That's Entertainment

Entertainment - Illinois style:

• House lawmakers voted 113-0 to authorize a committee to investigate a host of pay-to-play allegations leveled against the governor, just six days after he was arrested by federal agents at his North Side home. The vote marked the unique circumstance of Democratic lawmakers leading a bid to displace Illinois' first Democratic governor in a quarter-century.

In the meantime, Obama "clarifies" his remarks further, backing away from claims he and his staff had "no contact" with Blago over the Senate seat and instead had "no inappropriate contacts" with Blago (we certainly wonder what those tapes are going to reveal).

Rahm Emanuel continues to refuse to answer questions and a new Rasmussen poll notes that 45% of respondents feel that Obama or his team are involved in the Blago scandal.

And now Obama is going to name Arne Duncan to be Education Secretary? Has anyone even looked at the Chicago Public School system lately? On one hand, we're thankful Obama is taking another useless political hack to Washington with him. On the other, does the rest of America really deserve what's coming?

FBI Shoots Bank Robber

After he got into the front seat of a feeb car and tried to run over an agent:

• The suspect had robbed a TCF Bank branch earlier Monday morning in the 4300 block of North Sheridan Road and was tracked to the 800 block of North Michigan Avenue, according to the FBI.

  After a short foot chase, the suspect was apprehended, according to a release from the FBI. While he was being taken into custody, the man somehow managed to get behind the wheel of an FBI vehicle, then tried to run over one of the arresting FBI agents with that car, the release said. A second FBI agent, fearing for his partner's safety, fired one round from his service weapon into the car, striking the suspect.

No word if the robber was getting some last minute shopping done.

The J-Fed Papers

Some time ago, we were approached by member of the inner circle who offered us a glimpse into the inner machinations of the man known as J-Fed. This individual, at great personal risk, placed their career in mortal jeopardy by forwarding us actual documents from the desk of the Superintendent. These papers offer a fascinating insight into the workings of a mind molded by the FBI and give a glimpse into his drive to utterly destroy a big city police department at the behest of a demented dwarf.

We present The J-Fed Papers:


Exhibit #1: Secret Command Staff Code Names; doodle; shopping list?


Exhibit #2 appears to be a preview of the Pre-Turkey Day Massacre during which numerous connected persons were shifted and even demoted as other favors were called in and markers were tallied. It would appear that the Supe follows the blog at times.

Our source has promised further documents as they become available following the meetings of the Policy Group. We are forwarding these to a head-shrinker we know for professional analysis. It should be interesting as the shrink used to profile for the feebs.

How Illinois Works

Follow the Money:

• Facing questions from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, former Tollway director Brian J. McPartlin decided not to take a job with a politically connected engineering consulting firm.

  In October, McPartlin, 42, quit the Tollway job, with plans to join Chicago's McDonough Associates, a firm that has received $39 million in Tollway contracts since 2002.

  McPartlin had asked for a waiver of the "revolving door prohibition" that requires state officials to wait a year before taking a job with a company they hired or regulated. Madigan asked the state Ethics Commission to delay the waiver, so her office could collect more information.

This guy is joining a company that got $39 million in Tollway contracts while he was in charge of the Tollways? Does anyone even think avoid even the appearance of impropriety? He applied for (and later withdrew) a request to waive the one year waiting period to join the company?

Illinois politics stinks to high heaven.

Um, Northwestern? You Are Morons

How about these eggheads leave well enough alone?

• As video bond court is set to be scrapped, a new study claims that the decades-old practice in Cook County resulted in higher bail amounts for defendants.
  
  The Northwestern University study, released Thursday, found that bail amounts for most felony crimes increased by 65 percent since closed-circuit hearings began in Bond Court in June 1999. By contrast, bail set in homicide or serious sex crimes—where defendants continued to appear in person before judge—remained relatively static, the study found.

Thanks to Northwestern University, bail amounts for most felonies will be reduced. That means more jagoffs walking the streets, more opportunities for the criminal to locate and convince witnesses not to testify, maybe even permanently "remove" witnesses from ever testifying.

High bail is a good thing. Having predators in cages is a proven method for reducing crime. Judges holding bail hearings via video removed the human element (i.e. defendants playing on the sympathies of bleeding heart liberal judges) from bond hearings and forced judges to apply the bail rules equitably across the board.

Perhaps the Northwestern study should have looked at why bails were set 65% too low most of the time. It might help to explain the burgeoning crime rate.

UPDATE: Last line corrected to reflect the 65% figure meaning bail amounts, not occurrences. We were half asleep typing this one. Apologies.

No TVs in Lockup

Rumor or Fact?

And how are we supposed to keep up on our favorite soaps?

Kass Column

Ought to be required reading for all these national media types wondering what the hell is going on in Illinois:

• ...and reporters kept wondering, "Where's Rahm? Where's Rahm?" What they should have been asking is, "Where's Jimmy?"
  
  As in state Sen. James DeLeo (D-How You Doin?)
  
  DeLeo is an extremely powerful politician. You know this because he's hardly ever quoted in newspaper stories.

DeLeo is the murky power player who beat Federal charges of bribery and ticket fixing in the Greylord scandal and was named by none other than Kenny "Tokyo Joe" Eto as the recipient of Outfit largess. At the very least, articles like this should open some eyes nation-wide as to what and who control Illinois politics and everything that comes out of Illinois.

Everything.

Credit Union Problems?

Reports in a number of Comment Sections:

• Rumors spreading that a mother/daughter team of identity theives have been working at the Patrolmans Credit Union. Mother is an employee, daughter was caught using info. Many P.O.s accounts affected. Anyone have info?
  
  
  I dont have any info about possible offenders but I can tell you that the credit union has had a huge up tick in financial ID theft type problems. I was the 8th person last week alone to be affected from the north side branch.
  *******************************
  I don't know about offenders either, but there have been at least 30 incidents at the 111th Street Branch. Losses anywhere from 600-2000 dollars. They are accessing the accounts through debit cards.
  
  Be Careful!

Anyone have the full scoop? Credit Union users? Detectives working the pattern?

Reverend - Madigan Connection

Following a visit from the three wise men local religious figures, we speculated that the use of "ministers" would be a perfect medium to convey messages from various political powerhouses to Blago.

Then we saw Lisa Madigan's press conference to announce her filing of a motion to have Blago removed from office temporarily until such time as the charges are resolved. A reader's comment in one of our posts openly speculated on Quinn being named temporary governor, then appointing himself to the open US Senate seat, leaving the road open for Madigan to become governor. Not out of the realm of possibility we suppose.

Then an even sharper reader found this picture:


That's Lisa Madigan standing between "reverend" Ira Acree, one of Blago's uninvited reverend guests, and local asshat, senator "reverend" James Meeks, of the unfounded racial profiling charges.

Honest to god, we couldn't make this shit up if we tried. Gubernatorial aspirant Lisa Madigan filing motions to throw out the current governor, while people she's been photographed with "magically" appear uninvited on the governor's home doorstep to "pray" with him?

It boggles the mind.

UPDATE: Someone is claiming this isn't Meeks or Acree. That's the way the picture is labeled at this link to the Creative Impact Public Relations website. We imagine a PR firm would have a better grasp of the subjects of their photos than anyone else. Especially seeing as how we counted FOUR other photos of Acree and it's the same guy every time.

