11 - 11 - 11

Thank you to all who have served

DETECTIVE JOE AIRHART

Tribune

CONGRATS TO PRESIDENT PALLOHUSKY

Congratulations to President Pallohusky on a resounding victory for election to another term as President. 677 ballots were sent in, 7 were spoiled as either not signed or from retirees, etc. Leaving 670 (out of 1306 members) valid ballots cast. 17 Sgts did not vote in the Presidential election, leaving a total of 653 valid votes for President (exactly 50% turnout).

Results:

John Pallohusky: 473
Gerry Majerczyk: 180

Good luck to John and the old/new board in contract negotiations. I really have to start studying for that 2010/2011 Lts. test now (and take a handful of ibuprofen for that ass-kicking I just received).

Congratulations again to John.

--Gerry Majerczyk

SO LONG JOE

Detective Joe Airhart died yesterday November 4th as a result of gunshot wounds he suffered in 2001. Leave a reflection at Officer Down Memorial Page.

UPDATE:

Visitation:
Sunday, November 9th; 1500 – 2100 hours

Cage Funeral Home
7651 S. Jeffrey

St. Jude Service at 1900 Hours

Funeral Services:

Monday, November 10th; 0900 to 1100 hours – Final Visitation

Rockefeller Chapel, University of Chicago
5850 South Woodlawn

Mass begins at 1100 hours

Interment at Beverly Cemetery
120th & Kedzie

JOE THE VET

This American Hero, Sgt Joe Cook, is from the Chicago area. The video wasn't produced by a slick advertising firm or funded by any political action committee. No, it was made by a guy who felt it was important to get his message out about the war and the service and sacrifice of our troops.
Thanks Joe

ITS THAT IMPORTANT

Food for thought.

Union News

Via CPSA.PB&PA web site

Contract 2007-2011 Update: 22 October 2008

The last contract negotiation session with the City was on 11 September 08.
At that time the City rejected our latest proposal, which addressed bid positions and
economic issues. The City stood on their previous position citing the current economic
dilemma. The City has proposed the below captioned changes to our contract.

5 year contract
No increase in Watch Bids within District Law Enforcement (currently 5 per
watch)
Changes to section 8.4 of the current contract.
Maintain sustained C.R. numbers for the entire career of the officer.
Inclusion of on-duty random alcohol testing
Mandatory alcohol and drug testing for any off-duty incident involving the
discharge of a firearm.
Audio recording of all statements given by officers to I.P.R.A. and I.A.D.

We continue to meet with our attorneys and advisors in an effort to develop a
proposal that will result in a document that will address the City's concerns, while at the
same time protecting the interests of our members. In addition, we feel that the current
economic proposals by the City are short of being acceptable to our membership.

John Pallohusky
President
Chicago Police Sergeants Association

ELECTION RESULTS

Congrats go out to Retirement Board winners

P.O. Mike Shields

Sgt. Mike Lazarro

Lt. James Maloney

ELECTIONS

A sergeant member will be selected this Thursday, October 23 for the Police Retirement Board. Ballots should have already been returned. Any ballot received after 9:00 am on the 23rd will not be accepted.

Good Luck to candidates Lazzaro and Voight.

We also received ballots for the 2008 elections for the 2009-2011 term CPSA, PB&PA.
The candidates for president are the incumbent, John Pallohusky and challenger Gerry Majerczyk.

Five candidates are vying for the four positions for Director-At-Large.
Debra DeYoung
Nancy Higgins
Michael Lazzaro
Michael Burke
Thomas Motzny

Ballots must be received by 8 November.

PROTEST AGAINST BETTER ARMED POLICE

A couple of media outlets have covered the "outcry" by a small group of teenages over the departments plan to train and qualify officers to carry the M4 Carbine.
ABC7 uses an AP source on its web site.

Young people opposed to arming Chicago police officers with military assault rifles rallied at Chicago Police headquarters.

A group called the 'Live in Peace Campaign' says they delivered to Weis 5,000 signatures opposing the idea

The Chi-Town Daily News contributes this gem.

A group of about 40 protestors from the Southwest Youth Collaborative chanted slogans like “Stop the war on the poor, no more M4s” outside of Chicago Police headquarters before the meeting, holding up signs as they paced in a large circle.

So that's what this is all about, "a war on the poor". Give me an f-ing break! You blame us for not preventing the innocent from being victims. You second guess us when we come across an armed offender who intends to do us harm and we stop him. Now you want to hamstring our abilities to defend ourselves and the citizens of this city against an ever increasing violent criminal element that is motivated by the drug trade. Why aren't you protesting the GDs, Stones, 4 Corner Hustlers, CVLs, SGDs, Dragons and Kings?

And here comes the best of all.

David Stout, 19, who lives in Lincoln Park, came to the meeting with a group of friends all concerned about police having M4s in their arsenal.
“It would generate such an atmosphere of fear that safety would be unattainable in the city,” Stout says.

Would you be afraid up in Lincoln Park David? You keep fighting for that "social justice" David. Why don't you and your friends take a walk along Chicago Ave between Pulaski and Cicero or on Roosevelt between Kedzie and Pulaski or Ashland from 51st to 87th. I'm sure you and your do-good friends would feel right at home. Actually, you would probably welcome the sight of a policemen or at least wished you had your own M4.

RETIREE HANDGUN NEWS

From the update web page at FOP Lodge 7

Retired police officers were given the right to carry concealed weapons by virtue of Federal legislation commonly referred to as H.R. 218. The City of Chicago initially denied this right to retired officers who wanted to purchase new weapons or to those officers who moved into the City as their weapons could not be registered in the City.

