LED Beat Tags - Part II
From the comments:
- WHO CARES? Its a Beat Tag.
- Heard rumors that the reason for the illuminated beat tag was so that the helicopter could see which car they were following.
We (and most of our readers) don't care that it's a beat tag. We care that it's a frivolous waste of money that could be better spent on new radio batteries, new PDT's, maintaining the fleet or a hundred other more pressing matters. But the City and the Department are wasting taxpayer money when we're screaming for every dollar we can scrounge. And can the helicopter actually read this thing? It would seem the angles were all wrong unless they're going to be flying low enough to be giving out haircuts in the 'hood.
Back in the day, our Patrol Specialist often turned off the blue lights during a traffic stop. When asked, he said, "I don't need every f#$%ing moron in the area knowing the police pulled over their cousin." He called the blue lights "asshole attractors" and sure enough, plenty of assholes show up when you leave them running.
This LED thing seems like the same thing. If they want the helicopter to be able to read car numbers, paint them on the roof like LA. Trouble is, the numbers will have no relationship to what beat is driving what car, so it's still pointless.
Back in the day, our Patrol Specialist often turned off the blue lights during a traffic stop. When asked, he said, "I don't need every f#$%ing moron in the area knowing the police pulled over their cousin." He called the blue lights "asshole attractors" and sure enough, plenty of assholes show up when you leave them running.
This LED thing seems like the same thing. If they want the helicopter to be able to read car numbers, paint them on the roof like LA. Trouble is, the numbers will have no relationship to what beat is driving what car, so it's still pointless.
Labels: dumb ideas
posted by SCC at 12:03 AM
52 Comments:
yea ok the helicopter crew seems to always go home by 1800 anyway. so what do we really need led lights for? so the drug dealers and criminals can see you coming from 4 blocks away. thats about the only real use i could see for them. thanks again cpd you really are on top of things as always.
"Heard rumors that the reason for the illuminated beat tag was so that the helicopter could see which car they were following."
It was a joke...
Here's another one. Heard rumors that the reason for illuminated beat tags were for mosquito apprehension and studies. To find out what causes them to multiply during the warmer weather rather than now in the frigid weather. The LED would atract them along with those other flying ants in the late summer.
Hello, Lime's disease!
Or. Heard rumors that the reason for illuminated beat tags were supposed to help the not so-cool cops pick up chicks and help the chick cops attract dudes that own "tuner" cars.
Hello, nerd!
Or, Heard rumors that the reason for illuminated beat tags were being tested to see if they cause cancer or tumors like the cellphones are supposed to do. Hello, guinea pig!
these things are obviously expensive. what happens when the po's are on lunch and come out and find someone screwed the thing up. a case report at least and in some cases maybe disciplinary action. also can no longer use it to clean the snow off windows.
Figured the hair gel reflection in the moon/street light is enough of an LED.
THEY ARE THE UGLIEST THING THEY MAKE US LOOK LIKE A JOKE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GET RID OF THEM
To 0138: Not only the reflection of hair gel, but the reflection of mustache wax in 008 should be bright enough!
Just something else to vandalize on a beat car in the ghetto. Get ready to do more paper.
Why not put "aerial numbers" on the roof of the car like most police departments? Why do the CTA buses have them and wee don't?
What about putting the outside number on the roof and maybe on the dashboard to remind the driver of the car their in?
Can a helicopter really see the numbers from that high anyway???
If th ecity gets several helicopters and starts flying them around the clock with atleast two in the air at all times, then let the city start talking about new beat tags. It will still be cheaper to put the reflective decals on the roof of the car and easier for the helicopter pilot to read.
Another inovation brought to you by the department of fleet management. What a bunch of assholes. Perhaps the new Supt. should look at taking control of the police fleet like it was years ago. Then we would have the tools we need to do our job.
They dont have to be expensive.
To outfit the cars that would need them, would probably run, on the high end from about 100-150 dollars per car. Well If you aren't trying to...like rape the city.
