WELCOME

We received an email from another blogger the other day.

From: Andy Hale... As an attorney representing Chicago Police Officers, I like your blog. Good stuff.
You may also find my blog of interest.Check out civilrightsdefense.rockfuscollc.com



If you come across any favorable litigation rulings, let me know, and I’ll post them.

We made it a point to go visit Illinois Civil Defense Law Blog and were pleasantly surprised to see what this firm is all about.....

Rock Fusco, LLC is a boutique Chicago law firm that specializes in, among other things, defending civil rights lawsuits. Most recently, Rock Fusco attorneys successfully defended ten former Chicago Police Officers in a highly publicized civil rights lawsuit in federal court in Chicago. The plaintiff in that case was Michael Evans, who, back in 1976, was arrested for the kidnapping, rape and murder of nine-year old Lisa Cabassa on Chicago’s southeast side. Evans spent 27 years in prison before being released based on the results of DNA testing. Subsequently, Evans received an innocence pardon from Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. In his civil rights lawsuit, Evans alleged that the ten former Chicago Police Officers framed him for Lisa Cabassa’s rape and murder. The trial lasted nearly four weeks and during closing arguments plaintiff’s counsel asked the jury to award Evans over $50 million in compensatory damages and another $4 million in punitive damages. On August 8, 2006, after deliberating little more than one day, the jury returned a verdict in favor of all ten former Chicago Police Officers on all four counts of the complaint.

Many thanks to the folks at Rock Fusco LLC. We have their link on our sidebar.

POLL

Click on the Pajamasmedia straw poll on our sidebar and pick your favorite candidate.
This poll will only produce the results of our readers only.

Sergeants exam may spark fury again

Sun-Times

Thirteen years ago, the police sergeants exam became a political football in Chicago's never-ending game of racial politics when a test produced just five minority promotions out of 114.

Tee up the football. It could happen again.

One month after mailing test scores to would-be sergeants, the Daley administration is refusing to release a racial breakdown of top-scoring candidates.

Who other than Fran Spielman was questioning the racial breakdown and the reason for the delay in releasing the result? Nowhere in the article does it mention any alderman or group that is upset by the results. Fran only rehashes the results from 13 years ago and the firestorm it created. Me thinks Fran reads Second City Cop and sees the grumblings and theories of anxious coppers.

5 men charged in Lincoln Park cop stabbing

Sun-Times

March 6, 2007
BY LISA DONOVAN AND ANNIE SWEENEY Staff Reporters

Five alleged gang members, including three brothers, were charged with attempted murder Monday for the weekend stabbing of an off-duty Chicago Police officer outside a Lincoln Park bar.

Anthony Borias, 24, of Downstate Genoa, is suspected of stabbing the officer in a fight outside the Deja Vu bar in the 2600 block of North Lincoln.

The off-duty officer and his friends, along with Borias, his two brothers and two others left the bar about 4 a.m. Sunday. That's when Borias and his group began yelling taunts at the officer, police said.

Police say the officer said he didn't want any trouble, but when it was over, he had been stabbed twice by the suspect, knocked to the ground and beaten. And Borias had been shot by the officer. Both remained hospitalized Monday.

Borias, brothers Nicholas V. Borias, 23, and Joseph Borias, 26, both of Chicago; David Podgorski, 23, of Chicago, and Vincent J. Munday, 21, of Elmwood Park, were charged with attempted first-degree murder.

ATTENTION

From One Of Our Readers :

ATTENTION:
ATTENTION:
ATTENTION:
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE

Any department member who feels that he/she was unfairly put into the Behavioral Intervention System.

We must take action outside of the collective bargaining units.

If you're interested in hearing more
send your name and a phone number to this blog, and the information will be forwarded to me. If you wish to include the reason for your placement into the program, please feel free to do so.I will contact you with more information.

None of your information will be posted.

SCS assures any interested party that the above post is from an actual police officer/sergeant. Please feel confident that your privacy will be respected.

