Out-of-Grade Slips Ready?
We highly doubt this is going to work out well:
Chicago police officers were relieved of one of their most grisly responsibilities 25 years ago: hauling dead bodies to the medical examiner’s office.
Cook County initially took over the job, then handed it off to a series of private companies with mixed results — and a few scandals along the way.
Now, the city’s decision to award a five-year, nearly $4.5 million contract for body removal to a single Northwest Side funeral home is raising questions — one police supervisor wondered whether “a funeral home is equipped to handle the city’s volume.”
Wallace Harrison Funeral Home was the lowest of three bids for the lucrative contract.
And just how did they get this Contract?
- At one point, GSSP was charging Chicago $915-per-body, the largest removal fee paid by any big city in the nation. Wallace Harrison Funeral Home will charge the city $172-per-body.
Talk about your "low ball" bid.
And the manpower in place to fulfill the Contract?
Wallace-Harrison told the Sun-Times that she has 20 transport vehicles and 20 employees. But the affidavit she filed with the city last fall indicates that her funeral home has just five full-time employees, including herself.
The affidavit lists only one employee by name: Nakia Wallace-Harrison. A second manager is listed, but not identified. The three remaining employees are listed as “TBD.”
As in, "No one has been hired for the position yet."
This has disaster written all over it, but suddenly, the wagon just might be a financially attractive job. One body moved is D-3 pay for the tour.
Labels: city politics
posted by SCC at 12:07 AM
94 Comments:
If 2 guys make $20 an hour, that's $320 a day.
Add on other costs like maintaining vehicles etc.
It sounds like they will only have one van up.
That's the only way they can make money. Expect to be waiting hours for these goofs to show up.
Do bodies even fit in the newer mini-van wagons? Do they have enough of the old squadrols still around?
Sounds like a cool job working for the funeral home !
Minimum wage? Where can I sign up?
I like dead bodies!
Google them. You’ll clearly see why they got the contract.
Wallace Harrison Funeral Home - 7751 W Irving Park Rd
what happened to Rago brothers ???
The city loves waisting money give close to $1,000. Per deceased individual. Sad. The whole thing got started to give money to politically connected people. Sgt’s pay in 2007 for a PO was $25. Total for the day that’s with 15 years. I know because I got it twice.
Watch “The Mortician” on HBO and see what happens when someone provides unbelievably low cost Funeral related services.
I had to remove bodies that were at least one week deceased when me and my partner had to shovel the remains into a body bag and transport it to the morgue. Will I be compensated accordingly? I unfortunately had to do this throughout the summer my rookie year and a few years following.
I can’t do a death removal with a bwc. I did a couple of dozen in 95’ 96, 97, 98, and 99. The bodies head bounces off stairs on the way down the 3 flights of stairs even with full compassion.
The semi trailers at the taste are owned by the same company that was used during the massive heat wave during the 90's, to refrigerate the bodies. LaRao or something.
Praying for another extreme Heat Wave like 1995 and 300 urban bodies need to be removed now!
7751 W Irving Park in Chicago is Rago Bros funeral home for 35 years
It appears Wallace Harris is using this address as a PO Box to get the contract
Only in Chicago !!!
I'd be a little skeptical. Their website is can not be reached.. Looks like they have only been in business for 10 years. Better be sure you have all the evidence picked up before you call them. If not, they might be gathering more then just the bodies.
Better off giving the money to the wagon. It’s faster too
My morning laugh for the day, thanks! Haha 😂Haha 😂
Follow the money and you will find a campaign contributor(s).
Watch the doc The Mortician it will explain why these funeral homes want bodies, sickening to say the least.
Always had to stop at jimmys for a polish and fries on the way to the morgue with the stiff in the back of the truck.
A black owned funeral home on Irving Park between Cumberland and Harlem?
don't worry,,,, fahgetabowdit,,,, the politicians have already told the liberals news to ignore all the complaints about that pick up service and make up something again about Trump
Black owned of course but this also SCREAMS friends of friends contract. Lula Wallace was an IT manager and CIO of city colleges for a loooooong time. Go down the rabbit hole and I’m sure you’ll find the connection to CTU.
Bag $160, fuel + labor (even at the bullshit min wage rate in chicago) is more than $172...
so they're hoping to make up the loss in volume? maybe on the back end with someone paying for all the funerals?
envelopes might be a bit thin though..
