Memorial Outrage II

We've been in correspondence with the original letter writer. Extensively. He stands by his story and further states that the offending individual was in fact urinating on the memorial grounds, he identified himself as CPD and he mouthed off as stated.

The on-duty officer is a long time fan of the blog and has read the comments put forth by readers. He has taken the comments to heart and will be filing a formal complaint with the Department shortly. We've asked him to update us.

We've taken out quite a few comments these past 24 hours, most of them threatening physical violence and harm upon the offender, some accusing us all sorts of garbage (but that's normal) and some off-topic posts. We will not be posting any accusations of this officer being a "rat" or other attacks upon him. He has agonized over his actions and frankly, we don't envy his position in the least. We have no idea how we would have reacted if faced with this occurrence. On one hand, you want to inflict the maximum amount of punishment possible. On another hand, there are cameras around and should you act on your initial instincts, you might lose your job for a quasi-criminal offense or serve heavy suspension time. All bets are off in the current political climate.

To all who commented, you have been a useful sounding board. While our path might not be the one you would have chosen, we're the ones who have to live with it. At the moment, we aren't losing sleep over it. Our outrage is your outrage, make no mistake. We've buried more than a few names on that wall, too. But acting rashly serves little purpose and could end a few deserving careers along with the undeserving asshole who masquerades as one of us while pissing on our dead.

Oh, for Chrissake

What the hell?

• Several investigations are under way into allegations that an off-duty Chicago police officer beat a CTA bus driver aboard his downtown bus Saturday.

  The officer accused the driver of cutting him off in traffic as he rode a bicycle on a Loop street, officials said.

  Officials from the driver's union said they have viewed a videotape from the bus camera that recorded the beating. "This guy, without any provocation that we can see on tape, assaulted our bus driver," said Darrell Jefferson, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, who did not see the tape but was briefed about it. "He punched him several times. Then he got off the bus, came back on the bus and punched him a couple more times."

At least he's already at callback. It won't be a big change of scenery or travel time for him.

Early Moves?

Rumors popping up. Again.

• SCC.....changes have been made. 016 CO Riccio to Area 4 head of dicks, McNaughton to 016. More to be announced tomorrow.

Verification?

Really Shortshanks?

So out of touch as to be ridiculous:

• Mayor Daley demanded today that Chicago’s embattled parking meter operator synchronize the time on its pay-and-display boxes and void parking tickets tied to time discrepancies.

  “That’s unacceptable. They have to void those tickets,” he said.

  Daley said the latest in a string of operational problems that have marred the transition to private control has prompted him to lose confidence in Chicago Parking Meters LLC.

And voters are rapidly losing confidence in Daley's "god-like" ability to raise the dead to vote democratic, create dollars out of loaves and fishes, and squeezing broke taxpayers until they whine.

Memorial OUTRAGE (Updated Below)

You aren't going to believe this shit (from the comments):

• Hey, SCC. I'm putting this here because there were other vandals at the Memorial this weekend after the U2 concert. People were using the memorial as their own personal urinal. There was an officer out there that I saw writing tickets. Don't know if there were more, or if he was the only one assigned over there; we couldn't tell. With the number of people pissing over there, he could've used some backup, if he was the only one. It was absolutely disgusting. We commented (loudly) to those doing it and told them to stop, but of course they don't listen.
  

This isn't nearly the worst of it though. We got an e-mail from a cop who was writing the ANOVs for the public urination charges. The post was undermanned to say the least. And who do you suppose he caught?

• I work in unit [deleted] and asked to get assigned to Gold Star Park for the show, mainly to make sure people didn't drink alcohol in our park or urinate on our wall. So, the show lets out and here comes the steady stream of drunks taking the shortcut thru the park east to get to the east lot, no problem. Soon the drunks (mostly suburb or out of state) decide the circle (area with our fallens' names) looked like a good place to piss... I wrote 2 of the first 5 I could get to but what happens next made me sick.
  
  Just finished the 2nd ANOV and I spot another drunk male lining himself up to piss, I head his way and basicly ask him "what the fuck are you doing" as I give him a lecture about what the area is. He replies, "this is my park too" so I'm thinking this is a taxpayer trying to be a smartass and he wants to go to jail. I start to rip into him and he says "save it, I'm a cop too. I got [deleted] years on the job, blah,blah,blah". I'm thinking what suburb did this jagoff come from and I asked him for I.D. He pulls out his CPD I.D. card and I stood there in disbelief. His name is [deleted], assigned to [deleted] and has [deleted] years on. What made me sicker is that claims to have worked with Eric Lee and another officer whose name is on the wall.
  
  Sitting here typing I regret not tossing an ANOV his way or possibly throwing some cuffs on him. This kid doesn't deserve to wear the badge. The least I can do now is type this out and let others know of the disrespect this "officer" has shown to those that paid with their lives... Its times like these I wish I was off duty too so I could walk up to him and knock his drunk ass out!

Here's the SCC dilemma in a nutshell:

We have this "officer's" name, unit and years of service. We put the word "officer" in quotes because this scumbag is completely undeserving of wearing the badge. Treating the grounds of our memorial as his own public urinal because he happens to wear the same badge and uniform that we do? That our deceased brothers and sisters did? Fuck that. This ass deserves every bit of scorn and crap that should be flung his way. His name should be mud the rest of his career - and he has a ways to go before it's called a career.

We didn't create this site to out jagoffs though. We created it to take the Department to task over injustices, outrages, stupid policies and boneheaded decisions. Along the way, we've managed to out some jagoffs unintentionally. It happens and it's usually for the better.

So what do we do? Do we publish it all? Do we give this ass a chance to make amends? Why do complete fuck-ups like this "officer" manage to slip through the cracks and create the potential for embarrassment at every turn?

We are sickened. Again.

UPDATE: Comments are running around 100% to name him, draw him, quarter him, etc.

But a few calmer heads made some points that bear careful thought:

• IAD and J-Fed are going to hammer the copper who didn't take police action. There is not one iota of doubt in our mind. That ANOV or that physical arrest is the only evidence of wrongdoing and it's missing;
• We aren't going to be taunted into action. To the various posted and unposted comments calling us "coward" or variations of the same, don't you think there's a reason we're still around and SecondCityDick isn't? Or because Shaved went to moderated comments? Or we've outlasted DomeLights in Philly?
  
• IAD isn't taking anonymous complaints for public urination. Especially from an anonymous blog;
• Demanding a financial contribution as restitution would be tantamount to blackmail and extortion. Think about it.
  
• To the constant Airport Sergeant defender, you must be in her pants. She MADE herself a public figure. The photo was all over the Channel 7 News. This asshole, by not being cited, isn't.

We have the letter-writer's name, star, unit and e-mail, too. For obvious reasons, we don't communicate using Department computers, e-mail, phones, PAX lines, etc. But at this time we're willing to accept the accusation as 100% truthful.

Maurer Fired

This has been popping up in our comment sections for three or four days now. Shaved had a post up at 2230 hours last night citing the Sun Times article:

• A former high-ranking Chicago Police officer has been fired as $130,380-a-year security chief at O’Hare and Midway Airports amid his complaints about physical vulnerabilities and manpower shortages.

  Tensions between Jim Maurer and aides to Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino have been building for nearly seven months. They came to a boil on Friday, the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, sources said.

