Sounds Like a Great Boss

A credit to the supervisory ranks:

• O/T; Are we not going to talk about Waller promoting Dachae Blanton, one of the dumbest individuals I’ve ever worked with to Deputy Chief of Detectives last Wednesday. Remember when she was acting street deputy and she came up on the radio and denied the request of a bloodhound because the offender wasn’t bleeding. Now the rest of the areas will experience her micromanaging and vindictiveness wrath that area 2 has experienced for the last 5 years! There is no way Bruno is going to be able to control her, she will just play the race card and win… Good luck everyone and buckle up.

Does anyone think she actually passed a test high enough to get promoted at any point in her career?

Rumor

From the comments:

• Retired guy here. Just spoke with a guy who is detailed tomorrow to the Obama Center. Apparently the CPD has to guard that monstrosity! He said they were told that the police cannot enter the facility to use the bathroom during their tour-of-duty. Told to go down the block to the YMCA. Can anyone else confirm this?

Well?

We wouldn't be surprised.

And in an emergency, we'd just do what ha to be done and take the suspension days. It was an emergency after all. 

This is Some Kind of Dumb

The new First Deputy:

• Ursitti!? The same one in charge of Training that refused to sign off on red dots for pistols because “what will happen if it cracks and the laser shoots out” Yes please lead the CPD lol 

We hadn't heard this one, but it sounds entertaining as heck. Kind of like that moron congress-critter who thought a Pacific island might tip over.

Pay for Promotions?

Remember that Area 4 locker with $37,000 in cash the other day?

We all know it used to happen, and may probably still happen, but this is awfully specific:

• You literally have Commander L.S. and Lt S.L. wife of H.L. Commander of mayors detail with their hand in the cookie jar. They were selling merit promotions: Sgt A.C.S. payed 20k, J.P. 20k, K.H. paid 10k for interview but didn’t get it, L.N. M.H. for detective at 5k another 5 if he gets it. How are L.S. and S.L. not stripped? They are extorting their own people. Sham on them and the department for not acting quickly. The proof is in the found cash up to 50k.

Supposedly, IAD has been camping out at Area 4 for a week now, asking a lot of questions.

• How come nobody is talking about IAD investigating Area 4 Commander for pay to be promoted scandal. They were there this week searching Commander and Admin Sgt office where they found $37k

It certainly would explain the constant series of utterly unqualified people getting the nod.

Gold Star Union?

This might not end well:

• Off topic but apparently the exempts, Commanders and Deputy Chiefs, are attempting to unionize.

One of the main points of even having the Exempt rank is to have expendable people who are beholden to their political masters. 

If they're allowed to unionize, the political side of the equation loses their hold over them. 

Not that we're in the habit of giving Conehead advice, but if you want to stop this in its tracks, propose getting rid of the Gold Brain pensions provisions and revert to the top tier to the last testable rank (lieutenant). Not only would it kill this effort, it'd be a small step to extending the life of the pensions.

How Far Society Has Fallen (UPDATE)

Our post the other day about the Downtown Takeover where someone used a car as a push broom against a marked squad car was mostly to point out (A) how bad the disrespect has gotten and (B) how hesitant Police are in general to take action in the face of overt law breaking.

It's far worse than we thought: 

• Hey SCC. Thought you should know, there have been numerous reports and documented RDs pulled regarding officers, on duty, in uniform having guns pointed at them.
  
  Just the other night it happened in 003, POs had an offender in custody, car pulled up next to them and two offenders pointed guns at them and drove off.
  
  Couple weeks ago, same instance happened but no one was in custody. POs pulled a car over, offender pointed a gun at a PO and drove off. Probably 3 cases of similar accounts in southside districts within a month.
  
  This isn’t being spoken about and it seems it’s not being documented anywhere besides a case report and an overlooked AMC message. I don’t know if you want to classify this as officer safety, or maybe CWB can get wind of it since ya know, CPD has so many “excessive force complaints”. Having a gun pointed at you and you respond with nothing seems a bit odd. Stay frosty kids. 

Pointing a gun at Police used to be an invitation to being shot. But now?

Well, the in-car camera is pointed straight ahead. The body cam may or may not be running (depending on the situation) and....it's pointed straight ahead. We aren't about to advocate driving around with your pistol in your hand, but if you've ever tried to draw a pistol while seated in the tight quarters of a car, wearing a vest, it isn't getting out in a hurry. 

Tie that into the Department not allowing you to chase....you see where we're going with this.

