Grab the Popcorn!

So Willie Cochran withdraws his guilty plea and avoids (for the time being) becoming the 35th aldercreature convicted of corruption related charges.

And then, amazingly, the King of Alderassholes grabs all the headlines:

• As an alderman for nearly 50 years, Ed Burke not only has claimed the record as the longest-serving City Council member in the history of Chicago, but he also has become one of the most powerful.
  
  As the longtime chairman of the council’s Finance Committee, described in some circles as “the No. 2 spot in city government,” Burke, 74, has great sway over how City Hall spends its money and controls the $100 million-a-year workers’ compensation fund.
  
  Burke’s ascent to political dominance in the 14th Ward, which includes parts of Archer Heights and Gage Park, followed on the coattails of his father, Joseph P. Burke, a Cook County sheriff’s officer whose political aspirations led him to become alderman.

Someone, somewhere, is talking, and there are a lot of tightened sphincters at City Hall today.

Why now? He's facing a reasonably serious challenge from his mainly Hispanic ward. Burke is old and his health isn't the greatest, so that might be a bargaining chip for a quick plea so his grandchildren don't have to visit him in prison. In fact, could Burke make a deal that involves sending multiple others to prison in a quid pro quo?

And we have to wonder, did any of this play any part in Rahm's decision not to run? Rahm was part of the DC swamp for a while. It's isn't difficult to imagine some "friendly" DoJ lick-spittle tipping him off that a wave was coming and just might swamp the City Council's most senior and powerful creature.

UPDATE: Did everyone see the Tribune headline?

• Who is Ed Burke? Alderman. Former cop. Ex-Trump attorney.

Burke was a cop for what? A year? Before being gifted his father's aldermanic seat? How many arrests did he make in the cushy assignment Dad landed him? But the Tribune counts him as a "cop."

Promotion Class Promised?

So the comment section lit up with multiple comments regarding a promotional class coming up on 10 December. We don't know if this was a Special Ed e-mail as has been his habit a week or so before announcing a list of what.

We've seen numbers running from 50-to-100 Detectives, 60 sergeants, and 0-to-10 lieutenants. Someone also posted that the "merit" names are a wonder to behold, so there must be some political favors being granted before the upcoming election.

No idea why they'd do this before Christmas.

Bad Idea Willie

Evidently, this guy hasn't heard the expression, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth:"

• Nearly two years since he was indicted and more than four months after his lawyer revealed he was negotiating a plea deal, Ald. Willie Cochran chose Wednesday to take his case to trial after all.
  
  A seemingly surprised U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso, who had expected the 20th Ward alderman to enter a guilty plea, set a trial date of June 3. Cochran’s lawyer, Christopher Grohman, said plea negotiations broke down after Cochran rejected an offer from federal prosecutors that would have allowed him to plead guilty to one count of fraud with a possibility of minimal to no prison time. “He couldn’t stomach the idea of admitting to something he didn’t do,” Grohman told reporters outside court.
  
  Federal prosecutors agreed to take the case to trial without further comment or explanation.
  
  It bears noting that the timing of Cochran’s decision will allow him to stay on the job — and continue collecting his $116,000 aldermanic salary — through the end of his term in May. He is not seeking re-election.

That the prosecutors didn't bat an eye doesn't bode well for Willie.

Shut Up Bill

You know, when money was tight around the house, we stopped spending so much of it. We didn't cruise over to the 'burbs and rob the neighbor's house. Here's another truly dumb idea from a Daley:

• Mayoral candidate Bill Daley on Wednesday said Chicago should consider a commuter tax on suburbanites and a host of other new revenue sources to help solve the city’s looming pension crisis.
  
  Chicago’s next mayor will have to come up with hundreds of millions of dollars in additional annual payments to the city’s public employee pension funds, and Daley said he’s studying whether those who work in the city but live in the suburbs should help foot the bill.
  
  “We have to find new revenues, and everything is on the table,” Daley said 13 minutes into his 30-minute speech. “Marijuana, casinos, commuter taxes, real estate transfer taxes — and reforms to the system — must be on the table.”

How about reducing the size of government? Eliminating over-inflated gold braid and aldermanic pensions? Maybe free up TIF money? Reform crooked contracting? Approve the long promised casino?

The possibilities are endless, but always seem to center around picking taxpayer pockets.

BOLO: Black, Four Door Car

Another great description by the media:

• Three people robbed a woman Tuesday night in the West Town neighborhood on the Near West Side.
  
  The 31-year-old woman was walking south at 8:14 p.m. in the 500 block of North Wood when three males walked up behind her and one of them put his hand over her face, according to Chicago police. He then demanded the woman's belongings.
  
  A second suspect took the woman's property, and then the first suspect pushed her to the ground, injuring her forehead, police said. The trio ran off north on Wood, where they got into a small, black, four-door vehicle and drove away northbound.

Not even a hint as to who the offenders might be, but they got the car dead to rights.

Twenty One Candidates

Expect a runoff for sure:

• The race to become Chicago’s next mayor is on its way to becoming one of the most crowded in the city’s history, as 21 candidates filed nominating petitions by Monday’s deadline to appear on the Feb. 26 ballot.
  
  The final field, however, is far from set.
  
  Candidates will spend the next month or more trying to knock others out of the race. They will cite charges ranging from forgery and fraud to more minor technicalities to argue their competitors didn’t collect the necessary number of signatures from registered Chicago voters to appear on the ballot.

So far, the most likely big name to be knocked out is Dorothy Brown. She is rumored to be under a federal investigation, filed the bare minimum number of signatures, and if this is any example of what she submitted, it's a wonder no one is facing perjury charges:

At least in the old days, the ward bosses would have the precinct captains sitting at a round table passing the sheets among themselves so no two signatures could be matched on the same sheet. Whoever did this one (and attested to it under oath) ought to be in jail. But hey, there's no voter fraud anywhere - we know that because democrats always tell the media it's so.

Crimesha? You looking at this fraud?

Foxxx Gets an F-

We didn't realize that other writers were grading politicians the way we graded Special Ed, but this guy does a pretty good takedown of Crimesha:

• Struggling to contain raw inner monologue, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx chuckled, briefly halted, and then replied: “I can’t separate it.” A response to a query from WBEZ Morning Shift interlocutor Tony Sarabia over how her upbringing influences her work as the county’s top prosecutor, Foxx’s first impulse was to chortle. An unsurprising answer from Ms. Foxx, her comeback only revealed no gap exists between her inner and outer life. One of several comments delivered during a November 8 appearance on WBEZ aimed at appraising her first two years in office, the gabfest between Foxx and Sarabia quickly transformed into one of the most transparently-planned Left-wing beatification campaigns in recent memory. A pro-Foxx propaganda shop, WBEZ specializes in peddling the dreary side of Chicago on which Foxx’s 2016 campaign was predicated: This is to say, pessimistic news about the Chicago Police Department.

The author paints a pretty dismal picture of Foxxx's reign so far and points out how her background, political philophy and inbred hatred of the Chicago Police Department is merely a harbinger of the coming years. Remember, YOU are the bad guy/girl, YOU are what's wrong with Chicago, YOU (young guys and girls) are responsible for the alleged historical missteps of the Department, even if you weren't even born when Burge was fired, don't know who Becker was, and never worked in SOS, Marquette, Summerdale or any of the other Districts/Units that have lent their names to scandal.

Go read it all.

Cook County "Justice"

This is from two weeks ago and in the suburbs, but it's Cook County and Crimesha Foxxx is keeping true to her (and Prickwrinkle's) promises:

• The Cook County State’s Attorney has refused to approve felony burglary charges against two men caught by Oak Lawn Police after a three municipality chase and search and a written admission by one of the men that he was entering other cars without the owners’ permission.
  
