Finally, Consequences?

Someone finally noticed that if there is no enforcement, then there is no reason to fear a non-existent consequence:

• Chicago offenders caught drinking, gambling and urinating on the public way will no longer be free to ignore their citations with impunity and blow off their administrative hearings — at least not without risking jail time.
  
  Ignoring concern about the impact on overcrowded Cook County Jail, the City Council agreed Wednesday to throw the book at those offenders, up to 70 percent of whom are currently in default because they don’t fear the consequences.
  
  Aldermen approved Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to add six months of jail time and double the maximum fine — to $1,000 for drinking and urinating on the public way and $400 for gambling — for violators who fail to pay their initial fines and are no-shows at administrative hearings.
  

Of course, nothing says that Sheriff Dart has to accept the prisoners that show up at "the bridge" at Cook County Jail. We said last week that Dart and Preckwinkle are going to demand some sort of monetary compensation before they even think of reopening the Division that Dart closed a year or two ago.

And of course, the aldercreatures are already setting up CPD to take a fall on this one:

• At last week’s committee hearing, Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th) sought assurances that Chicago Police would be “careful” with the new tool and use it to target the “right people” instead of “going after vulnerable populations or the homeless.”

"the right people."  So we guess the homeless are free to continue to piss on lawns and be drunk in public. They're untouchable. And we're pretty sure Preckwinkle will be objecting to the racial makeup of those already in default to the city.