We'll assume the person claiming that isn't Acree and Meeks is Mike Madigan attempting to smooth the eway for his daughter's asendence to the governor's mansion. Hi Mike!!!

Self Serving Apology

Of course, he's mostly sorry he got caught:

• In a statement read by his attorney, convicted former Gov. George Ryan this afternoon said he felt guilty and offered a "truly heartfelt apology to the people of Illinois."
  
  "I want to make things right in my heart with God, with my family and with those that I have hurt," said the statement, which was read by former Gov. Jim Thompson at a news conference held at Thompson's Chicago law offices.

There's that "god" thing again. Blago and Ryan both imploring the Almighty to forgive them for assorted sins of hubris, arrogance and theft among the more egregious transgressions. Anything to be forgiven by Him will no doubt be addressed at the Pearly Gates. In the mean time, Ryan owes The People five-and-a-half more years of road cleaning, license plate making, or whatever it is Federal convicts do nowadays. And Blago's up for at least the same.

Kane County Judge

Now this is how to handle a courtroom:

• A Rockford man was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison for his role in a 2007 shooting near an Elgin youth football game.

  Denarrell D. Mabry, 21, must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence handed down by Kane County Judge Allen M. Anderson, who convicted him of attempted first-degree murder in October.

  At a sentencing hearing Friday, Anderson said Mabry threatened dozens of lives around him Sept. 8, 2007, when he fired six gunshots at a vehicle less than 1,000 feet away from a Pee-Wee football game at Huff Elementary School. He said he hoped a lengthy prison term would help deter others from committing similar acts of violence.

Six shots. No one hit. Now that is some deterrence right there. And if it isn't deterring, at least the asshole is gone for twenty-five-and-a-half years.

Nice job Your Honor.

Four Minutes to the Needle

If Illinois actually had a death penalty anymore:

• Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan today set an April 30 trial date for alleged Brown's Chicken killer James Degorski.

  Degorksi, along with Juan Luna, allegedly killed seven people at a Palatine Brown's Chicken in 1993.

  [...] Earlier this year, the Illinois appellate court held that a jury should be allowed to see Degorski's alleged videotaped confession.

  The four-minute tape shows Degorski admitting his role in the murders, then saying he did not want to talk on camera.

The entire delay was Degorski's lawyers trying to have the video excluded from the trial, saying that their client admitting on tape that he killed seven people makes it virtually impossible for them to present a defense that would fool "even a Cook County jury."

We might have made that last part up.

Refuge of the Scoundrel

Blago finds religion!

• Gov. Rod Blagojevich prayed with several ministers in his home before heading to his office this morning, telling them he is innocent and will be vindicated "when you hear each chapter completely written," one of the pastors said.

  The governor has been alternately holed up in his home or his downtown office since his arrest Tuesday on federal corruption charges, accused of scheming to sell President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder.

  Rev. Ira Acree of Greater St. John Bible Church, who said he initiated the contact, said Blagojevich would not discuss details of the allegations against him.

And even if Rod did end up talking to the ministers, he could always claim religious privilege. In fact, wouldn't a perfect go-between for carrying messages to Blago be a minister?

In any case, whenever someone gets into big trouble, it's amazing how fast they find god. Anyone see Daley praying lately?

Seeing the Future

Maybe they can combine City Hall with the Governor's mansion. Save some money.

Cop Shot - 010

No one is custody at last report. Shoulder wound:

• A police officer was shot while on duty in the Pilsen neighborhood early Friday morning, police said.
  
  The shooting happened around 2 a.m. near 18th Street and Washtenaw Avenue while officers were investigating a report of shots fired, police said.
  
  Additional shots were fired, and one of the officers was struck in the shoulder, police said.

Get well Officer.

Pressure Mounts on Blago

Obama has called on him to resign.

Now the national chair has called for the same (along with the entire democratic caucus of the US Senate):

• National Democratic Chairman Howard Dean today called on Gov. Rod Blagojevich to resign immediately.

  Dean's request followed calls for the governor's resignation by President-elect Barack Obama and the U.S. Senate's 50 Democrats.

Rezko may still be talking and building up some credit with the feds.

Blago's Lieutenant Governor is calling for impeachment and the state house might have charges ready very shortly.

And mysteriously silent? Just one small statement in recent days?

The puppet master himself - Daley.

Because right now, his hand picked governor, his patsy, his ally's son-in-law, is somewhere where even Daley can't pull the strings. But the strings are still there, and we hope the feds are following them right back to City Hall.

Sleep tight Dick.

That Wasn't My Emissary

Hmmmm:

• Rev. Jesse Jackson says he played no role and was not "an emissary" in alleged efforts to make a deal with Governor Rod Blagojevich for the appointment of his son, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.(D-IL) to the U.S. Senate.

  Speaking publicly for the first time, Rev. Jackson said he last met with the Governor four months ago and was not the unnamed individual cited in the FBI affidavit who promised to raise up to a $1 million in exchange for the Senate seat.

But everyone involved has a lawyer. And the story people tell the media doesn't often match up with what they tell a Federal Grand Jury. Remember, you're allowed to lie to the media, and Jesse Sr. has been doing that with impunity for years, yet no one calls him on it.

Department News

Evidently, 023 is getting a new station. Reports are Harbour Construction has won the contract for a building just west of the current station.

And 012 is on the drawing board again. Anyone know where they plan to put it? The Ashland site went to a new Costco.

And where's our contract? Someone said the Captains are close to a big deal.

Street Conditions

Absolutely pathetic. Saving an alleged half-a-million bucks by not salting anything over the past week during two minor storms has resulted in the following observations:

• sewer openings that normally would drain streets properly are iced over because of no salt being laid down early during the storm;
• iced over openings mean curb-to-curb skating rinks on major thoroughfares and side streets;
• ice being allowed to form fully is creating potholes at a clip we haven't seen in years;
• water main breaks and hydrants leaking are unbelievable.
  

We haven't seen the streets this neglected and messed up in years. More citizens than ever are trying to unclog street corners for drainage. The traffic car ran out of crash reports the other day. Fender benders for squad cars are taxing the fleet, too. There are no pool cars anywhere in the city we heard.

But we realize the mayor has a lot on his mind these past few days.

UPDATE: Aldercreatures feel the pressure:

• Fed up with snow-covered side streets and ice-packed intersections, an influential alderman demanded Thursday that Mayor Daley set aside $1 million apiece from the sale of the Chicago Skyway, Midway Airport and city parking meters to restore "dangerous" snow removal cuts.

Thursday Night Football

ESPN.com's scouting report:

• This game features two 7-6 teams that desperately need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Both the Bears and the Saints took care of business last week to remain in the hunt, but they will have to prepare quickly in order to get ready for this Thursday night game. Right now these two teams are on the outside looking in and time is running out.

Bears favored by 1 point. Weather says 20 degrees around game time and colder near the lake.

Conspiracies Abound

Here's some amusing fodder for speculation:

• ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he needs to find a way to take the “financial stress” off of his family and that his wife is as qualified or more qualified than another specifically named individual to sit on corporate boards.

As part of the "pay-to-play" access granted to certain corporations for contracts, opportunities or whatever, seats on corporate boards are often given to relatives of the elected and connected to mask bribes and payoffs. It's all legit, right?