UPDATE: If you rather Email your info please send to cpdsarge@gmail.com

Off-duty Chicago police officer stabbed Tribune

A confrontation ensued, after which two men lay bleeding in the street: the officer, stabbed twice in the abdomen, and one of his attackers, struck by a bullet from the officer's gun.
Surgeons at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center operated on both men hours after the 4 a.m. fight outside the Chi-Town Tap, 2642 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago Police Department spokesman Pat Camden said. Both were reported in stable but serious condition, he said.

Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said department authorities had not spoken to the officer. But after viewing surveillance video from a nearby business and interviewing witnesses, they had ruled that if the officer deliberately fired his gun, he acted in self-defense and within department guidelines, Bond said.

It's still unclear whether the officer fired intentionally or if the weapon discharged accidentally, she said.

The seven-year veteran of the Near North District and two friends were walking north on Lincoln after leaving Deja Vu, a bar several doors south of Chi-town Tap. A group of six to eight men approached them and "verbally accost the officer and the acquaintances as they're walking by," Bond said.

"The off-duty officer responds to the offenders, basically saying, 'We're not looking for trouble,'" she said. "At that point, the offenders advance toward them."

The men surrounded the officer, who took out his handgun and held it at his side as he identified himself as a police officer, police said.

"Suddenly, the offender lunges at him and stabs him twice in the abdomen," Bond said. The officer is "on the ground, and the rest of the offenders are beating and kicking him. His weapon discharges and hits an offender in the abdomen."

It was unclear if the man who was shot was also the man who stabbed the officer, she said.

A witness told investigators that one of the attackers grabbed the officer's gun and threw it across the street. The gun was found later, police said.

The officer was not intoxicated and alcohol was not a factor in the incident, Bond said.

Besides the man who was shot, several of the attackers, who police said are gang members, were in custody and charges were pending, Bond said.

Neighbors said the two bars on the block are full of people well into the early morning hours on weekends, and it's not uncommon to hear shouting and arguments.

"You have lots of yelling and hollering," said Maggie Koons, 23, whose apartment is near the scene of the fight. "There's always something, but never gunfire."






ASSHOLE! Steve Janowski
Bail was set at $100,000 Sunday for a cabdriver accused of knocking over a police officer and ramming at least two cars while trying to escape.Tribune

What does The Future Hold?

LABOR NEGOTIATIONS
Contracts with city unions expire June 30 and a showdown looms. Last time around, the police contract was handed down by an arbitrator, and it took 28 months to nail down an agreement with the building trades that ended up denying retirees back paychecks. This time, the stage is set for even more tension after most major unions denied Daley their endorsements and worked to elect a more independent City Council. Daley also must confront a pension underfunding problem that threatens to saddle future generations with a debt they can't handle. Painful solutions include benefit reductions and increased employee contributions.

Be prepared for for a long fight. Charlie Williams has made his view on our medical abundantly clear. Williams insist that a two teir system should be in place where sworn members will keep the existing benefit of 364 days in a two year period and and that new hires would be given something in line with other departments i.e. 12 days a year. We have also mentioned in a prior post that a two tier system has been proposed by a civic group concerning our pensions. Watch for the department to dangle the 10 hour day in our direction. What we would have to give up may be costly.

POLICE SUPERINTENDENT
On or before Police Supt. Phil Cline celebrates his four-year anniversary in October, he is expected to announce his retirement from the pressure-cooker job. That will force the Police Board to conduct its usual nationwide search -- and Daley to choose a replacement, either from the Chicago Police Department's thin bench or from outside Chicago, which he hates to do. Former Deputy Police Supt. Charles Ramsey, a runner-up in past police searches, is available again after a stint as police chief in Washington, D.C. In-house candidates include: Chief of Patrol Charles Williams, Deputy Supt. Hiram Graue, assistant deputy superintendents Eugene Williams and Matt Tobias and Frank Limon, chief of organized crime. Two women are also possibilities: Chief of Detectives Maria Maher and Assistant Deputy Supt. Anne Egan

