The Criminal Mind
Everyone has had one of those "Eureka!" type moments when you see something or hear something and connections that were not seen before suddenly make a lot of sense.
Charles Williams noted in one of the news reports the other day that the gangbangers on the way to carry out a hit on a rival gang members was scheduled to coincide with the high school dismissals in the area so as to maximize chaos and police response times. It's probably not out of the realm of possibility to speculate that a number of staged fights may have been perpetrated at certain high schools with the intention of drawing in more police officers to facilitate the shooter's escape plans.
Criminals planning their activities around known police shift changes isn't unheard of - ladies of negotiable affection routinely plan on doing a lot of tricks during those hours. But it's been quite a number of years since we had heard this from an old-timer who has always thought this way. We were taught this way of thinking by our Patrol Specialist, but we'll admit it hasn't been in the forefront of our mind for a while. Bad habit on our part.
Friday, according to the reports at Channel 7, an armored car stickup on the west side went off almost exactly at 1500 hours, and the first thing that sprang to mind was, "Aha! School dismissal and shift change." Which is exactly what should have sprung into our minds half a dozen times before, but didn't because of habits we fall into. Watch yourselves, early AND late in your shift - because THEY are counting on your guard being down.
Charles Williams noted in one of the news reports the other day that the gangbangers on the way to carry out a hit on a rival gang members was scheduled to coincide with the high school dismissals in the area so as to maximize chaos and police response times. It's probably not out of the realm of possibility to speculate that a number of staged fights may have been perpetrated at certain high schools with the intention of drawing in more police officers to facilitate the shooter's escape plans.
Criminals planning their activities around known police shift changes isn't unheard of - ladies of negotiable affection routinely plan on doing a lot of tricks during those hours. But it's been quite a number of years since we had heard this from an old-timer who has always thought this way. We were taught this way of thinking by our Patrol Specialist, but we'll admit it hasn't been in the forefront of our mind for a while. Bad habit on our part.
Friday, according to the reports at Channel 7, an armored car stickup on the west side went off almost exactly at 1500 hours, and the first thing that sprang to mind was, "Aha! School dismissal and shift change." Which is exactly what should have sprung into our minds half a dozen times before, but didn't because of habits we fall into. Watch yourselves, early AND late in your shift - because THEY are counting on your guard being down.
posted by SCC at 12:05 AM
54 Comments:
Speaking of criminal minds. I had a chance of being in 018 today and I nearly had a stroke. I saw a F/2 blue jeans po-leeces with a pair of PINK hand cuffs. Capped off with a studded belt. WTF, el sargento needs to find some cajones and deal with that shit ASAP. No wonder these assholes don't respect us anymore....
I've been retired for quite some time. What ever happened to "power cars" in high-crime districts ?
On second and third watches, a third of each shift was manned by "power cars". On days, we'd have early (0700) roll call, late (0800) roll call and "power" (1000) roll call.
"Power" cars were usually down from 0200-1030 on midnights, at least on weeknights.
Theoretically, at 1500 hrs., two thirds of the second watch cars would be on the street with the early day cars would be relieved by the third watch at 1530 hrs.
Has this changed in active districts?
Very nice and true statement. Do Not become complacent during the end of your tour. The shit could hit the fan at any time. Do not underestimate organized criminal activity and their willingness to avoid the Police. If they are willing to go to extremem measures to avoid detection, what do you think will happen when they do get detected? Watch out and be safe!
Dilligaf-
With all due respect, I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! Nobody would wear them and no supervisor would allow someone to wear them if someone were STUPID enough to do it. No offense.
