" per se.

car2go = car2gone

Underestimating the cost of doing business in Chicago:

• The short-term vehicle rental company “car2go” announced Friday it’s ending operations in Chicago at the end of the year.
  
  In a post on its website, the company said it was pulling out of Chicago and four other North American cities after it “underestimated the investment and resources that are truly necessary to make our service successful in these complex transportation markets amid a quickly changing mobility landscape.”

And what did that cost entail?

• It is an app-based service that lets users reserve rental cars, drive them then leave them at designated parking spots. Rides cost between 29 cents and 39 cents per minute.
  
  The company suspended services in Chicago earlier this year after a rash of vehicle thefts.
  
  In April, 21 people were charged after more than 100 car2go-owned Mercedes-Benzes were stolen in the city.

Oh yeah - 100 vehicle thefts of high end cars that resulted in something like zero prosecutions. That was a winning business model for sure.

Payday Coming?

This has a big lawsuit written all over it. Who will be the lucky copper who files and wins?

• COPA has directed the investigations into Chicago Police Officers off duty weapons purchases. The order that they are using was written by Debra Kirby requires ANY weapon owned by an officer to be registered. The only people in the entire world that would have to register these weapons are Chicago Police Officers.
  
  So members of BOC have been directed by the Chief, who is married to Blago’s sister, to utilize the Illinois State Police F-Tip system to check officers off duty weapons purchases for COPA. This system is for criminal investigations ONLY, not for administrative investigations. This directive violates the MOU between the city and the state. Keep this in mind when you are summoned to make a statement, leave and ensure you have an attorney.
  
  Oh and by the way the F-Tip system is not being purged and has every firearms purchase EVER made by citizens and officers in the history of the State of Illinois with an FOID card. This is a firearm registry being keep by the State of Illinois, which is expressly prohibited by federal law.

Kirby, the former Internal Affairs Division Chief, has been gone for years, but before that she was a name on the fringes of numerous scandals, most of which seemed to conveniently die (or at least be delayed for years) at IAD's Confidential Section until such time as the politically connected reached retirement age. Do a quick search and see how many times her name appears in media reports of lawsuits. We heard stories that she took a job in Ireland to avoid a blizzard of subpoenas. It's an eyeopener.

So it wouldn't be surprising that COPA is using something authored by her to abuse the system and trick bag Chicago cops who are the only people in Illinois required to register a gun any more. Some commentators have suggested this is part of COPA doing search warrants, which is going to cost taxpayers millions at some point.

More Accountability?

Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is actual accountability (Apologies to Ian Fleming)

• Add Tina Skahill and Gloria Hannah to the list. Did Tina order investigators to change a SUSTAINED RULE 14 VIOLATION against Hannah for ordering officers to falsify the time and date of an arrest on New Year’s Eve from 30 pending now to a reprimand? Tina thinks discipline procedures are meant for blue shirts? Lightfoot doesn’t agree with that.

Skahill was among the most incompetent bosses we ever ran across and her tenure everywhere was marked with lawsuits and beefs for making up her own rules as she goes along. We can only hope this is true.

CR's for Helping ICE?

From the ICE post yesterday:

• Just so you know CR numbers were already pulled today on the officers who just responded to help. The numbers were direct from city hall. Not just any officer who had a role but any officer who was even on scene. Unbelievable.

True? False?

Outrage? Protests?

We're not sensing it from the political set yet:

• A gunman opened fire from a street corner in Humboldt Park, wounding a 44-year-old man in the head Saturday night on the West Side.
  
  About 6:20 p.m., the man was eastbound in a vehicle driving his young daughter to a birthday party in the 3800 block of West Grand Avenue when someone on the corner of Grand and North Avers Avenue fired shots to the west, according to Chicago police.
  
  The bullet went through the windshield and struck the 44-year-old man in the head, directly between his eyes, and he was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, police said.

Just another statistic to gloss over at Accountability Tuesday.