So who is the "specifically named individual" that Patti Blagojevich is more qualified than to sit on corporate boards and pull in a massive salary? You'll never guess:

• The “specifically named individual” is Michelle Obama, who was appointed to the Board of TreeHouse Foods, a WAL-MART vendor, on June 25, 2005, even though she did not have experience in the private sector previous to the appointment. Here are the benefits the Obama family received as a result of Michelle Obama’s stint with the WAL-MART vendor:

  According to the couple’s tax returns, Mrs Obama earned $51,200 (£25,700) for her work as a non-executive director on Treehouse’s board last year, on top of the $271,618 salary she was paid as a vice-president of the University of Chicago Hospitals.

  She also received 7,500 Treehouse stock options, worth a further $72,375, as she did the previous year, when she banked a $45,000 salary from the company.

Illinois politics at its best.

Jackson Jr. Gets Tangled

This just keeps getting better. Junior, who learned the basics of "pay-to-play" politics at his extortionist father's knee, no denies having anything to do with "pay-to-play" politics at all:

• Jesse Jackson Jr.'s exceptionally public quest to replace Barack Obama as the junior U.S. senator from Illinois now involves hiring a lawyer to escort him to a meeting with federal corruption investigators Friday.

  Jackson, a Democratic congressman from the South Side, held a news conference today in Washington to deny any involvement in Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged scheme to sell the Senate spot to the highest bidder. But the normally voluble Jackson declined to deviate from his script and take questions from reporters, and he did not directly address his status as the unidentified "Senate Candidate 5" in court documents in the case against Blagojevich.

Gee, why would this be?

• Montgomery said a high-ranking official in U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald's office told him and the congressman that Jackson is not a target of the investigation.

"Not a target" at this time? But nothing about maybe if "something comes up" at a later time, eh? There are going to be a whole bunch of people appearing before Federal investigators and Federal Grand Juries in the coming months, and every single one of them is going to have to account for actions, statements and conversations that may or may not be on wiretaps.

Our bet is that Jackson is claiming he didn't "send" an emissary to Blago to buy the Senate seat, but when the entire narrative comes out, we're going to see at least one high level resignation in his office.

Now what about candidates #2, #3, and #4?

Jackson Sr Retains Legal Counsel?

On Michelle Malkin's site:

• In two other interesting developments Wednesday, NBC Chicago learned that Jackson Jr. was given a phone call from the U.S. Attorney’s Office the night before the governor was taken into custody, advising him that the arrest was imminent. Also, the congressman’s father, Jesse Jackson Sr., has retained legal council following the Blagojevich arrest.

That's the trouble with Illinois politics in general and Chicago Machine politics in particular. Too many family members and connections muddy things up. But the Chicago media isn't saying much about this development.

And all the strings get pulled on the Fifth floor of City Hall.

Name That Commander!

Then fire their stupid ass - this person is in charge of police officers?

• Asked how he learned of his son-in-law's arrest, Mell said, "The same way you did."

  Actually, Mell got the news during a wake-up call from a top aide. The assistant had gotten a tip from the local police commander that Blagojevich was about to be taken into custody. The commander called the staffer, who called Mell.

With all the Federal wiretaps running around and a former feeb in charge of the Department, was this the dumbest move on record so far or what?

And anyone else think Mell is sleeping about as well as Daley?

• "My concern now is for my daughter and my grandchildren," said Mell, whose daughter Patti allegedly can be heard on federal wiretaps swearing like a sailor.

Ah, the family that steals and connives together...

Happy Day

So where does it all go from here?

• Patti Blagojevich (nee Mell) is obviously a full fledged conspirator in her husband's political endeavors. Is she going to talk or is Rod going to throw her under the bus? What about those crooked real estate deals with Rezko? Does Patti talk first and sell out Rod? Does Patti's daddy Dick Mell feel any heat?
  
• John Harris, the former civilian Deputy Superintendent is another key player. He worked for Shortshanks prior to going over to Blagojevich. We'd bet money Daley sent him there to keep an eye on Blagojevich. What did Harris know and when did he know it? And how much pressure can the feds bring on him?
• Like it or not, Obama is a product of this political swamp. A young, charismatic lawyer-politician doesn't just spring out of nowhere in Illinois politics. You don't get elected without the Machine/Combine in your corner. It doesn't happen. And because of that, the taint of that association is forever on your background. But if you have a complicit media helping you out by ignoring your associations with Tony Rezko, Daley, Blagojevich, you can even get elected president and start appointing people with even deeper ties to the Chicago Machine. And Obama is stuck because any interference with the ongoing Fitzgerald probes would be akin to Nixon attempting to quash Watergate.
• And is Shortshanks getting any sleep now? What are his nightmares tonight?

UPDATE: Post corrected for rank

"rev" Wright Spouts Off Again

It sure is amazing that Obama sat in the pews at this "church" for 20 years and couldn't once be bothered to correct, denounce or disassociate himself from the pastor:

• The Rev. Jeremiah Wright has his pulpit; Elisabeth Hasselbeck has hers.

  On Sunday, in a sermon at Trinity United Church of Christ, Wright railed against the media, including Hasselbeck, an outspoken Republican and co-host of the daytime TV show "The View."

  While not saying her name, Wright referred to Hasselbeck, who was critical of Wright during the presidential campaign, as "that dumb broad on 'The View.' ''

Gee, racist, anti-Semitic and now misogynist. Oops, that's not all...

• Wright has likened U.S. foreign policy to the oppression by the Roman empire, using the phrase "garlic-nosed Italians,"

Anti-Italian, too.

Beware Hegewich!

A mere 150 miles:

• Authorities plan to resume searching Wednesday morning for a tiger that escaped from an animal sanctuary at Albion, Ind., which is about 25 miles north of Fort Wayne.
  
  Authorities shot the Bengal tiger with a tranquilizer but called off a search Tuesday night when the big cat wasn't captured.
  
  Noble County 911 Director Mitch Fiandt says the 18-year-old female tiger escaped from the Black Pine Animal Park about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

We've had coyotes and cougars. Why not a tiger?

Blago Arrested?

Is it true? We'll see what details emerge as the day progresses.

UPDATE: And his chief of staff. And we have a wide range of topics, from dealings concerning Wrigley Field to who gets Obama's Senate seat.

And for those of you who want to speak about being innocent until proven guilty, just take off the blinders now. Because everyone knows the Feds don't come out with stuff like this unless they've got a 99.99% slam-dunk case.

Psst! Read This J-Fed

This is what a real police department does:

• In the aftermath of the deadly Mumbai terror attacks, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has come out with guns blazing - with a plan to get all 1,000 rookie cops ready to use heavy artillery in time for New Year's Eve, The Post has learned.
• The NYPD wants all 1,000 Police Academy recruits trained to use M4 automatic machine guns - which are now carried only by the 400 cops in its elite Emergency Service Unit - in time for the holiday celebration in Times Square.
• In the carnage in the city formerly known as Bombay, 10 terrorists carrying automatic rifles and grenades attacked a railway station, a market, a restaurant popular with foreigners, two luxury hotels and a Jewish center.
• At least 195 people were killed and 295 wounded. The dead included 18 foreigners, among them six Americans.