The new eq priorities should be:
-Better Radios
-Working Computers in every car
-Enough Cars and PO's to man them.
The last time I saw the helicopter was on CLTV when they were looking for that runaway wife in Des Plaines.
Wait.... there were leaves on the trees, musta been file footage.
The Helocopter is a joke, all they do is some bullshit home-land security checks and go for fuel, what a waste of money and resources. Everytime someone requests them they rarely answer or they aren't available!
CONTRACT TIPS
I TOOK A CLASS ONCE THAT TAUGHT HOW TO NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT.
THE FOP SHOULD HAVE RETRIEVED THE COST FOR VARIOUS ITEMS THE CITY PURCHASED AND USED THE INFO. WHEN THE CITY CRIES "WE B BROKE" THE LIST COMES OUT. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES
TASER INCLUDING THE CHARGERS AND THE NON-REUSABLE CARTRIDGES.
HELICOPTER AND THE FUEL AND STORAGE FEES. LETS NOT FORGET THE PILOTS SALARY AND SPARE PARTS.
SUV'S WHO REALLY USES THEM A SGT? CMON!
SWIPE CARDS/ IN DIST TO WALK THROUGH THE BUILDING.
BUYING LAND FOR DISTRICT AND NOT BUILDING THEM HELLO 009 AND 012.
THE PRICE OF BUILDING ONLY GOES UP THE LONGER THE CITY TAKES.
LED BEAT TAGS?
ALL THAT PAPER USED FOR GENERAL ORDER AND DOM ASS SPECIAL ORDERS.
SEND THEM TO EVERY ONES EMAIL.
HELL LET EVERY ONE USE THE EMAIL THEY WANT YAHOO ETC. (I FORGET THE BOSSES HAVE THE ABILITY TO READ DEPARTMENT EMAILS THAT WHY THEY WANT EVERYONE USING IT.)
I CAN SEE THE FUTURE WE WILL GO TO ARBITRATION AND GET A MEDIOCRE DEAl.
dont forget to vote in the fop election
are dues pay for teh envelopes.
So if the light are off does that mean your not avail. for jobs, kind of like Taxi's. Maybe they can blink for Christmas or New Years.
Led beat tags will be a great asset to solving crime you fucking idiots. This way the offenders can see us coming from 10 blocks away instead of the usual 1 block for a marked squad. This has to be Charlie W's idea. Use common fucking sense people. We don't need a helicopter to let us know what beat we are, besides the helicopter is never around for everyday police work anyways.
The big blue numbers on every car can be traced to who drove it why worry about a "beat tag" waste of more money. Guess daley and crew have friends that need contracts as usual!
Anonymous said...
yea ok the helicopter crew seems to always go home by 1800 anyway. so what do we really need led lights for? so the drug dealers and criminals can see you coming from 4 blocks away. thats about the only real use i could see for them. thanks again cpd you really are on top of things as always.
2/03/2008 11:45:00 PM
True! Maybe we should have lights on out hats with the star number also! Hey brain trust with this idea we are not the cta making stops for passengers! WTF! How stupid can they be at the top?
us driving around in with the new beat tags would be from a scene from lampoons christmas vacation. When Clark finally gets them to work. EVERYONE QUICK LOOK AT THE LIGHTS!!! and just to see all the yuppies in lincoln park fall down......with the bright lights, hahaha
The idea of a city run chopper is a joke.
It was created to give "Harry the hat" another toy at tax payer expense.
Wait until he ditches the chopper in lake Michigan (Indiana side) hahhhaahhahah!
I found out these LED's are programmable and the city is going to rent them out to companies for advertising. Like the signs on the bus and el trains.
Why buy computers for the areas or pdts for the cars or new cars or radios that last 8hours when you can spend money on crap like this.
we look like a taxi service, now how am i suppose to tell dispatch im not a taxi when some idiot needs a ride when i clearly look like a taxi caB?
