Time to Shut Down the Blog?

HUGE POST: We've been getting quite a few complaints lately. Some about how moderated comments have killed the spontaneity of the Board. Some about how unsubstantiated rumors seem to be making their way into the mainstream media as part of the latest scandal. Others, well, here's a few of them with our commentary added in:

• You "IDIOTS" are embracing SCC as if he did something courageous by monitoring this site. He did it to save his / her own ass. (we weren't aware that our ass needed saving, but thanks for the heads up!)
  
• For months SCC allowed unfounded allegations, racism, rumors, and lies to fester and grow. (for months, we let the blog run itself. We explained it numerous times. We had maybe two hours a day to spend here and we let it run free the rest of the time. Our role was to take out the insane stuff after the fact. That didn't work out so well because cops will be cops and idiots will be idiots)
  
• If SCC is "The Police" I'm assuming very young on the job, educated, and really without a social life outside of this site. (let's see - wrong, right and wrong again. With a batting average like that, you could make millions in the major leagues - why are you the police?)
  
• SCC has to stay anonymous because as many people who like this site, I'd bet there are just as many who wouldn't mind having a face to face "bar room" talk with SCC. (and wouldn't they be surprised to know that we've been sitting next to them in the bar talking about the site? We've never posted anything we were ashamed of. The fact that anonymous other people have and it stayed up until we could get around with our broom shouldn't have any bearing on what we've done.)
  
• Also if SCC is the police SCC would be held accountable by CPD rules and regulations. Meaning the department would surely find rule violations on an ongoing basis. (name the Rule violations please. Seriously. The Rules and Regs of this Department were written in what? The 50's? And amended once since then? They are hopelessly out of date and arcane. The Department keeps them around to screw with people. We aren't doing anything on Department time or property. It's satire, protected speech and humor. The only catch-all charge we could ever remotely think of facing would be "obstructing the goals of the Department" and where have we ever posted anything but legitimate criticism of boneheaded policy? We have tons, and we mean tons, of case law backing our right to still be American citizens off duty.)
  
• SCC is NOT a hero, but a coward who hides behind "Anonymous" and the lies and racism of others. (ah, the old "coward" charge. And you make from behind, what else? An "Anonymous" posting. We see it as carrying on a proud tradition of the Chicago Police Department. Maybe you aren't old enough to remember the old SCCN bulletin board? Or even further back "The 025 Gallows"? We remember them both very well kid. We don't hide behind an "anonymous" tag. We use a pen name and everything that gets posted under that pen name is ours. We admit it. We also know there would be career repercussions should we ever step out from behind it and we don't want that at this point. As to the lies and racism, we edited it in the limited number of hours we had.)
  
• I will always respond to "an officer needs help call" thats how I was raised on this job. I just wouldnt mind seeing SCC bitched slapped as I arrived on the scene. I would assist, kick the bad guys ass,& lockem up. Then maybe SCC could put some more gossip on the site for the young officers to enjoy. (Nice of you to respond to the assist call, but it's difficult to take you seriously when you wish harm on us, even harm as trivial as a "bitched slap" (and it's a 10-1, not "an officer needs help call" kid) We, too, have responded to every 10-1 call ever broadcast on our zone, but we'd never think of letting an offender complete a battery to PO just because we didn't like what that PO had said to us somewhere along the line. We guess we're just better human beings than you are. And better police officers evidently)
  
• PS SCC if you want to look up my IP address and keep it between just the two of us, we probably could have a great face to face discussion. (Gee, thanks, we'll keep it in mind. Schmuck.)
  

Or how about this one?

• Remember anyone interested in litigation against SCC he now states in print at the top of his page "saved for blog owner approval"...should be interesting if CPD ever gets tired of this site. (Yeah, it'll be real interesting to see a government agency attempt to shut down a privately run entity protected by the greatest document on the face of the planet. It'll be real interesting counting all the money we'd have after a few years in Federal court.)
  

Or this:

• Dear SCC, it has been a fun ride but I think it is now time to end this blog. On Fox32 news the reporter stated that an unnamed source has implicated the four officers in a murder. I think this reporter's unnamed source was some idiot on this blog. (I remember seeing an anonymous post like that a while ago.) (actually, it was probably our post taking the rumor monger to the woodshed and beating the living tar out of him for even suggesting such bullshit. We'd love to see Fox32 having to backtrack on that little story when it comes out that it was from someone who was most likely posting drunk on the Internet.)
  
• This site was good when it was coppers beefing about the job, but now reporters and others (IAD, Bosses, Defense Attys, et al...) are using rumors from this site as a legitimate information source. I know that you are going to say that it is their problem and that they could get in trouble for using rumors as fact. (You're right - it's their problem and it's their look out. They want to destroy any modicum of credibility they might have, that's their problem. We remember half a dozen rumors that sprouted up on this board a year ago and 35th Street went into a tailspin trying to track them down. It was hilarious and sad all at the same time. That's what the get for believing everything they read, especially here.)
  
• Unfortunately, it is time to end it. This is my last post. I hope you heed this request. The idiots (CPD and non-CPD) have made all of us hardworking coppers look bad long enough. Even with your diligent moderation this site is now hurting us. (Sorry to see you go. You seem to at least attempt to make sense. Thanks for the compliment on the "diligent moderation." We think it's making a difference.)

So what does everyone think? Should we shut it down? We think we've done pretty well keeping up with the comment posting a few times a day and keeping most names that deserve to be kept out of print off the site. Errors will still happen and we continue to invite people to drop us a line when they find something objectionable and needing to be censored in the comments section (our e-mail is in the profile page).

Sarcasm and silliness will still happen, too. And it will probably still happen here.