Ten terrorists. Ten terrorists brought Mumbai to a standstill for almost three days and left a body count on the order of 19 to 1, 49 to 1 if you include the wounded. And we still don't have a single rifle or shotgun deployed on the street aside from SWAT, maybe a two-man Detective team if we're lucky.

As noted here and elsewhere, we aren't carrying the rifles from the station and running them to an incident. We're hoping to respond rapidly and in force within minutes of an attack. And that just isn't going to happen under current policy, training or leadership. Black rifles are scary - Shortshanks says so.

Cook County Jury

Even led by the hand, jurors can't figure it out:

• A Cook County jury Sunday said it could not agree on whether Carail Weeks was the man who opened fire on a South Side block two years ago and killed a Harper High School honors student.

  Jurors told Judge Joseph Kazmierski that they could not reach a unanimous verdict in Weeks' murder trial. They had been deliberating since 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Video of the defendant purchasing the rifle in Indiana.

Evidence collected at the crime scene shows it was the rifle used to hose down a block.

Defendant can't or won't account for how his rifle was used as the murder weapon.

Mistrial.

Amazing.

Rumors of More Changes

Supposedly coming out Friday or next week, similar to the pre-Thanksgiving movement.

The rumor getting the most play is the Tact Lieutenants to be removed from the equation and Tact Teams becoming the Watch Commanders responsibility. Which means a lot of operational changes are about to hit the teams.

We sense turmoil.

You Thought We Forgot?

Still no suspension time.

Still no apology to the family of the dead child.

Still no mercy from SCC.


The full series of photos is linked here.

The post that launched a thousand pictures is here. And here, too.

Great Story - If True

The Blackhawks dominated the Coyotes Sunday night:

• CHICAGO -- Ben Eager scored twice, and Andrew Ladd had a goal and three assists for a career-high four points in the Chicago Blackhawks' 7-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday night.

But that isn't the story we'd like to share. We'd like to think it's true.

• In the middle of a grueling six game road trip where a very young hockey team is away from home, the third game of the trip ends late on a cold Canadian Saturday night. This is the only break on the trip and the three days between games allow them the only break to get back home in their own beds for a couple of days before going back on the road. A scheduled commercial flight waits for them at Toronto 's International Airport for the short flight home; they could be home by midnight. This plane departs on schedule, but without a single member of the hockey team.
  
  Back in the locker room a vote is taken after the game was complete, and a unanimous decision is made by this young team to skip this flight and stay one more day. They make arrangements to check back in the hotel and on a frozen Sunday morning charter two buses that have no heat and begin a journey two hours straight north into a sparsely inhabited Canada, but where hockey is its passion. They arrive at their destination to the surprise of the teams general manager who is there attending his fathers wake.
  
  After a few emotional hours, this team boards the buses and head back for a two-hour trip back to Toronto . On the way they ask the drivers to stop in a tiny Canadian town because they are hungry. To the shock of the patrons and workers at this small hockey town McDonald's, a professional team walks out of two rickety buses and into the restaurant, which just happens to have pictures of two members of this team on its wall. The patrons know every single one of these players by sight being fanatic fans of hockey in these parts. One can only imagine their amazement of the locals seeing and entire professional hockey team sit down and have a meal in their tiny little town in the middle of a hockey season. After a while they board the buses and catch their same flight 24 hours later, giving one day to their general manager.
  
  Have I made this up, is this an excerpt from some fictional book? No this a true story of the Blackhawks last Saturday night and they decided to attend Dale Tallon's fathers funeral. Its amazing that such a good story can be found nowhere on the internet, and not even mentioned in the Chicago papers. Had one of the Blackhawks got into a fight and punched some drunken loser in a Toronto bar it would be plastered all over papers and the television. This being said, its hard to imagine any professional football, basketball or baseball team doing this, but the members of the Blackhawks claim any "hockey" team would have done this.
  
  This is one reason I continue to be a big hockey fan, and another reason I am excited about this Chicago team. I thought I would share as this story appears to have gone unnoticed.

Was this covered anywhere?

Wait a Minute....

Spending money at an airport the City doesn't even operate anymore? How is this possible?

• Chicago's Aviation Department could spend as much as $18.5 million more to keep runways clear of snow and ice at Midway and O'Hare this winter, due to the higher price of de-icing solution.

  [...] Chicago was able to secure enough de-icer for both airports, but at a price three times higher than last year, according to Aviation Department spokeswoman Karen Pride. The fluid, potassium acetate, cost the city $3.81 a gallon last year -- compared with $11.49 a gallon this year.

Why isn't the airport consortium that purchased the operating rights to Midway supplying de-icer? Is this one of those things that lawyers stick in the contract to make it more attractive to the buyer? Kind of like those CTA bus shelters where no one but the JC Decaux company knew that they were going to be allowed to install a few hundred extra units, low-balled the competition then made out like bandits when it came time to sell advertising? Did the taxpayer just get screwed again?

Tribune Going Under?

Not surprising:

• Chicago Tribune parent Tribune Co. is working with bankruptcy advisers at investment bank Lazard and law firm Sidley Austin to weigh its financial options, sources said Sunday.
  
  "It's an uncertain and difficult environment," Tribune Co. spokesman Gary Weitman said Sunday night. "We haven't made any decision. We're looking at all of our options."

We're only surprised it took this long. We figured the Sun Times would bottom out first and the Trib would sell off the Cubs to slow their slide into oblivion. Then the papers would merge at some point and Chicago would become a one newspaper town while Mope-rah sells streetwise at the exit ramp by the Maywood courthouse.

We keep hoping it'll happen.

Bears v Jaguars

ESPN line has Bears by 6.

We hate to use the words "must win," but it is. Every game here on out is "must win."

No Salt Plus Motorcycles?

Anyone want to guess how the new "no salt" policy is going to affect Western Avenue for the Toys for Tots Motorcycle Ride? And is J-Fed riding this year?

UPDATE: We've had reports of at least one accident due to ice. Others have said there's a thin sheet even on the main streets. Stay safe, everyone!

More Questions About Meters

From a whole passel of e-mails we got today (ok, it was three e-mails):

• Who writes tickets on violators?
• If tickets are written by the private company, who applies the Denver Boot?
• How does the private company get owner information?

The law used to read that only sworn officers could wrote City violations. That was changed so Streets and San personnel could cite cars parked in street cleaning zones. Now even more people can write parkers so Daley gets his money.

We're pretty certain that only the Department of Revenue is allowed to boot vehicles. There was some private lot that attempted to boot cars who parked there in violation of signs, but they were relegated to calling for towing outfits like Lincoln and Rendered Services to patrol the lots. Someone can tell us if that has changed.

The private company having access to citizens' info is more troubling. As pointed out by a regular reader, police undergo training and are familiar with the law and can be held criminally and administratively liable for misuse of LEADS, Secretary of State data and other Departmental tools. Private "for-profit" enterprises with unknown or inadequate screening processes for their employees opens up a whole can of worms for government data collection ending up in the wrong hands. We've all heard stories of CPD civilians farming out officers personal data to gangs and even sworn members serving time or being terminated for doing background checks improperly. Who watches the private company running the meters and what information are they going to have access to?

Answers?

This is Savings?