And what was the source of the tension?

• That’s when Maurer got into a heated argument with Eileen O’Connor, a top aide to Andolino. O’Connor accused the security chief of “physically attacking” her, sources said. Although Maurer categorically denied the charge, Andolino fired him on the spot.

Maurer may be a lot of things, and although we've never worked directly for him, we have a hard time seeing him physically attacking a woman. That's just too far fetched for words. Andolino, former secretary for Silent Vic Reyes though, well, that's another story.

• Beneath the personality clash is a lingering dispute over O’Hare security.

  Sources said Maurer has grown increasingly concerned about a shortage of police officers at O’Hare and about vulnerabilities in the airport’s physical plant.

  Since late February, when Andolino was placed in charge of both the Department of Aviation and the O’Hare Modernization Program, the singular focus has been on construction, the sources said.

  “Everything is depleted…Police levels are significantly lower than they used to be,” said a source familiar with Maurer’s version of the dispute.

This we can believe completely. Maurer has been outspoken on more than one occasion. It cost him a shot at the Superintendent's job once. And in light of the mayor's message that everything is all right, we're completely safe and we're getting the Olympics, Maurer's concerns would be considered "rocking the boat." And we all know what happens to people who rock Shortshank's boat.

Graffiti Blasters Missed One

Evidently they've missed a few. Or they just aren't being as meticulous as they have been in years past due to layoffs and pissing off the guys in Streets:

Looks like the tourists can't resist the photo opportunity though. This was sent by a thoughtful reader who was passing under the Soldier Field underpass and caught sight of the defacement. Evidently, the stencil graffiti is popping up in a lot of places - and being missed by the Graffiti Blasters.

Mysterious Suicide

Anyone keeping an eye on Marco Morales? Because the way cooperating Combine politicos seem to die off before testifying, sentencing, or reporting for jail, we'd be worried about his health:

• A day after Christopher Kelly died in Chicago, a host of questions remained today about the final hours of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's one-time top adviser, who was about to start serving a prison term.

  Police said this morning they didn't yet know whether Kelly, 51, tried to kill himself by ingesting the drugs found inside the 2007 black Cadillac Escalade registered to his roofing company. But a girlfriend told police Kelly said he wanted to commit suicide in text messages he sent to her.
  

  After an initial autopsy, the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said further studies are needed before it can determine a cause of death.

And they transferred him to Stroger Hospital? Gee, this is like a conspiracy theorist's playground. When are they going to start mentioning Rezko?

Cars Lost? Not Lost?

Last week a bunch of people lost the take home cars that are costing the City hundreds of thousands, maybe a few million dollars. Now rumors are floating in that the truly favored didn't lose a thing. From the comments:

• As promised the city/cpd took away a lot of take home cars, the criteria was those without call out responsibilities don't need a take home car. They are probably right in most cases BUT
  As predicted several still have there cars who probably shouldn't, for example.
  A K-9 sgt that lives south and travels everyday to O'Hare and sits in an office and runs the kennels, she doesn't have a dog, what call out responsibilities does she have?
  How do the Lt's at the academy lose their cars but a certain SGT at the academy who is the brother of a certain ADS, formerly commander of 18 still keep his? When is he going to be called out?
  Sure maybe I maybe whining but the department again shows if you know the right people the rules don't apply. I am sure there are other examples that can be presented...

We heard the various civilian directors lost cars. Commanders who don't have call out responsibilities like 35th Street Admin spots and Elton John fans. Commanding Officers of some of the smaller units, too, along with people who use confiscated cars as personal transportation. We certainly hope this is enough to put Shortshank's Olympic dreams over the top with a bit left over to grant everyone a nice raise.

Memorial Vandals Continuance

New court date is 23 September at Branch 42-2 (0900 Call) at Belmont and Western.

Over 70 cops and CPMF members and concerned friends showed up at Court last week. When the case was called, the defendants nearly shit a brick.

We're going to need the same or better in just over a week. If you have an appearance scheduled, stick around. If you finish your shift and aren't going to sleep right away, stop by. If you're retired and have a free moment, welcome one and all.

Last appearance included a couple of exempts. How about someone call the Chaplains to lend a bit of gravitas to the assembly? Maybe a few retired Superintendents who oversaw the burial of more than a few Officers named on the Wall?

Well, That Sucked

Out-passed them, out-rushed them, controlled the clock.

And it came down the four interceptions ESPN predicted would be game breakers.

• Aaron Rodgers brought the Packers back late in the fourth quarter, heaving a 50-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings with 1:11 remaining to give Green Bay a 21-15 victory over the Chicago Bears in the season opener Sunday night.
  
  Facing third-and-1 at the 50-yard line, Rodgers faked play action and heaved a rainbow of a throw deep to Jennings, who ran in for the go-ahead score. Rodgers found Jennings again for a 2-point conversion.
  
  Rodgers finished 17 of 28 for 184 yards for the Packers, and his big throw ruined the debut of Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who had a career-worst four interceptions.

Ninety-one seconds from victory. So is this an incident of shared blame? Offense not scoring enough due to four interceptions and Defense not stopping the big play when it mattered? Hopefully, it's all just a hiccup and first game jitters.

Football Begins

And the Bears are the last game of the day. The last line we saw had Green Bay favored by 4 points.

ESPN says if Cutler doesn't throw any interceptions, the Bears can pull it off.

We think the Bears have just about zero room for error on both sides of the ball - and that's all season long. This seems to be a thin team with the potential to be very good. But four or five major injuries and who knows how bad it could get?

Assailant Killed by Hero Officer

We're getting damn sick and tired of the bullshit headlines and urban myths perpetrated by the media lately. How about instead of always casting the police in the worst light possible, you media trolls actually study the law, read the law and interpret the law as written? So much claptrap, so little time:

• An off-duty Chicago Police officer fatally shot a man he witnessed shooting another person Friday afternoon in the South Side Woodlawn neighborhood.

  The off-duty officer saw a man shooting someone at 69th Street and South King Drive about 3:30 p.m., according to police News Affairs Officer Michael Fitzpatrick.

  When the officer announced his presence, the offender ran away and the officer gave chase, Fitzpatrick said. The chase continued to the 6800 block of South Eberhart Avenue at which point the offender, who had already refused to drop his weapon, pointed his gun at the officer.

• The original victim shot in the King Drive shooting was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in "stable" condition, according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford. He said the second shooting victim was dead on the scene at 68th and Eberhart.

  Police recovered a gun at the scene, Fitzpatrick said. The officer was not injured.

Hey Langford, you asshole, the second person is the OFFENDER. Get it straight you dumbfuck.

So we have an original victim with a bullet hole in him and a gun recovered. Has the victim identified the dead shooter as the OFFENDER? His initial descriptions match:

• The source said the victim of the shooting on 69th and King, who was recovering at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, provided a description of his assailant that matched that of Harris.

  The source said the victim knew Harris, and the two had been feuding during the last few days.

Family members even admit the victim and OFFENDER were feuding previously?! We can hardly wait for the GSR tests. This just gets better and better.

But the topper is this video from FoxNews Chicago. Go watch it quickly before it disappears down the memory hole.