Although you'd be 100% justified in lighting up someone who pulled up next to your squad car and pointed a gun at you, tactically, you're in a bad spot. The end result isn't anything you'd want to experience more than once. 

Solutions? 

UPDATE: If you reward bad behavior, you're going to get more of it....a LOT MORE of it:

• Happened in 018 not too long ago. Sgt on-views an armed robbery in progress, chases the vehicle , giving out the info and states on the air the rear passenger is pointing a gun at him as he’s pursuing the offending vehicle occupied 3 times with armed offenders. He asks if helicopter is up ……..and immediately 1899 LT JF (Lt tight sleeves ) gets on the air and yells terminate immediately. The Sgt gets on the radio and says “they’re actively pointing a gun at me” and 1899 repeats terminate, I want his location now . It’s overpromoted , coward bosses exactly like him that continue to make our jobs even more unsafe. Listening to the LT try and justify it at roll call the next day was ridiculous .

Not pursuing IS the reward.

Rumors Abound

Every rumor starts with an element of truth in it and this is no exception:

• word out of hq: that big promotional class of 37 lieutenants, plus sergeant retirements starting this month wiped out almost all of the 51 sergeants that got made in march. cpd hr formally requested a summer class of 50 sergeants, which has not yet been approved, in addition to a fall class of 50. 

  Recruit classes all summer are scheduled in advance with ILETSB. But city hall said fuck no and cancelled all recruit classes until September. not a single one until mid-september.
  
  and last night, 12 PO's, 4 SGT's and a LT were dumped from the academy back to districts due to poor performance. 

This is due to be yet another summer of above average retirements as the 1997 people are hitting their twenty-ninth year. Long time readers and veterans will recall the gigantic hiring wave of 1993-thru-1998 where something like five-thousand bodies went through the Academy. The Department is at the end of that run (mostly) and hiring since has never quite kept up with attrition.

For more proof, check out the post directly below this one. 

What New Hell is This?

The single biggest thing we don't miss from the job:

• I’m currently sitting in the academy at the Impartial Community Policing class. Who in the fuck puts this bull shit into training? This is the dumbest shit I’ve ever been a part of.

This seems like part of the "consent decree" scam.

• the political powers-that-be implement all sorts of "progressive" or communist or racially motivated training for "slights" suffered by assorted "oppressed" communities;
• here's the grift part - some outside "consultant" firm of DEI hires comes up with a set of bullet points in a power point presentation for an 8-or-16 hour block of time. They charge the City and the Department hundreds of thousands of dollars for this lesson plan;
• some house mouse or pin cushion or future "meri-clout-orious" pick then reads the slide aloud to a group of coppers who know it's all bullshit, but they have to meet their 40-hour-per-year requirement, so they sit, happy to be away from the street for a day

Does anyone ever wonder why the training staff almost tripled over the life of the "consent decree"? Because the instructor #1 reads Hour One of the lesson plan, then go to lunch (or duck out) and instructor #2 reads Hour Two before they skate, etc etc.

When that Texas firm was here, we remember having seven different instructors for an eight hour course. They got replaced by a local grifting outfit once Groot was gone because why send that money to Texas? 

Time for Some Accountability

Hey "Consent Decree" people - how about firing some of these medical abusers?

• Recently, there was a disabled sergeant on the Police Pension Fund agenda who is in danger of losing her benefits. Let me be clear she is not above everyone else. Every officer receiving disability benefits is required to attend an annual physical examination, yet she refuses to comply.
  
  What’s even more troubling is that the injury she is now claiming is not the same injury for which she originally received disability. Her original injuries had healed. Now she claims she cannot see the Pension Board’s doctor because it gives her PTSD.
  
  This is exactly the kind of behavior that undermines the system for officers who are legitimately injured. Meanwhile, as mentioned in the post above, there are officers on no-pay status who are clearly not fit for duty and are struggling through the proper process. Situations like this damage the credibility of the disability system for everyone else.
  
  If someone is deliberately abusing the system, there should be consequences. Cases like this should be investigated thoroughly, and if wrongdoing is found, appropriate charges and legal action should follow. Pay back the Fund. 

A few years ago there was a concerted effort to have a Medical Integrity Unit to investigate abuse. It rapidly went away due to "demographic" revelations about exactly who was abusing the medical and at what rates.

People like this are going to lose the Medical Roll for others who truly need it.

Get to the Choppa!!!!

