So Much for "Free Speech"

Free Speech looks pretty bloody to the thin blue line:

The media is downplaying the "protests" as isolated. It seems they aren't broadcasting footage of the debris being thrown across Harrison by Sanders/Hillary supporters at Trump fans.

They also aren't mentioning the hordes running through the UIC parking structure breaking the windows of cars with Trump 2016 stickers.

We haven't seen any mention of the Eisenhower takeover, nor the Incident Team call-outs from assorted Districts.

It's almost like they're ashamed that the UIC tradition of supporting leftist terrorists (Ayers and his spawn) has come home to roost.

Last report was at least two cops needed numerous stitches to close up wounds. A speedy recovery to the injured.

Ink Us Up!!!

The FOP wins a gimme:

• On May 21, 2015, the members from the Lodge as well as the Department attended a regularly scheduled Joint Uniform Committee meeting. It was at this meeting that the Lodge was informed the Department was planning to implement a brand new change in policy banning all visible tattoos. Although this issue was never discussed throughout during our Contact negotiation process, all of a sudden the City decided to drastically change the long-standing uniform policy. All attempts to address options fell on deaf ears and the Department was obvious in that they were not concerned with the Lodge representative’s input. The Department intention to just go forward with this new plan was never going to work for the FOP.
  
  The Lodge saw this as a unilateral change to working conditions and we were not going to stand by and allow the Department to arbitrarily harm the affected Members. This matter was sent to final and binding arbitration and a hearing that was held on September 9, 2015 before Arbitrator Jacalyn J. Zimmerman.
  
  We are extremely pleased to report that earlier this afternoon we were informed that the Lodge won the arbitration! As a matter of fact, Arbitrator Zimmerman accepted nearly all of our many arguments. She credited FOP First Vice-President Ray Casiano’s expert testimony concerning firearms safety in addressing the terms of how the changes to the Department policy could negatively affect our members’ ability to utilize their firearms.
  
  The Award reads as follows:
  
  
  The grievance is sustained.  The Employer violated the agreement when it unilaterally implemented revisions to its Uniform and Property Order, U04-01, effective June 12, 2015, banning the display of visible tattoos.  The appropriate remedy is for the Department to rescind the revisions and restore the prior policy, rescind and make employees whole for any discipline issued pursuant to these revisions, and to make employees whole for their demonstrable losses resulting from compliance with the revisions.  The arbitrator will retain jurisdiction over this matter for a period of 60-days.
  
  There are several other key players who need to be thanked and acknowledged for their cooperation during the arbitration proceedings, including testimony, enduring interviews, sacrificing personal time and demonstrating tireless dedication to making this wrong, right.
  
  Firstly, the SCC blog....

We may have added that last part. In any event, a triumph for logical thinking in that you can't hire under one set of rules, and then change the rules mid-stream. The officers affected were fine police officers on 20 May 2015. Nothing changed on 21 May 2015 except that an arrogant asshole browbeat the pussified exempt staff into yet another abdication of their leadership responsibility to the officers under their commend.

Merit Pensions on the Block?

Forwarded to us by someone who knows what "tweets" are:

Nickeas, from what we've read, is a pretty good reporter. He plays fair, quotes accurately, and tells the unseen side of crime scenes too many other reporters don't. He is also NOT related to the Nickeas was is/was on the job. If he's hearing something like this that has bandied about on the blog for years, that could lead to some interesting times.

Shooting Up North

Copper confronts catalytic converter thieves, who try to hit him with their car:

• An off-duty officer fired his weapon at someone driving toward him Thursday morning after the officer found someone vandalizing his car, police said.
  
  The officer saw the man vandalizing a parked car in the 5500 block of North Neenah Avenue in the Union Ridge neighborhood about 5:55 a.m., police said.
  
  When the officer confronted the man, he fled to a waiting car driven by someone who accelerated toward the officer while trying to flee.

This is supposed to be a pattern up north according to e-mailers. Wishing a speedy recovery to the officer.

Brilliant Idea!