  As a result Khadafi Dailey was charged with misdemeanor reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, leaving the scene of an accident and obstructing a police officer. His passenger in the car was charged with only one misdemeanor of obstructing a police officer.
  
  The chase started on Sunday morning, November 4th at about 3:30 a.m. when Oak Lawn police units responded to a commercial burglar alarm in the vicinity of 96th and Cicero Avenue.

So, a Burglary, with the "required" written admission and Oak Lawn PD gets misdemeanor Obstruction and traffic charges.

Kind of makes you think that all police work is pointless.

Special Ed Report Card: D-Minus

These numbers are from the City's own databases. You know, the ones they feed to the media all the time. Our stat guy has been busy making sense of it all.

• This data speaks for itself. These aren't arrests. These include arrests, but they are technically "all reported incidents of crime" for these crimes listed citywide. I only included some of the crimes that people really care about. E.g. Homicide, Robbery, Burglary, Aggravated Battery, etc. I broke down Robberies to each category because people should see this. Notice Agg Vehicular Hijacking and Vehicular Hijacking. I also included Narcotics and Prostitution for fun.
  
  The column on the right is March 26, 2016 to about a week ago. That's about 965 days of Johnson's leadership. The column on the left is the same period 3 years prior. We need something to compare Johnson's performance. This is also a 965 day period.
  
  Gotta give credit where credit is due. Burglaries are down. But just about all the other crimes people care about are up. (SCC Note: How many burglaries are just NOT reported due to long wait times for 3-1-1 or hours for an actual officer. Not to mention "downgraded" to theft.)
  
  And BTW, look at Narcotics and Prostitution! It's almost like Chicago has had a miracle in reducing narcotic use - OR society just don't care about this category anymore. I get it, what's the point in arresting or reporting narcotics if it's pointless. But Johnson shouldn't take credit for this reduction by any means.

And the chart (click for larger version):

All that red ink certainly isn't good.

Compstat 101: If you stop counting Narcotic and Prostitution arrests (43,000) you can make almost anything look good.

Nice Transition Team Kwame

Attorney Alan King has been named as part of Kwame's transition team. Who is Alan King you say? Well, his "ethics" leave something to be desired (from July of 2017):

• Alan King, DJ and husband of Ald. Sophia King (4th), and Jim Abrams, chief operation officer of medical supply company Medline Industries, were found guilty on Friday afternoon, June 16, by the Chicago Board Ethics after being accused of breaking ethical rules for seeking to influence Mayor Rahm Emanuel and City Hall without registering as lobbyists, as the law requires.

Wow. A DJ, husband of an aldercreature, and a ethically challenged lawyer. That's a trifecta of something for sure. And he's still allowed to be part of the political process? Amazing.

Salt Free Driving

Has Rahm allowed Streets and San to put down even a spoonful of salt on a side street? We know that once again, we haven't seen a plow with the blade down in the neighborhood - they just run the trucks around once or twice making ruts for people to drive in.

And how about all those bike lanes, especially in the "under-served neighborhoods," where no one used them when the weather was nice and now can't be plowed.

Funeral Coverage

(Post was supposed to be written/published last night - power and heat issues delayed it)

Some of the local media coverage:

• Tribune
• Sun Times
• Channel 2
• Channel 7

Special thanks to Channel 9 for carrying the entire funeral live.

No Power (UPDATE)

We are one of the unfortunates without power and minimal heat after the storm.

This means postings will be delayed for a bit tonight.

UPDATE: Hey look! Power and warmth and it didn't involve a space heater catching fire. We'll be posting semi-regularly throughout the day now.

Officer Dragged

Bruised and concussed:

• A man was charged with dragging a Chicago police officer with his vehicle after allegedly driving away during a traffic stop Friday night in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side.
  
  Leonard Perry, 30, of Chicago, was pulled over for a routine traffic stop and drove off while the officer was speaking with him about 9 p.m. in the 800 block of West 76th Street, Chicago police and Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney [...]
  
  The officer was stuck inside his window and was dragged about 50 feet, Gamboney said.

First time offender, right?

• Perry, whose driver’s license had previously been revoked, was charged with aggravated battery of a peace officer, aggravated fleeing and leaving scene of an accident, police said.
  
  He was on probation for two prior convictions of making a false report to 911 and driving with his license revoked, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

The multiple-convicted offender is lucky he wasn't shot. Best wishes Officer for a speedy recovery.

More Mag Mile Melees

The winter wildings continue apace:

• The Magnificent Mile's infamous teen mobs were out in force on Black Friday and police say one man who fell victim to the hordes is a U.S. Army soldier. A large group of teenagers that police shooed away from Water Tower Place on Friday afternoon wound up beating and robbing the military man inside the State-Chicago Red Line station minutes later, according to police reports and CPD sources.
  
  Police moved the group of teens away from Water Tower shortly after 2 p.m. on Black Friday. Less than 20 minutes later, police tactical teams assigned to the nearby L station reported that “a mob went into the subway and wound up robbing somebody.”
  
  That somebody was a 31-year-old soldier in the U.S. Army who was helping a woman exit the train, prosecutors said today. The mob argued with the soldier about being inconvenienced by his courtesy and then attacked, beat, and robbed him as he tried to walk up to street level. The soldier suffered swelling and bruising across his face and body, according to a police report. Police arrested two adults and two juveniles at the scene.

And once again, the only real coverage is at the CWB blog. Both named offenders are out on probation from juvenile crimes, so it looks like they haven't learned a lesson from their early brushes with the justice system. Five bucks says they won't learn anything different from this latest brush either.

Nice Oversight Waller (UPDATE)

Once again, a document leaves HQ under the signature of a multiple "merit" promotee, demonstrating again what a bunch of idiots are in charge:

• So BOP puts out an order for the recruit class of 17-02 (Office Jimenez classmates) to report to 016 and pick up 6 passenger vans for the procession. They list all of the classmates in 17-02 INCLUDING Officer Jimenez!!!! According to the order he is suppose to report to his own funeral? Doesn’t anyone at BOP look this stuff over? And doesn’t Waller read anything that comes out of his shop before he signs it? What a bunch of incompetent fools at Bureau of Patrol.

No one, not a single officer or administrative white shirt at Patrol Division cared enough to actually vet the class list for an Officer who just lost his life in the Line of Duty? No one thought to even look out for Fred so he didn't look like a complete moron ordering an Officer to attend his own funeral?

Remember, Earned, not Given.

UPDATE: We shouldn't be surprised. A sharp reader reminded us back in 2011, during Tina Skahill's first run of stupidity, she actually released an "Activity Tracking Program" that evaluated a dead officer. Link and pictures of that disaster here. The stupidity is obviously contagious and passed along to generations of morons.

Snow-mageddon

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!

Snow!

In the midwest! In November!

In other news, the sun will rise in the east tomorrow.

Another Suicide

Up in 016.

Please keep an eye out for signs.

Especially during the holiday season.

Prayers only here.

Credit Union Account

Direct donations to the Jimenez family:

• An account has been established at Chicago Patrolmen’s Federal Credit Union for Officer Jimenez. The account is in the name of Crystal Garcia, his wife. Donations to this account can be made in person at any Chicago Patrolmen’s location. Check donations must be made payable to Crystal Garcia. If donors wish to mail a check payable to Crystal Garcia, it can be sent to:
  
  Chicago Patrolmen’s FCU
  Attn: Crystal Garcia/Jimenez Account
  1407 W. Washington Boulevard.
  Chicago, IL 60607
  
  Employees are unable to provide the account number to members, so please be sure to reference Crystal Garcia Account.
  
