Friday Sun Times Editorial

We figured we'd address this first thing Monday morning as it's a higher traffic day rather than burying it all weekend. The Sun Times wrote an editorial, taking the police to task for daring to be overweight. A sampling:

• Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis isn't the bad guy: It only makes sense to demand that police officers stay in shape -- for their sake and ours. Cops must climb up and down stairs. They must run. They must use physical force.
• The sight of a chubby cop doesn't do much to engender public confidence. It's hard to imagine that cop lumbering up the stairs in a three-flat to end a domestic squabble or hopping a fence in an alley in pursuit of a thief.
• The FOP also would like the city to install kitchens with stoves and refrigerators in police stations, so that officers can prepare healthy meals. But cops need to be on the street, not playing Charlie Trotter back at the station, and fattening fast food is hardly the only restaurant option open to them. Many restaurants, happy to have the protective presence of a police officer, offer discounts. And there is always the brown-bag lunch.

Well, as the Sun Times employs a restaurant critic or two, we'd request the following:

• Within the geographic boundaries of the following districts, find at least three restaurants that serve a decent, heart healthy, reasonable priced (as discounts will be hard to come by if everyone eats there) meals that can be driven to, parked at, seated, ordered, cooked, served and eaten within a 30 minute time frame (and these MUST be 24 hour joints as the Department runs three shifts):
• 002, 003, 004, 005, 006, 007, 011, 015, 025.

Keep in mind, you get caught holding yourself down on a job to travel to these restaurants, that's a violation.

You run over 30 minutes and get caught, that's a violation.

You get caught congregating (remember, there aren't that many healthy restaurants to go to), that's a violation.

If you park in a bus stop or on a hydrant to try to squeeze in that 30 minutes lunch and you get caught, that's a violation.

For our civilian readers, three violations (or SPARs) in a twelve month period is a day off without pay. Five violations is three days off. And these violations can be for uniform discrepancies, tardiness, missing court, or any of almost 30 infractions during the course of a year - you see why cops are loathe to risk getting one for a lunch break?

Remember also, money spent on lunches by reporters and business people are tax deductible if they talk shop - not so with cops. Although not obligated to listen to the radio, if a citizen approaches you for police service, you are required to perform your job. And unless the Department is giving out SUV's to everyone, where are we and our partners supposed to carry the coolers with our "brown bag" lunches so they don't spoil?

That Bella suggestion for refrigerators in the Districts is looking better and better, but we're sure no one will want to give us travel time to the station to pick up the brown bag.