Sun-Times

ADS Debra Kirby (IAD) is conspicuously missing from that list, could that make her the true front runner?
As for DS Charlie Williams, his latest memo sent to the districts, I quote " No longer are the days of handing out car keys to police officers to just ride around". He wants to see activity in the DOC. This man has lost touch with reality. Lets see, backlogs for 10 months out of the year, denied time due, denied lunches P.O.'s just off probation and working as acting FTO's and morale in the shitter and he seems to believe they are just riding around. You want to know why morale is so bad? Look no further than the top! Shame on you Charlie Williams!

HERE WE GO!

Jailed man says he was framed by cops, sues for $24 million
Sun-Times

Let the settlements begin. This suit stems from the SOS scandal.

FROM SECOND CITY COP

Don't think the guys over at SCC would mind us reposting their post here.

Slapping Around Checkerboard Chat
LONG POST. Evidently, we've been tweaked by the boys over at the "Official" blog of the Chicago Police Department. We say "tweaked" because their effort is a really half assed attempt to seize the high ground after getting punked and owned by a reader of ours. Well, we're about to slap them around big time and hand them their ass - strap in boys and girls. Our comments are in the italics. And by the way, if Pat Camden had anything to do with the below post, we'll eat our hat, but as his name is on the bottom, he's getting the same treatment:
-------------------

Are We For Real. . . or What?
Well, I guess we are "official"! We've gotten hate mail, coded messages. . . the works! It's funny, though. I thought that the biggest critics would be the so-called "unappreciative public" or even the "unscrupulous media". HA! WRONG!!

(We don't know about hate mail and how it makes you "official." Usually, hate mail means someone somewhere really dislikes you. We've gotten a ton of it, too. So now we're "official"? And what makes you think the public or the media actually knows about you? Or cares? You're a bunch of sanitized press releases for crissake.)


If you haven't taken the time to really check us out, I'll simply remind you that we ARE "of, by and for the Police". The REAL police, not the clout-heavy police, not the "whining" police--the every day copper who straps on a duty-belt, gets in a squad and does the job. If you think the site is all BS or propaganda or whatever, do me a favor and don't use it. This site has been created to get factual information to the rank and file and also let the public see the everyday success stories of the Chicago Police Department. We are here to give information, provide a voice and FINALLY give credit to the men and women of this Department who truly deserve it. . . YOU. . . the "everyday copper."

(BWAHAHAHAHAHA. You are "of...the REAL police"? Since when? In what parallel universe are you living? When was the last time either one of you bozos strapped on a full duty belt? Besides Closed Market. And we haven't seen Pat in a Closed Market car lately. Bravo on the giving credit to unsung heroes though - that's about the only thing worthy of mention on your site. As to your being propaganda, didn't you notice that every comment must be approved by the Office of the Superintendent? You tools.)


Those of us working on this blog do so because WE WANT TO. Believe it or not, there are still a lot of police officers who take pride and honor in the work they do. There are problems and issues that make us unhappy with the job, that is part of life. But then again, do you know of ANY job that is problem-free? (If so, send me an application--I could use a stress-free gig!)

(Glad you "WANT TO" work on a blog - we'll bet it's a great gig to get paid $60,000+ a year to do also. Thanks for acknowledging that there are problems and stresses on this job - how about addressing a few of them? Like how to get that $60,000+ rewriting press releases and tossing them up on a website. Morons. We take pride in everything we do, too, but we're doing it in the trenches, not from a sanitized cubicle.)


If you simply want to rant, rave, whine, moan and complain without adding anything constructive, find someplace else to spend your time. Coded messages and inappropriate comments (while creative and SOMETIMES humorous) are not what we are about and will not be posted. There's plenty of space to do that. . . elsewhere.