Good Eyes, Better Memory

Good job officer:

• Two Chicago men are accused of firing guns illegally at a shooting-range because they are convicted felons. Jarvis Bell, 26, and Ricky Jones, 34, appeared before Cook County Judge John Mahoney on felony charges of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
  
  According to the complaint, Jarvis and Bell were accompanied by a friend with a valid FOID card to the Eagle Sports Range in Oak Forest, around 6:15 p.m. Sept. 7. The prosecutor said the friend rented a weapon for the three to use, and proceeded to the range area. After shooting for a while, the prosecutor said Jarvis, Bell and their friend went back and rented another gun.
  
  A Chicago police officer familiar with Jarvis and Bell's backgrounds, notified Oak Forest police of the convicted felons' unlawfully handling a gun at the shooting-range on security video cameras, the prosecutor said. Bell and Jarvis were arrested by Chicago police officers on Sept. 23 on felony gun charges. The friend with the valid FOID card was not charged.

The judge was appreciative:

• Mahoney set bail on the new charge at $20,000.
  
  "No guns means no guns," Mahoney said.

Let's see what Crimesha does with it.

ICE "Manipulated" CPD

That's what they're calling it:

• Seven Chicagoans are being detained by federal authorities after back-to-back immigration operations this week, and city officials are slamming U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for attempting to drag Chicago officers into their operations.
  
  Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) said federal officers called 911 for backup during an immigration stop on Tuesday in Back of the Yards, leading Chicago police to the scene.
  
  Under Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance, police and other city employees are prohibited from asking a person about their immigration status or turning undocumented immigrants over to federal agents, but the 911 call essentially tricked CPD into responding, Lopez said.
  
  “This was a bait call to get CPD out there,” Lopez said. “Unfortunately, CPD was manipulated by ICE.”

Well, these are law enforcement officers. And they are enforcing federal law. And if that means CPD has to make sure they do their job without interference from the rabble, well then the rabble better stay out of the way of the federal officers.

The usual suspects are outraged that someone actual cares about border security and the rule of law, demanding some mayoral executive orders to prevent CPD from assisting ICE, which as it turns out, we haven't been. We've had a visible presence to deter overreaction, maintain the peace and all that.

The Downside of Green

Of course, Groot might see this as a positive development:

• The police are supposed to protect and serve. But what's the point of protecting and serving the public if you're not protecting and serving Gaia? It's good to stop crime, but there won't be any crime at all if everybody gets killed by the weather. That's why I'm glad to see police departments switching to electric cars. Unlike those dirty gas-burning cars, electric ones are powered by... magic, I think? Goodbye, boys in blue. Hello, guys in green!
  
  There's just one problem with electric cars, though: You need to remember to plug them in first.

As you might suspect, the "low battery" warning came on and the primary vehicle had to drop out of the pursuit - not a big deal until you consider that as the pursuit moves farther away, the officers in that unit are now completely out of the picture should back-up be required.

Perhaps these "green" units ought not to be used for regular patrol. Maybe bosses should get them as take home vehicles. At least that way, The Wod couldn't be speeding across Indiana.

Accountability???

Finally?

• Word is spreading fast...3 Commanders to be demoted (Doss, Escamilla and Wodnicki) by 14 October.
  
  Several ”anointed ones” being sent to Media Training which we all know is a precursor to promotion and Wiser (022) bring moved to A/C D Unit to replace Wodnicki.

Wodnicki is the obvious one.

Escamilla should have been fired twice (and jailed) as a PO and it still amazes us that he tricked everyone into three "merit" promotions before being caught banging the CAPS girl in the office and using on-duty personnel as babysitters.

But Doss?

Well, when you're on tape "badging" a couple of dollies into Lolla and allowing them onto the elevated SWAT platform so they can enjoy the concert from above....and there are a few dozen cell phone videos making their way through Google-me's office (who has been trying desperately to keep this one under wraps), Groot is going to be asking questions.

In fact, she IS asking a bunch of questions and this might be the beginning of some actual accountability.

