Thursday, October 12, 2006

Problem #5 - Institutional Inflexibility

Fifth in a series of writings about some problems we see facing the Department.

Cops hate change.

A truer phrase has never been spoken. This Department has resisted just about every change, every technological advance, every single thing that might make the job easier with the attitude of "that's not the way we used to do it." If the mayor's cousins could figure out how to make transporting hay and oats into a profitable venture, we don't doubt that we'd go back to horse drawn carriages and carts in place of squadrols and automobiles.

Of course, part of this resistance to change is the City's tendency to always go with the low bid contractor on things, which always means some politically connected family gets a piece of the pie, usually based on inside information. Then the contractor ends up supplying substandard equipment that never had a chance in hell of meeting the specs of the job, meaning that the contract has to be re-bid or the bottom line has to be adjusted so the connected person gets more money. Legit contractors go out of business constantly because the city doesn't pay the bills on time. It's a corrupt process and does nothing for the copper on the streets who has to try to utilize the equipment that doesn't work to meet some bizarre expectation of making the job simpler.

And don't even get started on the people who think the height requirements ought to be reinstated, women shouldn't be on the job, minorities ought to be banned, if you don't carry a revolver you're a punk and lord knows how many other changes that have actually benefited the Department as a whole.

Old attitudes die hard - some harder than others.

70 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

When do I get my new LIDAR to catch speeders?

10/11/2006 11:00:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You must be done bad mouthing and second guessing coppers who get their guns wrestled away from them, PUNK !! Work the streets instead of hiding behind an anonymous blog.

10/11/2006 11:26:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Take your 2nd paragraph to the federal level, SCC, and think about our troops in combat. Substandard equipment,(humvees,etc) because of "inside bid rigging, friends of powerful people" etc.... being givin to our guys on the front. Thoughtful post, either way, it sucks to be on the FRONT, be it in a squad car (w/no juice),or Army/Marine Infantry over there where were now looking for an honorable exit......

10/11/2006 11:50:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Chicago PD; 170 years of tradition unimpeded by progress!

10/12/2006 12:35:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

don't forget the, "if the city wants it it can't be good" line that is always used

10/12/2006 01:02:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

With the way policing has changed in this century, (More evidence driven prosecution and less confession and eye witness prosecution) you would think the department would get their act together with manpower shortages within the E.T and Crime Lab part of the department. I am pretty sure they fall under the detective division and I have heard that whenever the department budgets money for that bureau they only get the scraps. I guess when a major case that’s under the microscope of the media is screwed up (like O.J.) because of the lack of training or manpower then and only then will E.T's and crime lab will be fully trained with this centuries technology and staffed appropriately.

10/12/2006 01:37:00 AM  
Blogger Murphy40Pct said...

Has anyone seen the E,C,I,C,A,O,G,L,O,P,I,H,C that are missing from my high-quality Star? I think they fell out somewhere on the South Side...

10/12/2006 01:52:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I work for Oracle. The I-CLEAR system was not paid for by the city. I-CLEAR was developed and implemented at the cost of Oracle. Oracle respects the work of law enforcement and is committed to making your job easier and safer.

10/12/2006 04:40:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We are among the most antiquated municipal law enforcement agencies in the country. Just look at the equipment and tactics used by departments like Dade County in Florida or LAPD. This is the third largest city in the country with the second largest police department. WE CAN DO BETTER. In todays world of terrorism and violent crime we have to.

10/12/2006 06:39:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just look around you and see how many old timers are there left in the job that is working the atreets and how many younger coppers are there. Old timers don't want changes who cares a fuck with them but the young ones do work and do accept changes and are also the back bone of this department. Be careful of what you say. I guess you're one of the old timers who cry and moan and sit and sleep in one corner and don't do shit and never help out. Be caeful of the racial thing and maybe you'll get what you ask for.

10/12/2006 09:42:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

NOTE; DALEY STATED TODAY THAT THE CITY SAVE 20 MILLION IN REVENUE THIS YEAR SO NO TAX HIKE...THAK YOU FED'S. THE MONEY SAVED HAD TO BE FROM THE HIRED TRUCK SCAM...THANK YOU...