On Wednesday, October 8th, the City Council did the right thing and enacted an ordinance that ensures that retired officers have the ability to enjoy the rights given to them by H.R. 218. Please view the newly enacted ordinance MCC 8-20-050.

With or without this ordinance retirees had every right to be in possession of a handgun as granted by Public Law 108-277 (Law Enforcement Safety Act of 2004).

MIKE IS FINALLY FREE

The Iowa AG took a pass on appealing the Appellate Courts ruling finding in favor of Mike Mette. Read More.

WELCOME HOME MIKE

Chicago cop's acquittal in Iowa fight is long overdue, but appreciated
John Kass
11:42 AM CDT, October 1, 2008

Great news from baseball-loving Iowa:

Chicago Police Officer Michael Mette, wrongly convicted and railroaded into five years in prison for the crime of self defense, will be getting out of prison soon.

The Iowa Court of Appeals, in its ruling posted early Wednesday, reversed Mette's conviction and ordered sentencing Judge Monica Ackley to acquit him.

The appeals panel said the court had no business discounting the self-defense argument. Mike threw just one punch in self defense after he'd been repeatedly attacked by an angry drunk with a blood-alcohol content of 0.27 percent.

Continued

Police Officer Nathaniel Taylor, Jr., Star #7322

2 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Blake-Lamb Funeral Home, 4727 W. 103rd St. in Oak Lawn.

St. Jude at 7 p.m.

The funeral will be 10 a.m. Friday at St. Bede the Venerable Roman Catholic Church, 8300 S. Kostner.

Rest In Peace Friend.

CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPS

102 years since these two were in the post season at the same time.

OFFICER DOWN

Chicago, IL. --
A Chicago Police officer remained in “very critical” condition Sunday afternoon after being shot by a convicted felon as police attempted to execute a search warrant on the Southeast Side. The suspect was also critically wounded in the shooting.

thoughts and prayers

Update: Officer Nathaniel Taylor Jr. was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Hospital at 6:02 p.m. Sunday.

THATS NOT THE HALF OF IT!

FOP FOR McCAIN

This from the FOP Grand Lodge website

FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE ENDORSES MCCAIN!!!
Nominee has the “full support” of the nation’s largest police labor organization

“Senator John McCain is a proven leader with a clear record of support for the men and women who put their lives on the line–just as he did–to defend our communities and our nation,” Canterbury said. “I am proud to offer the Senator our endorsement today and I look forward to working with the McCain Administration over the next four years.”

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

My thoughts and prayers are with those innocent children.

Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004

On 22 July 2004, President George W. Bush signed H.R. 218, the "Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act," into law. The Act, now Public Law 108-277, went into effect immediately.
The bill exempts qualified active and retired law enforcement officers from local and State prohibitions on the carrying of concealed firearms.

This story from the Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah

Off-duty Chicago cop shoots 'random' attacker in Orem

An off-duty Chicago police officer shot a suspect who stabbed a man, apparently at random, outside an Orem restaurant, police say.
Both the stabbing victim and the suspect were in stable condition at separate hospitals as of late Saturday morning. They're names have not been disclosed.
About 8 a.m. Saturday, a Boise man and his girlfriend were leaving the International House of Pancakes at 850 W. 1250 South. In the parking lot, Orem police said, a 33-year-old man approached the couple and somehow startled them. The man apologized, then began attacking the Boise man with a pair of scissors, police said.
An off-duty police officer saw the attack and went to help. The officer drew his gun and ordered the suspect to drop the weapon, police said. But when the suspect made another move to stab the victim, police said, the officer fired.
The shot wounded the suspect but he tried to run away, Orem police said. The off-duty officer apprehended him. The stabbing victim suffered wounds to his head, neck and arm, police said.
Police said the suspect was a stranger to the couple and may suffer from psychological ailments.
The off-duty officer was in Utah to provide instruction, Orem police said.

Great job officer! A common sense law that saved a life.
Also watch the video from KSL TV News.

WEST SIDE THUGS

It appears that some in our ranks would rather give the benifit of doubt to a felon charged with a double murder than to our own detectives.

Looks like proud Fillmo Trooper was right after all. Looks like we have to get back to work and do the investigation correctly. Maybe its time for A4VC to step aside and let the Federal Bureau of Investigation handle the case. Our CPD officers are starting to lose a lot of credibility with this years multiple arrests of coppers.It seems like this year a majority of the coppers that have been arrested were M/2s. When I see a M2 Police Officer coming my way I am afraid. Whats up with that?

F1 SGT 006 District

Wed Sep 10, 11:48:00 AM

Really sarge? You ought to ashamed of yourself! Was it bad detective work or just a case of west side thugs getting away with murder due of witness intimidation?

Two teenage girls have been charged with beating a female witness in the murder case of a Chicago Police officer and a social worker, authorities said Thursday.

The witness was beaten at least twice on the West Side, and police said they are now keeping a close watch on her, sources said.

Sources told the newspaper witnesses began recanting their accounts, fearing retaliation. Austin’s attorney David Wiener also pointed out that Austin’s maroon Buick Regal — the vehicle allegedly used in the shooting — was in a repair shop a day before shooting and was still there several hours after the crime.

