Broken System

Remember when there was nationwide support for a "three strikes" law? A lot of states passed legislation....but not Illinois! Criminals get to re-offend - over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over....:

• Randall Brown, a 30-time convicted felon accused of stealing motorized scooters in Lincoln Park and Streeterville two years ago, is heading back to prison for his 31st and 32nd felony convictions.

  Brown, also known as Randall Browning, pleaded guilty on Thursday to two counts of possessing a stolen motor vehicle to resolve the scooter cases. Judge Anjana Hansen gave him concurrent six-year sentences. However, because he earned 942 days of credit in jail, and the state will cut his sentence by 50% for good behavior, Brown is expected to be back on the streets in about 153 days.

  Brown had been on parole for less than a month for ten similar cases when Chicago police detectives began looking at him as a suspect in a string of scooter thefts stretching across the North Side and downtown. They eventually charged him with two cases that involved photo and video evidence.

Thirty-two felony convictions. 

And he'll be back in Chicago before summer is over.

But this time will be different, right?

Keep voting for democrats.

DSI Details (Allegedly)

From the comments (edited for paragraphs):

• Did some digging today on the new DSI program with some “friends”. Sounded good right? More OT opportunities for everyone? NOPE.

  So it’s starting just weekends from 1900-0400hrs for the first month to work out the kinks. In June, it will be rolled out in 2 watches, 0800-1700 and 1900-0400. They want two start times because the 0800 start will help days and afternoons. 1900 will help afternoons and midnights. So it’s starting just weekends from 1900-0400hrs for the first month to work out the kinks. In June, it will be rolled out in 2 watches, 0800-1700 and 1900-0400. They want two start times because the 0800 start will help days and afternoons. 1900 will help afternoons and midnights.

  The reason they are doing this is to put ALL OT in the hands of the chiefs and 1st deputies office. Commanders are pretty much going to lose control of how OT is assigned. For example.. in a district, 10 people volunteer to work an RDO on 3rd watch.. in reality, they really only need 4 officers to cover down cars.. who cares right?? Hire them all back and pay the OT to have more cars. So what’s going to happen, is on a weekly basis, every district will send patrol and the 1st deputies office the manpower projections for that week and request DSI cars to supplement. They will then decide through the DSI program how many officers to assign. So if they are only down 2 cars, then that’s all they get. If patrol thinks the district is fine being down only 1 car on the watch then they may not fill it at all.

  Voluntary RDO OT is gone. If you want to do it, you need to sign up for DSI because it will no longer be allowed in units and districts without the authorization of the 1st deputies office and with the proper approved OT code. The commander can no longer let their watch commanders hire as many people as they want. The only hiring back in districts will be for supervisors and that will be done by a bid system open to all supervisors in that area. Highest in seniority of those that volunteer will win the bid to work that OT. Same with LT’s and all of that will be coordinated by the area deputy chiefs office so no more of just offering OT around the watch for someone to pick up the shift. All will be done by the area and open to all same area supervisors.

  Voluntary traffic missions are gone. Snelling hates the blue card game and he hates the waste of money on “violence and robbery missions” that bring in 4 blue cards and a few parkers.

  Tac and unit OT missions are gone and the reasoning is that they have plenty of time to do missions during their regular tour… technically their entire tour IS a anti violence mission so they don’t need them doing it on OT.

  All Bureaus will be affected with OT being handled by the Chiefs office who will report to the first deputies office. Narcotics, gangs, intel, fugitive, Detectives, academy, caps everything.. it’s all getting changed and squeezed in all places.

Seems like .... overly complicated? Area-centric? 

Some comments already say this is a complete misreading of the program, or even a fabrication. Someone else thinks that it's a way to field personnel on weekends that will be immediately deploy-able downtown for "protests" or "teen takeovers." We think that THAT is most likely of all the scenarios

F.Y.I. on Gun Arrests

Seems there was a recent court decision about street stops:

• ....stopping someone for a gun alone, i.e. L shaped object, bulge, butt of handle sticking out of waist, seen on pod, etc. Is not enough to justify a Terry stop. The appellate court on 31Mar affirmed the lower courts decision. The court noted, at least regarding probable cause: “We wish to emphasize that under the current legal landscape, police cannot simply assume a person who possesses a firearm outside the home is involved in criminal activity. Likewise, they cannot use a firearm in partial view, such as a semi-exposed gun protruding from the pant pocket of a person on a public street, alone as probable cause to arrest an individual for illegal possession without first identifying whether the individual has the necessary licenses. We thus caution against an ‘arrest first, determine licensure later’ method of policing".
  

This would seem to bring into question the visual ID portion of the camera room in a post we made last week. It would also seem that "Terry Stops" are now in play for re-litigating?