Power cars have been gone for at least 15years and have been replaced by "rapid response" cars. The principle is the same and the hours pretty much so. Problem is that nobody wants to work them because of the notion that they are to be used for prisoner details, coffee runs, mail p/u's, and general B.S., instead of taking up the slack when a beat car is down handling arrests or problems on his beat. Also it seems that the older officers are all working beat cars and the younger one who are assigned to RR cars either no get the signifigance of "shift change" on criminal activity or they decide that is the time to take lunches, go down on paper, hang around the district chatting with their buddies who are getting off or generally disappearing. Sounds like a supervision problem but supervisors have the same hours as P.O.'s and have paperwork to attend to and checkoff to do and for at least 3 hours at the beginning and end of any watch there are no supervisors on the streeet.
Its overall symptomatic of the "management by crisis" that has now been going on for years and which Cline has perpetuated.
Hey SCC; Did you see the article in todays Sun-Times regarding the mother of the southside officer who tried to cash a bogus check for 1 million dollars at our credit union. Friday the mother was charged with trying to cash a check for 2 million dollars for herself and 3 checks for 85K for her grandchildren using the same scam as her daughter, a settlement from Six Flags theme park. Unbeivable! A family that pays together stays together.
Outstanding point, SCC. Great job!!
But, you said it true, your "Patrol Specialist". That guy taught us how to actually think. These kids that have come out in the recent years have not been afforded the luxury of a P/S. They have been taught by acting FTO's who have been off probation maybe a year. They barely know where the streets are. They didn't know how to be the police and the Dept was telling them to train new guys. The Dept is now reaping the REWARDS of being so short-sighted. VERY SAD!!
dilligaf:
Do not worry there is some moron (male) on the A4 Gun team who runs around the station with a pair of pink hand cuffs as well.
The A4 gun team has some of the biggest strokes around. At no point throughout their day will you never see them walking around without a little folder in their hand like they are the most important person in the world. No wonder no one ever "notifies" when they get a gun pinch.
I was scrolling through the news sites (2,5,7,9,fox32) as I always do getting caught up on the news.
I was watching a video clip of a newsbroadcast about the stolen suv that plowed into the house in 015 last week killing the young girl.In the UPDATED report, the reporter stated that the subject driving it had died of his injuries. (Good..I thought!)
Then was stunned by what I heard next. The reporter reiterated that witnesses say the crash was the result of a police chase and that THE OFFICERS INVOLVED COULD BE CHARGED CRIMINALLY IF IDENTIFIED!
What-the-fuck?!
The news video than goes to Cline who stated that they have looked at all the radio tapes and have spoken to officers working that night and still believe that no chase occured, BUT WE ARE STILL LOOKING INTO IT!
I went back to the news sites and now can't find the video segment, I can't remember which channel it was broadcast on.
Did anyone else see it?
This isn't good..maybe should just quit the job. I'm sick of "the police" having 100% of the liability or blame..and "society and the criminals" having ZERO PERCENT.
Why are we the only ones that are accountable?
Blonde with pink handcuffs and a studded belt, wonder if she would like to work with me.
be alert and be safe,shoot first ask questions later...
how about m/2 blue jean po-leeces with yellow hand cuffs. besides what were you doing in 018? eating no doubt!! get used to it bud, we are here, and we are your boss, and we will see you leave before we do!!!
I am sooooooooooooo pissed off.
I thought my old college (Marquette) buddy, Marty "Cool Hand Luke" HOLMES was going to invite me to his daughter Katie's wedding in a castle outside Rome.
But noooooooooooooo!
I even had a wedding gift--a $50 corkscrew from Neiman-Marcus.
I'm already sold out of "FREE KATIE!" T-shirts. Anybody wanna buy a corkscrew--cheap?
Damn, I kinda had a crush on the new svelte Kirstie Alley. Great rack!
Well, at least I can watch Michigan at Ohio State this afternoon.
C'est la vie!
Im sure that the old timers or patrol specialists would share with the group...however, there aren't many old timers or any patrol specialists in many districts these days....lots of us are learning on the fly, you know, the important stuff, like conducting beat meetings, making sure cars are washed, ensuring that the baseball cap is worn only with cargo pants....
And, hey, were those pink cuffs department issued? Wouldn't surprise me!
