JODY MEETS WITH SUPERVISORS

One of our own has left a brief synopsis of the town hall meeting with the superintendent. The supervisor also was good enough to give his/her opinions of the points brought up at the meeting. I am certain that others will vehemently disagree with this commenter but please be respectful enough that I can publish your rebuttals.

Notes from the supervisors meeting:

Estimated attendance: less than 50

The black Tahoe is the preferred choice. Graphics will probably be the traditional one.

New recruits to be trained with Glocks only.

Brust(sp) is only person allowed to strip an officer. J Fed showed common sense in why decision was made.

J Fed wants to completely revamp the promotional exams and merit process. He believes there is no reason one should not have a score when leaving the exam site and know their rank at the end of the day when all exams are finished. He strongly believes in merit but it should be because of what you do, not who you know. He would like to have officers nominate themselves for merit and have to complete a lengthy package detailing their accomplishments and qualifications. Have the process more transparent, possible with union reps at the selection process as observers.

20 new Lts this year....6 merit.

The reason that patrol is under represented in merit promotions is because exempts are NOT nominating officers from patrol. (shocking!)

Manditory fitness testing as a condition of employment or for promotion is NOT true. The reason for it as a requirement for the carbine is that if you are carrying one, and have to run, you shouldn't be huffing and puffing when trying to aim the weapon, thereby throwing off sights--dangerous situation with that type of weapon.

600 wehicle locks for carbines coming.

Performance reviews coming January 2009. He believes there are way too many CRs obtained for things that are performance issues or simple mistakes. There are better ways to handle those issues: training, notation in file which will afffect performance grade, etc.

Explained, at length, the Cozzi incident. Said that he explained it the same way at other meetings with officers. He only asked the US attorney to look at the video of the incident. It was a decision he made at the time and stands behind that decision.
MY OPINION: Believes he was right in his decision to make the call. But in retrospect, may not have made the same call in light of the fallout. I could be wrong, that's just my impression.

They are actively looking for a very strong case to charge somone with perjury in making false allegation and signing the affidavit. Mayor is on board.

He will back anyone that acts as a reasonable person. That action may not the right, but if actions are reasonable, ok. Example: If attacked, spit on, etc and bad guy gets an extra crack or so, wrong, but not unreasonable under the circumstances. Incident will he handled accordingly.

He would like to eliminate TRU and the DOC. Decentralize control. Let the Commanders decide where their problems are how how to address them.

New computers coming. He can buy 3 motorolas for the price of 2 toughbooks. OEMC has the motorola but is sitting on their ass and not making a decision if they will work. All he asks of them is to make a decision.

GPS coming to all cars. Command staff included. Command staff and dangerous districts to get the first. Installation to be started very soon. This is an officer safety issue.

He's not a fan of the inspectors as they now. They should be focusing on larger issues, not petty stuff.

He is amazed at the length of time it takes to institue any change in this department.

He never expected that when he made a command change, that person will take all his/her people with them to the new unit/district. This totally disrupts everything. The boss in the new spot should not make personell changes immediately but have those that now work for him prove that they can do the job. This will not be allowed to happen in the future...Question not asked--But that's what he did!

My overall opinion:

I didn't agree with everything but overall was impressed. He appeared genuine, wasn't feeding us a bunch of BS. He's trying to use common sense in setting policy and in his decisions. He seems as fustrated as we are in how this department is sometime run and how decisions are made. He will make a decision and expects others to do the same. He has a vision that includes a lot of common sense. That's going to be his biggest hurdle. Because, we all know that common sense and the Chicago Police Departemt have nothing to do with each other.

Sat Aug 30, 09:37:00 AM

TOWN HALL MEETING

I had other commitments (working) so I could not attend the Superintendents meeting.
If any of the readers who attended would like to share with the rest of us it would be appreciated.

NEW LAYOUT

I hope this format will make it easier to read. Would appreciate any comments and or suggestions.

ROT IN HELL

Jason Austin charged with the murders of Detective Robert Soto and Kathryn Romberg.

ARE THEY SERIOUS?