And sarge don't think for a minute I'm going to give you a platform to spew your bullshit. If you want a forum for that then create your own blog. By the way more than a few commenter's put a name to your comments. I choose to delete them because the name may be wrong but either way I'm protecting your anonymity

NEVER FORGET

DNA

From the FOP Lodge 7 website:

NEW DNA POLICY 09/04/08

The department has a form that they will want you to sign so that they can buccal swab you for a DNA sample. We have been negotiating over this issue with IPRA and the City attorney for the past six months. Our concerns are many, including but not limited to, whether or not your DNA samples will be put into CODIS? Will DNA be taken only when police are involved in a shooting, or will it be used whenever the department feels like using it? If you do not touch an offender’s weapon will the department still take your DNA? The department form states “I understand that these samples will be presented to the Illinois State Police Forensic Center, or other appropriate laboratories for analysis.” We don’t even know where your DNA sample will be sent. There are many other questions which need to be answered, but the department apparently does not want to provide any answers.

There are two very important points:

1. We have been in talks with the City and their attorney and we have never agreed to anything related to DNA testing with respect to our officers. Now the department backdoors the union and hopes to trick you into signing a form voluntarily.

2. If the department wants a DNA sample from an offender they have to go to court and get a court order for that sample to be taken. They must prove to the Judge that there is a need for that sample. This department will not give us the same rights that an offender has?

Do not voluntarily give up your rights, DO NOT SIGN THE FORM. Buccal Swab Consent Form If there is a request for your DNA, call the union immediately. We are on call twenty- four hours a day, seven days a week. We will send you an attorney so that your rights are protected. For the department to circumvent the union and the negotiating process, and ask you to voluntarily sign a form and allow the illegal intrusion, is just another attempt at union busting.

Nothing on our site(PB&PA) concerning this matter.

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?

LAWSUIT FOR LT EXAM

The lawsuit has been filed in United States District Court -Northern District of Illinois -Eastern Division Case #08CV4214. No status date has been set.


John Pallohusky
President
Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association

NANNY STATE

Saw this one in the Chicago Tribune today and the term "nanny state" comes to mind.

Chicago reigns supreme when it comes to treating its citizens like children (Las Vegas topped our rankings as America's freest city). Chicagoans pay the second-highest cigarette tax in the country, and the sixth-highest tax on alcohol. Chicago has more traffic-light cameras than any city in America (despite studies questioning their effectiveness), restricts cell phone use while driving, and it's quickly moving toward a creepy public surveillance system similar to London's.

This study even takes into account other variables.

And, for good measure, we also looked at the cities' gun laws, use of traffic and surveillance cameras, and tossed in an "other" category to catch weird laws such as New York's ban on unlicensed dancing, or Chicago's tax on bottled water.

The author ends with this advice...

So, let's turn our backs on a Windy City Nanny State. Chicagoans didn't need sage aldermen to tell them how to live their lives when the city was populated by farmers and meatpackers. There's no reason to go wimpy now that the city is home to traders and tech geeks, either.

EGGHEADED BULLSHIT

The Northwestern University Center for Public Safety has recently released the results from the 2007 data gathered from Illinois police agencies.
Chicago Police officers are required to fill out a statistical study form when issuing a traffic citation (except traffic crash related) that asks race of driver, vehicle info, and was a search of the driver or passengers or vehicle conducted with or without consent and was any contraband recovered. The officers are also required to fill out a blue statically study card when a warning is issued as opposed to the citation. This practice is conducted throughout Illinois as mandated by law (625ILCS5/11-212).
This years results state the following (via Chicago Tribune)

Minority motorists in Chicago are about five times more likely than whites to undergo a "consent search," in which police at traffic stops ask permission to search vehicles.

Maybe the eggheads at NU should ask this question. What is the likelihood that when a person stopped in a high crime area and fails to produce a valid drivers license that that person isn’t issued any citation at all? I can tell you anecdotally that the numbers are staggering. You see whenever a person is driving without a valid d/l he is suppose to be brought into the station and issued citations along with an I-bond. This is time consuming and would cause a district to come to a complete standstill if there was even a 50% enforcement rate. The statistic gathers can not even fathom all the other variables that should be used in producing these findings.
The department deploys resources, other than district law, to areas of high crime. The higher the crime rate the more likely the area residents are minorities. Now get this straight, I did not say that a minority area necessarily has a high crime rate but that an area with a high crime rate is more likely to be minority. A unit like TRU or units assigned to Operation Safe Summer are sent to high crime, high minority neighborhoods and are going to make more stops of traffic violators than would be done in lower crime areas.
I don’t possess a grant to commission a study, but if I did I'm sure I too would be able to produce statistic that would dazzle you with my bullshit too.

KEEP ON TOP OF THIS ONE

It appears that our brothers and sisters in blue in Memphis, Tennessee have their own forum to air out their displeasure's with the administration of the Memphis Police Department.

Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin and the city of Memphis have filed a lawsuit to learn who operates a blog harshly critical of Godwin and his department.

The lawsuit asks AOL to produce all information related to the identity of an e-mail address linked to MPD Enforcer 2.0, a blog popular with police officers that has been extremely critical of police leadership at 201 Poplar.

"This is another attempt at disrupting an outlet for officers to gather and complain about the administration," they said on the site.

"Further, this allows us unrestricted communication with the citizens of Memphis. The citizens should be made aware of the scandals that rock the administration and shudder the rocky foundation in which they operate today."

The bloggers also said city attorneys earlier this year wrote a threatening letter on city letterhead to a company that produced T-shirts for the bloggers.

Read the whole article here.

RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS

Frank Penn, a contributing writer for the Chicago Daily Observer, takes our mayor and, to a lesser extent, our superintendent to task on their opinions concerning the the Heller decision.
On Daley

After hearing Daley and others in our ruling classes bemoaning the Heller decision with inane and absurd arguments I wondered where Illinois democratic politicians go to get their IQ’s lowered.