That quote at the 2:00 minute mark? Classic ghetto uneducated bullshit. "Off duty police officers...they... they don't supposed to shoot to kill." FoxNews ought to be castigated and run out of town for even broadcasting that crap. Have any of these idiots even read State Law? Obviously not, but evidently, according to auntie, we can only shoot to maim, cripple and frighten, and we're sure she has some sort of law degree that makes her the most brilliant legal mind since King Solomon.

Let's call this what it was - an aggravated battery offender and mediocre basketball player settling a street fight with a pistol who got caught red-handed by a heroic off-duty Officer who then chased the offender at great risk to the Officer's own life as demonstrated by the offender's reckless disregard of lawful and legal orders to stop, along with the offender pointing the weapon at the off-duty Officer in violation of numerous statutes, and finally the Officer lawfully and justifiably killing the Offender for his previous and continued offenses resulting in much celebration by the actual taxpaying public and Officers who don't have to mourn a fallen comrade.

Try writing that story once, media asshats.

Great Job Officer

Mounted Unit officer involved in a lake rescue:

• A Chicago police officer from the mounted unit and some passersby rescued a 70-year-old man from France who almost drowned in the lake, authorities said today.

  On Friday about 2:15 p.m. Mounted Unit Officer Chris Andersen was riding along the lakefront bike path near Monroe Drive when a citizen said an older man had fallen into Monroe Harbor and was struggling in the water, according to Police News Affairs.

  The man apparently had lost his balance and fell into the lake while trying to attach his boat to the harbor wall.

  Andersen dismounted and handed his reins to the witness before rushing to the water's edge, police said. He laid down on the bank and reached into the water, where the struggling man had slipped beneath the surface.

A very good job by the officer and the citizens.

Daley = Stroger?

Could the cracks be spreading throughout the organization?

• Mayor Richard Daley often talks about how Chicagoans want a decisive, visionary leader who can get things done without "endless politics," and that promise of iron control has become key to the city's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
  
  But with the pivotal Olympics decision three weeks away, Daley finds himself in one of the most troubled periods of his long reign. Daley's decision to lease the city parking meter system left motorists furious over skyrocketing rates and balky machines. Then he fumbled in explaining his promise that taxpayers would cover potential losses from the Olympics.
  
  For the first time since he became mayor two decades ago, Daley's critics outnumber his fans, a Tribune/WGN poll found. The mayor's approval rating is at an all-time low of 35 percent in Tribune polls, according to the new survey.

But is it low enough for voters to abandon the "better the thief you know" method of voting and vote for someone who isn't quite as big a thief as Shortshanks? Daley is vulnerable to a real challenge. The Machine is vulnerable to a real referendum on term limits, ward boundaries and maybe even a major reduction in the actual amount of aldercreatures. It's about time.

Unacceptable Delay

We reported this on 28 August.

The media picked it up after charges were filed on 31 August.

Now it's being addressed by J-Fed?

• Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis on Friday denounced as “reprehensible” — and demanded severe punishment against those responsible for — a 911 dispatch delay that left an off-duty police officer to fend for himself while being shot at by a car filled with alleged gang members.

  “This incident is just reprehensible. We had an officer [who] needed assistance and he didn’t get it…on the street….He was pretty much on his own for quite a few minutes…He had to go to [a police] station and that’s where he received assistance,” Weis said.

And the head of OEMC?

• Ray Orozco, executive director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, agreed that a message must be sent to the dispatcher and supervisors who allegedly bungled the 911 call.

  “This is a very serious allegation and we take it seriously. This is officer safety…If the allegations are sustained, the discipline will be appropriate with the violation,” he said.

  But, Orozco stressed that his investigation was not triggered by police complaints.

Sure it wasn't Ray. The dispatcher was working the console 99 and he was sleeping. Plain and simple. And we don't really care who he's related to, he needs to be fired.

All Safe - No Worries

Thank goodness:

• Chicago is as prepared for a terrorist attack as any big city can possibly be, Mayor Daley maintained today. Then he showcased the technology to prove it on the eighth anniversary of 9/11.

We are remembering the Mobile Communications Van that Shortshanks rolled out to great fanfare a few years back. It was pretty much an empty shell that parked behind OEMC and was unlicensed to operate any of the millions of dollars of equipment supposedly installed. We don't even think it was hardened against EMP while it was parked behind on of the largest targets in Chicago. They had to spend hundreds of thousands to ship it back to Virginia or somewhere for modifications. Does anyone know if it ever came back?

• At O’Hare Airport, the city is testing a high-resolution camera capable of detecting debris on the airfield that may be invisible to the naked eye.

  “This is able to pick up screws, metal objects, other objects that may cause or could impact damage in aircraft. It allows for a cleaner airfield using technology on top of human inspection,” said Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino.

You know, we are forcibly reminded of a story we read regarding the Space Race of the 1960's. When NASA found out pens wouldn't work reliably in outer space, they spent a few million dollars inventing a "space pen" that used pressurized gases to ensure a steady flow of ink in zero gravity. The pen was rolled out to enormous fanfare. It could write in outer space, under water, upside-down. It was truly a marvel of engineering and American know how.

The USSR sent their cosmonauts into orbit with pencils.

So "silent" Vic's partner is spending millions on a camera system to detect debris on runways? Debris that will still have to be picked up by human hands? How about we just attach a few magnets to the street sweepers already clearing the runways daily? Or improve the brushes to clean a bit more efficiently? Too easy?

• And thanks to an “exciting partnership” with Columbia College, the city is developing “virtual reality software that simulates a high-rise fire.”

  “It’s an interactive learning tool that…will train you and educate you as far as what needs to be done if there’s an evacuation of your building,” said Ray Orozco, executive director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

We used to have something like this back in grade school...it was called a "fire drill," and the Fire Department would come by, sound the buzzers and the nuns would line everyone up and evacuate the building. God help you if you talked in line, too. What is an "exciting partnership" with a "virtual reality" simulation going to teach us that Sister Mary Margaret didn't?

• Find the exits, find the stairwells, find an alternate or two and get the hell out if the shit hits the fan.

The last time the City held a "drill," it was on a Friday afternoon, maybe 10 or 20 buildings participated, the employees all got to go home early and the building engineers were propping doors open and handing out bottled water to "evacuees." When it happens for real, it's going to be mass chaos. And unfortunately, quite a few shortcomings are going to be exposed in the worst way and at the worst time possible.

UPDATE: Yes, we know, urban legend. But the point of the story remains the same. Shortshanks and his crew are spending millions of dollars trying to invent a space pen when a simple solution exists.

Not An Open Primary...Yet

Stroger's support is collapsing:

• Cook County Board President Todd Stroger failed to get an endorsement from his fellow Democratic Ward and Township committeemen Friday.

  A motion for an open primary narrowly failed, so Stroger’s backers pushed for a roll-call vote in which each of the 80 committeemen, including those on Stroger’s payroll in Cook County government, had to go on record stating who they supported among the five candidates or vote “present.”

  Eight committeemen who hold so-called “Shakman-exempt” jobs that Stroger could terminate on a moment’s notice all voted for Stroger, as did two committeemen whose nephews hold such jobs. Those added up to 10 of the 24 committeemen, including Stroger himself, supporting him. But it still wasn’t enough to give Stroger a majority of the 80-member committee’s weighted vote.

Interesting that Stroger controls 10 spots by the ability to be able to fire the holders of those spots. It kind of gives lie to the theory of being answerable to the voters at any given time. And he still can't generate a majority of the committee? Interesting times.