UPDATE: One white guy, one Hispanic guy, one black guy. Things that make you go, "Hmmmmmm"

Paintball Gun

Englewoodians acting the fool again:

• A Chicago police officer was shot by a paintball gun by someone inside a van in the Englewood neighborhood Thursday night, police said.
  
  The on-duty officer was dressed as a civilian and on the sidewalk conducting an investigation at about 11:25 p.m. in the 5800-block of South Loomis Boulevard when someone inside a black van fired a paintball gun, police said.
  
  The officer was hit in his left side but was not injured. Police pursued the vehicle to Calumet Park, where three male suspects fled on foot.
  
  One suspect was taken into custody and no injuries were reported. Area South detectives are investigating.

No idea if it was deliberately targeting a cop or just idiots looking for a quick drive-by score. It could have been bad either way and can you imagine if any of the cops justifiably returned fire and wounded or killed on of these assholes?

• But it was only a paintball gun!

What a shitshow that would have ended up being, and it's fucking sad that we have to think that way nowadays where the political winds dictate how we respond to crap like this.

Cops Injured by Drunk

Up in 016:

• Two officers were hurt in a crash Friday on the Northwest Side after their squad car was struck by a drunk driver, according to police.
  
  They were southbound in a marked squad car in the 6700 block of North Caldwell Avenue when a Ford Crown Victoria hit them from behind as they tried to make a left turn, Chicago police said.
  
  The officers and the male driver of the Ford were taken to an area hospital with minor injuries, police said.
  
  The male in the Ford will be cited as the crash appears to be alcohol-related, police said.

Best wishes on a speedy recovery officers.

Commander Dumbass - 007

Does anyone know what "standards" Special Ed uses to pick these morons?

• How about the commander of 007, RDR, coming into roll call to thanks the troops for a job well done. As soon as roll call is over there is a 10-1 in 008 and a car that was suppose to be on beat integrity goes out of the station lot after just getting in their car to assist officers in need. Just after a disregard is given they are heading to the beat and a person shot comes up in their beat. Commander shows up on scene and wants them sparred for not being on the beat at the time of the shooting. So apparently its more important to be on the beat in case Joe Blow gets shot then to go assist officers needing help. No wonder the morale in 007 is so shitty.

What a putz. Obviously, never an actual police officer.

Groot Taking Suggestions

From aldercreatures?

• Chicago aldermen are urging Mayor Lori Lightfoot to lift the city’s ban on video gambling, create a new city sticker for ride-hailing vehicles and, if a massive property tax increase is unavoidable, phase it in and make the bitter pill easier to swallow by abolishing the $9.50-a-month garbage collection fee.
  
  Those are among the ideas floated during closed-door meetings with small groups of aldermen that Lightfoot’s financial team has been holding this week to solicit cost-cutting and revenue-raising ideas to eliminate Chicago’s $838 million shortfall. Former Mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel did the same. It’s a way to appease aldermen, share the blame and build support for the difficult choices ahead.
  
  Conspicuously absent from the list of aldermanic ideas obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times is the property tax increase Lightfoot wants desperately to avoid, but has refused to rule out. Instead, aldermen have raised the two progressive revenue ideas Lightfoot would love to adopt if only the General Assembly would sign off: a graduated real estate transfer tax increase and a sales tax on professional services.

These are the assholes who voted in the massive deficits and extra spending that has driven Chicago to the the brink. In fact, they signed off on Shortshank's Skyway deal and the parking meter fiasco.

These are not exactly paragons of fiscal restraint. You could save tens of millions eliminating half of them tomorrow. Who's going to suggest that?

Have Gun, Will Travel

The interesting route taking by a gun:

• The same gun used in two wild shootouts involving Chicago police as well as a daylight shooting in the downtown area last week has been traced to yet another shooting in Minnesota less than two months ago.
  
  A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Minneapolis alleged that Sequana Cigolo , 38, bought a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun for Jason Winston, 48, the cousin of her former boyfriend who could not legally purchase a firearm because of his felony background. He allegedly reimbursed her about $250.
  