On Weis

that the overwhelming majority of homicide offenders AND their victims (who are often in possession of firearms themselves when they are killed by the offenders, often in mutual combat) are convicted felons who are presently prohibited by any number of federal, state, and local laws from even possessing, much less employing, in crime any firearm at any time.
Weis said in a Sun-Times article that 75 percent of Chicago’s murders involve firearms. So far this year, Chicago Police have responded to 15,000 “man with a gun” calls and 27,000 calls of “shots fired.” Does he really believe that allowing law abiding citizens handguns in their homes would create a significant increase of these statistics?

Interesting read.

LOCK'EM UP!!!

I have lacked motivation lately to post anything but I hope to start back to publishing on a daily basis.

Don't allow yourself to be treated like shit by these ignorant assholes anymore. Back each other up and when the opportunity arises lock these fuckers up. Don't do it for Jody, the Deputy, your Commander or the W/C, do it for yourself and all the others who have to encounter the piece of shit in the future.

More and more I see coppers not locking someone up after a shitty encounter with these wretched assholes. They lack any respect for the law and any respect for you the police officer. Inconvience them, take away their cars take away their freedom, even if its for only 8 hours. Do it!

I had to get that off my chest.

See the video of Taste Of Chicago on Second City Cop.


Be safe everybody.
Lock'em up!

FAREWELL BROTHER

Rest in peace

ARRANGEMENTS

Visitation For Officer Richard Francis
Sunday, 6 JUL 08 at 1200hrs to 2100hrs
Cooney Funeral Home
3918 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago.
St. Jude 1900hrs

Funeral Mass
Monday, 7 JUL 08 at 1100hrs
St. Monica Catholic Church
5136 N. Nottingham Ave., Chicago

Internment will be private


In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, 1359 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, IL 60607.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

On July 4, 1776 this great document....


..... was signed by these great men......



thus creating this greatest nation on earth!

Richard Francis #5276

A final salute for a good cop
BY FRANK MAIN AND ANNIE SWEENEY Crime Reporters
Sun-Times

Slain officer a beat cop to the core
By Angela Rozas and Robert Mitchum | Chicago Tribune reporters

19TH DISTRICT OFFICER MURDERED

19th District officer Richard Francis #5276, 60, a 27 year veteran was murdered this morning at Belmont & Western.

Thoughts and prayers for Officer Francis, his family, friends and the men and women of the 19th district.




Rest In Peace Richard

Please vist Officer Down Memorial Page and leave a reflection.

WTF IS GOING ON IN 4?

On Sunday morning around 4:30 am a member of the Chicago Fire Department's (OFI) was shot while investigating an arson at 80th place near Exchange in the 4th district.

The incident was the first time that a firefighter had been shot and wounded since about 1968, said Fire Commissioner Raymond Orozco. Paramedics have been shot at over the years, but department officials could not recall any being hit. Tribune

I hear that TRU was deployed to the 4th district, 5th district and 7th district. My question is, why wasn't the whole unit deployed to the 4th district in light of the attempt murder of a firemen? That place should have been put on lock down. However, the DOC rules the day, as does the lack of inititive, and the black BDUs were sent to their assigned level 2's.
Well at 10:00 pm on sunday less than a mile from where the firemen was shot.....

Three men were found shot to death late Sunday in what Chicago police said appeared to be a drug-related attack on the city's South Side.

The bodies of three adults were discovered at about 10 p.m. Sunday in the 7800 block of South Kingston Avenue in the South Shore neighborhood after police received a call about gunfire, Officer David Banks said. Their ages and identities were not immediately released.

"Right now, it's unclear if all three victims were shot inside that location," Banks said. "It appears one was found in the vestibule area of the residence and may have staggered out."

He said preliminary reports suggest that the slayings may have been drug-related.



The building where the bodies were found was less than a mile from where a Chicago Fire Department arson investigator was shot and wounded early Sunday morning as he inspected an alley where a Molotov cocktail had been tossed against a house.

The resident of that home lamented a recent rise of violence in the neighborhood, which she blamed on gang violence....Tribune

So since they can't stop killing each other in the 4th district, 5 cars from the 22nd district, including 2211, were detailed to 004. The residents of 22 should be up in arms over this.
Thanks to a south side sergeant for the heads up on this.
This also has ramifications for the residents of 16 when shit jumps off in 25 or 15.

KIND WORDS FROM A GRATEFUL FRIEND

I want to extend a “Thank You” to the excellent and heroic work done by the two tactical officers from the 5th District, and the one tactical officer from the 22nd District, last night at SXU in their attempts to save a young man from drowning in Lake Marion.

Officers, your actions were selfless, commendable, and heroic. Hold your heads high as you have nothing to be sorry about. Your actions made me and my two little boys proud to be the spouse/family of a CPD Officer. You tried your hardest to save that boys life, I know, I was there and saw you, and I commend you for going into that water and when so many others just sat and watched. My sons were so excited to tell their father when he woke up for work about seeing the police officers in the water when we got home last night.

After seeing the news last night and then reading the paper this morning, I realize that the reporters think it was members of the CFD who jumped in to save him and not the members of the CPD. I guess you guys in the CPD will never get a break from the media, especially if it is something that is commendable.

I just want to let you know that I, and my family, appreciated your efforts and we are thankful that you are out there for us. I am sure if people asked you, you would just say you are doing your job, but I know that was not the case. You did so much more then just your job. I only wish that the public could see and hear about all the fine work that the CPD Officers do, day in and day out, that receive so little fanfare or even a mention at all.


Thank you!