Oh puh-leeeze! Are you stating in the original post that Charles Williams is an "old-timer" in the sense that he is an old-time type of policeman? Hold on a minute! He's old-timer alright. An old-time piece of shit!
He 's been IAD scum since jump street and he's best friends with Captain Cynthia "I'll fuck up a copper every chance I get" White.
If you do not believe it, ask around. Ask the people nobody values anymore. Ask the real old-timers, if you can find them. Check out the retiree breakfasts advertised in the FOP newsletter. You will be surprised at what you learn there.
And when you do, ask them about Exam-Scam. That is the organization Charles started because they were not going to promote him. He solicited money from coppers to hire a lawyer to file lawsuits regarding promotional practices, but once HE got promoted thru merit means, Exam-Scam bit the dust. Guess Charles got his! Screw everybody else.
Don't laud this guy with compliments. He's a piece of dirt, and dumb. McCotter pulls the strings in BOP. And pray Williams does not make Superintendent. Pray Kirby does not make Superintendent. They'll both fuck you up in a mini-minute, but she's a lot smarter than Charles. She'll fuck you up faster, harder, and smarter.
I've been retired for quite some time. What ever happened to "power cars" in high-crime districts ?
they are now called rapids and usually the manpower is not there to man them
Is tonight the SOS benefit party ? If so what time and where ? I'm sending the City's new robot there to represent me.
Criminals should be able to do what they want to do, apparently they are doing as much as they can anyway. The Police Officers concerns are NO good bosses, No over time, no court time, no time due, no union representation, no promotions, no transfers or details to secret little spots, no respect,no no future, no back up.....with all of these weight bearing problems, how could any copper perform his or her duties
_POs on the board_
Please do us all a favor and refrain from giving any of our wonderful civilian counterparts more information regarding times when we are more vulnerable. We know some have this info, but broadcasting it isn't the brightest idea.
Their notion of the unknown is usually what makes punks paranoid and gives us the upper-hand. I'll gladly take and hold on to any advantage I can get. Stay safe and be alert fellas.
First of all, stop recycling Letterman's punchlines - you're about three days late on that one.
And don't make us drag up slick Willie's confirmed draft dodging or John Kerry's fake medals or any of the other deferments granted to the left side of the political spectrum. They far outnumber any you might allege on the right.
ASP makes the colored handcuffs, see for yourself!
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=asp+handcuffs&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=froogle&ct=title
Northside is proof you become a babbling idiot after retirement....please check yourself into an old-folks home, preferably one without a computer !
And pray Williams does not make Superintendent. Pray Kirby does not make Superintendent. They'll both fuck you up in a mini-minute, but she's a lot smarter than Charles. She'll fuck you up faster, harder, and smarter.
You are so right about Kirby.
For those who have never had the,er, "privledge", Kirby is the biggest white shirt jag-off out there.(okay, one of the biggest before you all start throwing in your favorites). A micro-manager to the enth degree, all her people pretty much hate her. God help us if she gets any further up...
Pink handcuffs!!! HOT!!
(#1) The Ohio State Buckeyes 42,
(#2) Michigan Wolverines 39.
Yesssssssssssssssssssssssss!
See ya at the National Championship game in Glendale, Arizona on January 8th. How about a rematch?
Heisman Trophy Winner: Troy Smith, OSU QB.
01:59
LMAO!!!
Off topic ....on lighter side. check this out:
http://jbreck.com/itsshardtokiss.html
Good point SCC. WE are the Police and WE should be smarter than them. Sometimes a little extra effort..............?
I saw a broad with pink cuffs eating in 001 a week ago. I thought the exact same thing...complete lack of supervision!
Those ridiculous looking things must be getting popular. One more reason for the public to disrespect us. Time for the sergeants to start earning their pay and addressing this pink disgrace!
If you think they plan robberies according to what we say on this blog, your giving yourself too much credit. There are gangbangers who know coppers Day Off groups and work hours. You think anything on this department is Top Secret. Yeah right.