I hear their employees only work 9 to 5 with an hour for lunch.
3 to 4 hours per body( drive to locations, pick up the body and deliver). At $20 an hour, for 2 drivers is $120-$160 in labor. $12 to $32 before overhead?
Years ago the main reason wagons stopped hauling bodies was it’s against Illinois law to transport deceased persons in a vehicle that is mainly purposed for transporting living human beings..
Late cars are screwed.
Same here. Working 3rd watch, my first removal was a stinker that was stuck to the floor because he'd been there so long. Good thing I had a party to go to after my watch!
3 flights of stairs? No way. Out a window.
Years ago when I was in 002 we had a pretty nasty one that we dropped off at the morgue. The smell was pretty incredible and it lingered in the wagon. We were going to find someone to hose it down, either the firehouse or motor maintenance. On the way back, the Testicle Team called for a wagon on Federal since they had a few loud mouths in cuffs getting a crowd going. No wagons were up so we responded to the 10 -1. As the assholes were dragged into the reeking wagon, they suddenly became very docile, begging to NOT be put in the wagon. They knew that smell, living in the Taylor homes it was familiar. When we got em to the station they were begging to get out and promised to behave. Especially after we told them they were going to stay in the wagon while the papers were being processed. That five minute ride took all of the fight right out of them...
I thought the same thing. I seriously doubt that Harris is doing anything but renting space at Rago, which is common in the funeral home business. A prominent funeral home owner recently told me that funeral homes are not doing a lot of business and many will close in the coming years. It seems our generation ( boomers ) is the last to want to hold a funeral and burial service. The younger people are going for direct cremation with many scattering the ashes. No service, no ceremonies, no end of life celebrations and no burials. When you die you are erased.
Wasting not "waisting" as in Jelly Belly's pant size.
In 2018, the CCMEO started a new process for burying unclaimed veterans by utilizing a county contract to enlist the services of local funeral homes one of those being Nakia Wallace’s funeral home. So she was already in bed with the county and I’m sure theirs politic funds to show her support.
Never will happen these days ... no more projects and every mutt now has an AC in their home thanks to all the free handouts. There's isnt a "poor" family in this city living anything like a "poor" family lived in 95. Nor is 1995 poor the same as 2025 poor. The only way something like in 95 would happen again would be for the city power grid to go down for a week during a 90+ stretch.
Very "powdery".
The new Uber BODY SNATCHER DIVISION; gotta truck, make some bucks!!!
Long ago in the suburbs, most gas stations had a tow truck and a police/fire scanner blinking away.
Always listening for the word 'HOOK' and its location.
It was mostly first-come, first-served.
Today social workers and gig workers can do the job with UBER BODY SNATCHER DIVISION
Surge zones pay more!
Fourth floor walk-up, bring muscular friends for extra pay!
(Don't forget your ring cutter!)
Hostile Fire Pay (HFP) and Imminent Danger Pay (IDP) for special neighborhoods$$$
Uber Black SUV premium ride option$$$
Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Robert Quinn expressed a preference for Cadillac ambulances. He said, "If a person in Chicago is going to die en route to a hospital then they will go out in style"
He had the big Caddy ride a year later, in 1979.
There is MORE!
Chicago can tax the crap out of the gig workers and require special license up the wazoo, plus a bigger tax on Uber!
WIN,WIN, WIN!!!
Stand by. The circus continues.
That's what I was thinking. So you'll camp-out with the stiffs between 17:00 and 09:00 the next day (M-F)? What about weekends and holidays, no pick-up? Amalgamated Body Snatchers union #312.
The county was and is still responsible for removing the Medical Examiner cases old man Daley was in charge of both the county and the city so to not tax the county he just stuck it to the CPD to do the pick ups even the non criminal cases that’s why the funeral homes gave a tip to the wagon crew who carried the body into the funeral home and put it on his slab. Does anyone remember Bigs & Bigs on Jackson & Kedzie it was at least 25 stairs to the basement embalming room. Daily didn’t give a shit about the CPD you were told it was your job and no superintendent ever challenged the removals.
Several funeral homes registered to this address. Looks like they use it for cremation services.