A wife & a friend of the CPD

OPEN POST FOR SCC

The Second City Cop site seems to be down and like Crimefile I too will hold an open post for SCC readers.

RECENT SHOOTINGS

In todays Tribune I read about the outrage by a certin group of "reverends" over recent encounters that our fellow officers have had with armed individuals.

Recent police shootings, coupled with rising violence in some neighborhoods, have added tension to the already frayed relations between community members and authorities this summer, a group of Chicago ministers said Monday.

Spurred by seven shootings by Chicago police in the last two weeks—four of them fatal—the group met Monday morning with the head of the Independent Police Review Authority to complain about the pace of police-shooting investigations.

It makes me sick that these people are given an outlet and we are forever put in a shadow of doubt. I often ask, why call us? Why do we bother? And then I was reminded of something written by Lt. Col. David Grossman (retired,US Army)

Warrior Ethos

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.
Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there that will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf."


If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, which is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools.

But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."

Until the wolf shows up! Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.

Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous
battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.

There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.

Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one
hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. -- From sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.

"Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"

"There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men." - Edmund Burke
Here is the point I like to emphasize; especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.

If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

Thank You Lt.Col David Grossman.
Stay safe everyone and to hell with the wolves in sheep's clothing.

Leave it to the media. Relatives of the assholes who have recently been shot claim the police are "overzealous". Keep giving them an outlet.

Mayor Daley said he will wait to see what his Independent Police Review Authority has to say, before deciding if Chicago police officers are becoming too trigger-happy......WBBM 780

Nauseating!

ISRAELI APPROACH TO AIRPORT SECURITY

Excellent job by TSA

Israeli-Style Airport Security Coming to U.S.?

Security experts familiar with Israel’s behavior profiling system have long since criticized U.S. airport security for its approach. The lion’s share of TSA’s $4.9 billion annual budget is spent looking for bombs, not bombers. This is why TSA agents insist on confiscating your five-ounce bottle of shampoo at the security checkpoint and why Israeli agents will give you a steak knife once you’re in flight............read the whole story at Pajamasmedia.com

DC GUN BAN

D.C. Police to Check Drivers In Violence-Plagued Trinidad

D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier announced a military-style checkpoint yesterday to stop cars this weekend in a Northeast Washington neighborhood inundated by gun violence, saying it will help keep criminals out of the area.

Starting on Saturday, officers will check drivers' identification and ask whether they have a "legitimate purpose" to be in the Trinidad area, such as going to a doctor or church or visiting friends or relatives. If not, the drivers will be turned away.

The Neighborhood Safety Zone initiative is the latest crime-fighting attempt by Lanier and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, who have been under pressure from residents to stop a recent surge in violence. Last weekend was especially bloody, with seven slayings, including three in the Trinidad area.......
Washington Post

ST. SABINA

Fr.Pfleger may be no more. Cardinal George has asked him to take a sabatical and the parishioners of St. Sabina's are not happy. Why should they be? Fr. Pfleger has been there since 1981 despite church rules limiting a parish priest to 2 six year terms. It appears that Pflager has finally pushed it too far with his evangelistic style more suited for a store front Baptist Church than a Catholic parish. Good riddance!
Here's the punch line. Fr. William Vanecko, the priest selected to replace Pflager, is mayor Daley's cousin! The good father may be a victim of circumstance but is no place sacred from Daley's reach?

NEW VEHICLES...........

Wishful thinking but an article in Congressional Quarterly, Homeland security section, covers the subject of law enforcement specific vehicles.

“I still find it shocking that six years after 9/11 our country’s 800,000 women and men in uniform are patrolling our communities in a vehicle designed in the 1970s as a retail passenger car with some lights on it,” Li said, “and somehow the fire department has their own vehicles, the hospitals have their own ambulances, the military has a huge fleet of purpose-built vehicles. Jeez, your mailman and your garbage man have a special purpose-built vehicle". -William Santana Li, chairman and chief executive officer of Carbon Motors Corp

An interesting article while we still drive around in 175,000 mile Crown Vics.

GET A SIDE JOB

One P.O., from 25, was arrested on federal charges for insurance fraud. Read the entire story at the Tribune.
Work special, get a side job do something but don't compromise your integrity.

BLAME THE FIREMEN

From FOP Lodge 7:

PENSION PORTABILITY PROGRESS 06/02/08

The language for the Pension Portability issue that we have been working on for the past 6 years was attached as an amendment to SB2520 last Wednesday, May 28th and sent to the Rules Committee. On the 29th it was sent from Rules to Personnel and Pensions. On the 30th, Personnel and Pensions voted in favor of it unanimously. In the meantime three other amendments were added to the bill, the last being by Local 2, Chicago Firefighters which stalled the entire bill in being called up for a vote. By the time it did get called up it was at 2200 hours on the 31st and was voted in favor almost straight down party lines. This happens all too often in the last hours as nobody is playing well with each other and others who see the potential for a Pension Bill to move will jump on board often causing the legislation to sink. As I said it passed out at 2200 hours, unfortunately the Senate, which needed to concur on the “amendments,” had already adjourned for the session. So we are now in a position that requires the Senate to vote on concurrence before the bill can be sent to the Governor for his signature. This can happen if the Senate is called back in over the summer as is being discussed, or in the veto session in November. After all that was done to get the City, the Pension Board and members of the legislature to agree to our language, it is disappointing that our issue has failed to pass. Actions are under way to ensure its passage as soon as we can get it back into the Senate, but this delay should not have been allowed to happen.

Like little children....Me Too!