Wasn't Daley just bragging about a week ago about how smart the City was locking in salt prices at something like $40 a ton as opposed to what the 'burbs were paying nowadays (something on the order of $130 a ton)? Hell, with the purported half-a-million tons laying around, Chicago could sell some to the outlying municipalities for $100 a ton and put the difference toward the budget holes. So what's up with this?

• City officials pulled 184 snow plows from Chicago streets at about noon today but said they are monitoring weather conditions in case they worsen. Officials also said they are keeping an eye on another storm system that could dump more snow on the area late Sunday.

We always thought that the layer of salt that eats away at our cars also served a purpose by being crushed into the blacktop - it started the melting process quicker than the plows could get out during a really bad ice storm. It was a good theory.

We have to say that the streets are about the worse we've seen them in decades. Not just the ice, but the obvious lack of maintenance and half-assed construction. Pot holes are in full bloom and the number of broken and leaking water mains or hydrants defies our efforts to count on the way to, from and during work. Years of chronic mismanagement at Streets and in crooked contracting is truly coming home to roost.

No Bond for Shooter

As it should be:

• Bond was denied Saturday for a man accused of shooting and wounding a Chicago Police officer Thursday night in the Northwest Side’s Logan Square neighborhood.

  Juan Romero, 18, of the 1500 block of North Oakley Blvd., was charged with two counts of attempted murder, police said. On Saturday, Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan denied Romero bond, according to a Cook County courts spokesman.

  About 10:15 p.m. Thursday, officers in an unmarked car attempted to stop Romero near West Belden and North Kedzie avenues and talk with him because the officers identified him as an alleged gang member, Shakespeare District police Capt. Marc Buslik said.

  “Before they [police] even got out of the car, he came up, he walked up to the car and pointed [the weapon] at them,” Buslik said.

That's some bold action. And that's also how bad it can turn in an instant. He beat the officers out of the car and initiated the confrontation.

Word trickling in from various sources that this scumbag is, believe it or not, an illegal alien. So how's that "sanctuary city" crap working out for the police so far?

Now THIS is a Federal Takeover

Harvey PD:

• The FBI raided the offices of the Harvey Police Department on Friday just days after four officers were arrested for allegedly providing protection for drug dealers.

  FBI agents and three Cook County sheriff's officers spent nearly eight hours searching the station, but they wouldn't comment on what they were looking for or what they later removed in large white cartons.

We're going to guess a whole bunch of evidence that's going to make a lot of people uncomfortable in front of various juries.

Burge Tab

Well, for some reason we got quite a bit of abuse for not having this story up instantaneously when it broke this morning. We even got e-mail from Eric Zorn asking why this wasn't a front page subject - we guess he's taking trolling lessons from Fran and Frank. If everyone would just send us scads of money, we could afford to quit the Department, stop going to court, stop wasting our lives on pointless mission that do nothing to deter crime and devote our entire lives to blogging the Department. But until that day comes along, we're just going to have to deal with things every evening.

In the meantime, it appears the FOP is going to pay to defend Burge:

• Chicago's police union voted to foot either some or all of the legal bills for Jon Burge, perhaps the city's most infamous former officer, as he faces federal charges tied to allegations of torturing suspects.

  Tuesday night, the board of the local Fraternal Order of Police, which represents thousands of officers below the rank of sergeant, voted to pay for Burge's defense in his upcoming federal perjury and obstruction of justice trial, a police source confirmed Thursday.

  Attempts to reach FOP President Mark Donahue about the move were unsuccessful. A source familiar with Tuesday's vote says the board OKd funding Burge's defense because the onetime lieutenant -- ultimately fired -- is facing criminal charges linked to his time on the police force.

We don't understand all the machinations behind the decision. On one hand, Burge was never convicted of criminal wrong doing and all the allegations of torture remain just that - allegations. There has never been a trial, never been a hearing, never been a single piece of evidence introduced in court that would tie Burge or any of his co-defendants to torture. And two of the four people paid off by the City are in jail or under investigation again for various felonies, including a arson that killed a few people. Not exactly your stellar examples of humanity there.

On the other hand, Abbate, Cozzi, the Jeffersonn Tap boys, the SOS cops are all footing their own bills last we heard.

All paid into the fund. All have some expectation of being able to draw on the fund to defend themselves. How does one get a pass and one doesn't?

We'll withhold judgement on the merits of paying for Burge until we see the reasoning behind it. It's not nearly as cut and dry as the media would have everyone believe.

Mistakes? Really?

Shortshanks - Master of Deflection:

• Mayor Richard Daley said today his administration is trying to figure out why mistakes were made in the removal of the winter's first snowfall this week.

  "There are some complaints," the mayor said at a news conference on snow removal. "We're taking those complaints very seriously. Why is it the rest of the block is OK but that little corner is not? Like anything else, you try to find out, 'Did they skip it?' That's what we're trying to figure out, and we will."

  In a city where a mayor once lost re-election largely due to a poor response to a major snowstorm, Daley has taken the potentially risky step of cutting back on snow removal efforts due to the city's budget crunch. The city's Streets and Sanitation Department has taken to sending out e-mails to the media showing how much each round of snow removal costs.

Baffle them with bullshit. Here's a telling comment though:

• He shrugged off a warning from Ald Richard Mell (33rd), who predicted that uncharacteristically weak snow plowing efforts would trigger accidents and lawsuits.

  "Everybody sues the city," Daley said.

How true - everybody DOES sue the City. What's even more telling is this Reader article where it seems everybody who sues the City, wins:

• Scores of suits have been filed against other city departments, and through just the first six months of the year Chicago was already on the hook for some $80 million in settlements and court judgments. That’s far more than in any recent year in Chicago—up from about $34 million in 2005. And it doesn’t even include the $12 million spent to settle hundreds of suits related to the Shakman consent decrees, a series of federal court orders banning patronage hiring and firing, or the $11 million it took to settle a dispute with Millennium Park contractors—both paid in 2008 after years of litigation. That’s a total of more than $100 million to close lawsuits from January through June.

The arrogance of unchecked power.

About Time

This was a long time coming:

• Mayor Daley's $163,656-a-year budget director abruptly resigned Thursday, leaving a giant void as Chicago struggles to survive its worst financial crisis in recent history.

  "Look at the history of budget directors. It's two budget seasons and out. That's just the way it goes. It's a tough and demanding job. I've done a lot to try and help the city, but it's time to move on. It is truly and absolutely for my own personal reasons," said Bennett Johnson III.

Sure seems like this guy is number one on list of people who steered Chicago into bankruptcy within a generation. Revenue generating assets sold to the highest bidder for short term fixes that will do nothing for the long term financial problems facing the city.

After the Olympics drain what little is left of the economy, we'll have nothing left but a shell of a city with a blizzard of bad paper covering the tracks of the perpetrators.

OJ to Jail

At least nine years:

• A weary and beaten-looking O.J. Simpson was put away Friday for at least nine years — and perhaps the rest of his life — for an armed robbery in a hotel room, bringing a measure of satisfaction to those who believed the football star got away with murder more than a decade ago.
  
  The 61-year-old Hall of Famer listened stone-faced, his wrists in shackles, as Judge Jackie Glass pronounced the sentence — 33 years behind bars with eligibility for parole after less than a third of that.
  
  Moments before, Simpson made a rambling, five-minute plea for leniency, simultaneously apologizing for the holdup as a foolish mistake and trying to justify his actions.