This is a great idea:

• Hey SCC, off topic but it appears that in desperation the braintrust at the ivory tower are telling commanders to tell their Lt.s and Sgt.s to go out and write ISR's...that being a " lead by example" endeavor resulting in the troops writing ISR's since they see the supervisors writing them. This occurred at a staff meeting in a north side district this week. After the commander suggested this the silence was deafening followed by laughter. I can only stress to the officers to keep from writing these ISR's unless absolutely necessary. Every ISR you write ends up at the ACLU and put into a data base for a future class action lawsuit. Stay safe.....

Laughter? Obviously not team players, playing to keep commanders in their spots. Lieutenants haven't been trained in ISR's. It has been posted here that the entire graduating class of Lieutenants underwent exactly zero ISR training, but you can bet that they were all instructed on how to "encourage" everyone into doing ISR's. The tone-deafness among the upper echelons is amazing/amusing/appalling - pick one.

Burke Strikes Again

Is there anything this nanny-state alder-ass-munch can keep his nose out of?

• Professional baseball players could be banned from using smokeless tobacco in Chicago.
  
  A proposal is in front of the City Council from 14th Ward Alderman Ed Burke, who wants to ban players from using chewing tobacco at Wrigley and U.S. Cellular fields.
  
  The ban would also include high school, college and other amateur sporting events.
  
  Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston have similar bans in place.
  
  U.S. Senator Dick Durbin will testify in support of the ban during a council committee hearing on the proposal tomorrow.

Oh great, Dick "Turban" Durbin is involved. Thank goodness that the City Council has fully funded police, fire and municipal pensions... and the schools are fully funded... and the money being blown on the McCormick Place debacle has been recovered... and the high-speed train to O'Hare is off the table... and any other billion dollars problems are solved.

Now the City Council can concentrate on stopping adults of legal age partaking in a perfectly legal habit that affects pretty much no one but themselves. Kind of like trans-fats, foie gras, sugary drinks, do we need to go on?

There are serious problems in Chicago. And Ed Burke is worried about chewing tobacco? Does anyone really think this will stop players from chewing? They'll just chew in the field and spit into opaque cups and the teams will just tell their TV cameras not to pan the dugout. Passing nonsense laws like this does nothing except engender disrespect for all laws.

Schools to Sue for $$$

This is one way to fun schools we suppose - sue the people running them into the ground:

• Chicago Public Schools on Thursday filed a civil complaint seeking $65 million in damages and civil penalties from former CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and others accused in a kickback scheme involving the district.
  
  The 10-count complaint names Byrd-Bennett, Gary Solomon, Thomas Vranas, SUPES Academy and Synesi and was filed in Cook County Circuit Court. It includes allegations of civil [conspiracy], breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and unjust enrichment, the district said.
  
  “With scarce resources, staff furloughs and painful budget cuts, CPS is keeping a close watch on every dollar,” CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said in a statement. “Barbara Byrd-Bennett and her co-conspirators knew the District's dire straits and still concocted this scheme to divert needed resources away from classrooms and line their own pockets. So today CPS took action in Cook County court to go after the $65 million in damages and civil penalties that our children are entitled to receive. With serious budget challenges facing the district, we'll continue to fight for every dollar our children deserve.”
  
  Byrd-Bennett resigned last year amid a federal probe into a no-bid contract awarded to one of her former employers, SUPES Academy. She pleaded guilty last year to charges that she steered the no-bid contract worth more than $23 million to two education consulting firms in exchange for cash kickbacks and a consulting job. She faces over seven years in prison.

Of course, it would have made more sense to have check BBB's background and seen her shady past dealings in other cities. And following where all the money disappeared to might be enlightening in many ways - who made quid pro quo contributions and such.

More McCompStat

Garry scores some more publicity in the Tribune.

Link is here, but it's too extensive to really pick out individual quotes.

Suffice it to say, we're pretty sure he's being allowed to talk by Rahm to distract everyone from something else.

Look around - something else is about to break.

Garry Speaks!

Six more weeks of winter! Oh wait, that's the groundhog. Sorry:

• Former Chicago Police Department superintendent Garry McCarthy talks publicly for the first time since his firing in the wake of the release of dashcam video in the police shooting of Laquan McDonald.
  
  McCarthy talked about the McDonald case and crime in Chicago during a forum at Harvard University.
  
  The former superintendent says he believes Mayor Rahm Emanuel made him the fall guy for the McDonald shooting despite the fact police shootings as well as overall crime dropped significantly under his tenure.