(Hey! You must mean us. Thanks! It must be nice to be so far separated from the reality of District law enforcement that you have no fucking idea what we put up with in an eight-hour shift - backlog 4 or more hours per tour, lunch denials, stupid bosses, dangerous bosses, 2-year wonders working inside, unattainable mission goals based on what some computer geek decides is the "correct" approach to policing, etc. Need we go on? Humor is what we've got - and we are DAMN proud to provide coppers with what they want, not what the bosses THINK they want.)


Criticism is cool. Stupidity is not. Police officers already face enough adversity on a daily basis. There are enough "haters" out there without us having to turn on each other.

(Have you trolled through our comments sections lately? We can cite dozens of instances where our readers have been denied their posts being published on your site because they bring up uncomfortable truths about the Department writ large. And stop with the pretend concern about what adversity officers face on a daily basis - you have no fucking clue.)

If you are proud to do the job, say so. If you don't like the job, quit. It's easy to be "controversial" and "subversive" when you can do so with an electronic pseudonym. If you have a legitimate complaint or concern, you are more than welcome to express an intelligent opinion. If your concern is legitimate, have the courage to sign your name.

We do..... John Henry and Pat Camden.

(That's real mature - "if you don't like the job, quit." This Department can't hire enough bodies as it is - or don't you remember the days of 35,000 applicants dwindling to under 3,000 for three tests a year? And the bodies that are actually hired are either (A) burned out by the time they get 10 years on or (B) so clout heavy that they never see the inside of a squad car outside of their training cycles.


Fuck you, you sanctimonious pieces of shit. It's morons like you who have and are destroying the greatest job known to mankind. We'd love to have a job writing a blog for the Department at $60 grand a year. We'd love to be the son of a State's Attorney who was a Dick for barely a year, got promoted to Sergeant, and as his first-ever assignment gets to be Sergeant of Dicks at Area Four. Or the daughter of a certain retired exempt who gets an entire spot created for her along with take-home vehicle, all paid for by Federal money.

And a great big FUCK YOU to the snide comment about us being "controversial" and subversive" with an electronic pseudonym. Fuck You. You are naive beyond belief if you think for a moment that any one of us here would have anything like a normal career or a normal life or a normal assignment the minute our name was attached to an alternative blog. We'd be hammered. We'd be bricked. We'd be walking a foot post in a district located at the furthest point from our actual geographic home. No thanks. Our name isn't Pat Camden or John Henry and thank god for that - at least we still have our balls attached to our bodies. And we did notice that you allow anonymous comments anyway - are your commentators afraid to be accused of being company suckasses? You speak with forked tongues, hmmm?


Here's a challenge for you jackasses - let's see your numbers. Throw up a Sitemeter counter open to the public. Lets see how your numbers stack up against any of the other blogs out there. Let the Free Market decide who coppers want to read. Of course, it's easier for you to pretend to be the voice of the Department when you can just have the Department censors block out an entire swath of websites that just happen to have the "blogspot" name attached to them. We'll bet we know what the numbers read, because even with an unlevel playing field, we're still pulling in almost 2,500 visits a day and moderating over 200 comments a day. We don't think you've published 200 comments total yet.

So, John Henry, you steel-driving man, that twinge you feel is a steel rod being driven up your ass courtesy of the alternative blogs. And Pat Camden, if you had anything to do with the listed post, we are truly ashamed of you. We hope it isn't really you because you seem to be such an advocate for the street guys and gals on camera. Don't forget to pick up your asses on the way out the door.)

Well said guys!

WHAT A DAY

Did the Drudge Report Help Tank the Stock Market? USNews.com

Here's a headline sure to spook any investor or economist: "Greenspan warns of likely U.S. recession." That was the headline right near the top of the widely surfed Drudge Report yesterday afternoon and this morning, referring to a speech that former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan made the other day via satellite to a business conference in Hong Kong. Many market watchers are blaming those comments– along with a weak durable goods report and the plunge in the Chinese stock market – for today's stock market sell-off

Cheney unhurt after deadly blast at Afghan base
Suicide bomber reportedly kills up to 23; Taliban says VP was the target MSNBC


Daley cruises to 6th term
TRIB CBS2 NBC5 ABC7 WGN FOX32
No big surprise here. Let the command changes begin.