  Thank you and Stay Safe.
  John E. Gordon
  Director of Sales
  Chicago Patrolmen’s Federal Credit Union

Comments closed here.

Verified - No Felony Murder

So Crimesha is ignoring the law as written.

The FOP released a statement, which isn't really effective.

Remember, you reward bad behavior, you get more of it.

Felony Murder Charge?

Does anyone know if the accomplice in the Officer Involved Shooting the other day got charged with the homicide of his partner?

Or is Crimesha Foxxx once again, ignoring the law as written, allowing felons to literally get away with murder?

And Another

Shots fired at the police:

• Three people were being questioned by Chicago police after someone fired shots at an officer Thursday morning in the South Shore neighborhood on the South Side.
  
  Officers were responding to reports of a suspicious person at 9:18 a.m. when they spotted a group of males standing in front of a building in the 6700 block of South East End Avenue, according to Chicago police.
  
  When the officers approached, one of the males ran up the stairs, police said. One officer chased him and heard several gunshots in his direction. No injuries were reported.

Careful boys and girls.

Da Coach

We stopped watching football a few years ago when the Bears sucked, McCaskey didn't care and the NFL shit the bed. That being said, we've always had a soft spot for Ditka:

• Mike Ditka was hospitalized Wednesday in Florida because of a heart ailment, according to reports by the Chicago Sun-Times and WGN-9.
  
  The iconic former Bears coach suffered a heart attack, WGN reported, citing anonymous sources. Ditka reportedly is recovering and expected to be released from the hospital in several days.
  
  Ditka’s agent, Steve Mandell, did not immediately return a phone message Friday night. Jarrett Payton, WGN reporter and son of late Bears great Walter Payton, tweeted confirmation that Ditka is in the hospital and is “doing well.”
  
  Ditka previously suffered a heart attack Nov 2, 1988, and famously returned to the Bears sideline 11 days later. He turned 79 on Oct. 19.

Best wishes for old times sake.

Services Set

Visitation
Sunday, 25 November 2018
1500 Hours - 2100 Hours
St. Jude at 1900 Hours
Oehler Funeral Home
2099 Miner St., Des Plaines, IL


Funeral Mass
Monday, 26 November 2018
1100 Hours
Chapel of St. Joseph at Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
1170 N. River Road, Des Plaines,IL

Interment: Private

Another Reason for Thanks

A cop is safe and an armed robber is dead:

• A 16-year-old boy was killed and another teenage boy was in custody after allegedly trying to rob an off-duty Chicago police officer at gunpoint Thursday morning in the Arcadia Terrace neighborhood on the Northwest Side.
  
  At 2:23 a.m., the CPD officer was sitting inside his personal vehicle parked in the 5800 block of North Talman Avenue when the two teens walked over, CPD Deputy Chief Al Nagode said in the press conference after the shooting. The 16-year-old allegedly pointed a handgun and announced a robbery.
  
  The officer handed over his belongings, Nagode said, but the second boy reached in the car and patted the officer down for more items. He located a second wallet that contained the officer’s police star, Nagode said. The 16-year-old allegedly pointed his gun at the officer and told him not to move. “The officer, knowing that he’s armed, was forced to pull out his weapon, and he fires at the individual,” Nagode said.

And of course, the gun was "stolen" from a family member:

• The 16-year-old boy’s stepfather reported the teen went missing with his weapon Wednesday night, Nagode said. The weapon recovered at the scene matched the description his stepfather provided.

Well done Officer.

UPDATE: Check out the differences in headlines:

• Sun Times - Off-duty CPD officer fatally shoots armed teen during NW Side robbery
  
• Tribune - 1 dead in police-involved shooting in Arcadia Terrace neighborhood

And the Trib doesn't even bother to explain where the gun came from. 

Federal Prosecutions Up

Only something we were begging for for how many years? Oh yeah - eight years of Sparklefarts:

• It’s one of the rare things on which Mayor Rahm Emanuel and President Donald Trump agree: the need for more federal gun prosecutions in Chicago.
  
  In 2014, Chicago’s Democratic mayor declared that federal prosecutors in Chicago, working under then-President Barack Obama, were doing a “horrible” job tackling gun crime.
  
  Trump took up the issue, beginning as he campaigned for the Republican nomination for president. And just after he assumed office in early 2017, he tweeted that he would “send in the Feds” if the city didn’t “fix the horrible carnage.” Days later, Jeff Sessions, his attorney general at the time, promised to step up gun prosecutions in Chicago.
  
  Now, a year and a half later, the mayor and the president seem to have gotten what they wanted. Federal gun prosecutions in Chicago are up, as they are nationally.

Guess who isn't willing to pretend to be happy with the results?

• “I think it’s good,” said the Rev. Michael Pfleger, the anti-violence activist whose St. Sabina Catholic Church is in the heart of gun-plagued Auburn Gresham.
  
  But Pfleger said federal authorities need to focus more heavily on gun traffickers and on thefts of guns from South Side train yards.
  
  “If we’re just about putting guys in prison for having guns, and we’re not shutting off the spigot, it’s a charade,” Pfleger said.

Anything to avoid giving credit where credit is due, eh Mikey?

The fact is Sparklefarts allowed federal prosecutions to lapse for the same reason he (and Eric Holder) allowed guns to "walk" over the border to Mexico - to stoke fake outrage and campaign against the Second Amendment. How many minority families paid the price for this callous and deliberate bloodbath in cities across the nation?

Happy Thanksgiving

And while counting the blessings bestowed upon each of us, remember in your thoughts, prayers and deeds the horrible loss that not only the Department suffered this week, but the O'Neal and Less families.

Seriously Robbie?

The article is a study in political "I had no idea!"

• Ald. Roberto Maldonado (26th) said Wednesday that the Mercy Hospital shooter previously worked as a summer intern at his Northwest Side aldermanic office.
  
  “He had a very, very pleasant personality,” Maldonado said of [dead asshole], noting that his internship lasted for about eight weeks in either 2016 or 2017.
  
  [...] The alderman said the city runs the internship program and that he didn’t personally choose [dead asshole] or know him before he applied for the job. “I think he was the only person who applied. You have to be a college student to apply,” he said.
  
  “Interns are not assigned to do much of significance, they’re basically gofers for the very limited staff that we have… He had no decision making authority,” Maldonado said, adding that [dead asshole] mostly was tasked with shuffling papers and getting coffee.

Because aldercreatures are in the habit of welcoming strangers into their offices and giving them scut work without knowing who they are, where they came from and referring them out for other political jobs once they're done. Which aldercreature said, "We don't want nobody that nobody sent"?

This from a member of a group of people who routinely hire wives, girlfriends, side-pieces, rent office space in buildings they already own, evade property taxes for years on new buildings, buy new construction properties at low "introductory" prices then pocket the sale money after minimal occupancy time, solicit campaign "contributions" from businesses....Would Robbie like a list of aldercreatures who went to jail for these offenses and more?

So now the questions are:

• What did Maldonado know and when did he know it?

Someone knew this guy was a ticking bomb.

Vest Saves Officer

(NOTE: This post got mislabeled, so it ended up time traveling back into the archives. We changed it back so it appears in the intended spot.)

Another cop shot in broad daylight:

• A Chicago police officer was injured when he was shot in the back of his protective vest during a confrontation in the Gresham neighborhood that left the officer’s attacker wounded, police said.
  
  The shooting happened about 11 a.m. Tuesday in the 8700 block of South Marshfield Avenue, police said.
  
  An officer approached a man in his early 20s on the corner of 87th Street and Ashland Avenue who was acting suspiciously, Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, where the officer was being treated and had been stabilized. The man took off running and fired at officers as they pursued him.
  
