Here It Comes - How They'll Do It?

A number of comments popping up in the previous "Here it Comes" thread:

• Now comes the interesting part. When the majority of these bids remain vacant, let's see how they fill them. As SCC says, "hang on boys and girls, it's gonna be a wild ride"!
  
  
• I work on the fourth floor at Fled-Quarters, management will attempt to circumvent the contract by detailing one to two P.O.s from each watch from selected districts and units for 90 days and then again reach out for more each 90 day period. Its can do per Management and Labor Affairs


• Exactly what they did over the summer with TRU and MSF. Only then they dumped malcontent unit PO's on us.

We're hearing a number of rumblings about how J-Fled is going to pull this off and all of the above comments get very close to the meat of the issue. Here's what we've heard:

• The Department has posted the openings. They have no basis in reality - look how long they posted 35 or 40 openings for 003. Didn't mean a thing. And looking at a few of these Districts, they haven't posted an opening in years and now suddenly, they're short 15 or more? It's bullshit.
• That being said, the minute 004 or 008 or 025 don't get their 14 bidders, the Department can declare those spots "unfilled." You see it all the time on the Transfer Orders - "There was no successful bidder for this position." Those spots will be filled one way of the other this time. Now the Department can move people from their Unit of Assignment to those openings. We've been told the only restriction is if you actually bid to a district (not a watch, but to a District).
• Guess who they're going to take? Remember earlier this year, Downtown Ernie Brown asked for and received from all the District Commanders, a list of personnel who were the "lowest performers." Welcome to Englewood, Harrison and points due south.

The Department is putting its faith in the gray area and ambiguous language of the contact. No doubt about it. And they're daring the FOP to grieve each and every situation to tie them in red tape for months and years.

Just a quick question though - with crime being "down" for almost 24 months, how can J-Fled justify moving people around?

Earned, Not Given

Stay classy Henny Penny!

• Commander in 011 cancels christmas watch party for first watch. Reason being she says that cars from other districts 12, 13. 14, etc cannot cover our district for a watch party. That only happens for the district party that other cars will come in and cover our district... That's total bullshit! Who the fuck is she kidding. also she said that there is no way 011 dist on 1 watch can be down 4 cars... Where have you been lady we were down 4 to 5 sometimes 6 cars all summer. She is just pissed off that no one is going to the 011 dist. She is clueless the worst ever. Why do we on midnights even go out and work for you if that is how you are going to treat the watch.

Some enterprising soul sent us an entire month worth of 011 District worksheets over last summer. The average number of cars down was four a night with two 10-99 units up and running. To mess with a watch like this is just low class. But then, look what the Department has been promoting for years now - sexual harassers, thieves, grifters, knob-jobbers, drunks, suck-asses, psychopaths, stalkers and all manner of deviant.

And now, this little tidbit:

• Hey scc.
  just finished attending the 011th district christmas party. And Penny is about to out do herself next year. She is so pissed at the turn out of the party, that she takes it as a slap in the face to her. So starting next year everyone on management on the watches will be moved around every couple of weeks. So without warning anyone on 2nd or 3rd watch could be working 1st watch. although im sure the people on 1st watch wont mind, its still a pain in ass to no know what watch youll be working next week. She said this will continue until she has the respect of the officers working under her.

This is what passes for leadership nowadays - fuck up everything you've ever touched in your career, operate outside the rules and regulations and pay no penalty, then when you reap what you've sown over the course of a "meri-clout-orious" career of phone calls and favors, destroy what used to be a desirable place to work.

Another shining example of J-Fled's leadership.

Operation Santa Coverage

A noble undertaking:

• It has been seven months since gunfire took the life of Chicago police Officer Thomas Wortham IV outside his parents' home in the Chatham neighborhood.
  
  Yet a visit to the home Sunday by retired and current police officers — dressed as Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and their elves, or on hand to help out — was a reminder that his sacrifice will never be forgotten.
  
  When the officers arrived with coffee mugs and a poinsettia, Wortham's mother, Carolyn, appeared surprised at the turnout of her son's brothers and sisters in blue.