Gee, what was your first clue there Garry?

• He notes shootings are up significantly over a year ago since his departure and says the city is in a crisis right now.

So the only solution is to hire him back, we guess. Rahm will get right on that.

He also wades into the "controversial" shooting video, stating (as we have many times) that the decision to hold the tape wasn't made at his level - and given that he was the Number One guy on the Department, there's only one person he could have answered to.

Moves Already?

Is this true?

• Biefeldt from 012 to 141
  
  Cato from 015 to 142
  
  Glenn White from 006 to 136
  
  Sedevic from 007 to 111
  
  You cheating bastards make everyone sick not even two days in the district - and then the bosses wonder why no one does anything!
  
  3/08/2016 10:53:00 PM
  
  You left out Johnson from 014 to 189 and Stevens from 004 to 121. Both VERY heavy.

So these are six of the thirty-six new lieutenants, and they've been in the Districts a total of two days, now they're headed back to cushy spots at HQ or the Homan Square "black site"? After two days??

We think this points to an obvious event - someone knows that new Superintendent (or the finalists) are to be named shortly, and the powers-that-be have to get all their people back in their spots before the new guy/gal/other shakes things up.

One also has to wonder when they're going to remove Mrs. Al out of 003 before she stresses out everyone else working there.

Now go out and get some more ISR's for people running this fixed system.

Trendy Crime

It's everywhere:

• A man was fatally shot in the Wicker Park neighborhood Wednesday night and two others have been wounded in shootings since Wednesday morning.
  
  The most recent shooting, in the 1200 block of North Milwaukee Avenue, left a man wounded about 6:35 p.m.
  
  The 19-year-old man was later pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital, said [...], a police spokeswoman.

What could possibly be the reason?

Someone has discovered a clue a few Districts over from this shooting. It's a blog run by some people who pay very close attention to things like staffing/manpower numbers:

• Newly-acquired Chicago Police Department staffing reports show that manpower in the 19th district dropped to its lowest level ever last month, with only 331 cops working the streets here. The same area was served by 468 officers just four years ago.
  
  The continuing atrophy of police resources in the sprawling district comes despite assurances from local aldermen that the 19th district would get more cops in exchange for their votes in favor of Chicago’s record-breaking property tax hike last fall.
  
  After casting his vote for the $589 million tax increase last October, local alderman Tom Tunney said, "I have been assured that 35 additional police officers will be assigned to the 19th District in 2016, including 25 in the first quarter and another ten during the rest of the year."

They keep track of crime, too:

• Overall crime is up 22% so far this year, with robberies, burglaries, and criminal damage to property reports all soaring 100% or more, according to city data.

So, aldercreatures lied?

• To the surprise of few, it’s looking very much like we’ve been sold a $589 million bill of goods.

That would be a "yes.".

Why? Why? Why?

And we answer, "Manpower! Manpower! Manpower!"

• Two people were killed and 19 others were wounded over 20 hours in Chicago from Tuesday through early Wednesday, the equivalent of someone shot every 58 minutes.
  
  The period was more violent than the entire previous weekend — when one person was killed and 14 wounded — and ranged across the city, from the Northwest Side to downtown to the Far South Side.
  
  The burst of violence included three shootings in the area of 63rd Street and Sacramento Avenue within two hours that left a man dead and three others wounded, including two 16-year-old boys. Five miles away, in the Gresham neighborhood, four people were shot in three incidents.
  
  The number of shootings and homicides in the city is more than double what it was the same time last year as Chicago experiences its most violent start of a year since the late 1990s. More than 500 people have been shot since the first of the year, and more than 100 of them have been killed.

Depending on the mood, we might also answer, "Rahm! Rahm! Rahm!"

Or "ACLU! ACLU! ACLU!" But then we have to explain to the slower-witted about ISR's, handcuffing the police, lawsuits, DOJ investigations, physics, trajectories, "meri-clout-orious" promotions and it just gets all involved.

Let's Write a Song!

This story just gets better and better:

• The slaying of Tyshawn Lee was so heinous it stood out even among the hardened criminals at Cook County Jail.
  
  It was there — on tiers where accused armed robbers, killers and gang members await trial — that a 22-year-old gang member started bragging about how he had lured the innocent 9-year-old into an alley with a promise of treats and then looked him in the face before fatally shooting him, law enforcement sources told the Tribune. He'd written it all down in a rap song and had contemplated even more grisly plans such as torturing the child, according to prosecutors.