DEPARTMENT GOES TO GLOCK

The current class of recruits is now required to purchase and train with either the Glock 17 or 19, according to the Sun-Times.

Supt. Jody Weis made an argument for a uniform weapon in March, speaking at the Union League club.

Current sworn members will not be affected by any of the changes, and they will still be allowed to choose any gun they want from the approved manufacturers.

According to the article the officers primary weapon will be the Glock during their 18 month probation but it is unknown what their options will be after probation.

NU STUDENTS DISAPPOINTED

Northwester University students were less than enthusiastic about their commencement speaker. Some even plan on boycotting the ceremony. Tribune

"He is a questionable source for giving graduating seniors advice on how they go about taking that next important step in life."
-Social policy major Alexandra Broin

Ironic isn't it Alexandra? Well those thoughts go through my head year after year when I'm required to submit to "ethics" training.

MEMORIAL DAY 2008

Freedom Is Not Free
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.
- Kelly Strong

I'M BACK

Went away for the weekend. Enjoy the holiday for those who are off and stay safe for those who have to work.

WHY WE FIGHT

Believe it or not during WWII we had to employ propaganda to keep the war effort moving positively. Frank Capra was commissioned by the War Department to produce 7 films that accomplished that mission.

The series faced a tough challenge: convincing an isolationist nation of the need to become involved in the war and ally with the Soviets, among other things. In many of the films, Capra and other directors spliced in Axis powers propaganda footage – recontextualizing it so it promoted the cause of the Allies instead... Wikipedia

Twenty years after World War II we find ourselves in Viet Nam in a completely different war. During the 40's Americans obtained their war reports from daily newsprint and weekly newsreels. Fast forward twenty years later and people are watching nightly news broadcasts from Viet Nam and are horrified by what they see.

In a sense, Vietnam was the first televised or "living room" war. Each evening, the networks would show film of the fighting that was, at times, gruesome. Unlike the practice during World War II, the film was neither censored nor subject to any systematic scrutiny by the government. Thus, the public was shown scenes of battles in progress, the dead and wounded, and the coffins of the dead being unloaded.

In the Second World War the scenes were no less horrific than those in Viet Nam but the difference being what the citizenry were exposed to. During the 2004 Democratic Convention Michael Moore asks Bill O'Reilly "would you sacrifice your child for Fallujah?" The question is ridiculous. The opening scenes from Saving Private Ryan gave a realistic portrayal of the carnage brought on to our boys during the landings on D-Day. What would have happened had there been 24 hour cable news during D-Day. Would a 1940's Michael Moore be asking Edward R. Morrow, would you sacrifice your child for Normandy? Now you can say that World War II was a just war and Iraq isn't but I would beg to differ with you.
Lately an anti-war commenter has been trolling on this site and claiming to be a Republican voting for Obama. I'm calling bullshit!

The Virginian said:
1st, what makes you think this same battle would not be occurring over there without us? Right now, what exactly are we doing besides standing between Sunnis and Shiites, Saudia Arabia and Iran? Let them fight it out.

2nd, what exactly does anything in Iraq have to do with 9/11? Seriously, who of the people who attacked the U.S. on 9/11 has ever even stepped foot in Iraq, let alone fought the U.S. there?

I will reproduce an article printed by someone who I share a view with about the war but not much else.

So, Mr. Hitchens, Weren't You Wrong About Iraq?
Hard questions, four years later.
By Christopher Hitchens
Posted Monday, March 19, 2007, at 1:53 PM ET
Four years after the first coalition soldiers crossed the Iraqi border, one can attract pitying looks (at best) if one does not take the view that the whole engagement could have been and should have been avoided. Those who were opposed to the operation from the beginning now claim vindication, and many of those who supported it say that if they had known then what they know now, they would have spoken or voted differently.

What exactly does it mean to take the latter position? At what point, in other words, ought the putative supporter to have stepped off the train? The question isn't as easy to answer as some people would have you believe. Suppose we run through the actual timeline:

Was the president right or wrong to go to the United Nations in September 2002 and to say that body could no longer tolerate Saddam Hussein's open flouting of its every significant resolution, from weaponry to human rights to terrorism?

A majority of the member states thought he was right and had to admit that the credibility of the United Nations was at stake. It was scandalous that such a regime could for more than a decade have violated the spirit and the letter of the resolutions that had allowed a cease-fire after the liberation of Kuwait. The Security Council, including Syria, voted by nine votes to zero that Iraq must come into full compliance or face serious consequences.

Was it then correct to send military forces to the Gulf, in case Saddam continued his long policy of defiance, concealment, and expulsion or obstruction of U.N. inspectors?

If you understand the history of the inspection process at all, you must concede that Saddam would never have agreed to readmit the inspectors if coalition forces had not made their appearance on his borders and in the waters of the Gulf. It was never a choice between inspection and intervention: It was only the believable threat of an intervention that enabled even limited inspections to resume.

Should it not have been known by Western intelligence that Iraq had no stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction?

The entire record of UNSCOM until that date had shown a determination on the part of the Iraqi dictatorship to build dummy facilities to deceive inspectors, to refuse to allow scientists to be interviewed without coercion, to conceal chemical and biological deposits, and to search the black market for materiel that would breach the sanctions. The defection of Saddam Hussein's sons-in-law, the Kamel brothers, had shown that this policy was even more systematic than had even been suspected. Moreover, Iraq did not account for—has in fact never accounted for—a number of the items that it admitted under pressure to possessing after the Kamel defection. We still do not know what happened to this weaponry. This is partly why all Western intelligence agencies, including French and German ones quite uninfluenced by Ahmad Chalabi, believed that Iraq had actual or latent programs for the production of WMD. Would it have been preferable to accept Saddam Hussein's word for it and to allow him the chance to re-equip once more once the sanctions had further decayed?