Justice is where you find it we suppose. Good riddance.

Oh, Come On Now

This is ridiculous:

• Hey SCC,
  
  Yesterday at headquarters, as of last count, 11 workers slipped and fell in the parking lot on their way into the building. Security in the building notified building maintenance of the unsafe conditions and they answered that they can not apply salt until 2" inches of snow are on the ground. I did notice that where the Exempts park there was no ice on the ground. I know you think we do nothing here, but the bottom line is that 11 employees of the Chicago Police Department slipped and fell due to unsafe conditions. I would be interested to know how many Police Officers fell on their way into work on Thursday. Dirty Dick has already said he won't salt the side streets, until business hours, now he's not salting where we work.

Now Headquarters is going to be short ELEVEN bodies. Who's going to write the memos?

And they're going to strip the Districts to make up the shortages (that's a joke people).

Officer Shot - 014

Breaking. No details yet.

UPDATE: Cop caught one in the vest. imperial gangster offender shot once in the leg, weapon recovered.

UPDATE: Post moved from 2302 hours on Thursday. Well wishes and prayers for the injured officer only.

Aldercreatures Fail Again

Models of courage and steadfastness in the face of Shortshank's wrath:

• Chicago aldermen “afraid” to increase parking meter rates for the last 20 years on Thursday gave a private contractor carte blanche to raise them sky-high — in exchange for a cool $1.15 billion.

  With just three days to contemplate a 75-year transaction, the City Council voted 40 to 5 to unload a fourth major asset — Chicago’s 36,000 parking meters — and sock it to motorists lucky enough to find a space on Chicago streets.

The final vote was 40 to 5.

So much for the aldercreatures being representative of the people. Daley does what he wants and these candy-asses give it up like Pee-Wee Herman in maximum security.

And now that the City has given away the Skyway, four downtown parking garages, Midway and the parking meters, where are the corresponding layoffs that are the crux of these "money saving" initiatives?" Because with the revenue stream coming to an abrupt halt from these previously money-generating enterprises, one would imagine that the large number of jobs attached to each of them would be eliminated lest the salaries led to a negative cash flow? Yes, no, maybe?

Or didn't that fit into the discussion time of three days allotted for the entire undertaking?

As Predicted...

Once again, that silly little thing known as the "free market" shows that the market itself is the best means to effect change:

• The struggling economy has dealt a bad hand to the nation's usually robust gambling business, a downturn made even worse in Illinois, where the state's nearly year-old smoking ban has proved unhealthy to casinos.
  
  Among those paying the steepest prices are local governments, charities and their clients, who have come to rely on gambling tax receipts.
  
  The big gambling states— Nevada, New Jersey and Mississippi —are off 5 percent to 7 percent in casino revenue. But the picture is worst in Illinois, where casino revenue is down 20.3 percent this year.
  
  Gambling officials estimate that the state will get between $150 million and $160 million less in taxes, most of it earmarked for education. Statewide, the eight communities with casinos will see $20 million to $25 million less than they took in last year, officials estimate.

And where oh where will the government make up those gross tax receipts? Tax hikes? But that will further stagnate the economy, wouldn't it? Yep. It's called a "vicious cycle" and we predicted it here months ago when the nanny-statism started getting completely out of control along with the monstrous tax hikes. Now let's see how much Chicago tavern receipts are falling due to the smoking ban. People are shopping elsewhere. People are spending elsewhere. Daley is selling everything that isn't nailed down, and when he sells all the revenue generating apparatus, there won't be a thing left as the middle class flees Chicago a la Detroit in the 1970s.

Um...Earth to Moron?

You've been stripped of police powers. What the hell are you thinking?

• A Chicago police officer who had been relieved of his police powers was arrested in Rosemont for impersonating an officer, authorities said today.
  [VB], 35, of the 10000 block of South Wallace Avenue has been in custody since Tuesday on the felony charge. His bail was reduced Thursday to $5,000.
  Rosemont detectives arrested Brown after he went to a hotel and asked for a free room to conduct an undercover vice investigation, authorities said. Hotel employees called police after he asked for lotion and on-demand movies, authorities said.

Lotion and On-Demand movies?

Keesing Bandit, is that you?

Crime Continues Apace

Chalkie keeps racking them up:

• Two men were fatally shot -- one while leaving a high school basketball game -- in separate Wednesday night shootings on the West and South sides.

It seems more so lately that these weekday homicides are the ones driving the totals. Any detective or bean counter have a breakdown of homicides per Sun/Mon/Tues/etc? We know Friday and Saturday have traditionally been the big days, but we've noticed a definite uptick on other days, too.

Connected Demoted

Long rumored connection confirmed by the Sun Times. Finally:

• A cousin of Michelle Obama was one of four police supervisors recently kicked off Supt. Jody Weis’ command staff.

  [...] Michelle Obama’s cousin is Michael Shields. Barack Obama referred to the Shields family in an ABC-TV interview the day before Thanksgiving:

  “Michelle’s from Chicago, so she’s got cousins everywhere. You walk down the street, you’ll bump into a Robinson. Or a Shields.”

  Shields, the former deputy superintendent of strategic deployment, was bucked down to a lieutenant at the Belmont Area headquarters at a far lower pay scale.

Well, that explains a lot. Like how someone who might have cost the city tens of thousands in settlement money continued to be promoted and protected. More humorous is the alleged criticism of the other demotions:

• John Franklin, commander of special functions, was demoted to lieutenant and is working in the Evidence and Recovered Property section.

  Ronald Sodini, assistant deputy superintendent of special functions, also was demoted to lieutenant and is working in the Belmont District.

  Terrence Williams, commander of the Targeted Response Unit, is now a captain in the Chicago Lawn District.

We notice that no one is criticizing the demotion of 025's Avila and we really shouldn't have to give everyone another crack at why the rest of the demotions were long overdue. Incompetence is the rule, not the exception.

Happiness is a Gun

Hey, we're just bitter people clinging to guns (we don't have much use for religion at the moment):

• Gun sellers say the election of Barack Obama is helping them avoid the recession. Sales of new guns are booming - up an estimated 50 percent in the suburbs.
  
  [...] the gun lobby spent big trying to defeat Obama this year, outraged by his promise to reinstate a ban on military-style assault weapons. On talk radio, he was denounced as a "gun grabber." Now, as Obama heads to the White House, millions are rushing to reload.
  
  
• Recent gun sales are up nationally 42 percent. In Illinois, they are up 38 percent; and in Chicago's suburbs 50 percent.
  
  "It's simply paranoia," said Thomas Mannard of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. "And it's irresponsible, from my point of view, to be touting how wonderful this is. More guns definitely equal more death."

Actually, more guns equal less death. Mannard quotes no studies, no surveys, no math that would bear out his opinion. That would be because there isn't any. He counts on the ignorance of the masses to keep his group in business and he sells fear, plain and simple.

Keep stocking up people.

Home Invasion in 022?

The evidence of manpower shortages continues bubble to the surface, although largely ignored by everyone but our readers:

• Word is that today a couple dogs got arretsed in 022 for home invading a retired Sgt., he got off a few rounds at them, they took off and were arrested trying to hide out in a local fast food joint nearby. Not sure of the whole story, maybe someone can enlighten us. There have been tons of robberies and burglaries on the west end lately. Nice job to the 022nd District on the arrest. Everyone needs to be a lot more vigilant around these parts though. The department pours officers into gang infested, shit neighborhoods and we're left to fend for ourselves. Everyone be careful...not just at work. Have you heard anything about this?