Public surplus auction:

• NOTE: THE HIGHEST BIDDER WILL RECEIVE A BILL OF SALE; NO TITLE OR KEYS; THE CITY OF CHICAGO RECOMMENDS PHYSICAL INSPECTION PRIOR TO PLACING A BID.

  1200 HOURS BEFORE ENGINE MAINTENANCE IS NECESSARY; COMES WITH CAMERA AND GROUND HANDLING DOLLIES; HELICOPTER HAS NOT BEEN STARTED OR OPERATED IN APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR; NO KNOWN ISSUES PRESENT. OWNED BY THE CITY OF CHICAGO SINCE NEW; CONTINUOUSLY HANGARED; MAINTAINED UNDER CONTRACT; BASIC VFR CONFIGURATION; EXPOSED WIRING PRESENT; SOLD AS-IS, WHERE-IS; NO WARRANTY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED; NOT WARRANTED FOR ANY SPECIFIC USE.

Completely unflyable and out of FAA compliance, but you can tow it somewhere and have it fixed up.

Bidding for the helicopter starts 03 April if we're reading the site correctly. 

About Those Punitive Damages

As most readers know, punitive damages CANNOT be paid by the City - it's the Law. 

Hits like that come out of coppers' pockets. It has been common practice in the past that - after a verdict assessing such damages - Corp Counsel enters into negotiations pending an appeal whereby they'll try something like this:

• We're going to appeal this multi-million dollar verdict and tie it up in court for the next five years....but if you agree to drop the punitive damages against the Officers, we'll recommend to the City council that they approve this slightly smaller "settlement" and you'll get paid later this year. What you think?

And many times, the lawyers will tell their clients that a fast payout is the way to go.

This comment though....this would be bad news:

• From inside the 5th Floor, the Mayor is saying no deals. He feels it is time for the Police to feel the pain of paying their share of misconduct judgements. This will not be good for us. 

We've known a few Officers who ended up on the wrong end of these judgements and it's not a good feeling knowing that a portion - no matter how big or small - of all your earnings are going to someone who had a better lawyer than Corp Counsel.

Retiree IROCC Info

This appeared in the comments and in a few emails that seem to be going around:

• The communist State of Illinois will be trying to take away retirees right to carry a firearm. Read the article below on page 4 of the FEBRUARY 2026 Retired CPD Newsletter below.
  
  ALSO, there is a NEW DATABASE (see below) where you can look yourself up to see if you are still certified as a law enforcement officer. If you are de-certified, you can not carry a weapon as a retiree. Thank Pritzker.
  
  https://www.retiredchicagopoliceassoc.com/News.html
  
  https://www.ptb.illinois.gov/resources/officer-lookup/

The first link goes to the catalogue of Retiree Newsletters and the February issue seems to address some of this. It seems that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board can revoke your "retired in good standing" status for pretty much anything job related going back years - sustained CR numbers, Use of Force complaints, allegations of Domestics, etc. 

They can also revoke it for anything post-employment, including misdemeanor-type allegations.

The newsletter says that Lodge 7 is attempting some legislative maneuvers in Springfield, but no progress is listed.

Sounds Insurrection-y

This would seem to be a violation of the NCIC protocols:

• Hey SCC: federal agent here (not FBI). Did you know IL SOS is no longer sharing DMV information with DHS ORIs? DHS “dispatches” (not in the sense you all get dispatched to calls) for a number of federal agencies, nationwide, not just ICE. NY, CA and IL all are restricting access so federal agents (I have nothing to do with ICE but god bless em) cannot run a license plate or DL out of those states. Should DOJ kick those states out of NCIC? Just another step on the road to eroding law and order.

Pretty sure there are rules in place about this, especially as the funding comes from federal taxes.

HQ Was Closed....for Cold?

We can close down the Department for cold weather?

• I just wanted to send u this info in case u haven’t already seen it. This definitely deserves a post on its own. 
  
  
  35th and Michigan closed [Friday] for inclement weather ? Is this a fuckin joke ?! 
  
  
  Dozens maybe hundreds of officers with under 5 years on the job getting a day off because they can’t “work” in the cold ?! Going from their take home cars to the building is too rough ?
  
  So they get a free day off but patrol has to go to work and has to actually be on the street not in some cubicle nice and warm ??
  
  
  What about officers who want to clear from the medical tomorrow they won’t be able to ? Do they get that day credited to them ? Doctors note or not ? Do we all get a 8.5 day credit if we don’t come to work ?? This should be news worthy especially since Johnson said he was cutting CPD spending ? Who made this decision ? I’m assuming this will definitely be a grievance with the FOP. Please post and bring attention to this BS

Did this actually come to pass??