We Have a Helicopter? When did we get it? What are its hours of operation? Is it new or was it bought used? Where does it pull out of? O'hare or Midway? Don't tell me it pulls out of Rockford! But the most important question is. Does it have a new LED BEAT TAG? What a joke. We are the second largest department and we have a part time helicopter! Way to go dick! And you want the olympics here with only one helicopter..
Helicopter?"WE"have a helicopter? SCC you gotta be bullshiting me!The only helicopters I ever see are the media choppers over crime scenes,saw a real nice ISP Jetranger at the Tinley Park shooting,was that ours and we let ISP borrow it? Or does ISP really own it and let the CPD borrow it for publicity shots? If we have a helicopter we would lead the world in STEALTH technology.I bet its flown by all of those people who are assigned to districts on paper,but are really assigned to other units under DETAILED OUT!Good God almighty,what will they come up with next?????
is the house on fire clark?is this the airport clark? no aunt bethany!!!
squad hold me down waiting for r-man to fix the light in my beat tag!
I found out these LED's are programmable and the city is going to rent them out to companies for advertising. Like the signs on the bus and el trains.
2/04/2008 12:41:00 PM
Like "This police car sponsored by Miller Lite the beer preferred by your police."
If Det. Shavelongcock had LED lights my mom would still be alive. I know what you did, and I will get you back. Bambi
I thought they had gps for the cars so they would know where we are at all times. I think they should take their gps, led lights, cameras and all other bullshit and shove it up whatever exempt goof comes up with all these "bright" ideas!!
O.W. Wilson put the numbers on the roofs of squads. All the other departments in this area have numbers on the roofs.
Unless the chopper is being powered by warp drive or kitten farts, it vibrates so badly that you will never be able to make out a beat tag..wtf
It's bad enough now in some neighborhoods that squads get hailed by people wanting a taxi. When the LED tags come out we'll look more like a taxi than ever. It could be a way to make some extra coin though...Sears Tower? Get you there in a flash pal!
I think, to pay for my raise, i wouldn't mind seeing neon signs for Domino's Pizza, Al's Beefs McDonalds etc. on top of the squad cars, nice and bright and carrying the message. I'm sure some asshole at 35th St. with a BA degree will find clients.
They've got the FLIR on the bird, why not just issue magnetic "Bud" lights like the type used by the Army to mark and identify vehicles, perimeters and LZs?
Just slap that sucker on the squad when needed. It won't identify the exact vehicle, but in most instances that wouldn't be nessecary anyway.
They're very useful. In Somalia in '93, pinned down troops used them to mark their perimeters, and the little birds spent the whole night making gun runs on anything that moved outside of those zones.
We cant chase anyone anyway! put the car numbers in paint on the top of the car, ie California.
L.E.D lights are great, I work in 018 and no longer need to work a second job. The customers love it they get police protection and cab service all at the same time and they usually leave a good tip.
In 1968 all Task Force and Det. Task Force cars had their number painted in large figures numbers on their roofs. It worked fine and was cheap.
Yeah that's all fine but in the two years that we have had helicopters.....they have never actually followed anybody for anything. They have never SUCCESSFULLY assisted anybody in Chicago with anything. They have got a lot of event numbers and they have burned an awful lot of fuel. Bottom line is this....the helicopter is not being used the way it should be used. How can you put modern technology in the hands of a geriatric and expect success??
We actually have two helicopters and they are operational Tuesday through Saturday, 1000-0200 hours, however they are limited by weather and they do missions in an area that is over 900 square miles. (The entire Cook County Area).
They will be operational 7 days a week in the near future. There are two shifts.
Of course, weather is one factor, and so is maintenance. Anyone who has any knowledge of helicopter operations at all would know that. Those birds have to have regular maintenance or they cannot fly... so, sometimes we do only have one operational, but they still operate on two shifts, five days a week for now...
