Fixing a Nonexistent Problem
- Allegations that a Chicago Police sergeant mistreated state Sen. James Meeks have prompted the department to buy 30 video cameras it plans to install in squad cars by mid-October to record traffic stops, officials said Wednesday.
- They will be installed in marked cars in the Pullman District on the Far South Side, where Meeks said he was a victim of racial profiling last year. The sergeant was reprimanded for using foul language, and Meeks' chauffeur paid a fine for traffic violations.
Frank Main and Fran Spielman once again find a way to obscure anything that looks like unbiased reporting. As we recall (and you can check our writings in our archives) the political lynching that Meeks and his cohorts attempted to pull off failed miserably when it was determined that Meeks had ordered his driver to break Illinois Traffic Law (hence the guilty plea) and the "racial profiling" was determined to be 100% bogus (see the disciplinary record.)
But that doesn't stop the city from spending tens of thousands of dollars and stealing hundreds thousands more (yes, we believe it's stealing if they're spending taxpayer money on a nonexistent problem) for cameras that won't actually serve any purpose. Does anyone really think that the Department or the city would release any video that proved police acted properly and lawfully? We don't either. So Meeks and his ilk will be allowed to continue to score political points off of innocent coppers while the moment regular cops and supervisors are caught anywhere near what might be considered a "gray" area, we will be hung out to dry.
Our one hope is that the city maintains these cameras as well as they maintain the PDT's and all the other equipment it owns - that is to say, not at all.
But that doesn't stop the city from spending tens of thousands of dollars and stealing hundreds thousands more (yes, we believe it's stealing if they're spending taxpayer money on a nonexistent problem) for cameras that won't actually serve any purpose. Does anyone really think that the Department or the city would release any video that proved police acted properly and lawfully? We don't either. So Meeks and his ilk will be allowed to continue to score political points off of innocent coppers while the moment regular cops and supervisors are caught anywhere near what might be considered a "gray" area, we will be hung out to dry.
Our one hope is that the city maintains these cameras as well as they maintain the PDT's and all the other equipment it owns - that is to say, not at all.
posted by SCC at 12:03 AM
40 Comments:
Sgt. John Clifford, formerly of 005, has my full admiration and respect.
Meeks should have got a swift kick in the ass, not a hug. Among other things, he is a racist demagogue.
Off topic:
Shots fired at the police on 76th and Kenwood, P.O. Ok. Offenders in custody.
Did you expect anything different from the yellow-bellied cowards that run this department.
Give them a non exisistant problem.
Watch them shit all over themselves.
Most of these sniveling rat shits are less than men.
That is why the real women have taken over and fucked up this department.
You missed the part of the article where it says 016 is getting the cameras too.
CPD equipment is a joke. Cars to PDTs. I would love to see an analysis of what it is costing taxpayers for policeman to sit on their ..... while waiting for R service/grease and oil let alone process arrests on the new computers. Lets not forget our beautiful new stations .... toilets, entrance and exit doors, water fountains (placed strategically for the public and not POs) broken doors in the processing area (gee and prisoners are escaping). NOTHING WORKS FOR LONG.
Guess maybe everything is broke because of daley and all his contracting friends, have to give back. Look at 35th HQ the floors are tilted, the doors where the mail goes in from the outside are bent cannot close properly as building is not sound. Cheap construction=constant problems.
I see Daley has just appointed the white hater, militant Puerto Rican, Devalle, as the new City Clerk to replace James Laski. His first attempt to fracture the Hispanic votein his bid for re-election. I hope the U.S. Attorney fracture's this little assholes legs soon!
SCC, you definitely have a point.
As badly as the Dept. has managed the HORRIBLE PDT SYSTEM, it seems at face value ludricrous that the CPD would spend as much money as it has for the (2nd) PILOT CAMERA PROGRAM. Personally, I think the cameras in the cars will be a plus for the coppers out there. It will bust up a whole bunch of frivolous citizen complaints about how they were allegedly treated during car stops. After a few lawsuits being initiated BY THE ACCUSED OFFICERS, it has the distinct possibility of slowing down the flow of many of these BS complaints phoned in to OPS daily.
Let's just hope that the video company that the CPD is buying all this equipment from doesn't go belly up and disappear, as various PDT companies have done in the past.
I worked for Sgt. Clifford and was working in 005 the night of the incident. Clifford is a great boss and Meeks is a jagoff, plain and simple. I really hope to pull his profilin' @$$ when he's out and about again. Bet your @$$ that the media will "somehow" get a copy of that tape and Meeks can be seen for the political P.O.S. hack he really is. Not that he would ever be portrayed in that light, no matter how true it is. Otherwise, as for the cameras, a few disconnected wires can do wonders.