We wish we could have closed the Districts back in the day. 

UPDATE: At least part of it was closed (click for larger version):

So if the OPSA was closed, did everyone have to burn 8.5 hours? 

Any of our FOIA wizards want to start requesting the Time and Attendance Sheets for Friday? 

UPDATE: It was the civilian side?

UPDATE: Get a load of Cook County:

• Think that’s ridiculous? That morning we had an out of state warrant brought to Maywood. After getting there, Maywood despite having a room full of deputies, said it was a last minute decision to “close all the courthouses because of the cold,” and said out of state warrants had to go to 26. Apparently it was too cold for all the normal courthouses but at 26 the temp was manageable. County didn’t decide to say boo to anyone so everyone who went to Maywood that morning, had to re-direct to 26. Who would’ve thought that jobs in the Law Enforcement field have “bad weather days.”

What's next? The Post Office?

Back to the Old Way?

Everything old is new again:

• SCC I know your retired but shockingly snelling opened up a second round for merit picks for the current Sgt list from 2024

Back when "merit" started, the request for names went out prior to every promotional class, and once the class was named, they started over. This continuous "meri-clout-orious" list lasting for the duration of the list is a relatively recent invention, mostly because as the exempt ranks got stupider and stupider, they couldn't be relied on to make deadlines. 

Besides, as the political winds shift on a near-monthly basis and the "consent decree" rules screw up everything with insane requirements, whomever might be "in" today could be "out" tomorrow.

That's Not a Rat

That's a moving target!

• Perhaps off topic but there apparently isn’t any money for rat control at the CPD range. My ex partner’s daughter is OTJ and recently had to qualify at the range. The qual session was canceled due to a major rat infestation with rats running all over. Any confirmation? 

No idea if this is the new Academy range (which is a disaster anyway), the old Academy range (which is so outdated and polluted, it's near useless) or one of the Area ranges (broken more often than not and contaminated so badly the EPA ought to be notified.)

But we can name twenty or thirty guys who would have been skipping bullets off the floor, nailing rats just for shits and giggles. 

Good Question

From the comments:

• ....all those democRAT politicians and fake rev-runs are always calling to sue the gun manufacturers for their people and folks getting shot and/or killed so why won't they ask to sue the lighter fluid company or the company that made the lighter or matches?

They never try to sue Ford or Chevy or GM for all the deaths involving automobiles - which dwarf all gun deaths by magnitudes. It's almost as if a legally manufactured product. lawfully sold to the public, but used illegally, isn't the fault of the manufacturer.

Try explaining that to a lib-tarded moron. 

What's with This Scandal?

Stupidity abounds suddenly - gun running and now this:

• 005th district officer caught switching labels at Walmart while off duty... security calls on him, confronts him. Fight breaks out and he's got a gun on him, call comes out as person with a gun. he's chased by 005 officers who get him in custody. Security says he does it often and want to sign complaints. Once they find out he's police they change their minds.

Unfortunately for him, by the time security decided to decline to sign the complaints, we're told the Lieutenant and a Captain showed up on scene.

Wonder how much farther they'll be lowering hiring standards in light of the manpower shortages. 

Again?

What is this Department hiring? And what is the Academy teaching?

• Any word on the goofball in area one PRT that attended a zoom call for traffic court shirtless? Apparently the judge was furious and reached out to numerous bosses over this display of unprofessionalism. BE THE CHANGE!

Do people not realize how Zoom works? Or how Court works....even virtual Court?

OT Cuts Coming?

Rumor from the comments:

• Many don’t know this, but after Bud Billiken the department intends to drastically cut back on all voluntary OT that doesn’t directly affect district operations. Only OT will be offered in order to man downed cars. Overtime related to missions and any extension of tour other than a late arrest will be one. Counter terrorism OT will be cut along with all other bureaus. Only a [???]  number will be allowed since that is outside funded OT. Traffic, robbery and violence missions are gone for watches, districts tac and units. The last “forced” ot will be for Bud Billiken, air and water and Labor Day for 4th watch and then Mexican independence weekend for the whole department. Otherwise, it’s going to be an OT desert.  

Of course, by then festival season will be over, the schools will be open and classes at the Academy (which are suspended until November anyway) will be starting up, so the Department can pretend to "cut" OT.

Until May 2026 that is. Then - unless there's been a massive change involving ten-hour days - OT will start up again because another 400 cops are scheduled to retire before next summer.