  Winston was charged with passing the gun along to Cigolo’s former boyfriend, who is alleged to have shot Cigolo’s brother with the weapon on July 28, according to the complaint.
  
  Cigolo’s former boyfriend then fled to Chicago, authorities in Minnesota said.
  
  Authorities do not explain how the gun then allegedly ended up in the hands of Michael Blackman, 45, who faces a raft of charges in Cook County court for a shooting spree last week.

So...a straw purchase. And after being used in a Minnesota crime, the gun ended up in Chicago (with all the proper paperwork filled out for every subsequent transfer no doubt) and was used in a "raft" of crimes.

Any bets on whether Minnesota Federal Courts will be any more aggressive in sentencing someone who circumvented federal law to supply a gun to a known felon?

An aside - the media seems to be glossing over the wounding of the young lady in the Fulton River District. Has anyone verified her condition?

Groot Finds $100 Million

Remember, Chicago is broke, but money keeps appearing from nowhere, lying around, unused:

• City Treasurer Kurt Summers announced the Chicago Community Catalyst Fund in 2016 with much fanfare — the city would earmark $100 million to jump-start investments in struggling neighborhoods, providing the seed money needed for ventures in places where many banks had been reluctant to put their money.
  
  None of it was spent. In fact, it wasn’t until Summers was about to leave office this May that he moved $75 million of the earmarked money into a bank account where it could be administered. But upon taking office, Mayor Lori Lightfoot deemed that move improper and pulled the funds back, while not accusing Summers of doing anything illegal.
  
  Now, Lightfoot herself is looking to reboot the program and finally deliver on its promise. Last month, she was given the names of possible people to fill vacancies on the fund’s board, and along with new Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin is looking to fund projects on the city’s South and West sides.
  
  Questions remain, however, about how the Catalyst Fund, also known as Fund 77, was set up to begin with.

There ought to be some Pension Funds and union officials wondering how many other pots of money are lying around, un-utilized or improperly accounted for.

In fact, maybe a bankruptcy judge would like to take a look?

Closing on 400

HeyJackass.com has Chicago at 391 with four days left in September. Leading the charge? 011...and wouldn't you know it, they're closing on 60, over twenty ahead of the nearest competitor (006). The hospitals are cleaning up old cases to help them along:

• A man shot in Homan Square almost two weeks ago on the West Side has died from his injuries.
  
  Emmett Adams, 26, was pronounced dead Tuesday at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
  
  An autopsy found Adams died from complications of multiple gunshot wounds and ruled his death a homicide, the medical examiner’s office said.

That was number fifty-nine. Number fifty-eight got killed Wednesday morning, meaning 011 is averaging a death-a-day recently. But don't worry - our contacts tell us that the commander and captain have established yet another fixed post, bringing the total number of fixed posts in 011 to seven or eight, depending on the day of the week. Who's answering calls?

Might we suggest sandbagged machine gun emplacements on every corner? And maybe holding the top staff accountable?

Interesting Take

FLSA rules are kind of difficult to get around as this commentator points out:

• The question I want answered is how the department plans to comply with the FLSA mandate of overtime compensation for hours worked over 40 in a 168 hour (7 day) period. For example, those in day off group 61 had two weeks in August that 45 hours were worked. Now that's going based off 9 hours. If you go off of 8.5 hours it's 42.5. Federal law states we are owed overtime compensation.
  
  The FLSA even goes so far as to name Police, Fire, and other first responders as NOT exempt from this.
  
  It also further states that collective bargaining agreements may enhance but not diminish this provision. Just Google FLSA overtime exemptions.

Have the unions looked into this?

What Could Go Wrong?

Running a California prison on touchy-feely crap:

• SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California prison officials have halted an effort aimed at forcing warring prison gangs to get along with each other after the inmates wound up brawling and even rioting when placed together in prison recreation yards, officials told The Associated Press.
  
  The effort started a year ago with officials gradually allowing prisoners from different gangs into exercise yards to try to get them to make peace. This permitted officials to reduce harsh restrictions that kept gang members locked up in cells for lengthy periods without access to rehabilitation programs that could allow them to shorten their sentences.
  