10/12/2006 10:15:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

. Just look at the equipment and tactics used by departments like Dade County in Florida or LAPD. This is the third largest city in the country with the second largest police department. WE CAN DO BETTER. In todays world of terrorism and violent crime

Honestly isn't this just pathetic!
Outside of BIGGER GUNS, Faster cars
the crooks in Chicago haven't updated their equipment. Cops now day think that they are suppose to push some buttons and email the bad guys into jail. I know! Why don't the CPD form another one of those elite units, that ought to help. This department has shown that it is totally indifferent about the safety of its members, just look at the manpower siuation in almost every districts, the city has shown that their primary concern regarding the CPD is to turn it into a revenue generating apparatus and in turn it use cops for fodder to appease the politicans,street urchins activists, store front preachers
and the media. You guys are going to have to find away to get pass some of these petty differences, needless bickering and constant bitching. if a united front isn't created and maintain you will surely be offered up on the altar of excuses. In the near future with numerous "Police abuse of power" court cases leading the headlines on the local media, Police officers will be further diminished in the eyesight of the public, the institution of online CR numbers will target evey copper on the street, for everything from not saying Hello to GOD knows what. the time has come, that the general membership of the CPD have to get pass and over gender, racial and yes political connected differences among its on membership. Its your future, your family future.....you should approach your work with that thought. the forces out there do not and will not have your best interest at heart. To them you are their alibis, their excuses for their shortcomings and they will launch you at any and every given moments to protect themselves and this made up image that they present to the general public.

10/12/2006 10:53:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This Department has resisted just about every change, every technological advance, every single thing that might make the job easier with the attitude of "that's not the way we used to do it."
---------------------

*Old Timers* hate change.

10/12/2006 11:17:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Murphy40pct said...
Has anyone seen the E,C,I,C,A,O,G,L,O,P,I,H,C that are missing from my high-quality Star? I think they fell out somewhere on the South Side...

10/12/2006 01:52:59 AM
-------------------------

Ya, thanks Terry Hillard, you jerk! The only change that is done around here is backwards.

There is something about maintaing tradition: the star on the side of the squad car, the star on your chest....

10/12/2006 11:24:00 AM  
Blogger Westcide Dog said...

Hey ORACLE boy, why can't I run any of your I-CLEAR crap while using a real web-browaer like Firefox, Mozilla, Opera,or Netscape? Is Bill Gates dictating that you must use his virus prone garbage or is one of Daley's cousins on the board at Micro$oft?

10/12/2006 11:24:00 AM  
Blogger Westcide Dog said...

I must apologise to the Mayor on my last comment. The Mayor doesn't have any family or friends at Microsoft.

I'm almost certain the mayor's chief of staff does!

http://www.oracle.com/customers/profiles/PROFILE4257.HTML

10/12/2006 11:31:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

when do the sgt's test results come out??????

10/12/2006 11:44:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I-CLEAR was developed and implemented at the cost of Oracle. Oracle respects the work of law enforcement and is committed to making your job easier and safer.

10/12/2006 04:40:43 AM

Did you forget to add that after all the bugs are worked out, Oracle plans to market it to other departments worldwide and make a substantial profit????

10/12/2006 12:01:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Any word on two coppers wrecking off duty ? Heard it was a bad one.

10/12/2006 12:02:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You must be done bad mouthing and second guessing coppers who get their guns wrestled away from them, PUNK !! Work the streets instead of hiding behind an anonymous blog.

10/11/2006 11:26:20 PM

I agree with this post, you shouldn't be giving your opinion about what happened in an incident and bad mouthing someone when you weren't there(that goes for all those people who wrote comments critisizing those guys also). Remember what it was on the streets you might think twice about writing some of your posts. This is also a problem on the department everyone can do something better than what happened, keep your opinions about that stuff to yourself and give them credit for what they did do not what you think should have happened even though you weren't involved.

10/12/2006 01:08:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Our equipment and training is a joke, (that is not a critisim of the training division, they can only work with what they have). The Crime Lab and E.T.'s are undermanned, undertrained and underfunded, Detective Areas don't have enough people, the LIDAR guns, are old technology, though the Department wants us to believe that it is cutting edge, and don't even get me started about the shortages in Patrol. But we have money to waste on CAPS, and other assorted baloney. As 06:39:40 A.M. said, WE MUST DO BETTER. But other than us, who cares, along as the flower pots are nice, downtown looks decent, and the graft doesn't get too far out of hand.

10/12/2006 02:30:00 PM  
Blogger SCC said...