Remember

Because it seems way too many people have pushed it to the backs of their minds. But for First Responders, it should always be first and foremost in our souls. Not only because we lost so many comrades in arms, but because we may one day be called upon again to sacrifice so many so others might live.

Do Not Get Caught Doing This

We've all heard the stories. Here's what you risk:

• Steven R. Cordes wanted to help his girlfriend keep tabs on who her teenage daughter was dating and hanging out with.

  So Cordes — director of a Kane County emergency dispatch agency — searched confidential police databases and did criminal background checks on a boyfriend and other friends.

  But the searches were unauthorized — and illegal. On Thursday the 44-year-old Lake in the Hills man on Thursday was sentenced to six months in jail and placed on 30 months probation after he pleaded guilty to official misconduct for running the searches between 2006 and 2008 while he ran Quadcomm, a 911 dispatch center.

As everything is traceable to individual log-on ID's and keylogger programs are running in the backgrounds of most Department computers, there really aren't any excuses to get caught doing anything that doesn't have a police purpose. Just don't.

Voters Pissed

Now show up at the polls damnit:

• Battered for championing Cook County's sales tax increase and for hiring friends and relatives, Board President Todd Stroger heads into the election season with a strikingly low job-approval rating and thin support from voters, a Tribune/WGN poll has found.
  
  Only 1 in 10 Cook County voters approve of the job he is doing, and just as few want to see him re-elected following a first term marked by tax and hiring controversies, the poll found.
  
  The numbers are lower than the 13 percent Gov. Rod Blagojevich had just months before his December arrest on federal corruption charges.

10% approval? As a reader pointed out, why the hell are his numbers so high? And at this rate, is the party even going to run him for office? An internal challenge is all but certain lest the Board presidency fall into Republican hands.

Class Acts in Colorado

We can't say enough about the Denver and Englewood Police Departments:

• Densey Cole II lay paralyzed almost 1,000 miles from where he works as a Chicago cop and had a visitor -- the police chief of Denver.
  
  "He didn't just visit me, he saluted me," Cole said of Gerald Whitman. "That's the class act he is."
  
  Officers in and around Englewood, Colo., where Cole has been treated since July for a spinal cord injury, think he is the class act and have adopted him and his wife, giving them tickets to concerts and sports contests and lending an old police cruiser.
  
  
• Police officers say it's common for them to support brethren wherever they are. But in Denver, where injured officers from around the country come for treatment at Craig, there is an organized outreach coordinated by the Englewood Police Department.

The entire article is high praise for our brothers and sisters in blue. And the number of Chicago Police who have gone out to Denver to visit and lend support is inspiring. Many are listed by name and quoted in the article. You bring pride to an embattled organization with your efforts.

Bittersweet Event

Officer Alejandro Valadez became a father on 09 September 2009 at 0019 hours.

Alejandro Valadez Jr. arrived weighing 7.5 pounds. Both mother and son are reported to be doing well.

Officer Valadez died in the Line of Duty 01 June 2009 and never got to meet his son. Alex Jr. will only know his father through photographs, maybe some videos, and through co-workers who maintain the fragile bonds we build over a lifetime.

Congratulations, prayers and well wishes only in this thread.

And Now For Something Completely Different

Sent by a fan:

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Everyone needs a chuckle.

PS - J-Fed's dance partner is Skahill we're told.

No Money for a Raise...

...but $36 million to move a company HQ downtown from the suburbs:

• The Daley administration is coughing up an additional $10 million to entice the parent of United Airlines to move its operations center downtown from the northwest suburbs, boosting the total subsidy to nearly $36 million.

  A $10-million grant comes on top of a tax-increment financing (TIF) subsidy of roughly $25 million that city officials disclosed earlier this month when they announced UAL Corp.’s decision to move 2,500 jobs from Elk Grove Township to Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker Drive.

  “The overall package offered by the city was critical to our decision,” a United spokeswoman says.

  The total subsidy amounts to nearly $14,400 per job, according to a report on the TIF deal by the city’s Department of Community Development.

$14,400 per 2,500 jobs for United Airlines.

$25,000 per 1,200 CPS students to predict when they'll be shot.

But for 10,000 cops who traditionally have gotten 3.5% annually (which works out to between $1,400 and $2,400 a year depending on step increments), Shortshanks pleads poor and broke. And that 3.5% doesn't even take into consideration the givebacks typically associated with our last few contracts. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. How about you?

Screwed. As Usual.

The Aldercreatures have done it again, rubber-stamping what Shortshanks wants. Unanimously. They've bought the bill of goods that Pat Ryan, et al. were selling.

• The Chicago City Council today approved, without a single dissenting vote, an ordinance that puts taxpayers on the hook for cost overruns if Chicago wins the 2016 Olympics.
  
  Afterward, aldermen and Mayor Richard Daley gave themselves a standing ovation. The vote reauthorizes Daley to sign the Olympics host city contract in advance of the Oct. 2 vote in Copenhagen by the International Olympics Committee on which of four finalist cities gets the Summer Games in seven years.

Note the first sentence of the second paragraph: Afterward, [Aldercreatures] and [Shortshanks] gave themselves a standing ovation. Congratulations, Chicago. Another screwing by the politicians you continue to elect to office.

Wah Wah Wah!

Jackie Heard attacks her former colleagues:

• Mayor Daley's press secretary Jacquelyn Heard lashed out at the media Tuesday in a matter that involves her and not the mayor.

  The story involves drugs allegedly being sold from a home that Heard and her husband own and rent out on West Adams. It was raided in May.

  Two people were arrested, and marijuana and heroin were seized.

  Tuesday, Heard implied that the media handling of the story is a way to get even with her for, as she put it, calling out people who write unfair headlines about the mayor

And maybe the media is awakening from it's slumber, noticing that popular opinion is rising markedly against the mayor and his royal ways, and that if they want to remain solvent entities, they better do the job they were tasked to do and have been neglecting for over 20 years while Shortshanks drives this town into the dirt.

Jim Mullen Update

Looking for a little help winning a Small Business Owner contest:

• Dear friends,
  I'm writing you to let you know about and online contest I have entered with my applesauce company. Those of you who are familiar with this product know that it is certainly worthy of consideration. I am attaching a link with the story and the location of the contest. I certainly could use your help in getting it out to as many people as possible. If you would not mind which you please forward it to some of your e-mail contacts or people you think might be interested in helping me by giving me an endorsement http://shinealight.ivillage.com/sbo-profile/?ProfileID=1405
  
  Thank you for your consideration
  your friend
  Jim

It just take a second to hop over and vote for Mullen Foods. You can't keep a good guy down and Jim is an inspiration to many.

B.O.H.I.C.A.

This is our childrens' future. And our grandchildrens'. Unless they are lucky enough to move out of this city as soon as they are able.

• A City Council committee today approved an ordinance that would authorize Mayor Richard Daley to sign the Olympics host city agreement that would leave taxpayers on the hook if there are major cost overruns for the 2016 Games.
  
  The contract would require the city to cover cost overruns beyond the $750 million already backed by the city and state. Olympic organizers say insurance policies would protect the public, making it unlikely they would even dip into the $750 million.

Just a quick question - who's paying the premiums on this so called "insurance" policy? Taxpayers? So we're getting the shaft either way. Thanks for clearing that up.

