Hi Frank Main!

Evidently, Frank is reading this site or we are channeling Frank. One or the other. From Monday's Sun Times:

• More than 130 Chicago Police cars have been equipped with global positioning systems to allow supervisors to keep tabs on where the cars go and how fast they travel, officials say.

  The GPS devices were recently placed on vehicles in the citywide Special Operations Section, which suffered a black eye in September when four officers in the unit were charged with invading homes and robbing people.

• "Absolutely, this could be a disciplinary tool," Risley said. "Is that a reason why we're buying them? Absolutely not."

  The primary reason for the devices is to ensure officers' safety when they are on patrol, Risley said.

  "If an officer is lost or injured, we can find them," he said.
  

Hahahahahaha. "could be used"? How about WILL be used. The jury is still out in our opinion - we are reading the previous comment sections with great interest. Is GPS a good thing? Well, it's definitely bad news for the dogs, the people who lay down on jobs, the people who never show up at jobs and those who try to put one over on the system. By the same token, being attached to an electronic tether will diminish a lot of the luster that makes certain units attractive and it only takes one incident of it being used punitively to further dampen already low morale.

We suppose it'll depend on how it's used. We've been called "pessimists" by certain people, but we've never been disappointed having low expectations of this Department and our political masters.