  But the greater liberty generated the same result at several state prisons: Gang members brawled in what critics labeled “gladiator fights” that they allege prison officials deliberately set up to get the inmates to fight.

As far as we're concerned, the only failure here is the failure to find a pay-per-view vendor to broadcast the "gladiator fights" to defray the prison costs. Maybe next time.

Study Material

So there are a couple of places trying to put together study packages with all of the orders, law, etc into a single binder-ready package. But some people are saying that copy stores, like Kinko's, aren't allowing photocopying of copy-written material.

What is everyone else out there hearing?

Swiping Arriving

And the FOP says just go with the flow until (A) someone gets harmed or (B) some judge or labor board issues an injunction.

The order (click for larger version):

The FOP reply:

• Today, the Department released its final order and will implement Employee Resource E02-03-04 with an effective date of 30 September 2019.
  
  Our attorneys will file an Unfair Labor Practice with the Illinois Labor Relations Board tomorrow as the City refused to negotiate with the Lodge over the impact of this order on our members.
  
  Members should comply with this order on its effective date and continue to comply until the Labor Board issues a decision.

Which means a whole lot of nothing.

Corruption at the Airport?

Doesn't aldercreature Burke run the airports?

• Chicago firefighters assigned to O’Hare and Midway Airports will be re-trained under a new commander, thanks to an ongoing federal investigation into allegations that “unqualified personnel” were staffing specialty rigs assigned to air rescue.
  
  “The FAA made an inquiry about certain circumstances related to training and certification. As we looked at it in response to the FAA inquiry, we resolved that there were some issues there,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot told reporters at City Hall.
  
  “As a consequence, the individual who was in charge of that training was replaced by someone else.”

Lori, it's going to take years (and not a little amount of balls) to actually clean up the stink at the airports. Burke has treated these city assets as his own personal playground, assigning people there for years based solely on phone calls. And now the feds want an accounting - literally and figuratively - of how money is being spent.

You ought to cooperate and just give them Burke to waterboard.

More Indictments?

You'd think Illinois was a corrupt shithole or something:

• Federal agents descended Tuesday on the home and offices of state Sen. Martin Sandoval as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, adding him to the growing list of city and state politicians facing serious scrutiny.
  
  Feds in suits could be seen lugging boxes, electronics and a bag marked “Evidence” from the state capitol building in Springfield. A similar scene played out at Sandoval’s Southwest Side home. And agents could be seen outside Sandoval’s political office in Cicero.
  
  FBI Special Agent John Althen confirmed the agency had personnel in the state capitol conducting “authorized law enforcement activity,” but he declined to comment further. IRS Criminal Investigation was also involved in the search, according to an official there.

The IRS is involved? Oh boy. And you have to read down to the fourth paragraph to find out that Sandoval is the Democratic Caucus whip, which means he has quite a bit of power....and who knows how many names to chirp about to keep his happy ass out of prison.

Hopefully, plenty.

The Beatings Will Continue

And we do mean "beatings:" (CWB Blog doing the heavy lifting again)

• A group of thirteen teenagers beat and robbed a man of his phone in the Loop on Wednesday evening, according to an alert issued by DePaul University’s public safety office. The offenders then battered and robbed another group of people nearby, according to police reports and the school. Five offenders are in custody, DePaul said.
  
  The teens attacked the first victim around 9:30 p.m. at 359 South State Street, took his phone, then ran southbound. Moments later, the group attacked and robbed four men as they stood outside 701 South State Street, according to the school’s alert. Police said the second group of victims sought help at a nearby pizza restaurant.
  
  Officers searched the area and arrested five people who were identified as being part of the group who beat and robbed the victims.
  
  DePaul and Chicago police said the offenders were black males and females in their late teens, many of whom wore yellow jackets. After the second attack, the group ran south on State, then east on 8th Street, police said.

Wow, an actual description of the offenders. That's a new twist.

Probably all charged with misdemeanor battery, theft, and assorted hi-jinks. That would be par for the course.