THIS ONE IS WORTH A LAUGH! Scottish Sobriety Test

ARE THEY SERIOUS?

Mexican anger over US 'trespass'
Many Mexicans see the border barrier as offensive
Mexico's Congress has condemned what it says is a border violation by US workers building a controversial barrier between the two countries.BBC

Legislators say workers and equipment building a section of the barrier have gone 10 metres (yards) into Mexico.

Seriously? 1.2 million illegal immigrants were arrested in 2005 crossing the border. Where is the outrage over that? Their complaints aren't based on an "ugly" fence going up between neighbors. Their concerns are for the new hurdles that "illegals" will have to face. Without "illegals" freely pouring into this country Mexico has to face its inability to exist without the influx of dollars that "illegals" send back home.

ERPS

Guns in police custody fell into criminal hands
Audit sealed for years also shows drugs missing
February 26, 2007
Sun-Times
I has the misfortune of being detailed to ERPS while recovering from an IOD (light duty) in the late 90's. When I had arrived the drug theft cases had already occurred. I worked in the drug vault and had routinely found drug bags misfiled. I would be willing to bet that a large portion of missing drugs was due to an archaic filing system and not necessarily theft.
Working in that place was one of the worst experiences I have yet to encounter on this job. Definitely a motivator to return to work.

PB&PA/ FOP ENDORSEMENTS

PB&PA
Endorsed Candidates – 2007 Municipal Elections
Mayor No Endorsement
City Clerk No Endorsement
City Treasurer No Endorsement

Aldermanic Ward
1st No Endorsement
2nd Larry Doody
3rd No Endorsement
4th No Endorsement
5th No Endorsement
6th No Endorsement
7th No Endorsement
8th No Endorsement
9th Anthony A. Beale*
10th John A. Pope**
11th James A. Balcer**
12th Carina E. Sanchez
13th Frank J. Olivo*
14th Edward M. Burke**
15th Shawn D. Monroe, Sr.
16th L. Elizabeth Lewis
17th No Endorsement
18th Lona Lane*
19th Virginia A. Rugai**
20th Willie B. Cochran
21st Leroy J. Jones, Jr.
22nd Ricardo Munoz*
23rd Michael R. Zalewski*
24th No Endorsement
25th No Endorsement
26th Billy Ocasio*
27th No Endorsement
28th No Endorsement
29th Isaac “Ike” Sims Carothers**
30th Ariel E. Reboyras**
31st Regner “Ray” Suarez*
32nd Ted Matlak*
33rd No Endorsement
34th No Endorsement
35th Rey Colon*
36th William J.P. Banks*
37th No Endorsement
38th Thomas R. Allen*
39th No Endorsement
40th Patrick J. O’Connor*
41st Brian G. Doherty*
42nd No Endorsement
43rd Tim Egan
44th No Endorsement
45th Patrick J. Levar**
46th No Endorsement
47th Gene Schulter*
48th No Endorsement
49th Joe Moore*
50th Naisy Dolar
* Incumbent
** Member of the Police & Fire Committee