You must be done bad mouthing and second guessing coppers who get their guns wrestled away from them, PUNK !! Work the streets instead of hiding behind an anonymous blog.

You are determined to find an argument where there isn't any. Point out the second guessing. We even posted a clarification for you and others who fail to grasp the English language.

We never said we could have done it better. We never said they did anything wrong. We asked why the asshole wasn't dead.

How is that second guessing? From everything we've heard, someone grabbed the gun and held it to their own vest while the other guy shot the asshole - Department Commendation at the minimum in our opinion.

We have expressed the opinion that people who disarm police officers should be killed as a matter of course - because if they think they can do it once, they'll try again until they succeed. Bleeding heart liberals and coppers who have no sense of Chicago Police Department history (like yourself) can go blow. We'd much rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

As to the "PUNK" comment, we'll ignore the fact that you criticize an anonymous blog from behind an anonymous comment like the whiny bitch you obviously are. As for street time, been there, done that, doing it again tomorrow as a matter of fact. We've done our time in Districts, Details, Units and Callback. And probably for the next couple of years before we hang it up.

Now head over to that remedial reading comprehension course you've been signed up for.

10/12/2006 02:55:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You only posted an updated comment after you received notice that you are a PUNK and many other bloggers thought your comment was wrong.

10/12/2006 03:15:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To the poster about the crash.
Yes there was a tragedy today. One officer was killed and the other is in crtical condition in a western (MOline/Peotone/Peoria???) hospital. Both from 024. Terrible. MBO will be sorely missed. God bless her and her family and please pray for SC to come out of surgery and make a full recovery.

10/12/2006 03:29:00 PM  
Blogger Yahoo Mush Mouse said...

Hey 01:37:38
The city cannot even pay their 12 new E.T.'s. appropriately. The 12 have to put in out of grade slips which is not pensionable. When going to court or working Tara, Cta, Airports its at 9161 grade and not 9206. Rumor has it a grievance has been submitted today. Can I be E.R.T. trained so I can work with a certain Alderwomen's niece? How is it that this E.T. just trained in E.R.T. is called up before an E.T. with 20+ years of service. Rumor is this special E.T. with connects has an anniversary employment date in January 2007. (I'll have to check the seniority list.) Imagine making the crime lab with minimal years of service.

10/12/2006 04:03:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

murphy this is great
Has anyone seen the E,C,I,C,A,O,G,L,O,P,I,H,C that are missing from my high-quality Star? I think they fell out somewhere on the South Side.

The city that "works" SUCKS

10/12/2006 04:37:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

the lack of training and supervision is what makes this department substandard. new laws are passed every year. we never get any training every business trains there employees but us. training officers how to do the job properly and then doing follow up training on new laws and techniques should be implemented. Merit promotions are a complete joke. there are a bunch of complete morons running around with sgt stripes and gold stars because of who they know not what they know. Strogers Niece comes to mind she got forced out of 021 and god only knows where there hiding her incompetent unable to put a sentence together or formulate a thought ass. the feds need to interview her and bring and interpreter to find out how promotions work. or the midnight captain in 022 who just makes up words and puts them in reports she is an embarrassment to the whole department and the English language

10/12/2006 04:51:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cut and paste typed messages into an accounting ledger, now that is technology!

If anyone from NYPD or LAPD want
dorections on operating this technology it will cost you $$.

10/12/2006 05:54:00 PM  
Blogger It's Not All Real said...

Anonymous said...
You must be done bad mouthing and second guessing coppers who get their guns wrestled away from them, PUNK !! Work the streets instead of hiding behind an anonymous blog.

10/11/2006 11:26:20 PM

I've read many comments here...good and bad. Left quite a few myself. Some under my moniker, some under the veil of anonymity.

Mr. Anonymous above is an asshole. I know this because he's critizing someone for hiding anonymously, while HE'S HIDING ANONYMOUSLY!! There's a word for that: Hypocrite. Although in your case I'd say asshole!

So Mr. ASSHOLE....whatever you may want to say is OK with me, good/bad/indifferant, but don't be a hypocrite....unless you wish to sign your real name.

10/12/2006 05:55:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

On the 2 coppers crashing today...
Unfortunately one of Chicago Finest passed away from complications of the accident. Remember, watch yourselves out there.