PLanning to cut off a child's fingers and ears before killing him and then still, writing a song about it.

Who's the problem in Chicago again? Oh right....the police, the ones who solved this case.

And guess what else?

• After serving about two years on a five-year sentence in a drug and gun case, Boone-Doty had been paroled from the Illinois Department of Corrections two months before Jenkins was shot, authorities said. Boone-Doty had at least one prior weapon conviction for which he served time in state prison.

He was on.......Parole!!!

The Parole Board must have a hell of a body count these past few years. Certainly more than the Police Department.

It was Just a Tuesday

But it was a little warm out:

• Shootings have left one dead and at least 15 people wounded since Tuesday morning, more than were shot citywide over the entire weekend.
  
  People were injured in attacks from the River North neighborhood downtown south to the Morgan Park neighborhood and as far west as Karlov Avenue.

"...as far west as Karlov Avenue"? What does that matter? Karlov is only 4100 West and the city streets run out to the 8000s in some places. Karlov runs through some of the shittiest parts of the west and south side. This is a surprise? To whom?

But 16 shot on a Tuesday in March? That's worth noting.

Hide the Housemouse

What happens when someone who hasn't worked in a District in forever, suddenly comes face-to-face with the reality of District business:

• Too bad we don't have [a defibrillator] in 003 because Lt. Hall (Al's wife) had a heart attack when she fount out dude got kilt on 65/Cottage today. She was running around like a chicken with no head around the station clueless as could be ranting and wanting to know where EVERY CAR was when the shooting occurred. She has addressed the roll calls and has given her clear expectations and accountability of what she wants from each and every beat car. Too bad nobody gives a shit or respects yo ass girlfriend. We know how you got them bars.
  
  So, hurry up and make your call and get back to 35th St. because nobody is going to put themselves out and get ISR's to make yo ass look good. The men on the watch just ignore her but the women on the watch CANT stand her condescending ass.

Too bad the DOJ isn't looking into the crooked promotional system.

Witness for the Prosecution

Hilarious:

• So--Bill Clinton was in Austin today--kissing reverend asses at macarthurs restaurant at 5412 w Madison--some chick was driving by--and spots the offender that robbed her the day before--she sees all the state police escort cars and runs in the restaurant screaming for help--the secret service all but shit themselves--the 1cpd po and 1 Sgt from 015 were the only ones that took action and captured the offender--Bill Clinton was listed in the report as a outcry witness

We can hardly wait for the subpoenas to come down.

Vulture

An article that slipped by us the other day:

• Former Chicago Police Superintendent Richard Brzeczek said there is no question the department's code of silence is real. In an exclusive interview with NBC 5 Chicago, Brzeczek said it’s like a "cancer" and exists today as well as during his tenure.
  
  At 37 years old when he served in the early 1980s, Brzeczek was the department's youngest superintendent. He was a controversial top cop for a controversial mayor: Jane Byrne.
  
  Although he lives in Florida now, Brzeczek is currently in Chicago testifying as an expert witness in a trial involving the code of silence, which he says "has always existed in the police department."
  
  "It existed during my time," Brzeczek said. "The bad thing about it is the majority of police officers are good people and in their heart they don’t like it."

Brzeczek left how many years ago? Thirty-three? And he claims a "code" exists today based on what exactly? His vast experience with it? Because a quick search of our brains and the internet reveal a guy who reveled in the so-called "code of silence."

• Richard Brzeczek made it to the top very fast. He made it to the bottom even faster. It took him 37 years to become superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. It was a goal he set for himself even before he joined the force. It took him just four more years to blow it all.
• By the time he was 42, he had been in and out of two psychiatric hospitals. He had been fired from his law firm and humiliated in his run for Cook County state`s attorney against Richard M. Daley. He was unemployable, an alcoholic and a depressive. He had no money, no insurance, no friends and his family was sick to death of him. Two affairs had destroyed his former ``Brady Bunch`` existence.  
• A Cook County grand jury on Thursday indicted former Chicago Police Supt. Richard Brzeczek on 24 counts of theft and official misconduct stemming from trips he took to attend meetings that the state's attorney alleges never took place.
• "You just have to marvel at him. He was not only a good police officer but a terrific administrator," said William Hanhardt, chief of detectives under Brzeczak and a 33-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department.