WOW! Is this ever going to be in the top 10 of city fuck-ups! These people have no idea how many bodies per day need to be hauled away. And let’s not forget, God forbid if the city suffers a mass disaster. So here we are again, waiting for the body snatchers who work at a snails pace. Now for the work at hand,(no pun intended ) bring the stretcher, bag the dude and pick up the scattered body parts and throw ‘em in the bag with the torso.
The suicide jumper or the one who tried to stop the Metra express, good luck.
SCC, you have to concede there is no established business for this line of work. Ready to roll anywhere in the city on a phone call, under any circumstances, sometimes involving multiples? Any company would need to hire extras in personnel, vehicles, equipment. The break-in period will be a mess but within a year (or two) should be set. I don't miss those calls. Retired 17 years now.
Remember to take the “wagon” to be cleaned and sanitized after a haul.
Or Rago Bros are using a F/1 to front as a minority owned business to get the contract.
I agree 😂
LaGrou.
They still have a terminal in the city but they moved everything else out to Boringbrook.
Have a wagon per Area assigned to just do DOA removals. I'm sure there's some who wouldn't mind it at D-3 pay.
A bigger issue is that people are retiring after 20 years on and getting medical benefits just because they’re 55 years old. Another person does 30 years but can’t get the medical because he’s not 55 years old yet. How about some kinda scale like if you’re 55 years old keep giving up 3.5 percent? If you’re under 55 years old you have to give up 5 percent on the pension?
Used to do those in 025 on afternoons years back. Didn't mind it.
Sounds like the new and improved outfit has their hands in this. Sucks when gambling revenue is taken over by the state.
Yes Rago Brothers letting them use address. The have never had a black female director there before. I hope the IG is looking in to this. Complete scam. One thing for sure the Scum times reads the blog.
Maybe Brandon wants the sergeants to do the removals? That would solve the problem. The do nothing head of the Sergeants association will really shit his pants, ah Pisano!
La Grou?
Living human beings? Our offenders? A stretch but all right
In Illinois, you even get screwed post mortem.
why dont they divide the contracts between the white / black/ n hispanic funeral homes?
We have a small group of people who have bagged and transported body’s the newbies won’t do it
Rent a pick up truck from Menards or Home Depot. $20 per hour. Give a few illegals $20 each. Cash 💵. Problem solved
why dont the caps officers and the commanders side pieces do the removal?
Remember working the wagon yrs ago. Wasn’t a wagon man but got assigned one tour. In 006. We were carrying down from third floor in narrow staircase. I was first down carrying still down. My bad. All of a sudden stiffs head pops out from underneath the sheet and his mouth is open right next to my package. Partner said, “Hey Timmy. I think he wants to give you a blowjob.” Laughed so hard I dropped the stretcher. Thx Mario. RIP. And no. Didn’t get the skull n serviced. Funny times.
They're are some new squadrols that have been coming out to the districts. Hopefully no more of the transits which suck for many reasons.
Put them on roof
I’m dying to see that show.
If you ball them up properly they roll like a Medicine ball.
Time to utilize the Western Ave bus. It runs length of city north to south. Bag up the stiff and strap them into the bike rack or a seat in front of bus and let the morgue know they on the way. Give them the bus # and route # and morgue personnel can track the bus on CTA tracker and grab stiff when bus gets to Harrison. Then just cart the body to the morgue. Or we can employ robots to grab body from the bus.
The CTA gets the job done and western Ave bus runs 24/7.
I had a guy stuck to the carpet in his living room. We cut the carpet around him, rolled him up in it then out to the wagon.
I have a great idea for Uber. They can have a body app where a notice of a pick-up is required and the closest guy with a truck can respond. Gig worker. They can have surge pricing if their is a "lead" shower driving up demand.
Typical 😘
So Rago Brothers is in bed with this other business using thier address and facilities. I wonder if they will have wakes there too ! What a welcome to the northwest side.
Sounds like a Racist Brandon Johnson special, I'm sure she is the color of choice, DEI, remember BJ himself said he was only going to award city contracts to black folks, non-blacks need NOT bid. I hope indictments are already being filed.
low bidder with one van will have to fill it up before they head to the morgue
They work 4-hour tours.
No happening.
Is horse ass still working at homan with his mask on thinking he’s in the cia. Bruh ur a local cop chill with that.