10/12/2006 06:03:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I regret to inform you that two lovely and hard working female P.O.'s were involved in a tragic car accident en route to Iowa. P.O. Mary Beth Odea(024) did not survive. P.O. Sharon Catihno (024) is in critical condition. Please send your prayers to their families and to all those friends and fellow officers who suffer Mary Beth's loss and Sharon's terrible misfortune. Keep them in your thoughts.

10/12/2006 06:03:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is off the subject but rather important. P.O. Mary Beth O'Dea (18th Dist)was tragically killed in an auto accident this morning somewhere south in Illinois. Also critically injured in the accident was P.O. Sherry Cantino (18th Dist). Please keep them and their families in your prayers.
Complain about the job, but remember, don't take your life for granted, we can be gone in an instant. Take care all!!

10/12/2006 07:13:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Any word on two coppers wrecking off duty ? Heard it was a bad one.

10/12/2006 12:02:57 PM
yes 2 females who worked in 024. They were both very nice. One past away and 1 is in critical cond. They were coming back from IA on RT 80 hit an ice patch in the road the car spun out and flipped.

10/12/2006 07:25:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with the 1:37 post on better trained and staffed ET's and crime lab personnel. The CPD brass (detective div) and Cook County ASA brass should realize the need and take action.

10/12/2006 08:43:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Actually, I think the dept has actually been doing pretty well on the technology front with a major flaw: they fail to staff their improvements. Take the PODs for example. They spent thousands to implement these stupid, I mean cutting edge, tools, but not one dime to have ANYONE WATCHING THEM!!! Wasted technology (not to mention $$$)!!! Why not hire back retired POs to monitor the PODs so they can acutally BE OF SOME USE!!! They don't think sh*t thru. Another example is this crap, I mean important, CHRIS data collecting crime fighting statistical stuff that they insist we use (beat 1369B only wrote 7 contact cards on the DOC last week). Then they like to embarass us at meetings with all this pattern sh*t (what are you doing about the brewing gansta dicks v. disciple wads, Commander?) What's wrong with the computer geeks finding that sh*t out and TELLING US SO WE CAN USE IT! Hey Capn, there's a robbery pattern on midnites and we think it could be this parolee, maybe you should wire up the tact team and have at 'em. I don't know how to do that crap, and don't have time. Someone has to be driving around ANSWERING CALLS and FIGHTING CRIME. Use the techno weenies that are afraid of their own shadows to do that statistical analysis so they can SHARE it with patrol or the detective division. Patrol is righfully suspicious of all the "new" crap the department does, because it always F&*Ks patrol. Lets start this unit and STEAL FROM PATROL. Lets do away with civilians to save money and use sworn personnel to do the same job AND F&*K PATROL.Lets buy new cameras and GPS devices, not to check on the special unit clout babies, but to further DEMORALIZE PATROL!!!
Gotta go, Capn Morgan is calling.

10/12/2006 09:17:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And you are still a whiny bitch who can't read the English language. Go blow college boy, SCC explained and all you do is read into what isn't there. I have more time in the can than you have on this fucking planet and I didn't think SCC second guessed shit. The piece of shit should have been executed on the spot, witnesses be damned and the sooner you young PUNKS realize that it's us-vs-them, the better off this department will be.

10/12/2006 09:49:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The only problem with this department is PHATTY. Once we get rid of him we will be back to normal staffing levels. PHATTY thinks he's the smartest man on the face of the earth. He thinks his units are solving crime and reducing homicides, while in fact no one is able to solve any crime b/c of all his initiatives and the homicide rate is down only b/c the CHA residents are getting shipped out of the city. How bout we ship PHATTY out to. That would be one hell of a shipping/handling fee. Maybe Rezko can chip in.

10/12/2006 10:41:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OFF TOPIC---What unit marked squad car with NO Beat Tag was parked in the parking lot of Hooter's restaurant in Oak Lawn on Wed 11Oct at ap1815 hrs? Anyone want to owe up to that one?

10/12/2006 10:46:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

......The piece of shit should have been executed on the spot, witnesses be damned and the sooner you young PUNKS realize.......
10/12/2006 09:49:50 PM

Witnesses be damned! maybe you should spend more time out of the can and get with the real world!
That Star number is the easiest thing in the world that can be turn into an IR number.......

10/12/2006 11:22:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cops hate change. You for got to add the word all. It is not management who only hate change. All cops hate it. Change is uncomfortable.