The full case is People v. Dorsey, 2025 IL App (1st) 240933 if you're interested in the full decision.

No Sympathy Here

Recognize this parking lot?

That's "Public Safety Headquarters," or 35th and Michigan. Officers were ticketing numerous vehicles in between rain storms yesterday. No idea what the tickets were for (our emailer didn't let us know), but there were a bunch.

No front plates? City stickers? Tints? No idea at all. But if you're working at HQ among all of the brass and the media wandering in and out for pressers all day, then you better be 100% legit each and every day.

Now let's see if they do uniforms and personal grooming standards.

 

Dart Dumps E.M.

 Tommy is finally ditching the hot-potato and political anchor that was dragging down his ambitions:

• The Cook County sheriff’s office is ending its decades-old electronic monitoring program, handing it over to the chief judge amid questions about who will arrest violators and how extra staff will be funded.

  Beginning Tuesday, anyone placed on electronic monitoring after being found to be a flight risk or a danger to the public will be overseen by the Adult Probation Department, administered by Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans.

  The sheriff’s office, which has complained it can no longer safely administer the program, will continue handling its current caseload of people on monitors.

  Questions remain about how the Adult Probation Department will scale up its operation, with about 900 new cases expected over the next six months.

Now Evans gets a bunch of patronage hires for Prickwrinkle's army and taxes will no doubt be raised to fund the extra one-hundred-fifty new monitoring personnel.

Let's see if the political blowback lands in the Courts instead of the sheriff.

Income Based Fines

California giving everyone another reason to leave:

• San Francisco is launching a new program backed by Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom that will issue speeding tickets based on income.

  The Speed Safety System Pilot Program was signed by Newsom in October 2023 and allows cities across California to use speeding cameras to fine drivers. Those considered lower-income are eligible for a steep discount if they receive a speeding ticket.

  Violations for speeding range from $50 to $500, but individuals with a household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible for a 50% discount, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Indigent persons, or individuals who are homeless, are eligible for an 80% discount on the speeding ticket.

If you can't afford the fines, perhaps you shouldn't be owing a car? Maybe take public transit everywhere.

At this point we have to wonder if the California government is just trying to make the state unlivable so anyone who can afford to leave will depart....and f#$% up the rest of the country. 

Watch for Fata$$ to propose something similar.

PPP Fraud Discussion

The IG goes on the radio and discusses the PPP loan fraud:

• Deborah Witzburg, Chicago Inspector General, joins Lisa Dent to discuss PPP fraud among 41 Illinois employees. Of the 41 Illinois employees who committed fraud, many worked for the Illinois Department of Human Services. But Witzburg explains that some were police officers, and even state politicians.

There is an audio file at the link.

Is the statute of limitations approaching? Because we figure Debby Downer is in place meremy to run out the clock. We've linked to a few cases where well known exempt members of the CPD are listed as getting PPP loans.....but as we recall, the Police Department never actually shut down where they could plausibly justify their one-person security companies or hair salons that only seemed to have home addresses.

Great Idea

From HeyJackass.com:

• At a ribbon cutting today on Chicago’s West Side, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced that his People’s Plan will now include the nation’s first crime-related loyalty program called Rap Sheet Rewards.

  “Today, I’m announcing that all residents of Chicago 11 years or older, who have at least one arrest will be receiving a loyalty card in the mail that will be good for up to 10 free crimes a year. I like to call them, Rap Sheet Rewards, y’all.” The mayor continued, “This isn’t going to be some fancy card with a chip and an app… we can’t afford that with my teachers’ contract and all… we’re going old school with a simple, raggedy punch card.”

  While the mayor did not provide much detail on how Rap Sheet Rewards is likely to work, City Hall has hinted that every crime will have a set number of punches, much like a sub sandwich or cup of coffee would garner at a local cafe or restaurant. For example, a simple battery or garage burglary would only be good for one or two punches while a shooting could be worth five and a homicide would be worth the entire card or 10 punches.

  It is also not clear what a full card would grant the holder. However, it’s possible to be a form of amnesty from arrest and conviction for “punched” crimes or possibly lesser “rewards” such as the ability to “get busy in a Burger King bathroom” as Mayor Johnson suggested.

  “For far too long, we have seen disinvestment in our community. Our top priority is to mobilize full spectrum stakeholders to tackle community issues with the addition of Rap Sheet Rewards”, the mayor said while appearing to roll a marijuana cigarette. He wrapped up his comments on the new loyalty program stating, “This top-down, yet bottom-up limp to the side like your leg was broken, shakin’ and twitchin’ kinda like you was smokin’ approach will allow those who’ve made a silly decision or two to now have the ability to commit crime without the burden of the 27-tiered justice system.”