Matters in this city are just going to keep getting worse as long as the City and Media keep trying to appease "Mutt and Jeff". Keep trying to hang working coppers and you will wonder why arrests drop and crime seems to skyrocket. More and more police are going to realize how they are constantly trying to be fucked over by the disciplinary system of the dept. Then it's just a simple matter of resorting to just answering calls for service, coding them, and waiting for the 1st and the 16th.
Powers That Be need to grow a pair and let the police be the POLICE.
If I was the one on that situation I would have done the same and maybe slap the shit out of that meeks. Stupid fool using us as his polical ladder and to draw attention to gather votes. So who's vote he got but the same moronic people who vote for him that uses that same old racial profiling as a tool and he himself is the same, uses his power in a very abusive way . . . . what did he say? "Do you know who I am"? yeah I know who you are, you are the dumb moronic ignoramus idiotic thickheaded imbecilic retarded stupid F*^K who like to act stupid in front of us and wants to show off his power. I didn't know that stupidity is a virtue now. I guess that anybody who's around his circle is the same dumb moronic ignoramus idiotic thickheaded imbecilic retarded stupid F*&K same with his driver body guard copper.
Off topic but I would give up my raises for next 10 years to lift residency!!!!! And for you guys demanding rotating shift suck it let new guys experience mids for first 5 years...hahahahahhaha. Man this job sucks and no im not quiting my 70k plus job!!!!!
"No racial profiling...not in this city; not in this department"!
Amish grandmothers pose a terrorist threat to our national security. We must remain vigilant.
Everyone realizes that the stranger(s) who accosts you on the street for robbery and/or rape is most likely a middle-aged Scandanavian.
It's called "COMMON SENSE"!
Nice to know that shitbird Meeks can write city policy.
Our elected officials should be dragged into the streets and beaten.
Put a dash board cam in my car. It won't catch me racial profiling because I don't. You think the Black folk complain about being pulled over now. They are going to be complaining 10x more because if I have a cam in my car watching my every move, then I'm going to have to use zero tolerance. No more warnings given, no more discretion and breaks. Let the rev meeks and all the other black folk complain now. It'll turn around and bite em right in the ass.
If anyone uses those cameras they are touched in the head. and they wonder why no police work is being done.
10--6--06, 701AM No water fountains in the police stations accesible for the police was a major complaint when working in the CPD stations. That is why some officers carried their own water bottles on their persons all the time(usually the sluggos). The design flaws are obvious and kudos to you for pointing them out. I wish everyone luck as I have moved on up from the CPD. I work for the State and enjoy it. No residency rule and no stress.
I'm full of questions today:
Politics aside, do any of you feel having cameras could/would be beneficial for you, especially in presenting evidence for court?
I'm not sure if this is a topic that has been addressed here before or one that SCC will bring up in the future, but how reliable are your radios?
BTW, I'm feeling very generous today - if you're cranky, this should put a smile on your face. And even if you're not, ENJOY!
Why did sgt brownstien get sent back to patrol from the doggie mobile?
Phil couldn't wait to get to Meek's church to kiss his ass at the expense of a good cop.
Now there are cameras. Better to set up some cop who is just doing his job.
What a world.
The camers started out being a race issue from the get-go. 016 is mostly white. 005 is all black. Traffic division camers will be up and down the drive and Skyway. Ain't no telling who these guys are gonna find in their camera lens.
If the cameras work half as good as the PDT's, they will be inoperable 60% of the time anyway. this department buys second hand goods anyway.
Who is getting the camera contract? RMS was the vendor for the POD cameras to the tune of a large chunk of change. RMS is also close with everyone's favorite man - Ron Huberman.
Bet your bottom dollar Ron has once again lined someone up to line pockets.
Disgusting.
And now you know why the cameras don't work - they're garbage because the vendor (RMS) is garbage.
My webcam records better images and it was only $300.
Michael P. Gordon Memorial Foundation
proudly presents the
2nd Annual
TRUE BLUE
Awards
Sunday, November 5, 2006
5:00pm – 10:00pm
Park Place of Countryside
6200 Joliet Road - Countryside, IL
Just west of LaGrange Road – minutes from I-55 or I-294
$50 per ticket
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To reserve tickets, please e-mail mpgfund@comcast.net
or call 708.574.4609
Raffle Prizes and Silent Auction
Live Entertainment featuring Maggie Speaks
Bagpipes & Drums of the Emerald Society, CPD
Special Gift for Designated Drivers
Free Parking
TRUE BLUE nomination forms can be found at www.michaelpgordon.com
Please remember to wear your seat belt. Drink responsibly
Here's one for ya. The 005th dist. tact team has been directing traffic on Sunday for his church for approximately 3 1/2 -4 hrs. for over a year after Sgt. Clifford/Meeks incident. His church is the only church on Sunday that gets this waste of manpower. Don't the City use the "Green Coats," for that kind of shit? And how many shootings/Homocides were there on Sunday while this was going on? CHECK OUT THE STATS!