  Police returned fire and struck the suspected gunman in the neck.

Be very very careful out there. Best wishes to the injured Officer for a full recovery.

Arena Opponent Needs Signatures

We've seen plenty of people not happy with Alderasshole Arena bitching here. We've given them plenty of space. Now it's time to put in some effort:

• I’m having trouble with the website right now but if you could post something on the blog about helping me get signatures this last week before the deadline Monday 26Nov18 I would deeply appreciate it. I have double the required signatures but I have been advised that I need 3-5 times that amount to help guard against the political funny business of challenging signatures to knock you off the ballot. I can be contacted on my campaign email:
  
  GuyDaileyfor45@gmail.com
  
  I am Pro Union/Labor who built Chicago
  I am for more Police being assigned to the 16th district.
  I am for working to keep our soaring property taxes low to keep more of our hard earned money in our pockets.
  I am for creating a citizen advisory zoning board to look at possible developments in the ward before going to the Alderman for approval.
  
  I sincerely thank you for any help or suggestions you have. I really need my brothers and sisters help to get on the ballot and oust John Arena and send him back to New Jersey
  
  Guy Dailey

So if you want to assist in getting signatures, reach out to Guy Dailey at the listed e-mail, see what paperwork is needed and get out there. Even if you get a single page of signatures, we're sure it'll help.

Disgusting Politics

So the shooter had quite a history:

• previous threats to shoot up the Fire Academy
• previous history of threatening women 
• previous incident(s) of domestic violence

And still:

• he got past a State background check
• he got a CCL without a Dart objection
• he got hired by the CHA if our readers are correct - even after being fired from the CFD Academy for being AWOL

And now we have Officer Jimenez's sacrifice being used by the Sun Times, Mendoza, Foxx and Rahm as political fodder for more gun control, even in the face of constant, continuous and endless failures of the system already in place.

Perhaps someone (hello investigative reporters?) should look into this misdirection and see who or what clout was involved in this.

Escaped Prisoner Run Over

A little levity:

• A man was hit by two cars Monday morning, after escaping from police custody on the Far South Side.
  
  Police said 22-year-old Darrell Brewer, facing drug and gun charges, was in the back of a prisoner transport van, which arrived at the South Chicago District on the 2200 block of East 103rd Street in the South Deering neighborhood shortly before 6 a.m. The van was being used to transport prisoners from police stations to court, and Brewer had been picked up at the Gresham District station before arriving at the South Chicago station.
  
  When the doors to the van opened at the South Chicago station, Brewer bolted into the street, police said. He was still wearing handcuffs at the time. Police said Brewer ran down the street, and moments later was hit by two cars near 103rd and Yates.

Someone said neither car stopped, which is quite frankly hilarious.

Fraud Warning

We didn't want to bump the post just below this one, but we're obligated at times to do so.

• There is no fundraiser yet.
  
  There is no GoFundMe site yet.
  
  The Credit Union has not announced ANY Memorial Account.
  
  The only organizations doing anything financial at the moment are the 100 Club and the Police Memorial Fund. Anything else is NOT AUTHORIZED by anyone in a position to do so.

Wait for the announcement from the Department and/or FOP.

Comments closed here.

RIP PO Samuel Jimenez

Only this post tonight. We got this from a frequent reader who sends us things.

• An officer died yesterday. I did not know him, but I've known hundreds, maybe a thousand like him. Clean uniform (mostly), shiny leather gear, insignia all in place, scuffed shoes from all the calls and alleys and stairs and vacant lots.
  
  I was young once, and seldom have I felt so old as I do tonight. I realize how much I've seen, forgotten, tried to forget and failed. Nearly 25 years. Still a rookie to some, a dinosaur to so many others. The Circle of Police Work.
  
  In spite of all that's going on, on how "staying fetal" is the somewhat accepted practice of policing nationwide, this kid, this young and (I'm guessing here) idealistic kid, upheld the finest traditions of police work. He ran to gunfire. He wasn't ambushed like so many of our brethren recently, he ran toward danger. People were in danger and he went where he was supposed to go.......and it killed him.
  
  What do you even say to that? What words can even measure up to that sense of duty, that willingness to sacrifice it all, that feeling that somewhere, someone is in trouble and G_ddamnit, I'm going there to sort it out somehow, even at the cost of everything.
  
  Once again, the pipes will play and the drums will thump, a funeral will be held and the world will be less for the passing of a cop doing his duty.

RIP Officer Jimenez.

Active Shooter (UPDATES)

Mercy Hospital.

Multiple casualties.

Officer might be injured.

UPDATE: Initial victim is reported deceased.

UPDATE: Gunman deceased - not sure by who

UPDATE: None of the information we're getting is good.

UPDATE: Tribune; Sun Times

UPDATE: Officer has passed. RIP Officer. Godspeed.

UPDATE: Comments are going to be ruthlessly moderated tonight.

No politics. No blame. No bullshit.

Police Limit

We haven't linked to this site nearly enough.

Some samples:

If you have some spare time, scroll back through his archives. We're sure he gets ideas from all over, but there are quite a few that seem to directly relate to the Chicago experience.

Thirty Stolen Guns?

From the comments:

• OT: In the AMC messages 30+ guns of various, makes, models and calibers were reported missing from a Northside location on 15 Nov 18. But, has a date of theft of 14 September. Unbelievable. I believe the 30+ is being conservative, since the person that reported the theft is not the original owner, just the person discovering.

Any info? Any bets on where the guns turn up?

Nice Elevators Rahm

The hits just keep on coming for Rahm:

• Visitors in a famed Chicago skyscraper dropped 84 floors, but survived when an elevator malfunctioned in the world’s 16th tallest building.
  
  A mechanical problem caused a half-dozen passengers nearly 1,500 feet above the Miracle Mile to drop from the 95th level cocktail lounge at 875 N. Michigan Ave. to the building’s 11th floor Friday. Rescuers spent almost three hours rescuing terrified passengers, according to CBS Chicago.

Okay, to be somewhat fair, Rahm doesn't maintain the elevators. But his administration is required by law to inspect the elevators annually and the certificates are to be prominently displayed, usually within the elevator itself so everyone knows the cars are in working order.

But in recent months, perhaps over the past year or two, elevators haven't been getting inspected, especially in city buildings. The certificates are years out of date or read "On File Somewhere Else." You can't even see if the elevator has been inspected this century if you don't put in the effort - and who does that?

No one....until an elevator falls 84 stories and the news media covers it up for three days until someone finally mentions the people weren't just trapped. They were trapped after a failure. All the descriptions we've read by the lazy media aren't malfunctions. One or more cables parted. That's a failure, not a malfunction.

One-hundred bucks says the "inspectors" (probably from Vanecko Elevator Maintenance" or some other shady outfit) aren't even riding the elevators, conducting emergency operation tests, or checking out the hoistways and the mechanical logs to ensure the equipment has been replaced as required so people aren't killed.

30 Felony Charges

Golly - was Crimesha Foxxx consulted?

• A man is facing 30 felony charges for using a stolen credit card last month at five different locations in northwest suburban Rosemont.
  
  Salvador Nunez, 18, of Rosemont, was charged with 15 Class 3 felonies for unlawful use of a credit card and 15 Class 3 felonies for identity theft, according to a Saturday morning statement from Rosemont police.

Perhaps the Rosemont Police should take a look at the Crooked Commander Johnson - he could catch 276 felony charges minimum for cashing Social Security checks for 23 years and another 276 felony charges for identity theft plus whatever forgery charges they could make stick.

Nice West Side Rahm/Toni

It sure looks like Prickwrinkle's bullet tax isn't having the desired effect:

• Three men were wounded Friday night in a shooting in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.
  