Northside, you are one sick individual please get some help.
I have a suggestion what you can do with the cork screw.
Northside I apologize for the cork screw comment.
Please do us all a favor and shove the corkscew up Leftys ass.
Ya Pam Zekman,
How about a story about the lack of patrol officers in the city. Manpower is down 30% in some districts. (Mostly southside districts, where the most homicides occur)
Which district leads in homicides Pam? The 11th District, 007 Englewood? no the 005th district (ATTN MEEKS)?
Us Officers still have to go to Beat meetings and tell the handful of citizens (5-20) who show up to call 911 for their problems. The city created CAPS and boosted manpower under Clinton. It was great to tell the citizens to call 911 back then, right now there is nobody to respond to their complaints.
CAPS is a joke. Cline is afraid to admit it and get rid of it. CAPS does NOTHING to fight crime. Yet it causes the city millions of dollars each year.
Plus about 1,000 officers are tied down just doing CAPS.
They sit in the office with their thumbs in their asses.
It may take 6 CAPS officers to figure out how to solve some old lady's complaint that people are urinating on her lawn late at night.
Yet one officer on 2nd watch responds to a home invasion cause no other officer is available.
CAPS raised the number of 911 calls by at least 25% and Cline lowered the number of officers to respond to those calls by 33%.
PHIL, get rid of CAPS. And if you don't, make those officers punch in & out!, like any other city employee. Stop them from working only 10 - 20 hours a week.
BRING THOSE OFFICERS TO WORK THE STREET!! Stop lying that the community helps solve crime. Bring up manpower. Allow me to take time due when I ask. I know you are retiring this year, so now is your chance! PLEASE!!
"With all due respect, I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! Nobody would wear them and no supervisor would allow someone to wear them if someone were STUPID enough to do it. No offense."
None taken. Trust me I was not the only one who had a stunned look on their face as we walked by.
"At no point throughout their day will you never see them walking around without a little folder in their hand like they are the most important person in the world."
If you gotta look impotent then you ain't impotent.
"besides what were you doing in 018? eating no doubt!!"
Are your crystal balls outta whack? Maybe I'm assigned there. Glad they made college a requirement for getting on the job.
Stay safe brothers & sisters. And enjoy every day the man upstairs allows you.
Northside,
Please accept my apologies to you and all the retirees. I was drunk again. I have issues.
ladies, please wear PINK anything off-duty. PINK is not a police color. you are embarrassing the rest of us women who are the police. get a clue.
Anwear your calls, take 2 personals and your lunch. Maybe one parker and call it day. Dont worry about anyone else, you get the same paycheck anyway. And one quick note, I have seen those pink or orange hancuffs in the district that I work in on a f/1 officer, her mom is a commander in a south side district.At least you know who's going to be your Sgt in a few years. "Out of PPO status, into tact and right into a Sgt position" what a great department we work for. I'm sure that officer will carry the same standards and leadership skills as a Sgt that she has demonstrated already in her illustrous police career.
I'm a supervisor with over 25 years on the job and I could really give a fuck what color your handcuffs are as long as you use them for police work and not just kinky sex.
I first heard about shift change way back in the '60s, when I was in high school. The sports car crowd recommended it as the time for enthusiastic motoring on the Outer Drive.
As for staging a diversion to draw police away, there were those idiots in Hammond about 15 years ago who set time bombs to coincide with their robberies and wound up facing Federal explosives charges.
What is the matter with pink handcuffs? At least she won't have to worry about them getting ripped off by another copper.
I have a problem with the studded belt.
Once in court I saw a certain female P.O. with the initials M.W. who just made detective in BR.50 one day wearing black Nikes sneakers with her uniform. To me that really wasnt the problem, to me she was out of line in that the Nike sneakers had pink laces and the logo on the side were also pink.
Being a male officer you get the wrath of the court sgt. if you have a 12'oclock shadow on your face and nothing was said to this female.