Your media affairs department needs to do a better job of making it clear to the public when cops are getting a raw deal in the press. Who else is going to do it for the good cops who put their ass on the line for this corrupt city?
What about upside? If a camera had been in that car, it would have shown Meeks was NOT mistreated. Why be pissed unless you have something to hide? Unless you are acting inappropriately or mistreating people, these cameras can serve to protect you from frivolous lawsuits that the city will payout on. (no pun intended)
I for one can hardly wait....As soon as the politicians see the police are right and their constituants are acting like morons it will backfire on them and we will get out of a lot of CR#s..........
got results for sgt test.
1242
dangit
I like the way NORTHSIDE thinks..and I could not have said it better myself!
Nortside, your time has come and gone. Move to Florida, wet your pants, play bingo, stare at your non-performing Johnson, and shut the h*ll up !!
"ANONYMOUS" at 8:34 PM
Thanks for sharing.
Did I strike a raw nerve, "boss"?
YOU DIDN'T!
put a camera in meeks car and see what he does instead.......HA
END OF STORY
You bring up a good point when you question if the city would release any video to the public. That one of the biggest problems with our department. They do not do enough spin control. Nobody from news affairs get out there to properly explain the facts and procedures. Insted they make a blanket excuse saying were investigating.
I just hope when the meeks of the city want to claim the police violated them during a traffic stop, that our camera police get out there and show the disgusting lack of respect for the police by allowing the video to get out ASAP.
As long as we conduct ourselfs properly as we were trained, do the jog right and show the public the other side.
This hole camera thing will be proof and shut them up in there tracks.
Well, well. Hello, "Reverend" Meeks. I'm Chris Hansen from Dateline NBC. Have some ice cold lemonade and chocolate chip cookies...
The cameras are mostly a good idea. Think about it, they will prove that we don't profile for the most part and that most of the time, you can't see who's driving in the first place. I don't agree with the recording of voices inside the car, that should be removed, but the rest.... Give me a camera. Now there will be a lot more majorities, oh, I mean "minorities" stopped and actually cited. The city and the powers that be will realize that "minorities commit most of the traffic violations, they do consent to searches, they never have a fucking license, their cars are always illegal, and the police don't mother fuck everybody and call them racist names.
New headline next year:
The City of Chicago has terminated their use of dashboard camera's due to the financial burden of upkeep. No protests from civil rights leaders prompts no response by us. The end....
Business as usual.
I work on the southside and would love a camera in my car. So when the a-hole goes to the media with what the "man" did to him, we could hand them the disk and say, "Yep, here's what the man did check it out." Of course, the video footage of us doing the right thing would not make one-one-hundredth of the air time of the CFD having a party at the firehouse did. Any one notice we haven't seen that since the nit wit that sent it to the media lost his job for using a controlled substance?
I personally have no problem with cameras in the cars. Other jurisdictions, including big cities have had them for years. I think they are going to help us much more than they will hurt us. They will cut down on many BS beefs. Also if you are doing what you are supposed to do you should have nothing to fear, but the cameras will be as well maintained as the PDT's and everything else and will be gone in a year or two.
I don't think cops are abusing civilians that get pulled over, and if cameras are there to protect the criminals it's a waste. However I think that giving officers eace of mind that when they pull someone over they won't have their careers and reputation on the line is worth every penny. Now they don't have a case of he-said, she-said, just pull the tape and they have no worries.
MEMO to 10/06/2006 06:55:41 PM
The News Affairs Office of the CPD is run by a black women who reports not to the Superintendent but to the Mayor's Press Secretary. Any and all news coming out of the CPD is censored by Ms. Heard. Ms. Monique Bond is a Mayoral Tool. The only left up there with any sense is retired PO Pat Camden. However, Pat has been told to back off on certain issues. Oh Well - Politics and Policing go hand and hand in this City. Can't offend the voting public. That is can't offend the Black-Hispanic-Indian-Puerto Rican-etc. etc. community, all you honkies out there just have to suck it up.
Anonymous said...
MEMO to 10/06/2006 06:55:41 PM
The News Affairs Office of the CPD is run by a black women who reports not to the Superintendent but to the Mayor's Press Secretary. Any and all news coming out of the CPD is censored by Ms. Heard. Ms. Monique Bond is a Mayoral Tool. The only left up there with any sense is retired PO Pat Camden. However, Pat has been told to back off on certain issues. Oh Well - Politics and Policing go hand and hand in this City. Can't offend the voting public. That is can't offend the Black-Hispanic-Indian-Puerto Rican-etc. etc. community, all you honkies out there just have to suck it up.
10/08/2006 09:44:53 AM
You forgot hillbillies. You stupid fuck.
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