By the way, did anyone see London's 2012 Olympic debacle lately? Their $4.5 billion bid is currently approaching $20 billion in cost. But don't worry about Chicago's history of shady dealings, crooked contracting and monstrous cost overruns.

Burger Queen Memo

From an anonymous tipster:

Hopefully, you can click on the photo and read the whole thing. If not, read below:

• It has been brought to the undersigned's attention that Officer's [sic] assigned to the desk and Beat Meetings, [sic] are informing citizen's [sic] that manpower is low and they can complain to the Alderman, Mayor or Superintendent's office. At no time will any Officer(s) make comments or discuss Manpower with any citizen(s). This is a direct violation of the Police Department Rules & Regulations; officers failing to adhere to the Department Rules & Regulations will be subject to disciplinary actions. Officers are to be courtesy [sic] and professional at all times.

First of all, it's embarrassing that something this grammatically pathetic ever got published, even in a CO Book. We don't profess to be "Masters of the Language," but at least we passed English through high school and even wrote a few college term papers that got B's.

Second, this is a pretty feeble attempt to ignore the fact that 003 has had 30 openings for the past what...six months? There's a reason that no one is bidding to 003 and not just because it's a crappy out-of-the-way station in a crappy neighborhood. Start at the top.

And third, we don't see how telling people that 003 is shorthanded is impeding Department goals. Someone has to point out the obvious. And obviously, 003 is shorthanded. And logically, being shorthanded means you aren't able complete the goals of the Department. Who better to complain to than the aldercreature, mayor or superintendent?

The "discredit to the Department" part we'll leave to the Burger Queen's gun violation, the subsequent cover-up, the 30+ openings unfilled for half-a-year or more, and an "F" for grammar, spelling and sentence structure.

No Duh

NIMBY strikes again:

• The not-in-my-back-yard syndrome associated with power plants and waste dumps may also apply to red-light cameras in Illinois.
  
  A new Tribune/WGN-TV poll finds most voters favor the traffic control devices--in concept. But they don't want the cameras in their own neighborhoods.
  
  The statewide survey also found broad skepticism about a common refrain echoed by municipal officials: Promoting safety is the paramount goal of camera installations.

Safety? It's been a revenue generator from day one. That's why they're looking at so-called "Stop Sign Cameras" as the next big revenue generator. You can generate million in revenue and not have to pay some copper to sit on a sign or play the intersection along with all the attendant costs (insurance, court, paper tickets, etc.)

We imagine some ambitious politico might win some votes campaigning against the cameras and advocating for more police officers.

Wisconsin Serial Killer

Any chance this guy was in Chicago over the past few years?

• A Milwaukee man whose DNA authorities say linked him to the slayings of nine women since 1986 has been charged with two counts of homicide, with more charges expected this week, police and prosecutors said Monday.
  
  Walter Ellis, 49, was taken into custody after a struggle at a motel Saturday, days after police served a search warrant to obtain a DNA sample, Police Chief Edward Flynn said. Ellis was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, and more charges will be filed within the next few days

We recall at one point, detectives had identified something like four unique patterns on the south side, all involving prostitutes missing and turning up dead. At least two were cleared that we know of. If Illinois' DNA database wasn't such a freaking mess, would it be possible to connect this guy to some Illinois crimes?

School Waste

Where's the investigations?

• The day before the Chicago Public Schools are supposed to begin, there was a shocking sight at one Northwest Side school.
  
  Dozens of desks were strewn about the ground after being tossed out of the building. Dumpsters in the parking lot behind the school were filled with books.
  
  The scene surprised a lot of parents, given that school starts Tuesday. So CBS 2 [...] went to Palmer Elementary School, 5051 N. Kenneth Ave., to find out just what was going on.

We've reported on this a number of times about various high schools. Rooms stacked with books, supplies, even (then) top-of-the-line computers still packed in boxes, unused, gathering dust. We were challenged on a number of occasions, but as our sources were school officers in easily identifiable high schools, we respected their wishes for anonymity.

Palmer Elementary is just the tip of a giant iceberg. Talk to any custodian or building engineer who may be as fed up as many taxpayers are. Maybe a real reporter can "grease the skids" as it were. They'll tell you where the waste is hidden away. It's not just bloated administration.

Curious and Curiouser

From our very own comment section, an interesting tidbit that might appear at a later date:

• SCC,
  
  I heard a rumor regarding everybody's 19th Ward Chinaman (can I use that term or has it been put into politically correct storage along with retard?)and her visits to 219 S. Dearborn.
  
  It seems one of her 19th Ward party planners was promised a merit promotion.
  
  When it didn't come he/she got wired up and went to Rugai's office. The disappointed merit candidate asked Rugai why the promotion didn't come considering that a "donation" had ben made to Friends of Rugai. Evidently the Alderman was recorded telling the candidate that the "donation" was not enough.
  
  Tee Hee.
  
  This should be interesting.

Given the largish amount of promotions that seem to come out of the 19th Ward, it would seem that a whole bunch of people might be sweating at being squeezed by the feds.

Speaking too Soon?

In the "Irony?" post a few slots down from this one, the Department is finally addressing the shootings issue. All year, shootings were way up and no one commented on them officially. Finally, shootings are down by thirty-one and everyone is patting each other on the back.

Sunday's media outlets have sobering reminders that it's only September, and there's plenty of months to go:

• A pitcher who was apparently offended when he was benched for his team’s second game in Abbott Park Sunday afternoon shot his coach multiple times before fleeing the scene.
• A young boy was struck in the head by a bullet while he was in a car on the West Side early Sunday.
• A man was shot in a drive-by early Sunday in the Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side, police said.
• A man attending a barbecue on the West Side was shot in the arm Saturday night.
• Four people -- three in their late teens and a 20-year-old -- were shot at a party in the South Side's West Englewood neighborhood early Sunday.
• An 11-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound to the head when a man began shooting in the Far South Side Roseland neighborhood Saturday night.

And that was just the Sun Times. A slight reduction, while still a reduction, is not an indicator that things are turning around just yet.

Hahahahahahahah

Priceless:

• An alleged gang member is dead when he was accidentally run over by a sport-utility vehicle driven by a member of his own gang during an early Sunday gang fight on the South Side.

  Andrew Aleon, 25, of an unidentified home address, was struck by a vehicle on the 2800 block of East 95th Street and was dead on the scene, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

  Aleon, an alleged gang member, and other members of the gang to which he belongs approached members of a rival gang as they left a gas station and began beating them with their fists and bats about 1:45 a.m., police said.

You have to love these idiots sometimes. The humor value alone. But is it a homicide? Or a "not quite" an accident?

Memorial Vandals Court Date

Evidently, the first court date passed (02 September) and only one person representing the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation - John Gordon - was present. The case was continued to 09 September at Belmont and Western. We're sure a bunch of off-duty people might want to make a showing this time and lend some support to the CPMF people.

Here's a few pictures of the damage inflicted on the Memorial forwarded to us by Bill Kugelman:

Maybe all the living ex-Superintendents could make a showing? They all buried friends and co-workers on that wall.

UPDATE: 0900 Court Call.

Society is Doomed

The comments after these articles merely confirm it:

• Chicago Breaking News - Police shot and killed a pit bull this morning while serving a search warrant for firearms in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, officials said. Two juveniles also suffered minor wounds as a result of the shooting, according to published reports.