You comment about Williams is way out of line, if u new Charlie he hates the dog ass coppers and praises the working coppers, dont u ever think about putting him in the same category as CW, You must be a dog ass copper who got disciplined by Williams and now you dont have the balls to tell him that, I challege you to call he up and tell him that, he would welcome your response. So crawl back and hide in your hole, which is probally your partners ass, because we know somebody has drive your car around.
To 11/20/2006 08:53:15 PM:
You must have been stiff when you wrote your comments. Have you got a dictionary handy? More importantly, do you know how to use a dictionary? Your language and spelling are both quite humorous.
Even though you did give me a chuckle, I find it interesting to note that you did not refute my comments with facts, just insults.
Please prove me wrong. I welcome you to try, but you will not succeed. My comments were not out of line. They are truthful. Painfully truthful.
And no, I was never disciplined by him, and no again, I will not call him up because he is not interested in true discourse. He's not that smart.
williams made sgt in 1988 in the same class as starks,frank limon,walter green and a few other current bosses and they didnt have merit back then so take that bullshit elswhere!
Yeah! in 1998, all they did was manipulate the test scored in order to get the right "mix" of people getting promoted.
Give us a freaking break. There hasn't beena legit test on this job in for ove a decade and only oone legit test in 40 years.
you sound like a bitter mutherfucker who failed a test or two.the late john thomas made sgt on that list too.so did they manipulate results for him too?
5:38 PM
No, no "merit" in 1988.
The City just RIGGED the orals ("notify the watch commander" and "writing instrument")in 1988.
Northside's EXAMSCAM group already established through psychometricians that there was less than one chance in more than 13.8 TRILLION (13,800,000,000,000) that the orals were NOT rigged
"I'm a supervisor with over 25 years on the job and I could really give a fuck what color your handcuffs are as long as you use them for police work and not just kinky sex. "
I am giving you a golf clap right now top sarge.......oh shit they came to work somewhat sober....it's all good....nope, wasn't her, she had a slip in....BOOYAH.....I'm golden! "all animals are equal, some are more equal then others" George ORWELL, "1984"
10:41 PM
And your anecdotal point is???
...williams made sgt in 1988 in the same class as starks,frank limon,walter green and a few other current bosses and they didnt have merit back then so take that bullshit elswhere!...
Results were banded by race back then weren't they?
The guy who hates Williams obviously has sour grapes. You must not be a boss and realize that you will never be, was it because of an exam, or lack of stuyding, maybe too much time in the bar, or better yet, crying to everyone how things are so unfair in life. I had the pleasure of working with Williams and let me tell you he will go to bat for you right or wrong, all he asks is tell him the truth. No boss is perfect, we all make mistakes. Williams is and will always be a good guy, so get with your issues and deal with them. If this job is so bad go be a fireman, or better yet move and tell your stories to someone who really cares about how bad you had it. A good job that pays you an honest living, benefits for your family, and gives you 30 days vacation a year. Be blessed on the good things we have. You have a computer to type your sorrows on, some people don't have that.
Yes, race-banding was used in 1988. It was the warm-up to current day merit. Same-BS, difference name is all. And wasn't CW-male a merit Lieutenant?
Also, you forgot his best friend. CW-female made sergeant in 1988 with the bunch mentioned.
And the late JT was a pompous asshole who fucked with coppers that did not pay his "in-office" civilian girlfriend the homage she believed she deserved. Remember her? Now the girlfriend sues the city for a living. If there is any justice for Mrs. JT, the girlfriend has a big trip and fall in her future.
so your telling me that everytime a minority is promoted its becuese of race right and when a white person is promoted its not?
No. Merit promotions are merely about black-clout, latino-clout, and white-clout. That is the connection to race, but the merit process in totality and on the whole is all about clout nonetheless. Simple as that.
It doesn't matter if you're black, white or latino, if you have the hook-up, you get the promotion or promotions. That's the simple truth. and more than one in a career is sinful.
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