A great big Thank You to everyone who volunteered, contributed or supported the Police Memorial Foundation efforts this year. The families of The Fallen deserve to know that their loved ones' sacrifice is not forgotten.

One Way to Solve Gang Problems

Export it:

• The 23-year-old man was hanging out on a dark street in tiny south suburban Sauk Village. The temperature was 14 degrees — and Cook County Sheriff gang officers suspected he was a dope dealer.

  When Sgt. Terry Tabb rolled down his window and asked for identification, the man said, “Why do you care, officer?” Tabb leapt from his car, ran up to the man and asked again. The man refused to produce an ID, and Tabb pushed him onto the hood of the squad car and checked his pockets. Other sheriff’s officers arrived as backup.

  The man, who has an aggravated assault arrest on his record, told the officers he was with the “BDs” — the Black Disciples street gang. Asked where he lived, he said he was from Chicago. Officers didn’t find any drugs or weapons and told the man to go.

Did they do a contact card? Did they generate an event number?

We kid of course, but too many smaller suburban departments are ill prepared to deal with a large influx of gangsters looking to set up safe houses, dope spots or criminal enterprises. The main stumbling block is manpower, where a Chicago District can outnumber an entire suburban department by two or three or ten times as many cops.

We aren't much better off actually, and the bureaucratic roadblocks thrown in our way along with the discontent rife throughout the Department aren't doing anyone any favors.

Here it Comes - The Preview

Bid openings posted:

• District / No. of Vacancies
  004 - 14
  005 - 6
  007 - 8
  008 - 15
  011 - 15
  025 - 17

It seems like the bid openings are more than a little weighted toward those Districts that J-Fled and the brain trust are going to be attempting to move people to. We aren't sure if this is to minimize disruption by needing less people in some of the busier Areas or what, but we can't recall 011 or 025 ever having more than ten openings at a time in the last decade or so.

note: due to a blogger glitch, this didn't go up until late.

Test Shenanigans?

One of the least well advertised tests in recent memory. As we heard one story, created by the CO's of the Unit specifically for members of the unit. Nothing suspicious about that, right?

• Over the past few months, the department implemented and offered a test for Police Technician. The test was offered to members who fit a certain criteria. I believe 5 years on the job and assigned to OCD. The FOP sued to open it up to 3yrs on the job and I think any unit could take the test. The test was an electrical aptitude test, which may have been offered for sale on line.
  
  I took the test and did not score high enough to make the next level... the practical. Those who did well enough on the practical moved on to the oral interview.
  
  WELL.... a lot of issues with this.
  
  Rumor is that they are going to make MERIT Technician. At least one genius who failed the first part and did not take the second or third part will be made MERIT.
  
  My question is why???? If he/she could not pass Part 1, then clearly they should not be a Technician. I know of about 200 other people that feel the same. Also, the department tried to rush this test quietly. The only reason I was aware of it was knowing where the office is and asking.
  
  Typical city BS and typical way to get wrong guy in right job.

The easiest way to promote the people you want is to specifically tailor the job requirements so the only one applying is the only one qualified. We know plenty of old timers who have stories about this holdover from the bad old days. We've seen it happen in a number of the smaller units.

Someone has already pointed out in another comment section that there supposedly won't be any "merit" on this list. We have a hard time believing that one, but stranger things have happened. Who has the real scoop?

Be Aware

As usual, the holidays bring out the terror warnings:

• Federal law enforcement terror bulletins have become as much a part of the holiday season in the past decade as egg nog and department store Santas.
  
  But this year, which ends amid a heightened concern over terror, is a little different. A Department of Homeland Security bulletin sent to law enforcement nationwide Thursday says that federal authorities worry terrorists will try to rattle Americans by attacking during the holidays, and lists concerns including car bombs, trucks ramming crowds and a Mumbai-style small arms attack.

This is the new reality. It's amusing how the media buys into these warnings now that a democrat is in charge unlike when they were ripping Bush and accusing him of using the terror alerts as some sort of election ploy or a sop for boosting sagging poll numbers.

