There's J-Fed!

A number of people report that he was in town the same day Sneed took a swipe at him for not meeting the Command Staff. And some commentators took swipes at Senora Sherlock for being attached to him while he toured HQ Monday (we have eyes everywhere). On to the real post...

Everyone has an opinion. Some have already written the new Supe off because of who he's already listening to or who he might be considering for top spots. Others are asking to give the new guy a chance. We'll be watching closely and so will our readers. And every step will end up being analyzed, criticized and opined on. It's the CPD way. But we'd like to address a comment that popped up recently and since it's our blog, we'll do it.

Someone stated that two things J-Fed wants to change are firepower on the streets and physical fitness standards. We have no way of knowing if these are actually aims of his or just someone wishing aloud. But we'd like to use this comment as a springboard to a larger issue:

• Weis should change things that he actually has the power to change and leave other stuff alone.

Getting long guns on the street is a symbolic step. J-Fed is supposed to be a tactical guy. The fact that the political administration is frightened of guns and treats cops as children when it comes to carrying a pistol and trusting them with shotguns and rifles is a shortsighted and dangerous to police and citizens. We could write essays and essays on the merits of long guns, the refusal of the city in not authorizing training days to hone skills and introduce policy changes and the sad state or morale and equipment it what has been bragged about as the most "technologically advanced department" in the nation as recently as two years ago. It's a joke. We still use carbon paper for god's sake and arrests that used to be a five page form set are now seven page monstrosities with numerous copies needed and we need 5 extra officers off the street to sort out the increased paper in Huberman's "paperless" Department pipe dream.

These are things that J-Fed can change. He can also reorganize bureaus, eliminate redundant and outdated spots, decentralize Area functions, introduce technologies, etc. In other words, make the Department run a little smoother with less waste.

But contract issues? Feds don't deal with contract issues.

No matter how hard you try, you can't dictate physical fitness. It's a contract issue. Chicago has never had continuing physical fitness standards and probably never will. Is it right or wrong? We're not going to judge. If people want to live longer, more comfortably and save themselves heart problems, fatigue, diabetes, liver damage, they'll do it on their own or in the face of financial incentives. Nothing else is going to work.

Uniform means standard. But the City authorizes so many "alternates" for a reason - requiring something means the City pays for the first issue. You want everyone to carry the same small rubberized flashlight that barely lights up a room instead of the big heavy Mag-lites that were like a miniature sun? The City had to pay for that once and they still haven't stopped bitching. Ever since then, everything has been labeled as "alternate." ASPs, dickies, turtlenecks, sweaters. Even the new winter jackets - the City stopped authorizing the corduras and will phase them out in favor of the Spiweks (don't know if we spelled that right). They won't make you run out and get one, but they'll let you wear the reefer, the leather, the cordura, the sweater, the Spiwek, and if you're old enough, the three-season pops up now and then. Same thing with retention holsters and such. Requiring uniformity means the City pays out money and that isn't going to happen easily.

Pick and choose those battles carefully.