Here is what they are looking at;
http://www.taxiroofsigns.com/wledb.jpg
It is company owned by a city of chicago political contributer.
We actually have two helicopters and they are operational Tuesday through Saturday, 1000-0200 hours, however they are limited by weather and they do missions in an area that is over 900 square miles. (The entire Cook County Area).
They will be operational 7 days a week in the near future. There are two shifts.
When you say "they do missions" what you really mean is that they get event numbers...they really don't do ANYTHING other than get event numbers!!! They are a really big expensive joke!!! And we have been hearing about how they are going to go 24/7 really soon for years!! It will never happen!!
We actually have two helicopters and they are operational Tuesday through Saturday, 1000-0200 hours, however they are limited by weather and they do missions in an area that is over 900 square miles. (The entire Cook County Area).
They will be operational 7 days a week in the near future. There are two shifts.
I do missions and get event numbers too....from a car. And how many times do you think I am actually at the location that I get the number for? Maybe about 20% of the time. This "alleged" chopper is a complete waste of taxpayer $$$.
And we have been hearing about how they are going to go 24/7 really soon for years!! It will never happen!!
2/05/2008 01:08:00 AM
))))))))))))
I'm just a ghetto dog. Don't know nothing about the air unit, so wondering, if they only can cover part of the day, is it first watch they work, and will pick up second when they go 24? Since they only cover 5 days, what are RDO's? Tue and Wed?
Personally, I think the LED beat tag issue is a minor one. I'd be happy with a decent beat car, and a working PDT, and even a taser.
get rid of HARY HOHM
GET AN EVENT NUMBER FOR HOMELAND SECURITY CHOPPER!!!!! THATS ALL YOUR GOOD FOR
And we have been hearing about how they are going to go 24/7 really soon for years!! It will never happen!!
2/05/2008 01:08:00 AM
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YOU ARE FULL OF BS
The unit hasn't been up for "years" so you can't have been hearing about anything to do with it for "years"
It will happen, before the end of this year...
I do missions and get event numbers too....from a car. And how many times do you think I am actually at the location that I get the number for? Maybe about 20% of the time. This "alleged" chopper is a complete waste of taxpayer $$$.
2/05/2008 09:43:00 AM
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Well, YOU are admitting that YOU ARE A WASTE OF TAXPAYER $$$
Just because you are a lying cheating POS, doesn't mean everyone else is.
I'm just a ghetto dog. Don't know nothing about the air unit, so wondering, if they only can cover part of the day, is it first watch they work, and will pick up second when they go 24? Since they only cover 5 days, what are RDO's? Tue and Wed?
2/05/2008 04:05:00 PM
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If you read the previous post you would see that they are operational at this time Tuesday through Saturday, 1000 hours through 0200 hours...
January 12, 2006
CPD's New Eye In The Sky
Of the country's biggest 10 cities, Chicago has been the only one who hasn't had even a single police helicopter. And we haven't for decades. Ironic since Chicago once boasted about creating one of the nation's first helicopter units. In the 1980's the program was terminated to cut costs. But times, they are a changin'.
Chicago put a police helicopter into service this week and hopes to purchase another one with a federal homeland security grant by the end of the year. The police will be using the helicopter to fight crime and for homeland security. They'll respond to calls for help with pursuits, both foot & vehicle, missing persons, and assist at large public gatherings. They'll be equipped with groovy technology like thermal imaging cameras, a map navigation system, and a video downlink that will let police at HQ have an ariel view from their desks.
All Chicagoist can think of when we hear about police helicopters is 1) car chases and 2) those hopeless scenes from Cops when the suspect is trying to run away on foot, half naked, but the police helicopter is chasing them down with the gigantic light from the sky. Maybe we get a local reality show, now that we got the helicopter, and just following the thing around to see if anything exciting happens.
This article was written over 2 years ago and we are no closer now to having a 24/7 helicopter operation than we were then!!!
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