And this isn't the only comment. But as the jagoffs feel less heat on the street corners, it isn't surprising that they'd start to venture places where the pressure is non-existent, like 008, 016, 022, certain formerly quiet areas of the city.

Another Good Arrest

They're popping up all over the media for some reason:

• Two men and a woman were arrested after one of them pistol-whipped a man during an attempted robbery late Tuesday in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, a stone's throw from the busy junction of Diversey Parkway, Clark Street and Broadway.
  
  At 11:59 p.m., the three suspects approached a 32-year-old man who was walking in his neighborhood at 2745 N. Hampden Ct., according to Town Hall District police.
  
  One of the male attackers was armed with a semi-automatic pistol and struck him in the ear with the barrel of it after demanding money, police said.
  
  The victim broke free and ran out to Diversey Parkway where he flagged down a Town Hall District police squad car. In the meantime, the suspects fled in a car. Police spotted the suspects' vehicle and stopped it at Cambridge Avenue and Surf Street where the three got out and began running away. The officers gave chase, captured them and took them into custody.

Next thing you know, we'll have a contract with decent raises.

Good Job Recruit

Good news wherever we can find it:

• A Chicago Police recruit was able to chase down a suspected murderer after the man ditched his vehicle and attempted to elude police Tuesday afternoon on the South Side.

  Charles Harris, 59, of Rock Island, was arrested for an outstanding out-of-state warrant, according to a release from Chicago Police. He was wanted in connection to the murder of a Davenport, Iowa woman.

• An alert off-duty Chicago police recruit observed the deputy marshal in pursuit of Harris and “sprang to action,” police said.
  
  The recruit and deputy marshal were able to apprehend and detain Harris.

Nice job. We're sure the readers will be extending words of caution to the unarmed, unarmored, no radio carrying recruit, but it's still a good job by the kid.

Meter Deal Rushed Through

And people are noticing parts of it stink:

• Parking meter holidays will be a thing of the past under a proposed privatization of the city's system a City Council committee approved today.
• ...parkers will have to feed the meters seven days a week, all year round.
• The company would be allowed to raise rates every year for the next five years. Meters that cost a quarter for an hour would increase to $1 an hour around Jan. 1.

And all of this is forced through the City Council in under 72 hours, no public debate, no hearings as to what the City is going to do as it no longer has control over a physical asset for 75 years and has to fill another budget shortfall within a few years.

Daley must be really planning to not be around in 2011 when all these questions come due.

A Bentley?

For real?

• Tribune/WGN link to video

Maybe a Pinto. Or a Gremlin. But a Bentley? Seems a bit much.

UPDATE: Selective reporting? Have they removed the "Bentley" references?

Bad News Day Part 2

And yet another black eye for the CPD:

• Former Chicago police officer Mahmoud Shamah may not have been surprised by a guilty verdict in his federal corruption trial today, but the one-time tactical officer had hoped he would not get nailed with the most serious of his numerous charges -- a conspiracy conviction.

  A jury found that Shamah, 29, had participated in a conspiracy to steal thousands of dollars from drug dealers. In a case that presented testimony that cops regularly carried crack to plant on suspects, paid informants for dubious information and even bribed a judge to approve an arrest warrant, Shamah was convicted on five of six counts.

  He will face as many as 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced next year, authorities said.

We can barely wrap our minds around 20 years in the past. Grade school, high school, summer vacations, part-time jobs cutting grass, sneaking beer out of the basement.

Now think about 20 years in the same fucking room, exercise for an hour a day, same faces over and over and over again, weekend visits that dwindle into monthly visits.

If that doesn't keep you on the straight and narrow, what would?

Bad News Day Part 1

For Law Enforcement in general, it's always sad when crap like this washes up:

• Four Harvey police officers, 10 Cook County jail guards and a Chicago police officer have been charged with providing muscle for what they thought were major drug deals - but were really fake transactions that were part of an FBI sting.

  In one of the largest crackdowns on law enforcement officers in recent years, the FBI is accusing the officers of accepting between $400 and $4,000 each on one or more occasions to serve as lookouts and intervene if police or rival drug dealers attempted to interfere with shipments of cocaine and heroin.

And how did they do it?

• A twin-propeller plane landed at the west suburban DuPage Airport, where they boarded and began counting what they thought was 80 kilograms of cocaine stashed in four duffel bags, according to federal authorities.

  They allegedly took the bags to the undercover FBI agent's car and watched as another undercover agent pulled up in a Mercedes, took the bags and drove off.

How very Miami Vice-like. The feebs also staged a high stakes poker game and had a copper providing security. Must have been a heck of a show they were putting on to suck in so many people. We'd have a hard time believing they fly kilos of blow into DuPage when we know that they transport it over the border by the truckload in the intermodal shipping containers with forged lading documents.

Scenario Oops

And it exposes a glaring flaw:

• SCC,
  
  This evening, 01 Dec 2008, @ approx 1950 HRS on Zone 2 (019/023)a male voice was heard on the radio calling out a 10-1. The officer could be heard gasping for air, as if he was in the fight of his life. Squad did there best to obtain an address. At first, it sounded as if the officer was at 2900 S. Stewart. Then the voice could be heard asking for an ambulance at 209 S. Throop. Finally, an open key indicated that the officer, BT 2612, was part of an exercise being conducted at the academy and was on the wrong zone.
  
  My point is this, the GPS in the vehicles are an absolute waste of money. They were installed to make The King's men some money and assist in the discipline of officers. THEY WERE NOT INSTALLED FOR OFFICER SAFETY REASONS. Had they been, they would be attached to the radio so that OEMC could locate an officer. Had this been an actual emergency, and the GPS was inbedded in the radio, OEMC could have located the officer in seconds. Instead Zone 2 is notifying Zone 5 and all CW frequecies in an attept to locate this officer. This was valueable time that was lost had this been an actual 10-1. Possible the difference between life or death. Stay safe. St. Jude pray for us.[sic]

All the money spent on GPS for cars is revealed as a waste if no one is near a car, or in this case, even has a car.

And of course, someone not checking the radio settings prior to a drill raised more than a few blood pressures and stress counts. Anyone know why Radio Shop doesn't just disable all the other frequencies on the training radios? Oh wait...there are no training radios. They are all live sets for when the Academy gets deployed. This would seem to be an operational shortcoming based on pinching pennies.

The Tow Totals

This is about the only number we can find:

• The snow coincided with the start of the city's overnight winter parking ban on 107 miles of the city's "most vital arterial streets."

  As of 7:30 a.m., 165 vehicles had been ticketed, towed and impounded, Smith said. That was up slightly from the 149 handled the same way on the first day of the ban a year ago.

Mayor Shortshanks thanks you for your patronage.

All SUV's?

We certainly hope there's a whole bunch of Driving School penciled in over the next three years:

• The Daley administration has signed a $59.2 million contract with a suburban dealership that could pave the way for the Chicago Police Department to convert most of its squad car fleet by 2011 to Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs favored by Police Supt. Jody Weis.