  At about 12:15 a.m., tactical officers entered the rear entrance of a residence in the 4800 block of South Wolcott Avenue when they were confronted by a pit bull, according to a news release from Chicago Police News Affairs. An officer fired at the dog and fatally wounded the animal, police said.

• Sun Times -Chicago Police fatally shot a Pit Bull and injured two minors while serving a search warrant early Saturday on the South Side.

  One offender was taken into custody, and a weapon was recovered, according to a release from police.

Go read the linked articles. Then if you can stomach it, read the comments. It's disgusting. Quick summary:

• Coppers serve a search warrant. A warrant that has already been reviewed by a sergeant, maybe a tactical lieutenant, maybe even a captain of police, a states attorney and a judge. They make entry into a yard and are confronted by a dog. Dog doesn't make it and the through-and-through pieces of bullet grazes two juveniles.

The comments? Cops should have used TASERs. Cops should have retreated. Cops should have used OC. Oh poor doggy.

What the fuck? We jump though a million hoops, go through a tedious process, get the approval of the courts, apprehend a felon, recover a weapon, and we're still wrong. We're still the punching bags. We're supposed to go out undermanned, underarmed and work miracles with people who have zero respect for the law and societal norms. What are we supposed to do? Sprinkle them with magical fairy dust and wish them into prison? Why bother?

Good Riddance

Took long enough:

• A Maywood man who was shot by Chicago police in June after he tried to run three officers down with a car died today, authorities said.
  
  Mario Johnson, 30, of the 700 block of South 8th Avenue was pronounced dead at 5:47 a.m. at Kindred Hospital, a long-term care facility, a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office said.
  
  Johnson died of gunshot wounds he sustained in June. Johnson was shot on the 2300 block of West Madison Street after police said he struck three narcotics officers with his vehicle. An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday.

Shouldn't he have died at Cermak Hospital? We're just asking.

Scandal Undiscovered?

Someone a bit more computer savvy than we are might have fun researching this. From the Sun Times article on Jackie Heard's dope dealing tenant:

• The case revolves around a female tenant who started renting a first-floor apartment in the house after Heard and her husband renovated the building in January.

From our comment section:

• I checked the public records on BUILDING PERMITS and [there] is no such of permit issued for
  5319 w.Adams
  from jan-1 05 to sep-40-09
  WHYYYYYYYYYY?

That sure would be an interesting search for a real reporter, not like the ones who swallowed the claptrap coming from canned press releases.

UPDATE: One permit for electrical upgrades discovered. How much rehabbing was done? And we don't know about buying foreclosed properties, but someone in the comment sections found some odd sequencing of dates.

Irony?

First up, good job by everyone over the past two months:

• Shootings in Chicago are down as the summer comes to a close, reversing a trend that dogged the city much of 2009, authorities said Friday.
  
  While homicides have been down, shootings have been a persistent problem with a few unusually bloody weekends over recent months.
  
  By July 1, the city had logged 927 shootings, 60 more than in the first half of 2008. Two months later, there had been a total of 1,335 shootings, 31 fewer than in the first eight months of 2008, police said.

This was a statistic studiously avoided in all recent crime reporting by the Department. We've been pointing out all year how shootings were up, yet never reported in the crime reduction numbers - selective reporting by the political animals that populate this city, department and media. Now that the shooting numbers are finally down, it's safe to release the numbers and take credit for them.

Then right afterward, the media reports this:

• Three people, including at least two females, were shot on a Woodlawn porch early Friday on the South Side.

  Emergency crews responded about 1 a.m. to a reported shooting at 6315 S. Eberhart Ave. and found two females were shot, according to preliminary police information.

• Two men were seriously injured after they were shot while sitting on a porch in the Englewood neighborhood Friday morning.
  

Five more shot in the span of a few hours. It's almost as if the shooters were waiting for the CPD press release touting the reduction in shootings before lighting up the south side again. The only bragging that ought to be done is (A) by the doctors and medical personnel saving the lives of these mutts and (B) by the Department on 01 January 2010 when the final tally is up and everyone can see what's up and what's down. Otherwise, you run the risk of looking just a wee bit foolish in the face of a bad weekend.

Wrong Priority

The message sent to everyone else is what?

• Using a newfangled probability model, Chicago Public School officials have identified the 1,200 Chicago public high school students most likely to be gunshot victims -- and will direct millions in resources to help them this school year, Schools CEO Ron Huberman revealed Thursday.

  "These kids are in trouble, and we need to help them,'' Huberman said as he unveiled a $30 million plan to stem the student shooting deaths that have traumatized the nation's third-largest school system for several years.

  "By changing [student] behavior,'' Huberman said, officials hope to "almost totally stop the youth violence problem'' in Chicago.

$30 million spent to protect for what all intents and purposes are 1,200 assholes who don't want to be in school, have been socially promoted despite failing every single grade, constantly disrupt classes where kids want to learn and take up inordinate amounts of teacher time that could be spent elsewhere. As one reader pointed out, they are spending $25,000 per asshole.

Here's a better idea:

• Sterilize each of the 1,200 to break the cycle of stupidity;
• Build a maximum security "school" with bars on the windows and surrounded by razor wire - it'll will get them acclimated to their future lodgings;
  
• Offer advanced degrees in "Expressway Litter Control" - it'll be great training should they actually survive into their 20's;
• Buy a term life insurance policy on each asshole with a big payout so the taxpayers actually see a profit on their investment rather than pouring $30 million in tax money that we'll never see again;

All that would cost considerably less than $30 million and the potential payout in insurance money would be enough to fund the Olympic dream.

City Hall Cover Story

It's amazing that City Hall has a cover story all set up for Jackie Heard's House of Pharmaceuticals and releases it mere hours after our readers break the story before the mainstream media. These paragraphs reek of spin spin spin:

• Daley learned of the situation while he was flipping through a stack of reports on properties deemed drug and gang houses. He noticed Heard was listed as the owner of one of them, Heard said.

  She could not remember exactly when that happened, but noted that the mayor meets with police officials about once a month to find out which areas of the city are experiencing drug and gang problems.

Mayor Daley flips through stacks of reports? About drug and gang houses? Since when? That paragraph is laughable on it's face. Either Daley is a genius micromanager who knows where every penny, contract and vote is coming and going to or he's a bumbling idiot who answered, "I don't recall" dozens of times at a Federal deposition regarding the Machine. Pick one. But the media really needs to stop covering up the corruption that occurs on a daily basis by accepting these bullshit stories as fact.

The Tribune also fell for this spin job.

Extraditing the Key?

This could be interesting:

• Marco Morales, a contractor convicted in a City Hall corruption scandal more than a decade ago, has lost his final appeal against extradition from Mexico and could be sent back to the U.S. by next week, his attorney said today.

  Morales pleaded guilty in 1996 to bribery and mail fraud as part of the wide-ranging Operation Silver Shovel probe. In pleading guilty, Morales said he bribed Anthony Pucillo, a former high-ranking Transportation Department official under Mayor Richard Daley.

  Morales fled to Mexico in 1997 instead of reporting to prison as his plea agreement specified.

Morales returning to Chicago has been a dream of columnist John Kass for years now. Morales could be the key to unlocking tens, maybe tens of dozens of crooked deals. His pleas of being a simple retired contractor kind of fall flat when his son got a $40 million no-bid contract right after he fled to Mexico. It sounds more like a bought-and-paid-for conspiracy.