  The men were sitting in two separate vehicles about 9:22 p.m. in the 3400 block of West Ohio Street when a vehicle approached and at least one person inside fired shots, Chicago police said.
  
  In the first vehicle, an 18-year-old was shot in his buttocks and thigh, and another 18-year-old was shot in his thigh, police said. They were taken to Norwegian Hospital in good condition. A 22-year-old in another vehicle was struck in his wrist and was in good condition at the same hospital, according to police.
  
  Shortly after the shooting, officers placed evidence markers next to at least 70 bullet casings at the scene.

Perhaps Toni would have better luck charging by the expended bullet. Or maybe this wasn't an actual shooting. Some "artist" may have been attempting to replicate the shot-up Volkswagon for a west side display.

Fuck This Guy

The "community" up in Michigan is unhappy:

• St. Clair Shores, MI – Controversy over the value of the life of a police K9 dog has been brewing in a small Michigan town after police shot and killed an armed suspect who had just fatally shot a police K9 in the face. St. Clair Shores Police K9 Axe was murdered in the line of duty while tracking a suspect on Nov. 4.
  
  The St. Clair Shores Police Department responded to the Lakeland Manor Banquet Hall at about 6:30 p.m. for a report of a man with a gun, the Detroit News reported. There were approximately 70 people at the banquet hall attending a baby shower at the time of the incident, according to WDIV.
  
  The armed man ignored commands from police when they arrived, and fled the scene, the Detroit News reported. The St. Clair PD deployed K9 Axe to track and apprehend the suspect. The suspect opened fire on K9 Axe with a handgun, and the police dog was hit, WDIV reported. St. Clair Shores police officers returned fire and fatally shot the suspect, later identified as 29-year-old Theoddeus Gray of Detroit.

The usual suspects are outraged that a two-legged dog wasn't treated better:

• Local activists have expressed outrage about the shooting of Gray, and said they do not feel the suspect’s life should have been taken for killing a police dog.
  
  Detroit business owner Branden Turner told WXYZ that he didn’t believe a K9’s life should be valued at the same level as a human being’s.

Well, the K9 was actually a productive member of society with a job and an ability to follow directions like "Sit," "Stay," and "Don't Point That Gun at People" so we agree his life had way more value than that of the late Detroit denizen.

Coming Soon?

Another version of what police work might be like, brought to you by the ACLU:

• Members of the Seattle Police Department are battling community activists and the ACLU, who are targeting the new contract that the police department is seeking, and strong rumors have been floated that various members of the nine-member Seattle City Council will vote against the contract’s approval when the vote is taken on Tuesday. Seven aye votes of the Council are needed to pass the contract.
  
  The contract has already been overwhelmingly approved by the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild, but rumors persist that Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Mike O’Brien will vote against the contract.
  
  Last month, Chief Carmen Best told the Jason Rantz Show, “We need to have this contract go through. We are not going to be able to provide effective public safety, in my opinion, unless we fairly compensate the officers. Too many officers will leave. They’ve worked too hard. No one expects nurses, or teachers, or anyone else to work without a contract. Why should the officers have to do that?”

Seattle has a relatively small Department when compared to Chicago and even they are bleeding personnel at a rate never before seen with lateral transfers, retirements and outright resignations with little-to-no interest in job seekers.

Captains-in-Waiting

So here's the list of people who got trained up for Captain:

• * Clucas Jr, William E.
  Conroy, Patrick J.
  Dari, Samuel
  Deane, John B.
  * Doherty, Raymond M.
  Dolan, David S.
  * Ellison, Jacquelin F.
  English, Anthony B.
  Garrido III, John
  Hannigan, Kevin R.
  * Hoffmann, Jeffrey A.
  * Jerome, Don J.
  * Kaup Jr, Edwin J.
  Kilroy Jr, William A.
  Mack, Paul C.
  Mc Dermott, Sarah A.
  * Mc Farlane, Richard M.
  * Mc Mahon, Terrence G.
  Melean, Frederick R.
  * Milmine, Keith A.
  * Moss, Susan E.
  * Mostek, Carlos M.
  Mullane, William E.
  O Malley, Patrick K.
  * Olson, Eric R.
  * Petrenko, Joseph G.
  Rios, Juan A.
  * Robinson, Roderick D.
  Sesso, Jacquelin M.
  Wu, David C.

The individuals with an asterisk made Captain, and this list isn't even 18 months old.

But some people are going to claim since captain is so-called "Senior Executive Service" there's no guarantee of promotion, regardless of past practice of using all the individuals on the list.

We present Exhibit #1 - The Class Photo:

Why take a class picture if there was no intent to promote?

And to those who might think we're taking the side of the captains-in-waiting, rest assured there are some real morons on this list, both promoted and waiting-to-be-promoted. But you do realize who is going to be on the new list, right at the top? We'd be more than happy to see that list delayed until a new political administration was in place.

Rahm's "Legacy"

Rahm is tying the new Administration to his sinking reputation:

• Mayor Rahm Emanuel was accused Friday of trying to tie his successor’s hands on the $95 million police and fire training academy in West Garfield Park that has become a symbol for critics of his misplaced spending priorities.
  
  Mayoral candidates Lori Lightfoot and Garry McCarthy blasted the mayor hours before Emanuel joined West Side community leaders and Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) to announce that the city has chosen a joint-venture led by AECOM to design and build the new academy at 4301 W. Chicago Ave. and would be begin “exclusive negotiations” with that team.
  
  AECOM was also chosen to rebuild Chicago’s longtime fleet maintenance facility on a vacant 12.5-acre site at 210 W. 69th St. that once housed Kennedy-King College along with a vehicle repair shop and a fueling station.
  
  “If what he’s trying to do is lock the city into a binding contract, that should not be approved by the City Council. This should be a decision for the next mayor,” Lightfoot said.

McCompStat chimes in:

• McCarthy is the former police superintendent fired by Emanuel just days after the court-ordered release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video.
  
  He also urged aldermen to reject the contract and reiterated his longstanding claim that the new academy will cost twice as much as Emanuel contends and that money would be better spent on higher priorities, including restoring the 55 percent subsidy for retiree health care.
  
  “We don’t need to spend $180 million on a new police facility. There are better training opportunities by assuming some abandoned property in this city that can be done a heck of a lot cheaper,” McCarthy said.

Lightfoot is objecting simply to be contrary. She always objects, but never presents an actual counter proposal. Garry is most likely correct - the combined Police/Fire Academy will undoubtedly cost twice the budgeted amount, but Rahm won't be around to take that blame.

Rahm also won't be around to take the blame if a new captains list happens with a brand new set of "merit" appointees who couldn't pass an actual promotional test.

Crime in Englewood Up

Someone recalculated the crime in Englewood in light of recent events:

• Every time ex-Commander Johnson fraudulently cashed a Social Security check that counts as a financial crime - so that's 23 years times 12 months: 276 additional crimes
• Every time ex-Commander Johnson entered the boundaries of 007 with a pocketful of stolen money, that's Possession of Stolen Propoerty. Figure 2 years, 250 days a year is another 500 counts added to Englewood totals.

And we got this from a couple readers:

Not a word in the media about how multiple "merit" appointees end up in scandals or jail at a rate that almost matches aldercreatures.

Captain Lawsuit

A rumbling among the white shirts.

There are almost 20 lieutenants, already chosen and trained up to be captains and yet, Special Ed has announced a new application process for captain since three names are missing from the current list - Fenner-Johnson, Hall-Wysinger and Ward. There are others, but those are the ones Special Ed will be pushing.