Here It Comes

Did everyone notice how they released this, not on a Friday afternoon, but on a Friday night at 10:53 PM?

All your quiet neighborhoods, be prepared to be not-so-quiet as your police service is stripped away under the guise of protecting neighborhoods that have no interest in taking any responsibility for their own behavior:

• The stage is set for a confrontation over Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis’ upcoming plan to reallocate police resources from lower-crime districts to those that need more officers.

  Days before the plan is expected to be unveiled, the Fraternal Order of Police is serving notice that it intends to strictly enforce a union contract that could severely limit Weis’ options.

  “His hands will not be tied. But his ambitions could be curtailed by some of the contractual agreements,” FOP President Mark Donahue said Friday.

  “It would be a mistake to believe you can just move personnel at a whim without regard to the agreements the union has with the city. We will enforce the contract to the best of our ability.”

  Police Committee Chairman Anthony Beale (9th), whose Far South Side ward stands to benefit from the reallocation, countered, “It would be a disservice to the residents of this city if a grievance was filed when you’re trying to save lives.”

  Beale said he plans to hold City Council hearings on the reallocation in mid-January.

Fireworks coming. Rough weather ahead. Get used to documenting everything boys and girls, because there is going to be a lot of hanky-panky attempting to get around certain contract provisions to "save" certain people and screw others.

Getting Rid of Vests

We were just thinking about this as we got a new vest last year. We had been thinking of taking the old bullet-resistant vest out to a range and seeing what damage it could stand up to. But this makes better sense:

• I retired in November and have two old ballistic vests. I contacted the Marine Reserve Center at 3034 W. Foster and verified that they are actively collecting used vests. They use these vests to line their vehicles to absorb some of the impact from IEDs. The contact people are: Master Sgt Hernandez and Staff Sgt Pena 773-539-6464 ext330.
  
  Lets clean out our closets and put all those old vests to good use. Hundreds of retirees can help out a lot of Marines.There are plenty of former Marines in each police district. How about if you guys collect in your District and make one big delivery to the Reserve Center.

This is something we've never seen the Department get behind, but it's something that many Departments across the county or state should think about doing. Just about every cop we know has an old vest lying around somewhere taking up space.

Rumors of Swiping - And More

Like clockwork, this damn rumor keeps popping up over and over:

• But has anyone heard about an order set to be released soon stating that ALL sworn personnel will swipe in and out beginning at 0000 hrs. on 01 Jan. 2011 ????

This has been rumored to have been started in October, November, December, 1st Police Period next year, etc. And no one can ever seem to nail it down.

Anyone have any info at all?

And here's the other one:

• This just out all gun teams are being disbanded and sent back to their units of assignment 06 Jan 10. OCD is then making new teams with the chosen ones that put in applications to work in OCD in Oct.

Again, anyone with the scoop?

Natural Selection Thwarted

Once again, tens of man hours along with thousands of real dollars are wasted while putting real human lives at risk:

• It was a lonely scene — a freezing coyote, stranded on a tiny slab of ice, adrift in Lake Michigan.

  Lonely — except for the news helicopters circling overhead, the Fire Department boat dispatched to rescue the wayward animal and the crowds gathered on the shore.

  The 3-year-old female got into the fix Friday morning on the ice off Fullerton Avenue. At one point, the coyote jumped into the water, only to retreat to the chunk of ice keeping her afloat.

A dumb coyote isn't worth a single fire fighter's life or a single hour of operation of a fire boat. We're surprised they didn't launch Air-One for this debacle but we'd still say it wasn't worth the operation or risk to police officer's lives either.

There's a reason that you don't see certain behaviors in the animal kingdom - stupidity is rarely rewarded. Mother Nature is a cruel teacher. And risking real human lives to interfere is a trade-off we've never understood.

UPDATE: To all the posters calling us "animal hater" and other crap, how would you feel if some firefighter, coast guard member or helicopter operator ended up in the water and unrecoverable? Stuff like this comes down to evaluating the value of a human life versus an animal that routinely hunts on or near the water in all sorts of weather. Sorry, but we pick the human, each and every time.