Clue for the feds - threaten him with 25-40 years in the pen and coming out a corpse and see how fast he cracks. These 18 month sentences are ridiculous and don't do a thing to instill fear of punishment in these assholes.

Ike, Shut Up

What if County doesn't want them?

• A Chicago city council committee has voted to approve a mandatory five-day jail sentence for anybody caught with an illegal gun.
  
  The five days in jail would be for the first offense: Caught with an unauthorized gun in the city of Chicago.
  
  The proposal was approved by the city council police and fire committee at the insistence of some West Side aldermen, including committee chairman Alderman Isaac Carothers.

Seems a waste of time - they have to be convicted in a Cook County court first of all - that might take a year or two. And once they get probation for whatever assault, robbery, battery or murder they are convicted of, they might serve county time or downstate time.

But it seems truly silly that Ike, who is under a Federal indictment, wore a wire, and if reports are to be believed, will shortly plead guilty to some sort of mail fraud and fixing charges, is still allowed to serve and propose laws that will have absolutely no impact on crime whatsoever. None. Five days? Ike, you're a moron. Just shut up, dance to the tune your federal handlers are playing for you, and go serve your Club Fed time with some modicum of shame.

Sports Time

Cut Day coming fast:

• There is not a lot left for the Bears to evaluate entering tonight's preseason finale at Soldier Field against the Cleveland Browns with most of the starters scheduled to play a series, maybe two.

  But don't try telling the players on a real or perceived bubble that little is at stake. Jobs, goals and dreams are on the line -- and knowing that general manager Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith will have something to consider before final cuts for what might be two or three open spots, tops, on the 53-man roster. Players reported to training camp five weeks ago, and this marks their final opportunity to make a statement -- good or bad -- with 22 cuts due by 5 p.m. Saturday.

And the Crosstown Rain Out Make Up Day:

• What's at stake: Certainly not a playoff spot, but this game does have serious city implications. If the Cubs win, not only will this season's series end tied 3-3, but the all-time official series will be 36-36. Obviously, if the Sox win, they will have a 37-35 advantage and give their fans winter bragging rights.

Not bad for a Thursday.

TASER Footage

Second City Sarge takes a closer look at two recent TASER incidents (both out of state) with attached video.

The first is the Centennial Bridge incident we covered a few days ago where the lack of positive contacts resulted in a loss of distance and a brutal attack on an officer. The second is a mentally disturbed individual who breaks free after being TASERed and escapes being placed into custody.

There is also linked commentary from PoliceOne.com on use of the TASER in police work and related Street Survival.

A good find and an excellent read by SecondCitySarge.

Jackie Heard Dope House

Let's see the media hammer the shit out of this one:

• I posted this last night and thought you might be interested in facts rather than innuendo.
  
  The senior corporation counsel for drug and gang house enforcement is out today inspecting a property at at 5319 W. Adams. The owners of the property are Jackie Heard and her husband Henry L Bassett.
  
  Henry Bassett is an exec with the CHA. The home is being used as the base for large quantity narcotic sales. The house was submitted for drug and gang house prosecution after a search warrant was executed there and narcotics recovered. The mayors office is in a tizzy wanting this one to go away fast! This case will go to Administrative hearings. I will let you know when the case is heading there.
  
  Address 5319 W. Adams PIN # 16-16-107-028-0000

Jackie has been hand-feeding the media tidbits, twaddle and BS for years. She's got to be calling in every marker in existence to bury this story. Didn't someone high up in the Department own a dope house just like this? Maybe Jackie ought to team up with Aunt Bea and get some pointers.

Pay-to-Park at Juvie Court?

On duty in a marked car? We're there at the behest of the justice system. We don't recall being required to have to pay out of pocket to park a city vehicle for somewhere we are ordered to be.

• SCC,
  
  Today, 01SEP09, while at juvenile court a letter was posted in the police room stating starting 01OCT09 there will be no more free parking for law enforcement officers. The garage is converting to an automated system and there will be no more cashiers taking the signed tickets. There is no provision for officers on or off duty, such as a marked/unmarked squad car. The letter was written on Cook County letterhead and addressed to the sheriff's union.

Someone else said this might be starting at 26th Street? We think the County ought to set up a valet parking system and validate parking. It'll be a cold day in hell before we give Stroger a dime of our cash for this crap.

GPS Badges?

Well, not quite yet, but maybe soon:

• Police departments in South Carolina and Massachusetts are testing a radio frequency identification system to manage badge inventory and department security better. Both are testing the SmartShield system, which consists of officer badges with embedded RFID chips and a records management software application known as Enforcement Identification (Eid).
  
  Developed and marketed by V.H. Blackinton & Co., SmartShield can be used to track badges as they leave a storage area for assignment to officers. RFID interrogators (readers) are not included in the package, but by the time the system becomes commercially available in August, they might be, according V.H. Blackinton's John Domurad, director of research and development. "They're in development," he says.

It's an older article (2006) and the RFID is more for scanning you into and out of secure areas. But the data is logged and trackable and would seem to to be completely fitting with the direction the Department is going lately.

Which Fox to Watch Henhouse?

So many choices:

• With little more than a month until the International Olympics Committee decides whether Chicago will get the 2016 Summer Games, aldermen and the Daley administration are unveiling new ordinances that they say would provide greater oversight should the city's bid prevail.

  Ald. Manuel Flores (1st) held a news conference to pitch a measure that would empower the city's inspector general to monitor the Olympic committee if Chicago hosts the Games. Separately, Mayor Richard Daley's administration introduced a plan to let two aldermen sit on the organizing committee if Chicago wins its 2016 bid.

So Daley's plan is to let two members of the august body known as the City Council, a body that has had 26 members go to prison over the past 30 years, keep an eye on what is sure to be a $15 billion boondoggle. Burke being one of the two is laughable.

Flores' plan is to let the Inspector General keep an eye on things. Unfortunately, the IG just resigned to run for the Senate and the replacement will be appointed by Shortshanks. We don't even know if the IG has to be confirmed by the City Council, but it would be the height of irony if it were so.

So many bad choices, so little time.

Oprah-lympics

Let's just shut down a major thoroughfare so Oprah can pimp for the Olympics:

• Will Chicago motorists tolerate having a chunk of the Magnificent Mile closed to traffic for nearly three days in exchange for the worldwide exposure talk show diva Oprah Winfrey will bring to Chicago by kicking off her 24th season at Michigan and Ohio?

  Mayor Daley believes they will.

  “This is a great thing we’re doing. I wish we could do this every day in Chicago. How many people it will employ. How much publicity we’ll receive throughout the world. It is unbelievable. You can’t even give us that exposure globally,” Daley said.

We don't know about that tolerance level. The fuse seems to be getting shorter and shorter. And that smarmy Ryan character justifying six-figure salaries while police and firefighters have to beg for scraps is intolerable:

• Salaries as high as $300,000-a-year for top executives spearheading Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid are “unacceptable” during tough economic times and some of those salaries should be reduced, Mayor Daley said today.

  “Some are unacceptable. You know that. But like anything else, they were put together with private money. They compete [with] the private sector,” Daley said after dedicating a new affordable housing development in Pilsen.

