Bullshit Survey

Talk about your agenda-driven writing, this "survey" is a prime example:

• A Tribune poll released Wednesday shows that Chicago has a terrible problem with police-citizen relations: Most Chicagoans — 70 percent of all respondents — said they don't believe police officers treat all citizens fairly. Nearly as many — 64 percent — said cover-ups and a code of silence in the Chicago Police Department are widespread problems.

Really? And how many of these respondents have actually had contact with the police recently? We'd hate to assume that they're making this sort of judgement based solely on the media coverage these past few months.

• The MacDonald video - the move to "suppress" it until after an election - that choice wasn't made by anyone in the Department not wearing a gold star;
• The lack of audio is a direct result of shitty equipment with zero maintenance performed by ill-equipped staff due to the city going with a low-bid. Not a single decision there was made by anyone in the Department below the rank of Deputy;
• The December shooting of an assailant with a bat that resulted in the tragic death of an innocent is something every cop we've spoken with regrets immensely. Every single officer hopes it never happens to us. But it was by all accounts an accident. That isn't the fault of thousands of coppers who do a great job day-in-and-day-out;
• Koschman wasn't perpetrated by anyone driving a patrol car or working in a District or even working in Patrol. That was a political decision made by political people. You think it's a coincidence that multiple merit promotees left before being fired? That a clouted lieutenant who beat a sex abuse case out-of-state was in a position to make decisions driving the entire investigation and in fact, removed files from the Area so they couldn't be found for months?
• The decades worth of decisions to "settle at any cost" instead of fighting cases in court where evidence could be presented not only justifying, but clearing false accusations against officers wasn't made at the levels we work. J-Fled (of all people) proved you can put plaintiff attorneys in a financial bind by fighting the nonsense cases and putting scumbags on notice that the City will come after them for costs when they lose. Rahm wasted no time in returning to the days of "settle everything." Otherwise he wouldn't get all those political contributions spread throughout the Machine.

Did the Tribune perchance show any of the survey respondents this graphic?

Or mentioned the fact that of the 2,995 people catching bullets in Chicago last year, only 25 were shot by the police, which works out to eighty-three-point-five hundredths of a percent - not even one-full-percent.

But police are the problem and not the political structure they work under? We think the Tribune is asking the wrong questions, but if Rahm tells them he needs cover in order to "govern," well, we guess the Tribune is going to ask "How High Mr. Mayor?"