The trouble is, every other list of captains from the past two or three rounds has been fully utilized prior to a new process being undertaken. In fact, a number of blatantly bad and incompetent captains were made just to prevent the possibility of them suing....and winning. That means there's precedent.

And that means some sort of lawsuit to delay things.

Nice Display

Here's a bit of ridiculousness by the libtards:

• Robert Torres, founder of the nonprofit Parents for Peace and Justice, said gun violence has become so commonplace in Chicago that it seems as if the public has become immune.
  
  “If the news is not moving you, if these mothers and families are not moving you and impacting you, we’re going to bring you something … that brings a conversation and gets you involved,” he said.
  
  That something is a Volkswagen riddled with more than 6,000 bullet holes.

So where is this car being displayed? Englewood? North Lawndale? Garfield Park? Austin?

• ....it will travel for three days throughout Chicago beginning Thursday outside New City Fellowship Church in the 1300 block of North Rockwell Street. It will then be on display Friday at City Hall, Millennium Park, The Bean and Grant Park. On Saturday, the exhibit will roll through spots in Wicker Park and Lincoln Park and end up at Wrigley Field.

So, no where near where actual shootings take place. That would be too dangerous. And no one in those neighborhoods would actually be surprised or horrified by a car with 6,000 bullet holes. You have to horrify the liberals who might throw money at you....instead of solutions.

Hey FOP

Perhaps this is an avenue that needs to be explored:

• The $2.1 billion Dallas Police and Fire Pension System is suing its former actuary and advisor Buck Consultants for allegedly failing to “provide adequate warning or proper counsel” that the fund says could have prevented the system’s impending fiscal crisis.
  
  According to The Dallas Morning News, the pension fund alleges in the lawsuit that Buck Consultants, which had advised the pension’s board of directors for more than 25 years, and three of its employees “failed to communicate important risk information.”

Face it, something is going have to be done, especially in light of the burgeoning pension crisis, the constant mismanagement by the City, the failure to adjust the actuarial contributions and the incoming administration that, for all the noise about supporting workers, is going to attempt to re-open the Constitutional Convention and gut the pension law.

Crooked Commander

We guess there was something to the rumors when one half of the Wonder Twins "retired" with less than 24 hour notice. If we're reading this correctly, this asshole was crooked for at least 24 of his 32 years on the job - 75% of his career:

• A former Chicago police commander who earned praise for overseeing big reductions in violence in one of the city’s most historically dangerous districts has been charged with stealing more than $360,000 in Social Security funds in a scheme lasting more than 23 years.
  
  A one-page criminal information filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court accused Kenneth Johnson of bilking the Social Security Administration out of $363,064 from about June 1994 to November 2017.
  
  Although the charge does not contain any more details, sources with knowledge of the investigation told the Chicago Tribune that Johnson is accused of stealing benefits intended for his mother. The charge also makes no mention of Johnson’s former role with the Police Department. The 32-year CPD veteran retired in August.
  
  Johnson, 54, is scheduled to be arraigned next week before U.S. District Judge Manish Shah, court records show.
  
  Defendants charged by criminal information typically plead guilty.

Interesting last sentence there. Who else is he going to give up? Someone close to him? Someone who knew both him and mom? Someone who shared a womb with him 54 years ago?

Regardless, the combined 007/011 Christmas Party is looking to be short at least one "honoree" this year. And is anyone going to point out that once again, a multiple "merit" promotee is the subject of an indictment?

Time to strip the pension.

Robber With Gun Shot

The west side once again:

• Chicago police shot and injured a man who they say fired at a woman who tried to stop a robbery on Wednesday afternoon on the West Side.
  
  The woman was in a vehicle when she saw the man try to rob someone she knew in the 700 block of North Lawndale Avenue in the East Garfield Park neighborhood around 3 p.m., according to Chief of Patrol Fred Waller. At some point, the man fired at her, hitting the vehicle several times, Waller said.
  
  The woman flagged down police officers, who were already in the area, police said. The officers chased the man for several blocks ending in the 600 block of North Central Park Avenue, where they had an “armed confrontation” with him, Waller said. He did not offer specifics of the confrontation. The officers fired one shot at the man, hitting him in the abdomen.

One officer went to the hospital as a precaution, but that didn't stop Special Ed from stripping him in the ambulance, along with a citizen who happened to be passing through the hood and Waller by accident. After a prolonged discussion, Waller got his gun and star back.

An excellent job Officers - that's a compliment you won't be hearing much from the brass or public in upcoming days.

Bonds

An astute reader pointed out this elephant in the room:

• 25 convictions on 47 theft arrests - bond $5
• millions in heroin - bond $300
• repeated rape of a mentally infirm woman - bond $400

And when Van Dyke dared to talk to the media?

• $2,000 on top of an already $1.5 million dollar bond

Prosecutors had demanded revocation and forfeiture of the bond.

Anyone see something odd?

And Once Again....

Even though 100% of the fault lies with the lawbreaker, gotta grab at that brass ring:

• Two mothers are suing the city of Chicago, contending a “reckless” police chase led to a crash that killed a man, his friend and the friend’s 3-year-old son last month.
  
  The wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Cynthia Turner and Sharnice McGee, whose sons died when a car fleeing police ran a red light and hit their car. It accuses the unnamed officer in the chase of negligence as well as reckless driving and pursuit “in violation of Chicago Police Department general orders and policies.”
  
  The accident happened around 7 p.m. Oct. 1 in the 6900 block of South Loomis Boulevard. Chrishawn Turner, 25, and his friend, Antonio Cowan, 24, had decided to go out that evening to catch up. Turner’s two young children, Cabari Turner, 3, and Shamari Turner, 2, were in the back seat.
  
  Not far away, Chicago police officers in a marked car spotted Christopher Carter speeding erratically east on 69th Street, police said. The officers turned on their lights and sirens and followed, but the department says they turned off the emergency lights and stopped following the car before the crash.

You know what? Even if the officers were parked at their lunch location and were sitting in a restaurant, they'd be accused of negligence for leaving the car where a ne'er-do-well could see it and be subconsciously compelled to accelerate to unsafe speeds, run a red light and launch an unsecured child 100 feet down the street.

It would be damn near impossible to do less in this situation - see a car speeding, turn on the lights, turn off the lights, back off....and you still end up named in a lawsuit. What's the lesson to cops who want to actually stop criminals?

Crime is Down!

Except, of course, where it's skyrocketing....like the formerly "quiet" parts of town:

• While Chicago Police Department leaders continue to insist that “crime is down” citywide, crime may not be down in the places where you live, work, or play, according to an analysis of city data by CWBChicago.
  
  In fact, crime reports are at five-year highs in Lincoln Park, the Loop, and Near North neighborhoods which includes River North, Streeterville, the Magnificent Mile, and Gold Coast.
  
  Overall reported crime in the Loop is up 47% over the past five years and 3% compared to last year. The Loop includes Chicago's central business district, Theater District, and Millenium Park, among other popular attractions.

The CWB Site has a bunch of graphs and explanations of how crime, especially violent crimes, are hitting five year highs. They also reveal exactly how Special Ed and his predecessors pretend overall crime is down:

• On paper, crime is down by about 350 incidents in the Uptown neighborhood. But the reduction is not due to a massive decline in serious crimes. Instead, police have essentially stopped enforcing drug laws on the streets. As a result, there have been about 400 fewer narcotics crimes reported in Uptown this year as five years ago.
  
  So, yes, crime is down by 350 cases in Uptown. But only because police have made 396 fewer drug arrests—just 44 this year compared to 440 during the same period five years ago.

Welcome to CompStat style statistical counting.....and outright lies to protect the politicians.

Officer Upgraded

Now in Good Condition.

The house is a loss and there are expenses before insurance payouts.