  The three-year contract for up to 2,000 SUVs was awarded last month to Advantage Chevrolet of southwest suburban Hodgkins. The dealership is owned by an African American, but has gross revenues too high to qualify for city certification as a minority business enterprise.

  As a result, Advantage Chevrolet applied for a waiver of the requirement that 16.9 percent of the contract, or $9.9 million, be set aside for minority subcontractors.

While we welcome the addition of new vehicles to a pathetically run Fleet Operation, we'd like to point out that probably over 60% of officers haven't ever driven a high-center-of-gravity vehicle. Probably 80% haven't even moved a squadrol since their Academy days.

Again, for the benefit of a few trolls who are going to think cops bitch about everything under the sun - Yay New Cars! Now how about a real effort at training with the new tool we're given?

UPDATE: Is our math wrong? $59.2 million divided by 2,000 SUVs is $29,600 per vehicle. How does this compare to a Crown Vic, Impala or other sedan? And remember, these are two-wheel drive Tahoes. No extras.

Uh...What the Hell?

Ridiculous:

• A relative of a 5-year-old who drowned last summer after falling off a rock ledge at Jackson Park Harbor sued Chicago police, alleging that an officer prevented bystanders from trying to rescue the boy.

  The lawsuit, filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court, contended that the officer threatened to arrest bystanders who were "suitably qualified" to attempt a rescue of Ronald Evans Jr. in July. If the good Samaritans had been allowed to enter Lake Michigan, "they could and would have rescued" the boy, the suit said.

  The lawsuit acknowledged that police officers are required by law to prevent any unauthorized person from entering water to prevent a drowning. But the suit alleged that the officer's actions caused Ronald's death by denying the child his right to life guaranteed by the Constitution.

So by following the laws, rules, and ordinances, an officer is named in this suit? Regardless of the outcome, the officer is going to forever second guessed and his credibility will be impugned should he ever be sued in another matter. Where is the parental responsibility? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

And Shortshanks will payout again. Without a doubt. It's not his money, so what does he care?

Budget Hole Plugged!

Now where's our damn contract?

• Mayor Richard Daley has scheduled a 10 a.m. Tuesday news conference at his office, where he is expected to provide details of the deal. Aldermen are scheduled to consider the deal, which requires their approval, at a meeting of the City Council's Finance Committee on Wednesday.

  Daley administration officials opened sealed bids today from private companies that want to operate the city's parking meters, the sources said. Officials declined to say who submitted the winning bid and how much that bidder offered.

  But the city is counting on $150 million from the deal to help plug a $469 million budget deficit this year and in 2009, according to administration officials. And the administration expects further proceeds from the deal to help pay for city government for several years.

Fran Spielman points out...:

• No more parking meter collections and the theft that comes with it. No more repairing broken meters or replacing obsolete equipment. A private company would inherit the responsibility and the revenue, which has grown by 16.5 percent since 2003.

No word about job cuts among the TMA's and Meter Maids though. We'd imagine that if the City isn't collecting on the meters, they aren't enforcing the expired fines and such. And that raises an entire slew of issues regarding private companies being allowed to ticket or collect fines. Are the streets Public Ways? Are they financed by the taxpayers? Will the parking meter consortium be required to maintain the parking spot? And wasn't there a Union beef a few years back when the City started hiring TMA's to do police functions? Now the City is farming it out? Something smells rotten around here.

Gee, Anyone See a Problem?

Not that we'd ever suspect DCFS of fucking up a case so bad that a child or thirteen died as a direct result of their negligence:

• SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois' child-welfare agency, looking for savings amid a budget crunch, has stopped a 10-month-old employee drug testing program officials say kept five dozen substance users from jobs that could have put them in contact with the state's most vulnerable children.
  
  A memo from Department of Children and Family Services director Erwin McEwen, obtained by The Associated Press, indicates drug testing of job seekers, including those of private contractors or vendors, ended Nov. 18.

Eliminate the screening process first as an "unnecessary" expense. This is going to work out spectacularly for them, we can just feel it.

IAD Opens a Door?

Reading over the Appellate Court decision regarding compelled administrative evidence being admitted into criminal court, we find this little number:

• The sergeant also explained that an officer has a right to an appeal even if he is terminated and that he was unaware of any rule which stated that any officer who refused a direct order would be unequivocally terminated.

"Unaware of any rule?" A quick perusal of copies of "The Advocate" and the minutes of Police Board meetings reveal a number of firings over the past few years where the entire basis for the firing is a "refusal of a direct order." Has the IAD sergeant inadvertently opened a door for officers who were fired in the past to appeal their dismissals? And we also see this in the Administrative Rights:

• 7. You are further advised that by law any admission or statement made by you during the course of this hearing, interrogation or examination and the fruits thereof cannot be used against you in a subsequent criminal proceeding.”

So which is it? If an officer is given his Administrative Rights, under this current wording, the Appellate Court decision might well be overturned. Furthermore, if an officer took these Rights at face value and subsequently refused to answer questions and was terminated over this refusal, the sergeant's testimony opens up a couple of that need to be addressed by the FOP. Call and let them know you expect this decision to be appealed as soon as possible to a higher court.

Fifty Years Ago...

No, we weren't around. Probably 75% of our readership wasn't around either. But the looks that flit across the faces of people who were around when it comes up is haunting (above photo from the Tribune slide show):

• It was a day when the lives of 92 schoolchildren were stolen in a place where their parents thought they would be safe: their school.

  The inferno that consumed Chicago's Our Lady of the Angels on Dec. 1, 1958, opened a pit of sorrow that still seems bottomless.

Coverage at the Tribune, Sun Times and NewsRadio 780.

Official website here.

Can't Own a Gun?

So, you want to find work in an Obama Administration? Just fill out this survey, it's standard government fluff. Until you get to question #59:

• Tucked in at the end of the questionnaire and listed under “Miscellaneous,” it reads: “Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage.” …

  It’s just one question on a lengthy personnel form — No. 59 on a 63-question list — but the furor over the query is a vivid reminder of the intensity of support for Second Amendment rights and signals the scrutiny Obama is likely to receive from the ever-vigilant gun lobby.

  Obama’s transition team declined to go into detail on why they included the question, suggesting only that it was done to ensure potential appointees were in line with gun laws.

As Malkin.com points out:

• Rather than just ask the traditional question about prior convictions, Team Obama wants to proactively ensure that their applicants don’t break laws. Will we see questions like this?
• Do you have children? Please list proof that you haven’t beat or molested them.
• Do you have pets? Please list proof that you have them spayed or neutered.
• Do you have alcoholic beverages in your house? Please list proof that you’re not an alcoholic.
• Do you have satellite television service? Please list proof that you don’t buy pay-per-view porno or professional wrestling.

You don't need a weatherman to see which way the wind is blowing.

Police Shooting

This one slipped under the radar all day:

• Police shot a person on the Far South Side early Sunday in the area of the Altgeld Gardens public housing complex.

  The shooting happened about 1:15 a.m. at East 131st Street and South Langley Avenue.

  Officers from the Calumet District were confronted by an armed offender there, according to police News Affairs. Numerous 10-1 calls, an urgent request for assistance by an officer, were made on police radio about that time for that location.

Cops ok, so that's the good news. Every call in 005 lately seems to be a 10-1. Watch your backs, watch your partner's back. It isn't getting any better any time soon.