The other day, while perusing SCC, I noticed a comment stating that 4 members of the FOP Board, Greg Bella, Sid Davis, Bill Dougherty and Tim Fallon, were stripped for not qualifying with their duty weapon. My first reaction was "bullshit". However, the way this administration has attempted to circumvent established contractual agreements it wouldn't be out of the question. But then I came to a logical conclusion that they couldn't be that stupid. Was I being naive? No, there is a process for those who fail to qualify. The CR process, any nitwit with more than a year would know that.
Well it appears that the boys from FOP took a stand. They refused to obey a direct order to qualify and thus the department took action to strip them.

FOP RESPONSE

THE CONTRACT, UNDER ATTACK!! 08/18/08

On 15 August 2008, at 1715 hours, the Department stripped Greg Bella, Sid Davis, Bill Dougherty and Tim Fallon. This unprecedented action was taken by the Department because these union officers refused to comply with a Department order to qualify with their firearms. Why would we take this stance?

The Collective Bargaining Agreement, Section 17.2 Leave from Duty, states in part, “In addition to the Lodge President, six (6) officers covered by this Agreement shall, upon written request, be granted leave from their duties from the employer for the purpose of performing full time duties for the Lodge.”

We are on leave from the Department and working for the Union representing all officers below the rank of sergeant. We are not paid by the City; we are paid by the membership. We do have bosses, the 11,600 men and women who are members of this Union. This is to whom we answer, not to Weis, Brust, Kirby or Skahill. Not yesterday, not today and not tomorrow.

We have filed a grievance over this issue and the arbitration is set for a hearing on 29 August 2008 before Arbitrator Benn. So why, after an arbitrator has been picked and an arbitration date set, would the Department take action to strip the officers of this Union? Would not sensible people have waited until the arbitrator rules and then take the action ordered by the arbitrator?

This is a direct attack on our Union; can the Department order us not to represent a member? Can the Department order us not to enforce the contract? The answer is NO! At this time we have filed an injunction against the City over this matter and we will only respond to the ruling of an arbitrator or the courts.

What effect will this have on contract negotiations? What impact will this have on programs the Department is trying to roll out and they need consent of this Union? We think the answer is obvious to everyone except those in charge.

Good luck boys! The exempts that signed off on this need to be launched.

ROBERT SOTO SUCCUMBS TO HIS WOUNDS

A veteran Chicago police officer who was shot Wednesday morning in an apparent robbery gone bad on the city's West Side died early Thursday morning from his wounds, police said Tribune

Thoughts and prayers to the families of Robert Soto and Kathryn Romberg.

WAUKEGAN SHOOTING

And they wonder why our morale is in the tank? The Tribune reporting of a police involved shooting in Waukegan shows just how Chicago area journalist judge police and the negative light they put us in.

Waukegan police shoot boy, 17, who allegedly hit cop with hammer

Let's get something straight. Any person who commits a crime in Illinois and is 17 years of age or older is an adult. Why is it that the police shot a "boy" but that same "boy" only allegedly hit another policemen with a hammer in the head. Oh! as a matter of fact the officer suffered a skull fracture.
Then the journalist has to find a community activist that wants to stir the shit:

Chris Blank, a community activist critical of the police, worked his way around the crowd, handing people fliers for a Saturday rally in nearby North Chicago to protest police shootings in the area, which he said have targeted blacks, including Lewis.

"It's happening too often. I'd like to see our community organize," said Blank, 46, of Waukegan. "Too often, the police utilize a last resort, rather than the first."

What do you suggest Mr. Blank? Shoot the hammer out of his hand?

(720 ILCS 5/Art. 7 heading)
ARTICLE 7. JUSTIFIABLE USE OF FORCE; EXONERATION


(720 ILCS 5/7‑1) (from Ch. 38, par. 7‑1)
Sec. 7‑1. Use of force in defense of person.
(a) A person is justified in the use of force against another when and to the extent that he reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or another against such other's imminent use of unlawful force. However, he is justified in the use of force which is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm only if he reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or another, or the commission of a forcible felony.

I think I'll side with 720 ILCS 5/7-1 and not worry about what idiots like you and politically correct writers of Chicago newspapers think.