That said, who cares what other departments have? None of that stuff catches criminals. People do. When I came on we had junk, and I mean junk, cars, no technology, and no cell phones. We caught more real- real criminals than anyone does today.
None of this phoney one bag garbage.

It is good cops doing good hard work, hard work, that catches criminals. Not computers, not cell phones, not Starbucks.

So can the change nonesense. This Department only cares about one thing, the only thing I have heard for almost thirty years-CYA. From the top down and the bottom up it is CYA.

If some of our so called real police spent more time working the complaining, surfing the net, hanging out at the clubs and coffee shops, shopping, or blowing off jobs, even more crime can be solved.

10/12/2006 11:36:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey 1046 it was you now mind your own business you miserable goof who cares where they ate as long as they handles their calls and are their there when needed so what if they eat at hooters, post some thing matters

stay safe anyhow

10/12/2006 11:37:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To 10/12/2006 02:55:28 PM,

You know why he's still breathing? Because Lodl and Triantifilo have long since retired and aren't around to mentor the new guys. But they mentored me (evil laugh).

10/13/2006 01:21:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OFF TOPIC---What unit marked squad car with NO Beat Tag was parked in the parking lot of Hooter's restaurant in Oak Lawn on Wed 11Oct at ap1815 hrs? Anyone want to owe up to that one?

Why do you care dip$hit
Maybe some had an assignment at Christ and decided to get lunch while they were out there. Lord knows a lot of districts dont have any good restraunts

10/13/2006 01:25:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To:
10/12/2006 10:46:58 PM



You are a real dick, I hope you step on yours! Is it really any of your fucking business?

10/13/2006 01:25:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey 10:46...go fuck yourself you dickless puke

10/13/2006 01:25:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

One grand benifit to the Dept. is every time a superintendant is dumped. That only last until they find a new one to take his place.

10/13/2006 02:16:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

enough of the petty bickering... we lost one of our own, and there are posts about who was where they should not have been. can this be saved for another time?

10/13/2006 02:44:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Firstly, Every dept members needs to be trained using the Clear system, otherwise as with a lot of things on this department, its not helping any officer.

Secondly, anyone that states using the Clear system is like having 300 additional officers on the street -

http://www.oracle.com/customers/profiles/PROFILE4257.HTML

Chicago Police Department Cuts Administrative Costs, Gains the Equivalent of 300 Extra Officers on the Street

* (Thank you westcide dog for giving me the above clip)

should have to go to each district station, and type the arrest reports because what used to take 20 minutes now takes 1+hrs, and if you have to do an inventory, or have more than three victims, witnesses, or have a felony .. good god

Thirdly, the uniform companies need to start making quality uniforms. Forget the "you get a uniform allowance" There is no reason anyone should pay $100 for a sweater that starts falling apart in the first wash. Even if they gave it away free, nobody would use this stuff if we weren't forced to shop at specific uniform stores.

Better quality uniforms, quality training, and continuous training.

All the finest equipment doesn't mean a thing if nobody's ever trained properly. And HIRE MORE PERSONEL - quit fudging the numbers, closed market, details, etc. Oh yeah, surely every dist has 500+ officers assigned, but sadly 200+ are detailed elsewhere. Start keeping real numbers.

10/13/2006 03:32:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You guy's that are worried about where somebody else is parked maybe you should mind your own business. There are people on this job that volunteer to do that job. You want that job, then ask for it! If not.....keep your mouth shut and do your job!

10/13/2006 04:30:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Please tell me this is a misprint and the copper from 024 wasn't MBOD

10/13/2006 05:58:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OFF TOPIC:
How's this rumor, all the clout babies bombed the sergeants test so the city lost the results. We'll all have to take it over, that is of course after the by invitation only study groups are given again maybe this time with all the answers.

10/13/2006 06:03:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

HEY OFF TOPIC. WHO REALLY GIVES A RATS ASS. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TATTLE ON SOMEONE TO AN INSPECTOR? DID YOU SIT OUTSIDE AND WATCH THE CLOCK TO SEE HOW LONG HE/SHE WAS THERE? COULD THEY HAVE TAKEN A LUNCH BREAK AFTER BEING AT CHRIST HOPITAL. MAYBE THEY WERE ON A PRISONER WATCH AND GIVEN A BREAK. EITHER WAY YOU ARE EXACTLY THE TYPE OF WHINY BITCH THIS BLOG KEEPS TALKING ANOUT AS BEING A PROBLEM. NOW GO BACK UNDER THE DESK.