014 is running a GoFundMe site - link here.

Help if you can.

He Shot Him Over What?

This we can understand:

• A 49-year-old woman is facing charges after shooting her boyfriend Friday night in the South Side Englewood neighborhood, police said. Rose Breckenridge was charged with four felony counts of unlawful use or possession of a weapon by a felon and a misdemeanor count of domestic battery causing bodily harm, according to Chicago police.
  
  At 9:36 p.m., Breckenridge and her 47-year-old boyfriend were arguing inside a home in the 6700 block of South Winchester when she opened fire, police said. The man was struck in his shoulder and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

Completely understandable.....well, not completely, but common enough that we can overlook the pathology behind it.

This, not so much:

• An Oak Park man was denied bail Monday on charges that he shot a 27-year-old man Sunday afternoon in Lawndale following an argument over a parking space, authorities said. Officers responded to the shooting shortly before 1 p.m. in the 2700 block of West Lexington and found the wounded man suffering from a gunshot to his leg, according to Chicago police.
  
  During a hearing Monday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, Cook County prosecutors said 46-year-old Reginald McClendon argued with the 27-year-old after telling him to move his car. The younger man did move his vehicle, but McClendon was unhappy with where he moved it, telling the man the parking spaces were assigned, prosecutors said. During the argument, McClendon pulled out a gun and fired it multiple times at the man, striking him.

We have no idea why a guy from Oak Park cares about where someone parks in 011. The only place with more vacant lots and available parking than 011 is 007 last time we looked.

What's This? And Why?

So what is the purpose of this law?

• A rejected House bill that would have extended new pension perks to select Chicago aldermen could see another day.
  
  State lawmakers will reconvene Nov. 13 for veto session, during which they will have the opportunity to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto on any bill from the regular session.
  
  One of those bills will be House Bill 5342, a proposal sponsored by state Rep. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, that would provide an exclusive pension boost to Chicago aldermen who formerly worked for the Chicago Fire Department. The bill would amend the Illinois Pension Code by redefining “active fireman” under the Chicago Firefighter Article to include former firemen currently serving on the Chicago City Council.

How many former firefighters are actually on the City Council right now? Two? Four? So Martwick is going to rewrite the law to benefit a tiny sliver of an already limited club. Why?

Who was running against Martwick last week? A CPD sergeant? And the State FOP Lodge endorsed Martwick so he could introduce a bill to benefit less than half-a-dozen former firefighters?

Rahm Looking for Work

So where does a loud-mouth blowhard go?

• Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel may finally get paid for a job he’s been doing for free for years: offering opinions on national politics.
  
  Emanuel announced in September that he wouldn’t seek reelection as mayor and has since been largely mum about his post-mayoral plans. But he has attended meetings in New York with top executives at MSNBC and CNN in recent weeks, and discussed a potential future as a cable news pundit, according to several sources familiar with the conversations.
  
  In recent months, the outgoing Democratic mayor has been represented by agents with William Morris Endeavor, the talent agency and entertainment behemoth where his brother Ari Emanuel is the co-CEO.

Since he's been pushing lies about manpower, murder and crime statistics in general, he'd fit right in with CNN and MCNBC.

Off Duty Injured in Fire

Northwest side:

• An off-duty Chicago police officer is in the hospital after a fire in Portage Park.
  
  The blaze broke out at a home near Mason Avenue and Irving Park Road around 4:10 p.m. Monday afternoon.
  
  The police officer, 54, was taken to Lutheran General Hospital from the 4000 block of North Mason Avenue with smoke inhalation in critical condition, according to police.
  
  The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Prayers for the Officer.

Bond Was How Much?

Outraged yet Cook County voters?

• Why did a judge let an alleged rapist out on bond for $400 cash? [...] How did Burnell Johnson get a $400 cash bond?
  
  “Again, that’s just an accusation,” Johnson said.
  
  Not just accusations, Johnson faces criminal charges, including seven counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault of a handicapped person. His alleged victim, only known by her initials in police reports, is in her 30’s, but functions as a 6-year-old, with an IQ of 47.

We're imagining, no, not very much.

Another Low Bond

We thought $300 for a heroin dealer was proportionally cheap, but this is also pretty damn low (click for a larger version):

That's a $50 D-Bond, meaning the offender has to post 10% ($5) to walk out.

Five bucks.

Oh, did we mention that he has forty-seven other arrests, twenty-five of which resulted in a conviction?

Who's the problem again?

How Low Can You Go?

Good thing the election is over because this dumbass judge would have attracted a lot of attention:

• A 70-year-old man is facing charges of selling a kilogram of heroin to undercover officers — and of possessing over $1 million of the drug — in the Portage Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side.
  
  Manuel Mejia Rojas, who lives in the Little Village neighborhood, was charged with class X felonies of delivering and possessing a controlled substance, according to Cook County states attorneys. He was held on $300 bail.

$300 bail?

For over $1 million in heroin. A drug that's been called a "humanitarian" crisis andis tearing apart not only the inner cities, but the suburbs and rural parts of America as well.

Surely that's a misprint and the reporter meant $300,000, right?

• “That’s a lot of drugs, son,” Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. said at a bail hearing Saturday in the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on the Southwest Side.
  
  Judge Lyke asked what bail he could afford to pay, and Rojas replied $300. Lyke set his bail to $300 and order him to be placed on electronic monitoring.

Oh. Well. Electronic Monitoring. That's a relief. No chance he'll manage to do bad things while he's on Dart's World Famous Electronic Monitoring Program. A program renowned far and wide for it's ability to tell EXACTLY where every prisoner is at all times.

Nice Train Rahm

There's no justice like street justice:

• Two men were hospitalized after an argument turned bloody early Saturday on the Red Line heading south from the Loop, Chicago police said.
  
  The confrontation between the men turned physical as the 24-year-old pulled out a gun and shot the 38-year-old in the stomach around 12:15 a.m. as the train sped toward the CTA’s Cermak-Chinatown station, police said.
  
  In return, police said, the 38-year-old grabbed the gun from the younger man who just shot him and began beating him with it.
  
  As other passengers fled from the train car as it pulled into the platform in the 100 block of West Cermak Road, police officers found the two men — one shot, the other battered — still in the Red Line car.

Still no word on how someone snuck a gun onto the CTA in violation of all those signs Rahm ordered to be put up. You'd think it was damn near impossible to be armed on a Chicago train nowadays.

Good Samaritan Learns Lesson

Not that we wish ill upon anyone (except Shanks, Rahm, Durbin...okay, we wish a lot of ill sometimes), but some people are just dumb:

• A 32-year-old homeless man allegedly stabbed a man and tried to steal his van during an incident that ended in a crash and chase in the River North neighborhood Saturday morning.
  
  It happened about 8 a.m. in the 200 block of East Hubbard Street as a 39-year-old good Samaritan offered to take the 32-year-old man to his home for a shower and to clean up, Chicago police said.
  
  After they got into a van, the 32-year-old pulled a knife and began trying to stab the older man while he was driving, police said.
  
  The 39-year-old jumped out of his van but grabbed onto its side door as the homeless man tried to drive away with it, crashing instead.

How long are they going to stick with this "good Samaritan" routine? Anyone know if there's a "stroll" over on East Hubbard?

A Better Question

So here are some of Englewood guy's tickets from the last decade:

And here's one of his other five cars:

And as our data mining guy points out, he's been issued numerous Notices of Seizure and Final Determinations since 2009.

So maybe the the question should be, "Why did it take ten years to boot all this guy's cars?" Or, "Why are certain communities exempt from prompt and near-immediate booting when they get two unpaid tickets?"

Or would that make CBS uncomfortable?

