How About Something Big?

Deano is taking a stand, but is he thinking big enough? In replying to the Task Force contention that the Collective Bargaining Agreement is an impediment to their desire to railroad as many officers as possible, Dean stakes out a decent position:

• Angelo said changes to the rigid process that must be followed to discipline wayward officers are possible, only after the five-year union contract expires on June 30, 2017. And changes will happen then, only if the city gives the union something in return.
  
  “Anybody who wants to discuss the contract or impact the language that’s in there right now will have to come to the process of negotiations…When we start negotiations in June 2017, I’m sure the city will come to us with a list of items, and we’ll also have a list of items,” Angelo said.

You want to put Rahm in a bind? You want to make waves that will sweep far and wide?

Residency.

Yes, we know it's state law (home rule and all that). But every single police union that has sued has won in the courts. Courts overturn improper laws all the time, and numerous existing precedents give the FOP a better than average chance of vacating the residency law and putting dent in the "home rule" exemptions that gives Chicago pols all sorts of leeway in circumventing what the rest of Illinois has to follow.

Large swaths of Chicago don't want us around and the safe areas are becoming smaller and less safe daily. Fine. Throw the threat of a lawsuit on the table and make Rahm negotiate it away. You know he isn't going to play fair and his negotiators are going to attempt to gut every protection we currently have to make us less-than-citizens. The whole thing is going to arbitration anyway. What have we got to lose?