Could Iraq have been believably "inspected" while the Baath Party remained in power?

No. The word inspector is misleading here. The small number of U.N. personnel were not supposed to comb the countryside. They were supposed to monitor the handover of the items on Iraq's list, to check them, and then to supervise their destruction. (If Iraq disposed of the items in any other way—by burying or destroying or neutralizing them, as now seems possible—that would have been an additional grave breach of the resolutions.) To call for serious and unimpeachable inspections was to call, in effect, for a change of regime in Iraq. Thus, we can now say that Iraq is in compliance with the Nonproliferation Treaty. Moreover, the subsequent hasty compliance of Col. Muammar Qaddafi's Libya and the examination of his WMD stockpile (which proved to be much larger and more sophisticated than had been thought) allowed us to trace the origin of much materiel to Pakistan and thus belatedly to shut down the A.Q. Khan secret black market.

Wasn't Colin Powell's performance at the United Nations a bit of a disgrace?

Yes, it was, as was the supporting role played by George Tenet and the CIA (which has been reliably wrong on Iraq since 1963). Some good legal experts—Ruth Wedgwood most notably—have argued that the previous resolutions were self-enforcing and that there was no need for a second resolution or for Powell's dog-and-pony show. Some say that the whole thing was done in order to save Tony Blair's political skin. A few points of interest did emerge from Powell's presentation: The Iraqi authorities were caught on air trying to mislead U.N inspectors (nothing new there), and the presence in Iraq of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a very dangerous al-Qaida refugee from newly liberated Afghanistan, was established. The full significance of this was only to become evident later on.

Was the terror connection not exaggerated?

Not by much. The Bush administration never claimed that Iraq had any hand in the events of Sept. 11, 2001. But it did point out, at different times, that Saddam had acted as a host and patron to every other terrorist gang in the region, most recently including the most militant Islamist ones. And this has never been contested by anybody. The action was undertaken not to punish the last attack—that had been done in Afghanistan—but to forestall the next one.

Was a civil war not predictable?

Only to the extent that there was pre-existing unease and mistrust between the different population groups in Iraq. Since it was the policy of Saddam Hussein to govern by divide-and-rule and precisely to exacerbate these differences, it is unlikely that civil peace would have been the result of prolonging his regime. Indeed, so ghastly was his system in this respect that one-fifth of Iraq's inhabitants—the Kurds—had already left Iraq and were living under Western protection.

So, you seriously mean to say that we would not be living in a better or safer world if the coalition forces had turned around and sailed or flown home in the spring of 2003?

That's exactly what I mean to say.Related in Slate

It is not my intention to persuade Virginian to support the war but this article may help others who aren't so sure one way or another to move in this direction.

NEW SERGEANTS

MERIT SELECTIONS:
189 Banuelos, Ulysses A.
211 Bielecki, Lee C.
606 Cepeda Jr., Thomas
640 Christoforakis, Jenny C.
008 Dineen, Michael E.
141 Gibbs. Ronald W.
177 Grant, David C.
189 Hallihan. Joseph F.
193 Hawkins, Brian R.
021 Hunter, Michael A.
006 Jackson, Eric
189 Kimble, Ronald N.
606 Lewis, John A.
019 Mendoza, David T.
216 Papaioannou, Chris
196 Parker, Michael K.
606 Pellegrini, John F.
141 Rhein, Charles W.
193 Roberts, John E.
014 Roman Jr., Wilfredo
141 Tiado, Jose M.
189 Walker, Traci L.

RANK ORDER SELECTIONS:
610 Alderden, Jacob M.
023 Bartz, Michael E.
620 Beltran, Eduardo L.
022 Bird, Joseph J.
006 Clark, Llowyn R.
022 Cooney, Michael P.
008 Costello, Michael N.
650 Delafont. James K.
019 Dombrowski, Anthony M.
610 Dougherty, Phillip J.
019 Fitzgerald, Michael A.
012 Flisk, Margaret J.
141 Gade Jr., Lawrence R.
640 Garcia, Jose J.
015 Gilfillan, Gregory D,
013 Gopez. Frederich G.
196 Guerra, Cindy I.
650 Hajdu,.Karoly R.
016 Hernandez, Julio A.
620 Hindman, David J.
022 Hoover, Terry
606 Inzerra, Maurizio P.
640 Isakson, Roy A.
640 Kane III, Robert E.
650 Keane, Thomas P.
025 Kearns, Mark -E.
650 Lamperis, Dimitrios J.
253 Losik. Richard F.
141 Magno, Michael S.
610 Mahaffey Jr., Louis D.
011 Mc Kee. Luke J.
023 McHugh, Shane F.
620 Mishler, Elizabeth C.
004 Mitchum, Patrina L.
620 Piechocki, John M.
384 Pierri, Frank
189 Polan. Melinda M.
192 Ouinn, Patrick T.
010 Ramaglia, Frank V.
008 Ryan, Thomas W.
017 Salgado, Agustin
017 Schniar, Brian T.
011 Silich, Steven A.
016 Stadnik, Richard
196 Stevens, Jill M.
017 Tirado. Marco A.
141 Torres, Arturo
640 Tsoukalas, Christ
124 Washington, Monique J.
377 Wieczorek, Laura A.
610 Winstrom, Eric W.
193 Wolf, Timothy A.
141 Wurm, Gabriella N.

CONGRATS!!