10/13/2006 07:04:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

FOP President Donahue finally blasted Mayor Daley on his selection of known "Police Haters" to be on the panel to pick the next head of OPS. He was quoted in the news this A.M.

Good job Mark..now keep up the pressure on Daley and the alder-creeps to bargain "in good faith" as our contract expires this summer. Lastly, could we get a cost of living (%) increase just like the alderman voted themselves rather than a dollar amount. If its good enough for them it should be good enough for us too. But I'm sure they'll never go along with it because its fair and just!

10/13/2006 07:09:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In regards to INSTITUTIONAL INFLEXIBILITY:

Does the statement, "We've always done it like that" ring any bells? Read this to the end; you'll love it!!


The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England , and English expatriates built the US Railroads.

Why did the English build them like that?
Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.


Why did "they" use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.

Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing?
Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England , because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.

So who built those old rutted roads?

Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (and England ) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since.

And the ruts in the roads?

Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome , they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.

The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. And bureaucracies live forever. So the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what horse's ass came up with it, you may be exactly right, because the Imperial Roman army
chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends of two war horses.

Now, the twist to the story

When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory at Utah . The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site.

The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel.

The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.

So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass.

- And -
You thought being a HORSE'S ASS was only important to the command staff of the Chicago P.D.

10/13/2006 08:00:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mark isn't doing shit. He drafts a letter but thats all we will see.
Just like the letter he sent the def comp after our personal information was taken with a missing laptop. All they did for us is offer free credit monitoring service.
Lets see Big Mark and the crew work on residency. I want to move the fuck out of this rat hole!!

10/13/2006 09:21:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I took the Sgt exam. At least I was there and filled in some bubbles. I dont know shit, but since my daddy in high places is going to make it all good, I already know I passed and have a spot waiting. Nice cushy unit. None of that bullshit district level stuff. I've been on for 7 years, should make Lt in 10.
Life is so good. I love this corrupt department.

10/13/2006 09:24:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OFF TOPIC---What unit marked squad car with NO Beat Tag was parked in the parking lot of Hooter's restaurant in Oak Lawn on Wed 11Oct at ap1815 hrs? Anyone want to owe up to that one?
10/12/2006 10:46:58 PM

CR Number has been obtained.......

10/13/2006 10:10:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love when a heater case hits an area and all my gold plated superiors want updates every 10 minute while they walk around the area with their drivers. These superiors usually leak the info to the media so they can gain points.
Whats up with the blackberries!!!
I ask for the password to login into accurint to find a corpses next of kin and the respose i get is only a couple of people have access and they are not here today.
Well Chief of Detectives you need to figure this out either i can use a computer or i can't.
I have an idea give detectives their own password then they will be accountable.

10/13/2006 02:29:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was off the streets for some time, and now I'm back in patrol. I can hardly believe the idiocy that passes for policework these days. The airwaves are consumed with people calling for event numbers for pure nonsense, many times cutting out officers with need for the air for real police work. I got my first "paperless" arrest the other day, it took hours; I recall, getting an arrest and being back on the street in 45 minutes. This place is a joke. My unit is now doing humpers again. I have a few years to go till I have my 20, I can hardly wait. God, do we need a federal administrator to clean up, and run this circus.

10/13/2006 02:33:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

......The piece of shit should have been executed on the spot, witnesses be damned and the sooner you young PUNKS realize.......
10/12/2006 09:49:50 PM

Witnesses be damned! maybe you should spend more time out of the can and get with the real world!
That Star number is the easiest thing in the world that can be turn into an IR number.......

10/12/2006 11:22:38 PM


Turn what star into an IR number, for what defending your life, get some balls.

10/13/2006 05:08:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
the lack of training and supervision is what makes this department substandard. new laws are passed every year. we never get any training every business trains there employees but us. training officers how to do the job properly and then doing follow up training on new laws and techniques should be implemented. Merit promotions are a complete joke. there are a bunch of complete morons running around with sgt stripes and gold stars because of who they know not what they know. Strogers Niece comes to mind she got forced out of 021 and god only knows where there hiding her incompetent unable to put a sentence together or formulate a thought ass. the feds need to interview her and bring and interpreter to find out how promotions work. or the midnight captain in 022 who just makes up words and puts them in reports she is an embarrassment to the whole department and the English language

10/12/2006 04:51:12 PM

Hey dummy!