You think that maybe a "code of silence" helped Brzeczek along during his meteoric rise and fall? We do. And while we certainly applaud his recovery from self-destruction and admire his family for sticking by him when everyone else was headed for the door, we find it a wee bit hypocritical for him to be deriding a culture that enabled him thirty-three years ago and assuming with no proof that the same culture exists today.

Being silent because you don't know the facts of a certain instance is not a "code of silence" to protect corruption. Crooked cops don't commit their crimes in full view of everyone else on the department - why not? Because they'd get caught and jailed a lot quicker. What they do manage to do is find people of a similar moral level and operate in conjunction with each other - Hanhardt, Marquette 10, Broken Star, Flagg, SOS, Gangs - these were teams of individuals who kept a code among themselves because they were all co-conspirators, and they operated away from the prying eyes of decent cops and supervisors. That shouldn't paint the whole Department with their corruption, though the media and others do their best to make it seem so.

And of course, vultures like the former superintendent, who was guilty of the same behavior he now decries as only a recovering alcoholic or former smoker can preach.

Good Job

Looks like this one is solved:

• A 22-year-old man was charged Monday with murder in the execution-style shooting of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee last November and the murder of a 19-year-old woman killed weeks earlier in the same ongoing South Side gang conflict.
  
  Dwright Boone-Doty, who authorities say pulled the trigger on Tyshawn, was charged with first-degree murder in the boy’s death and the fatal shooting of Brianna Jenkins on Oct. 18, according to Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
  
  Police have said that Tyshawn was targeted in early November because of his father's gang ties and a recent series of shootings between two rival gangs in the Auburn Gresham community.

Sure, execute a child because of an on-going gang feud.

Great job by the detectives and teams putting this one together.

Another Save

CPR combined with AED machines just recently installed in police facilities save another life:

• A group of Chicago police officers saved the life of a fellow officer who collapsed at police headquarters late Saturday.
  
  Around 9:55 p.m., a 55-year-old officer was in the lobby of the police headquarters building at 3510 S. Michigan Ave. when he lost consciousness, according to a statement from the Chicago Police Department.
  
  The incident happened during shift change, and at least six police officers were in the lobby and came to the aid of the officer, who is a 29-year veteran of the department, police said.

These machines seem to have been installed just in time to save at least two lives in the past month. An excellent job by all the involved officers.

Spectacular Fail on the Horizon

Another financial boondoggle coming up soon, just so Rahm has a ribbon to cut:

• After enduring 15 years of shrinking convention attendance and persistent budget difficulties, the government agency that owns Chicago's sprawling McCormick Place convention center is trying to outgrow its problems through a $650 million expansion.

What's the first Rule for Holes? "When you're in one, stop digging."

• The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, known as McPier, is betting that the project now under construction — a second hotel and an arena to showcase DePaul University's basketball team — will draw more conventions, attract sports fans and transform a barren section of Chicago into a vibrant entertainment district. City and McPier officials predict the expansion will bring $250 million in new spending to the area each year.

Gee, shrinking convention business? Let's build another hotel with rooms we won't fill! And a losing private university team? Let's split the cost of building them a new stadium with seats they have no hope of filling! All of this based on what exactly?

• But the Tribune found that McPier's formula for success is based on a series of optimistic and risky predictions.
  
  The $250 million figure comes from a McPier-funded study that assumes DePaul fans will fill almost all of the arena's 10,000 seats for games — nearly tripling the team's recent average attendance. The Blue Demons, who now play in suburban Rosemont, haven't had a winning record since 2007.
  
  McPier officials also are hoping that, between basketball games, the arena will host convention meetings, concerts and other events, bringing new guests to the planned hotel, a 1,200-room, $450 million Marriott Marquis. But a recent study commissioned in New York found that sports facilities are unattractive to conventions because of their fixed seating, a sentiment some convention officials also expressed to the Tribune.

No one thought to commission these "studies" before pouring $650 million into what is undoubtedly a hole in the ground? $650 million that just happens to match the pension balloon payment due by State Law? Where do we sign up for this stupidity?