Hopefully we'll be seeing this graphic on a t-shirt soon? Lord knows our other t-shirts are seeing a bit of wear and tear. We could use a new one or three for summertime. 

Support the only trustworthy source for crime numbers in the Raggedy Windy City.

Another Great Idea from Springfield

You know those homeless encampments in the parks, under the bridges, up and down the lakefront? Be prepared for even more of them:

• A growing group of Illinois legislators is sponsoring legislation that would prohibit local governments from enforcing fines or criminal penalties when “people experiencing unsheltered homelessness” occupy or engage in “life-sustaining activities” on public property.

  Among the “life-sustaining activities” that would be protected are “moving, resting, sitting, standing, lying down, sleeping, protecting oneself from the elements, eating, drinking, and storing such personal property as needed to shelter oneself.”

  So far, 23 state representatives, including Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, have signed on as sponsors or co-sponsors of House Bill 1429, also known as the Homeless Bill of Rights.

  Tent cities and group camps have caused problems in neighborhoods across Chicago, from West Loop encampments that sparked shootings and drug dealing to the two-year occupancy of Gompers Park.

What we really need is for these "tent cities" and encampments to be built on property owned by politicians or trusts controlled by politicians so they can enjoy the crap they're saddling everyone else with. Kids can't play in public parks any more because of these homeless assholes blocking access to play lots, ball fields, leaving all sorts of needles, trash and bodily waste all over the place. Where do the politicians think they are - San Francisco?

VRI Returns?

So what's this "DSI" program we're hearing about?

Are they addressing the shortages via massive OT again?

Will they finally admit the manpower shortages are going to be acute this summer?

Is this last ditch effort to stave off the twelve-hour shifts being proposed, piloted and negotiated in secret?

It's a Draw!

All sides are claiming victory in the CTU negotiations:

• Mayor Brandon Johnson has a long way to go to realize his dream of becoming Chicago’s longest-serving mayor. But he proudly proclaimed Tuesday that there are “a couple of things that Richard M. Daley and I do have some alignment around: running successful Democratic National Conventions and avoiding teachers strikes.”

  A former middle school teacher turned paid organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, Johnson is claiming victory for having delivered a new tentative contract agreement for his former union brethren — and for Chicagoans like him who send their children to Chicago public schools.

  As the CTU’s House of Delegates and rank-and-file members prepare to vote on the contract, questions remain about who really came out ahead in this hard-fought battle and whether the contract was worth the months of acrimony and the political price that Johnson had to pay.

But we're told by people who know and people who have been pretty close to negotiations that this Contract is - in essence - a repeat of the 2019 agreement. In fact, where the Police Department got 5% raises, the CTU will get 4%.

Stacy Davis Gates comes out the biggest loser here, which is actually where she started - a loser, and she can go back to her Indiana home and await what is looking to be a contentious election for her spot in the near future. The opposition is going to hammer her for demanding the world and settling for 2019 numbers.

Conehead is still basing a lot of his budget numbers on hope, dreams and pure fantasy regarding revenue streams, so he's probably a loser on this one, too.

This is a Strategy?

We knew he was dumb, but can Conehead be this dumb?

• Mayor’s Crime strategy “if they downtown, they ain’t on the block”.
  
  
  
  His strategy is to let “them” run wild downtown so he keeps shootings down in the hood.

And as more and more downtown businesses shutter their doors and pack up their tents, who's going to pick up the slack in tax revenues? We've already pointed out a few articles that document the hoods are losing citizens who are being buried by property tax hikes.

Again?

Out on "bail" and committing more crimes? Say it ain't so!

• A man accused of being the second gunman involved in a mass shooting earlier this month was on probation for burglary and AWOL from a pending felony gun case when he opened fire on the victims at a liquor store in Back of the Yards, prosecutors said.

  [...] Vargas is charged with three counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting three victims: a 22-year-old man who was struck in the chest, a 47-year-old man hit in the abdomen, and a 46-year-old man struck in the wrist. Chicago police officers who arrested Vargas said he had a pistol with an extended magazine in his waistband when they took him into custody.

  Court records show that a judge detained Vargas on a separate gun charge one year ago, but a different judge later allowed Vargas to go home to await trial. He never showed up in court again, according to court records.

  [...] Judge Ankur Srivastava agreed with prosecutors that Vargas was a public safety risk who should be kept in jail on the gun charge. But four months later, on September 5, Judge Angela Munari-Petrone agreed to let Vargas go home. He failed to show up for court 11 days later and a warrant had been out for his arrest ever ince.

And in case anyone thinks it doesn't matter:

• He is the fourth person accused of shooting or trying to shoot someone in Chicago this year while on felony pretrial release. Those four individuals are accused of killing or trying to kill 16 people, including 9 Chicago police officers.