Christmas Card

If you have a second, and it only take a few, Bill Cozzi deserves a moment of your attention. His address is listed in the right hand column and a card this holiday season would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Boy, Are We Embarrassed

Color our faces red. We had no idea! We thought we were just helping a "friend!" We had no idea anyone of import resided there.

And for the humorless types....

• Dude, think twice before using what reputation you currently enjoy to pimp for your buddy selling off a condo. You just knocked your credibility down a few notches.
  
  
• BAD DECISION SCC... I don't read your blog for Advertisments. Let his Realtor do his job. You stick to what you do Best!
  
  
• SCC, I'm going to argue that this is below the belt. One can argue back that Cozzi was too. Still, two wrongs don't make a right.

....you must be the life of the party when the liquor starts flowing. We'll try to be a little less subtle next time.

And to the other folks who actually go it, trying to publish tax ID numbers and correcting the advertisement to the proper address, thank you for your diligence, but that might have been construed as a little too much information.

Meeks said What?

Once again, the veil falls from the true face of a ignorant, racist, piece-of-shit "man of god" who's contending in an election to run Chicago:

• Mayoral challenger James Meeks scrambled Thursday to put out a political fire touched off by his suggestion that only African-Americans should be eligible for city contracts set aside for minorities and women.

  Meeks made the statement on Wednesday during an interview on WVON-AM (1690). It happened during a discussion of why African-American businesses got a 7 percent sliver of Chicago’s $1 billion spending pie through Aug. 31, down from 8 percent a year ago.

  “The word ‘minority’ from our standpoint should mean African-American. I don’t think women, Asians and Hispanics should be able to use that title,” he said.

Of course, he's backtracking so fast, his skid marks are leaving skid marks. But this is par for the course for Meeks, the so-called "reverend."

Of course, the question has to be asked, "Who, and how much, did someone pay Meeks to say this," seeing as how the leading black contender pretty much just lost the Hispanic, Asian and White votes.

And who knew that Meeks would be able to make Danny Davis look like a moderate? Oh yeah, our readers, for at least the past 4 years. Sorry we asked.

What Are They Learning?

Someone really ought to do a study on what a drain the school are on police resources:

• Thirteen students were arrested at Foreman High Thursday after a tussle over a football outside the school cafeteria escalated into a major fight.

  Foreman was placed on lockdown for the last two periods of the day after the melee erupted shortly after 1 p.m. Teachers were ordered to lock their classroom doors and not let any students out until about 15 minutes after normal dismissal time, teachers said.

  During the fracas at 3235 N. Leclaire, a teacher was “battered” but declined treatment, police said. In addition, a police officer was knocked to the ground trying to break up the fight. He was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries.

Thirteen arrests, countless cars, injured staff and police.

Over a football.

And here's the truly sad part - there aren't even any factory jobs for these dead-enders to look forward to in the future. If you read the post directly below this one, they don't even have a weekend of weed to look forward to. All that's left is for them to breed more misery and drain more from society. Forever.

Oh, and to vote for democrats to take more of our money.

Massive Dope Seizure

Potheads everywhere brace for higher prices this weekend:

• Seven people have been arrested after nearly 11 tons of marijuana was found packed into six railroad cars from Mexico in what could be the largest pot seizure in the Chicago area.
  
  The marijuana was found at a south suburban warehouse this month, according to the U.S. attorney's office, which valued the pot at $22 million.

The designer pot aficionados also took a hit:

• A family is accused of running a $1 million "designer marijuana" operation from their home in an unincorporated area near Tinley Park.
  
  John Gecan, 52, his wife Darlene, 52, their son Christopher, 27, and another relative, James Osmolski, 22, were charged after police busted the pot growing operation in the 7,000-square-foot home in the 5300 block of West 175th Street, according to Cook County Sheriff's officials.

This is going to put a damper on a number of parties this weekend. Watch for Cannabis Futures at the Merc to head upwards in opening trades tomorrow. It should stabilize over the course of the day though as Mexican suppliers up shipments though their own underground railways on the border.