NEGOTIATIONS

Last night the Superintendent met with department members below the rank of sergeant at a town hall style meeting. The meeting was a question and answer secession and was attended by blogger Rue St. Michel. Visit his site and read his synopsis of what transpired.

Weis has indicated that future hires will be required to pass the POWER test on a yearly basis and that future promotions will also be required to pass the POWER test. No grandfather clause. Apparently a letter of agreement has been tendered to the FOP. That agreement would lock in future hires and promotions to the ranks of D2-sergeant. On the other hand, a separate agreement would have to be made with both the Sergeants and Lieutenants Associations for promotion above the rank of sergeant.

It was announced that future promotion lists will designate who was promoted by merit. Mr. Weis has stated that he wants more transparency in the merit process, I only hope that this isn't the only change implemented. Mr. Weis would garner more respect from the members if he were able to whittle the merit percentage down to a more reasonable ten percent. However, his comments on the Roe Conn Show indicate that he has no desire to so. Weis stated that it's only 30% (merit promotions) so if you have one hundred sergeants that's only 30 (thanks for the math lesson).


An update on the sergeants site has a letter from President Pallohusky to the members concerning the contract negotiations and issues. President Pallohusky reminds us that these issues will be discussed at the general meeting tonight. I have other commitments this evening so I will not be able to attend.

Since I last updated our members on the progress of the contract negotiations the following issues have been discussed at the bargaining table.

Length of the contract
Health Insurance
Discipline issues and the grievance process.
Random drug and alcohol testing (on-duty & off-duty involved incidents).
Bidding and Watch selection process; including expanding biddable units.
Economic issues (wage increases, duty availability, quarterly differential and uniform allowance).
Pension issues
Reduction from the current age of 60 at time of retirement for health insurance premiums to be paid by the employer.
Holidays, B.F.D.’s and P-Days
Promotional process
Detail pay and working out-of-grade.
The above captioned topics will be discussed in more detail at the next General Membership Meeting on 15 May 2008.

The next contract negotiation meeting with the City is scheduled for 5 June 08.

John Pallohusky
President
Chicago Police Sergeants Associations

I wonder if the issue "promotional process" deals with the POWER test?

JUST CANT LOOSE THAT GHETTO

Jeremiah Mearday is in the news again. Via the Tribune

In October 2005, the Chicago City Council approved the award to Mearday (1.75 million dollars)

Jeremiah Mearday, 29, pleaded guilty in 2006 to selling crack to an undercover police officer in Glendale Heights.(note: the arrest occured in Dec 05, two months after his award)

DuPage Judge George Bakalis sentenced him to 2 years of intensive probation and 180 days in the DuPage County Jail.(Wonder what the outcome would have been in Cook County)

Assistant State's Atty. Paul Marchese filed a notice of violation of probation earlier this year, contending that Mearday missed seven months of meetings with the probation department, failed a drug test that indicated the use of marijuana, refused to take another drug test and didn't have a job for a year, as stipulated by his probation requirements.

An assistant public defender was appointed earlier this year by Bakalis to represent Mearday after the defendant claimed he was broke. Mearday again said Monday that he was broke after Marchese asked Bakalis to charge the defendant for the use of the public defender.

If Mearaday split the award with his lawyer then he should have had approximately $875,000. That is more than 10 years pay for the average sergeant in this city and asshole is already broke in two and a half years.

Judge Bakalis sentenced Mearady to 4 years for violating his probation.

Lets get something straight here. The Trib claims Mearady "won a $1.75 million settlement after being beaten by Chicago police officers in 1997". No! The settlement wasn't because he was beaten but because it is expedient and it is how the city does business.

BARAK

In today's Tribune Barak has a problem with those who question his patriotism.

Reading a speech to several thousand people at the Charleston Civic Center, the Illinois senator said patriotism means more than saluting flags and holding parades.

Just because someone salutes a flag doesn't automatically make them a patriot but your actions certainly show your true colors.

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW OF THE M4

Read this article from Bob Owens of Confederate Yankee as it appeared in Pajamas Media.

Fifty-four shootings in two weekends. Shot-up bodies recovered in groups of three and five. Is this Ramadi? Basra? No.

Welcome to Chicago.

Read what Mr. Owens thinks about our Mayor and Chicago style gun control.
Via Pajamas Media

PHILADELPHIA PD SGT MURDERED

Philadelphia Police Department
Pennsylvania
End of Watch: Saturday, May 3, 2008

Biographical Info
Age: 40
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Saturday, May 3, 2008
Weapon Used: Rifle; AK-47
Suspect Info: Shot and killed

Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski was shot and killed while responding to a bank robbery call at approximately 11:30 am. Two men dressed in female Muslim garb had robbed a bank on Aramingo Avenue. Sergeant Liczbinski encountered the suspects on East Schiller Street and stopped their car. Before he was able to exit his patrol car, a suspect opened fire with an AK-47, killing Sergeant Liczbinski.

One of the suspects was fatally shot by other officers a short time later on Louden Street. The other suspect, and possibly a third accomplice, remain at large.

Sergeant Liczbinski had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for 12 years and is survived by his wife and three children.

Agency Contact Information
Philadelphia Police Department
One Franklin Square
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Phone: (215) 686-1776
Please contact the Philadelphia Police Department for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.


While we honor our fallen on this Sunday please keep a place in your heart for Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski and his wife and three children.

SERGEANTS CLASS???????

I have been hearing rumours that a sergeants class will start on Monday. SCC has been reporting the same thing with class size anywhere from 50 to 80. Good news for 6 northsiders working in Area 2 districts and a little relief for the rest of us.