Fata$$ and Evans are deliberately trying to kill police officers.

F#$% Off with This $hit

A bunch of ignorant people (or folks) confronted the ignorant mayor the other day:

• A loved one of a man who was shot to death by two Chicago police officers interrupted a speech Sunday afternoon by Mayor Brandon Johnson at a community listening session.

  The mayor had just begun speaking at the listening session, hosted by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression at Trinity United Church of Christ in Roseland, when people began to shout from the audience, according to video of the event.

  Among them was Charlotta Pritchett, partner of 58-year-old Timothy Glaze, who was at the listening session with members of the organization Dare to Struggle to try to get answers from the mayor on her boyfriend’s killing, according to a press release from the group.

She wants to know why:

• after calling the police 
• and telling the call taker that her boyfriend had a knife and was going to stab her,
  
• that the police showed up and shot him when he opened the door with the knife in his hand and approached the officers in a threatening manner.

The boyfriend that she had gotten an Order of Protection against, and still allowed him back into the residence.

• His family has said he was in “mental distress” and officers should have tried to de-escalate the situation. The family is also incensed that the two officers are back on patrol after spending 30 days assigned to administrative duties, per department policy following a fatal shooting.

  “They were there trying to get the mayor’s attention and to get his answer as to why the officers who were the cause of Timothy Glaze being killed are still on the force,” said Jasmine Smith, an activist with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, who was one of about 100 people at the meeting.

F@#$ off Jasmine. And F#@$ off Chicago Alliance of Mopes Who Don't Know Shit.

We hereby make the offer to Jasmine that we've made a few times before to other morons, including members of the media (maybe some small variations to the details):

• We will outfit you with a gun, live ammo, taser, baton, vest, handcuffs and OC spray;
• We will hide in a residence of our choosing, armed with one of the following - knife, bat, board or other blunt instrument;
• You will "deescalate" or use a non-lethal option to disarm and secure us;
• We will also provide you with a signed and notarized letter absolving you from being sued by ourselves, our families, or any surviving relatives.
  

Scoring:

• If you use the gun, we win;
• If you use any of the non-lethal weapons, we win;
• If we make physical contact with you (fist, kick, headbutt or chosen weapon) we win;
• If you get us into handcuffs, you win....unless we suffer any identifiable cut, bruise, contusion or wound, then we win;

If you win, we'll give you $100,000 cash money.

If we win, you admit publicly that you don't know shit about police work, disband your pathetic organization and donate any assets to the CPD Chaplains.

We await your email....we're pretty sure we'll be waiting a long time.

Unknown Motive

Dear ol' dad has no idea:

• Aquino called for an arrest to be made in the shooting and questioned who would want to take his son’s life.

  “I want to see who did it and why,” Aquino said. "[Justice] is important.”

But as we posted yesterday, the family wasn't quick enough to purge "shadow's" social media.

Oh, you didn't know he was nicknamed "shadow"? Didn't notice the black and beige clothing?

You didn't see the "down with the crown" hand signs, typically used by two-six bangers to dis the kings? 

Don't worry - someone will get shot over near Central Park or Homan or Kedzie shortly.

Another Credit Downgrade

We're pretty sure the Pension Fund is never going to see a dime from the casino:

• Bally’s has received another credit downgrade from a key Wall Street ratings agency, dealing the latest tough card to the corporation behind Chicago’s casino.

  Fitch Ratings cited “execution risk in the development of the Chicago projects” along with high debt and other issues for the Rhode Island-based gaming company while lowering their rating from B to B- in a decision announced Friday. Fitch analysts say Bally’s “should have sufficient funding to complete” their $1.7 billion permanent casino at 777 W. Chicago Ave., which is supposed to open in September 2026.

  But potentially lowering Bally’s odds of maxing out their River West jackpot are “a saturated Chicago gaming market, the higher-than-average gaming tax rate, and the typical ramp-up of a new casino development,” according to Fitch, which downgraded the company last year, too. All three major Wall Street ratings agencies have dinged Bally’s since it landed the Chicago casino license in 2022. Lower credit ratings make it more expensive for companies to borrow money.

And just to make it even more painful:

• But it hasn’t come close to revenue projections set by the city. With new competition from a freshly opened south suburban casino, Bally’s made less than $8.8 million at Medinah in February, its worst monthly showing in more than a year, according to Illinois Gaming Board records.

The city "spent" those "projections" last year, meaning the shortfalls will have to be made up somewhere else....like tax hikes, fee and fine increases, hiring freezes, cuts to services. 

Not from the CPS/CTU though. Gotta keep those empty schools open!