Private sector jobs lined up with the promise of billions in public sector contracts should the Olympic dream come to pass. Can't you smell the corruption from here?

Take the Money...

Crain's Chicago Business on 11 May 2001:

• Boeing Co. Chairman and CEO Philip M. Condit said no single factor prompted the aerospace giant to choose Chicago as its new corporate home, but generous state and city incentives couldn't have hurt.

  Combined, the total incentive package is valued at up to $64 million over 20 years, according to state and city officials. Up to $41 million will come from the state in the form of tax incentives, relocation assistance, job training and development grants; while the city will contribute $23 million, including money to fund a hangar to house Boeing's corporate jet fleet at Midway Airport, at least temporarily.

  State officials said Boeing's relocation will bring $4.5 billion in economic benefit to the region over 20 years.

$4.5 billion in economic benefit over 20 years! Wow! Fast forward a mere 8 years later:

• Boeing (BA) CEO Jim McNerney is eager to move the company to China. Whether moving Boeing to China means shifting its headquarters from Chicago to Beijing is up in the air. But Boeing already has $600 million in supplier partnerships with China -- such as a deal with Shenyang Aircraft Corporation to build an assembly for the 787's vertical fin. And Stan Sorscher, who spent 20 years at Boeing before taking a post at the Society of Professional Engineers in Aerospace (SPEEA) in 2000, told me that McNerney is hooked on the idea of shifting Boeing to China.

Anyone want to bet Boeing is gone long before the Olympics land here? And how long until United takes their $25 million and runs?

IOD Problems?

We hadn't heard this one:

• Hey scc just thought that you should be made aware of a real problem at the medical section. Apparently Daley switched all IOD cases to a private company called Coventry. This company has denied so many treatments that the FOP is starting a class action law suit. I have been out of work for months now and while my scheduled surgery is not emergency I am in great pain. I even heard of an officer (also IOD) who was in need of semi-emergency surgery who was just denied. The FOP is suggesting that we just get the treatments and that hopefully the lawsuit will reimburse us. However being and IOD issue the hospitals may not even take our private insurance. This is ridiculous and hopefully the officer in need of time sensitive surgery will not have to wait much longer. I am in great pain but am still functional. Why is our health and safety in the line of duty being trusted to a private insurance company that according to there website specializes in "cost cutting" Please address this SCC.

Nothing like inspiring the troops to work harder by making sure if they get injured, the pain lasts for years and years longer than is necessary. Any info is appreciated.

Felons in the Gym

Makes us want to run right out and start using the Academy gym:

• I just wanted to let you know about an incident that happened at the academy a couple of days ago. I am in the gym working out, I see two f/1's walking around, they both enter the gym look around and leave, two guy also working out see this and step outside into the hallway to see what they are doing. (They did not look like cops and if they were they should work undercover). So, I’m done working out and I’m leaving for the locker room, as I step out I see the two guys asking them questions. Both f/1’s were civilians and entered the academy to use the bathroom, they were asked how long they been in, both said 20 + mins, asked were they lived they said across the street. From what I know, across the street is section 8, and from what I remember they sell crack out of that place. Anyway, they were told that they could not be in here and that’s when the f/1’s started to talk shit. “I pay taxes, I pay your salary, and we could be in here if we want too.” “I know police, who you to tell me I can’t be in here.” Both were escorted out of the building, some word’s were said between the officer at the desk and the two guys that escorted the f/1’s out. From what I heard standing by the doors, none of the words were nice. I spoke with a det. Inside the locker room about this, he also said that one day he was in the locker room when 4 m/1’s walked in, two of the m/1’s he said have been arrested for guns. Both were playing basketball with other kid’s totaling about 20-30. I just wanted to let you know that I am done working out at the gym in the academy, this weekend I will be shopping around for a bow-flex to put it in my house and do my work outs with my two little one’s. Both 4 months old. I will take this job serious when the department takes it serious.

Let's just say if we wanted to hang around off-duty with the type of people we lock up while on-duty, we wouldn't have put the Academy at the top of the list - until recently we guess. Just another bright idea from the idiots running the show. And yes, we are aware that the Park District contributed to the renovation of the gym and as part of the "agreement," the gym had to be available to citizens. We would also note that we and others predicted exactly this type of occurance once the gym was open to the public. We take no pleasure in our and our readers being correct - it just shows that common sense is a rare commodity in the people running this circus.

Three Years

The only good news is that we're already two years gone:

• The Arbitration process has begun.
  
  Below is a list of the actions that will take place in preparation for the process.
  
  August 28, 2009
  
  City and Lodge agree to Arbitrator Edwin Benn as impartial member and Chairman of Dispute Resolution Board. The Lodge appointee to the Board is FOP President Mark Donahue. The City appointee to the Board is David Johnson.
  
  Scheduling & Process
  
  We will meet with the City and the Arbitrator.
  
  1. A list of Disputed Issues will be filed.
  
  2. Meet for oral discussion of Disputed Issues. (Background and Education for Arbitrator on the Issues)
  
  3. Based upon feedback given by Arbitrator and any change in City position, the Lodge will submits its final offer on the Disputed Issues. [The Lodge will propose 4-6 weeks for all of above to occur.]
  
  4. Parties will submit briefs in support of their final offers. [Lodge will propose 30 days for briefs to be filed.]
  
  5. Parties will file response briefs to the other party’s brief. [Lodge will propose 2 weeks for response briefs.]
  
  6. Mediation sessions will be scheduled with the Arbitrator. [If the foregoing schedule is followed, Mediation should occur in December. The number of mediation dates will depend on the number of Disputed Issues.]
  
  7. At the end of Mediation, the Arbitrator will determine whether he requires further evidence on any Disputed Issue. Parties will also advise Arbitrator if they want a full hearing on issues of Wages, Health Care, Discipline or other issues.
  
  8. If the Arbitrator does not need any additional evidence and neither party requests a hearing, the Arbitrator will take the matter under advisement.
  
  If additional evidence is necessary and/or a full hearing is required, dates will be set. [It is expected this would occur in January 2010. If additional hearings are conducted, post hearing briefs will be prepared.]
  
  9. We would expect an Award to issue in March or April 2010.

So when the Contract is finally presented to the City Council and voted on, we'll either be one year out or (on an outside chance of a five-year deal) two years from expiration. It sure would be nice if the FOP could point out the City's inability to negotiate in good faith from the get-go based solely on the recent "negotiations." This is ridiculous.

Comforting Information

We're sleeping better at night, that's for sure:

• An estimated 50,000 felons have been released from Illinois prisons or county probation without submitting DNA samples as required by law, leaving a gaping hole in the 7-year-old program designed to link known criminals to unsolved crimes.

  The Illinois Department of Corrections released nearly 10,000 felons without gathering their DNA since the law was enacted. And Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan's office estimates that county probation departments did not secure samples from 40,000 additional felons, mostly in Cook County, due to delays in implementing the law.

  The missing DNA samples are of major concern to law-enforcement officials, lawmakers and victims advocates, who say Illinois has been robbed of the opportunity to solve crimes, remove violent offenders from the street and exonerate the wrongfully convicted.

And who's going to pay for all these missed opportunities? We the taxpaying public, in terms of being victims and in paying out to the wrongfully imprisoned. Damn, it's great living in the Land of Lincoln. Abe must be spinning in his grave.