OFF-DUTY OFFICER SHOT

Double shooting jolts quiet Chicago neighborhood

Off-duty cop critically wounded; DCFS supervisor killed

Tribune

THE BORDER

Border patrol agent held at gunpoint

A U.S. Border Patrol agent was held at gunpoint Sunday night by members of the Mexican military who had crossed the border into Arizona, but the soldiers returned to Mexico without incident when backup agents responded to assist.

This article appeared in the Washington Time on 6 Aug.

"Unfortunately, this sort of behavior by Mexican military personnel has been going on for years," union Local 2544 of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) said on its Web page. "They are never held accountable, and the United States government will undoubtedly brush this off as another case of 'Oh well, they didn't know they were in the United States.'

Our relationship with our southern neighbors needs to reevaluated.

DePolicing!!!

Here is a comment from one of our readers who deserves his/her own post.

Cumulative Career Trauma Stress, or CCTS," This is what many Chicago Police Officers are suffering from. After years of being battered by the media, politicians, the majority of citizens, and the Bosses. In addition to an unfair disciplinary process that is often influenced by public opinion to the detriment of the average P.O.
All things combined, the only true supporters of men and women doing this job are their families. And sometimes that support is not there. And they ask why are the Police Officers not aggressive any more? The answer is simple, why should they be?
They look for a quick fix, and say we will be supported, but years of abuse are not going to be forgiven overnight. The damage is done and may not be reversible.

Mon Aug 04, 11:57:00 AM

Thanks sarge!

Read the related link that the good sergeant sent along with this comment..( Cops Under Fire )

NO!! TO UNPAID FURLOUGH DAYS!

A Message from Greg Bella (FOP Lodge 7):

The City has had a budget black hole three times in recent memory. They occurred in 2000, 2002 and now in 2008. All three times we were in contract talks with the City. All three times, after our contracts were resolved, the black holes just fell off the face of the earth never to be heard of until the next contract.

The City claims they have a $400,000,000 budget deficit. The City blames this on the housing market, yet this is a time when businesses are moving into Chicago instead of fleeing as they had in the past. This can be seen with Miller Brewing and United Airlines moving their corporate offices to Chicago.

The City has 1.8 billion dollars reserved from the lease of the skyway. The City is currently in negotiations to lease Midway airport for billions of dollars.

Dennis Gannon and the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) are willing to take unpaid furlough days. That is the smart thing to do since his membership can be laid off and having just signed a ten year prevailing wage package for the tradesmen. On the other side of the coin, police officers cannot be laid off until all the civilians employees are laid off first.

If the City is serious about closing the black hole then look at serious proposals. Start by eliminating the take home vehicles which the supervisors in all departments the City have at their disposal. These are the highest paid employees with the added perk of a take home vehicle and free gas, free maintenance, and free insurance. This is not an occurrence exclusive to the Police Department. It is in every City department.

We are the only City department who has officers serving unpaid suspensions everyday. We are the only City department where the City is seeking to fire officers every month. We are the one department in the City that generates the most revenue.

Stop letting millions of dollars escape over the border to Indiana casinos. The Mayor wants a casino in Chicago and the Governor wants to give the City a casino license for $500,000,000. The Mayor does not want to pay a licensing fee. To fix your black hole negotiate with the Governor and bring a casino to Chicago. We have not had a pay raise in the past two years, we have not had any fruitful contract negotiations, City Hall has blocked our pension portability legislation without any reason, and we get beat up by the media and the politicians.

This black hole, if it is real, did not come to light yesterday; the City must have seen it coming years ago and they took no steps or corrective measures to fix the problem. Now, at the eleventh hour, the Mayor’s solution is three unpaid furlough days, which only gives the City $9,000,000. This makes for nice cosmetics but it hardly helps fix the deficit.

At a time when homicides and violent crime are on the rise and the citizens at every forum want more police officers in their neighborhoods for protection, it is reckless to even suggest that you would want less police officers on our streets. We will sit down and help the mayor find solutions to the problem but not at the expense of our officers.

Greg Bella
3rd Vice-President
F.O.P. Lodge 7

Wil there be a similar statement coming out PB&PA?