Officer Injured

Officer injured in Northwest Side high school fight. All angels, no doubt. Wonder how those West Side and South Side schools are doing today?

• One person was hospitalized in fair-to-serious condition and "multiple arrests" are being made after a disturbance at a high school on the Northwest Side, officials said.
  
  The incident was reported at about 1:03 p.m. today at Foreman High School, 3235 N. Leclaire Avenue, officials said.
  
  Officials said the an altercation broke out between students at the school and lead to 10 people being arrested, said Chicago Public Schools Spokeswoman Monique Bond.
  
  A Chicago police officer received minor injuries during the disturbance, said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala.
  
  Chicago fire department officials said at least one person was taken to Lutheran General Hospital at about 1:16 p.m.

Get well, Officer.

Condo for Sale

We're trying to help an acquaintance sell their condo. He's what you call a "motivated seller" so he might be willing to accept a slightly lower price to get out from under this one. Here's the ad:

• Stunning se corner 3 bed/2 ba condo at 14th & michigan ave. Feats floor-to-ceiling windows, hrdwd flrs, custom lighting, highly upgraded kit w/ss ge monogram appls, 42"custom cabinets w/glass fronts, custom hardware, pantry, granite countertops w/breakfast bar, master suite w/walk-in closet & ceramic slate & oversized shower, marble guest bath w/shower, in-unit laundry & priv terrace. 1 parking space $35,000.

Here are some specifics:

• Master Bedroom 12X14; Bedroom 2 12X13
  Bedroom 3 12X11; Master Bathroom Double Sink
  Dining Room COMBO; Kitchen 11X13, Breakfast Bar/Area/Nook
  Dining Area Yes; Living Room 23X16
  Laundry Room Dryer, Washer
  Appliances Dishwasher, Disposal, Microwave, Range, Refrigerator

Some of the financial info:

• Tax Amount $8,932.10
  Tax Year 2009

Asking Price - $689,000.

And here's a link to the online ad - get a look at all the attached pictures. Rumor has it the owner is supposed to be leaving town on or around 01 March 2011, so time is of the essence. Contact numbers are at the link.

For Real?

Sent to us by some of our west side correspondents. We certainly hope this is some wise ass poking fun at the MSF boys and girls:


The truly sad part is, someone else is reporting J-Fled and Masters Masters Masters were seen at the Jade Dragon this afternoon.

Revised Estimate Downward

Just last month, we were hearing how Lura Lynn Ryan had up to 3 years to live.

Evidently, that didn't pluck at the heartstrings enough, so Big Jim Thompson has revised his estimate downward in an effort to spring George Ryan from his 8 year sentence:

• Lura Lynn Ryan, wife of jailed former Gov. George Ryan, has been diagnosed with a very aggressive lung cancer and given a prognosis of three to six months to live, according to former Gov. Jim Thompson, Ryan’s attorney.

  As a result of the prognosis, Thompson has filed a motion seeking bail for Ryan, who is serving an eight year federal prison sentence in Terre Haute, Ind. “We are asking (U.S. District Court) Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer for a prompt answer on our earlier request for George’s bail,” said Thompson.

WBBM-AM 780 had the best report this afternoon though. We can't seem to locate the audio link, but their report around 5:00 PM related the following (we're paraphrasing here):

• Mrs. Ryan has an aggressive form of lung cancer, that if untreated, would be fatal in 3 months.

We imagine that report is being sanitized as we speak, but maybe Mrs. Ryan ought to see a doctor, don't you think?

Here's the thing, even before that Libyan terror bomber got released for a supposedly "terminal" case of cancer that would kill him inside of 12 months (it's been two years now and he's expecting to live another decade or two), we've been dead set against releasing people on humanitarian grounds. You knew the risks when you committed the crime, and one of those risks is missing birthdays, holidays and funerals of loved ones. If you want to be a part of every one's life, don't do shit that gets you sent to prison for years and years.

Sorry Mrs. Ryan is ill. Life sucks sometimes and it all seems to end the same way eventually. Maybe modern medicine can grant her more time, but in the meantime, George owes the government a few more years of his own time.