YOU need some English writing training. Ever hear of grammer and punctuation? How about capitalization?

Stop throwing stones, idiot!

You're embarassing us!

10/13/2006 08:01:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

10:10
It was me Rick James Bitch.
You gotta problem with that

10/13/2006 08:06:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey dummy!

YOU need some English writing training. Ever hear of grammer and punctuation? How about capitalization?

Stop throwing stones, idiot!

You're embarassing us!

10/13/2006 08:01:54 PM


Hey Slight,
You missed an R in your spelled out word embarassing.

You were so busy looking for error's you missed the points and made an error. Shame, shame on you!

10/13/2006 09:54:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey 801pm hit a nerve bitch sorry I made fun of your mammy. the truth hurts some times. by the way grammar and punctuation aren't very formal on emails and blogs there what people point out when the facts hit to close to home. you cant defend the indefensible

10/13/2006 09:55:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bottom line...I voted for Mark D. but, never again !!

10/13/2006 11:01:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

8:01 PM

Hey, you sanctimonious ass...

TRY:

grammAr

embarRassing

"People who live in glass houses..."

10/13/2006 11:10:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love the boss asking about traffic activity when you are running your ass all over the district taking jobs that the dogs don't want.

I love the fact that were 95% automated and have to fill in 6 humpers a night because the front office doesn't know how to use the computers to pull up the stats!

What does the front office do??

We are all job code 9161! Show me where it is written what good/bad activity is! can you compare a copper in 016 with 011? How about tact to the watch? Don't forget the favorites that work inside w/o a bid are they exempt from the STATS?

ALL BULLSHIT!!!

10/14/2006 03:20:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Changes in technology, equipment, etc, require changes in tactics as well. New "gee whiz" gadgets are useless unless there is a plan to coordinate their usefullnes with the officers putting handcuffs on crimnals.
This kind of institutional opposition to technology occurred in the early 20th the century when an Army Air Corps officer, Billy Mitchell, demonstrated the effectiveness of the Air Plane in naval warfare. I believe he was actually court martialed for this kind of blasphemy.
Can you imagine modern warfare with out airplanes and the the tactics they use?
We need to look at technology and change as a tool and have the powers that be answer the simple litmus test question of " How will this help an officer arrest criminals for violating the law"
If this question can't be answered and communicated effectively to everyone then the it's not ready to be used/implemented
So, cameras all over the city are really neat, and the blinky blue lights keep the the bad guys off that corner while the camera is there. But there doensn't seem to be a well communicated tactic for officers to use to assist them in arresting criminals.

10/14/2006 01:58:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Large organizations that steadfastly resist change and are unwilling to accept new ideas and technology become extinct rather quickly. Organizations that base their existance on on new technology and ideas, yet refuse to learn from what has happened in the past also become extinct rather quickly as well. An example is the record industry. Think of manufacturers who produced vinyl records and all the dinosuars in the company that had been doing the same way for years who refused to accept that they would soon have to produce comapct disks instead of vinyl records. Manufacturers who did adapt to producing comapct discs survived, those that didn't are out of business. Fundementally. the record industry hadn't changed. Artist still needed to deliver their music to someone who wanted to hear it.
The same is true with CPD. in 170 years our mission hasn't changed, the tools and tactics we use to accomplish our primary objective have. Those that do not accept and continually learn new tools and tactics will eventually lose thier ability to accomplish our primary objective. Those who think they can use new tools and tactics in place of wisdom and experience are also doomed to never truely being able to accmplish our primary objective.
It's important for us all to embrace change, but never at the expense of ignoring what we've already learned.
I will paraphrase Sir Isaac Newton here..
For the new guys (and girls)
You only see farther because you stand on the shoulders of giants.
For the oldtimers (said with nothing but the ultimate respect)
Your are and will always be the giants whose shoulders us new guys stand on. For that we all thank you (rather we show it or not)

10/14/2006 07:33:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Does anyone out there know how many real arrests have been made as a result of the blue light cameras? I'd like to know as I belive that once again my tax dollar is going down the drain on them instead of hiring new police officers...

10/14/2006 07:57:00 PM  

<< Home

Newer Posts.......................... ..........................Older Posts