Sessions Parting Shot

The Attorney General tosses one final wrench on the all-too-frequently abused Consent Decree law:

• Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in one of his final acts as the nation’s top cop, curtailed the ability of law enforcement officials to use court-enforced agreements to create change within local police departments accused of civil rights violations.
  
  Consent decrees are often used to enforce an agreement between the Justice Department and a local police department to address a violation of law. They were used more frequently under the Obama administration to resolve civil rights violations by police departments and more broadly modify police practices across the country.
  
  The memorandum, which Sessions signed shortly before President Trump effectively fired him, “provides guidance on the limited circumstances in which such a consent decree may be appropriate” and “limits the terms for consent decrees and settlement agreements with state and local governmental entities, including terms requiring the use of monitors; and amends the process for the approval of these mechanisms in cases in which they are permissible.”

The on-tap Consent Decree is slated to cost the city hundreds of millions of dollars - hundreds of millions that the City doesn't have and has no intention of spending, not least of all on improving the police department. We're beginning to think much of this "Decree" won't ever be implemented (by either side) and is merely being used as theater.

FOP Cuts Ties with Herbert

Lots of political intrigue over on Washington:

• Just over a month after Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder, leaders of the union that represents most of the department’s rank-and-file officers apparently are unhappy with his lawyer.
  
  The board of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 has voted to no longer refer cases to Daniel Herbert, a former CPD officer and prosecutor who once worked as an FOP staff attorney. Herbert, who headed a team of attorneys representing Van Dyke, has built his private practice largely on representing police officers in labor disputes, as well as handling civil and criminal cases involving officers.
  
  [...]
  
  In a statement, Herbert said Van Dyke wants to keep him on as his lawyer, and that the FOP board members who voted in favor of not sending further union business his way were “entitled to their opinion.” He noted that they had not attended the “majority” of the proceedings in Van Dyke’s case and had not watched all of the trial, which was broadcast live. FOP President Kevin Graham and Vice President Martin Preib both attended numerous pre-trial hearings and much of the three-week trial.

So there wasn't a meeting of the full Board?

Deadline? What Deadline?

What is it with the police labor organizations and deadlines? Here's another one missed:

• SCC, the Sergeants Union messes up big time. So the Sergeants filed a grievance under the “Me-Too” clause regarding wages. This is what was sent to all the Sergeants earlier this week:
  
  This afternoon I received the Arbitrator award from our attorney regarding our grievance and arbitration award for the the Me-Too Wage Increase. The Arbitrator award reads as such, "Grievance is barred by the Perkovich award. None of the grievances was timely filed. All are procedurally inarbitrable and dismissed on that basis." The arbitrator dismissed the grievances of the Captains, Lieutenants, and Sergeants as they were all argued in the same arbitration. The arbitrator further stated "Given the obvious desire of all parties to maintain wage parity, I expect the matter will be addressed in the apparently ongoing contract negotiations."
  
  To say that this award is disappointing would be a major understatement. This arbitrator failed to follow past practice of applying one award granted to all unions. I cannot express to you my displeasure at this time. Like all of you I had expected that we would prevail in this arbitration. This award allows the city breathing room for issuing wage increases which will now have to be done retroactively at the conclusion of contract negotiations. I do apologize for the outcome of this matter. Please, rest assured we will continue to fight for our contractual rights. The battle is not yet over. Thank you for all that you do, be safe, and remember, take care of each other.
  
  So they lost because they didn’t file in time. What great leadership... Rumor is that next weeks meeting will be well attended and a resignation demand will be motioned. If they refuse to resign members have enough signatures to go forward with impeachment procedures. Stay tuned!!!

Anyone know what this grievance was about? And how filing deadlines are missed? Is Shields running the PBPA now?

Petition Drive

Regarding the death of an off-duty officer who was killed by a reckless driver on the expressway:

• Hello SCC,
  
  Thank you so much for sharing the news link and story about fallen Officer Tito Rodriguez’s failed case and plea deal Kim Foxx’s office was offering the shit head. The FOP has created this petition for the judge to overturn the plea deal and bring this case to trial. Can you please share the letter from the FOP and the signature sheet with your readers? Any and all signature sheets will help out as his family and FOP are looking to get 6,000 signatures to present to the judge on December 4th as this is the final court date. I will be presenting it to my District Commander today in hopes that it can be presented in roll call for the next few days. I ask that any signature sheets be turned into the FOP. Signatures are not limited to officers as the general public can sign this petition as well. Although, I believe their may be an Illinois residency requirement. Thanks again for all that you do and keeping our members and your readers up to date with what’s going on.
  
  Regards,
  

We don't know if Unit Reps are circulating this or what, but here's a version you should be able to print out and have at the desk. Completed sheets can be mailed to the FOP via Department Mail (click for larger versions):

Get them in before the end of the month.

Darn You Evil Police!

Expecting the citizens to follow the law:

• An Englewood driver booted five times this week alone has racked up nearly $8,000 in parking ticket debt with the City of Chicago, and he says he can’t pay the tab.
  
  Some might believe that if you follow the law and adhere to the penalties if you break it, you won’t get into hot water with the city, but that’s not the case for everyone.
  
  Joe Nathaniel says he can’t pay his parking ticket debt, which totals $7,921. Records show he’s racked up 38 violations since 2006, forcing him to file for bankruptcy. His five booted vehicles include two Mercedes, all booted on the same street on the same day.

Check out that underlined paragraph again:

• Some might believe that if you follow the law and adhere to the penalties if you break it, you won’t get into hot water with the city, but that’s not the case for everyone.

If you get 38 violations since 2006, you obviously aren't following the law. In fact, you might be accused of actively flouting the law. And he owns five vehicles, two of which are Benz'z? All properly licensed and registered? He couldn't sell one to cover all the debts?

We smell bullshit here.

Glenn Sues Everyone

Former Commander Glenn Evans has expanded his lawsuit to include certain media types:

• A Cook County Circuit Court lawsuit claiming top officials at the city’s former police oversight agency conspired to frame a Chicago police commander on criminal charges has been amended to include a public radio station and a reporter who wrote about the story.
  
  The amended complaint brought by attorneys for former Chicago Police Commander Glenn Evans now names as defendants the public radio station WBEZ and reporter Chip Mitchell, claiming that Mitchell and WBEZ conspired with officials at the city’s former civil oversight agency, IPRA, and “knowingly and recklessly published false information about Commander Evans. . . .”
  
  The lawsuit—which also names IPRA officials and investigators Martrice Campbell, Sharon Fairley, Scott Ando, Andrea Stoutenborough, Anthony Finnell, Vincent Jones, James Lukas, and the City of Chicago—claims the defendants ginned up false allegations against Evans based upon a 2013 arrest Evans made in an abandoned building after Evans observed an offender with a gun and gave chase.

Many descriptions we've heard of Evans is a generally good cop....with the personality of sandpaper. He was particularly abrasive with political hacks and aldercreatures, which puts him a couple of notches above most of the exempt staff currently in charge.

The people he names and the internal politics he's already exposed as corrupt to the core put him light years ahead of Special Ed in terms of backing the rank-and-file. This is especially pertinent as outlined in this article where IPRA and then COPA have been leaking confidential information to the media, plaintiff lawyers and various anti-police bad actors for years.

No Weekend Garages

Don't get a flat tire on the weekends anymore:

• In the latest of a series of dumb moves that compromise the safety of cops and citizens, the Department is closing all maintenance garages on weekends. So if you get a flat tire or crack a windshield, the vehicle will remain un-serviceable and unrepaired for the entire weekend. In fact, if you wreck a car, you won't even be able to get a pool car, leaving the District down a vehicle.

Not even a skeleton crew to give you a tire. Amazing.