FOP Endorsement
Mayor No Endorsement
Clerk Miguel Del Valle
Treasurer Stephanie Neely
1st Ward No Endorsement
2nd Ward Larry Doody
3rd Ward No Endorsement
4th Ward Toni Preckwinkle
5th Ward No Endorsement
6th Ward K. Norington-Reaves
7th Ward Ron David
8th Ward Cliff Underwood
CPD Detective
9th Ward Anthony Beale
10th Ward John Pope
11th Ward James Balcer
12th Ward Carina Sanchez
13th Ward Frank Olivo
14th Ward Ed Burke
15th Ward Shawn Monroe
CPD Officer
16th Ward L. Elizabeth Lewis
17th Ward No Endorsement
18th Ward Joseph Ziegler
19th Ward Virginia Rugai
20th Ward Willie Cochran
Rtd. CPD Sgt.
21st Ward Leroy Jones
22nd Ward Ricardo Munoz
23rd Ward Michael Zalewski
24th Ward No Endorsement
25th Ward No Endorsement
26th Ward Billy Ocasio
27th Ward Walter Burnett
28th Ward No Endorsement
29th Ward Ike Carothers
30th Ward Ariel Reboyras
31st Ward Ray Suarez
32nd Ward Ted Matlak
33rd Ward No Endorsement
34th Ward B.K. Kelly,
CPD Officer
35th Ward Rey Colon
36th Ward William Banks
37th Ward No Endorsement
38th Ward Tom Allen
39th Ward Margaret Laurino
40th Ward Pat O’Connor
41st Ward Brian Doherty
42nd Ward Brendan Reilly
43rd Ward Michele Smith
44th Ward No Endorsement
45th Ward Pat Levar
46th Ward No Endorsement
47th Ward Gene Schulter
48th Ward Mary Ann Smith
49th Ward Joe Moore
50th Ward Naisy Dolar

MORALE

$9 mil. award for crooked cop's terror
Sun-Times

Released Inmates Claim City Isn't Honoring $14.8M Settlement
NBC5

Attorney: City to pay man's family $5.25 million
Tribune

It has been a hell of a month so far and the next few don't look very promising.
The SOS scandal will be headlines in the near future and the Doruniuk case will eventually come up. Our contracts will expire this June and the city will continue settling nuisance cases.
Keep your head up and be safe....don't let the bastards get you down
SCS

IS THERE A PROBLEM HERE?

Tribune

Pamela Hester-Jones woke up at 10:30 p.m. Monday to a Chicago police detective knocking on her apartment door.

"He asked me if I was Lazarus Jones' mother and when I said yes he said, 'Your son's been injured,'" Hester-Jones said

But it was worse. Lazarus, 13, an 8th grader at Budlong Elementary School, had been fatally beaten during a gang-related fight Monday night in the Albany Park neighborhood, police said.

"I don't know what happened to my son. It was a tragedy, a mistake. He wasn't in any gangs," his mother said.

Hester-Jones said she last spoke to her son at 1:30 p.m. Monday as she was heading out the door to visit her other son, Jasper, who is incarcerated at Cook County Jail.

Lazarus, of the 2500 block of West Foster Avenue, was "beaten with a blunt object" around 9:45 p.m. Monday outside a liquor store at 3132 W. Lawrence Ave., said Chicago Police Officer Hector Alfaro.

Lets see its 10:30 pm on a school night and you are asleep but your child isn't home. You last saw him at 1:30 pm prior to visiting your other son who is incarcerated. It turns out your 13 year old is beaten to death outside of a liquor store about a mile and a half from home and you refuse to believe he was in a gang.
Incredible!

IN THE NEWS

Lawmakers propose new legislation to punish parents for underage drinking By Paul MeinckeABC7

February 19, 2007 - There is a proposal in Illinois to crack down on parents and other adults who provide teenagers with alcohol or a place to party. This follows several deaths and injuries involving underage drinking in the Chicago area over the last several years.

State lawmakers are proposing tougher penalties for adults who help teens drink. The proposal would make the offense a felony with penalties ranging from thousands of dollars in fines to prison time.

We have heard from a few misguided parents in the past, "kids are going to drink I might as well keep an eye on them". Well the prospect of facing civil litigation wasn't enough to persuade these people that it wasn't in their best interest to host teen drinking parties. Hopefully facing felony charges and the prospect of loosing all you own in civil court might just be what it takes to convince the "cool" parent to say no! Yeah they probably will still get drunk but be a parent not a friend and stop enabling your kids and their friends.