When does this contract take affect?
All this removal talk has the memories flooding back. I had my experiences, but a Wagon Man was a special breed. Dr. Death.
OT a second guys n gals. Was involved in traffic accident last night. Saw commercial for injury mopes, Lenner n Rowe, you know. The commercial with the guy with the lisp and the other fat headed mope, standing in front of pics of terrible accident laughing. CPD exempts at Officers death? Anyways called them about accident. Said I was totally at fault and arrested for DUI. Now feel slight twing in neck. I need a check. Fucks hung up on me. WTF
Sadly, I was looking out for an acquaintance, a few times removed, shortly before her passing. She had no family, only a non helpful boyfriend who disappeared when she went into hospice. She gave me no directives. She passed within 3 days of entering hospice. So sorting thru her paperwork when hospice asked where her body was to go -all I could find was Rago was who she used for her mother. I dug up about $600 in cash around the home and threw in a few hundred. This was in 2021. I met with the funeral director. He basically asked me what I had & agreed to that price. I got the ashes back in 2 days. In a week, the disappearing boyfriend reappeared mostly for her house & car keys, guns, asked about the cash in the house and as an afterthought asked about the ashes. I have no idea who he spread to the wind but I have my doubts it was her. I guess in the end we are “All Dust in the Wind.”
I was a PPO in 003 during heatwave of 1995, got put on the wagon of course. We hauled a lot of stinkers away. It was wild seeing the amount of refrigerated trucks at the morgue.
Funny shit. When we needed police humor to take the edge off all the shit we saw and dealt with every fuckin day.
Love it. That smell is beyond horrible. Should put coneheads misguided yut in a body transport.
Lerrin LaGrow . . He was reliever for the Sox in the late 70's 🤪
Nakia got herself one of those PPP loans for $2677 back in 2020, for a business that doesn't seem to be a funeral home. The $2677 was supposedly for payroll. I'm gonna guess it was a one employee hair salon she ran out of her home, by not actually having a real business. Free money and now a lucrative contract that she'll undoubtedly screw up, but still get millions for. She's connected to someone.
I didn't understand why we stopped collecting bodies back then. Anyone remember why?
There were a few bodies to move the summer of 1999 too. Never forgot the smell. I just chalked it up to police work. I didn't like it, but had great respect for those old "wagon men" who not only moved bodies but were great with the mentals. They knew how to do CIT before it ever became a buzz word.
I don't remember there being any "wagon gals or women" ..... Anyone remember if there were women assigned to the wagons back before body removal was subcontracted out?
Many rowdy, uncooperative subjects became compliant when told they would have to ride in the compartment for bodies if they didn't chill .... no pun intended.... well maybe it was intended ....
Cry us a river. Someone retires at 55 with 20 years is getting a much smaller pension then someone with 30 years and not yet 55. Most likely with your 30 years, you are or should be in a nice cushy spot. Ride it out til 55. Taxpayers can't afford to pay your Healthcare from 50 to 64. Healthcare was offered to 55 to get people to retire, not as a reward for their years of service.
Some may work 4 hour tours, but not all.
That is some fine work smarter not harder
I did my share of removals smh by choice and by force lololol
We had "wagon wenches" in 002 for awhile. One was eventually appointed a captain.
Howz about all the individuals on ankle monitors working shifts to round-up the decedents. If they're getting credit, as if incarcerated, let's get them on a work detail, as if they're incarcerated - maybe even learn'em a skill. At least they'll be occupied and we'll know where they're at.
This gurl did it for a time. I would rotate on the wagon to cover in-between working my rapid- hell, sometimes they'd ask you to do it.. Bosses were great so I didn't mind helping out with whatever was asked of me :)
Many of our officers cannot reach the roof.
Just don't forget to stop off by Rothchilds' first and get you a pack of Swisher Sweets. It's hot out there and them bodies be stankin'.
What in the fuck is a “Gurl”
Or is it your CPS education?
There was a girl in the old 021 but I believe she was just filling in. She and her partner did not check the back of the wagon before they began their shift. I think they rode around with a stiff back there for several hours before they realized they had a body. Oops.
"That five minute ride took all of the fight right out of them.." Especially when you close the vents and turn the heat on back there.
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