Hot dog seller cited for foie gras-laced sausages The Associated Press Washington Post

Aldermen passed a foie gras ban in August because of what animal rights activists say is the inhumane way geese and ducks are force-fed to plump up their livers. The ordinance passed over the veto of Mayor Richard Daley, who called it the "silliest" ordinance the City Council has ever passed.

Why stop at Foie gras? At this rate the ability to buy hot dogs, hamburgers, Italian beef and sausage pizza will be things of the past. No longer would you be able to buy leather shoes, coats, baseballs, footballs and so on. Come on aldermen when is the push for organic vegetables coming?


A law that moved "spring forward" three weeks earlier brings problems for software that automatically changes time TRIBUNE

Microsoft planned to send its daylight-saving patch to Windows PCs with the "automatic update" feature last week. Users with automatic updates turned off should download the patch from Microsoft. (New machines running Windows Vista are immune, since Vista was finalized after the 2005 law passed.)

However, computers running anything older than the most recent version of Windows XP, known as Service Pack 2, no longer get this level of tech support. Owners of those PCs should go into the control panel and unclick the setting that tells the machine to automatically change the clock for daylight-saving time. They have to make the change themselves when the moment arrives.

BRAIN CRAMP!

We here at SCS are having a tough time coming up with interesting subjects to post about lately. We don't seem to be the only ones afflicted with this problem. Second City Dick has disappeared from the blogosphere and without any warning. Many folks may have their theories but we know how tough it is to blog day in and day out and come up with something of interest. People seem to forget that this is only a hobby and we have families and jobs just like everyone else.
The guy/guys at Second City Cop, in our opinion, do an incredible job of striking a nerve and eliciting responses from the positive to the negative,the ignorant to the intelligent, the sophomoric to the moronic and some just plain outright funny comments. So today we were a little surprised when we went over to their site and it appeared they may have been posting just to post. Today they covered a couple of rumors from 007 and 12, the new dollar coins and Britney Spears. This isn't a knock on them as much as it is a conformation to us that we have to dig a little deeper to create stories of interest.

GOD BLESS

God Bless You Jose

SETTLEMENT

Quotes courtesy Chicago Tribune
The city has settled with the family of Cornelius Ware for $5.25 million.
The attorney for the family, Jon Loevy, stands to make lots of money for his firm.

Jennifer Hoyle of the city's Law Department said police have maintained that the shooting was justified and that the city is not acknowledging any wrongdoing by settling the case at this stage.

The jury was to return this week to consider damages and this settlement protects the involved officers from any financial liability.

Chicago Police Supt. Philip Cline defended the officers Monday.

"The jury never heard evidence that was crucial in this case," Cline said. "Evidence that illustrated the plaintiff had a conviction for [unlawful use of a weapon], that he was involved in a drive-by shooting and that a gun he possessed the night before was traced to a homicide.

"It's unfortunate and even more discouraging for officers who risk their lives every day to keep our streets safe."

Never has the Superintendent been more right!

"When the city of Chicago takes the position that no matter what the facts, no matter what the situation, it's always going to be justified, Loevy said. "Then the people in the city of Chicago have no reason to believe the city.

Since when have you cared about the people of Chicago? The only thing you care about Mr. Loevy is income. People who live in crime ridden areas often ask the police why they can't do more to the criminal element. I truly believe that the efforts of firms like Loevy & Loevy have hamstrung hard working policemen and the good people of Chicago pay literally and figuratively.
According to the Loevy & Loevy website "the guiding principle governing our decision process can be summarized very simply: achieving justice." Bullshit! Its money!
Read for yourself the Loevy & Loevy Website and see what contempt this firm has for the police.
If its all about justice why hasn't Jon Loevy taken on the wrongful deaths of policemen at the hands of cold blooded murderers? The answer: Money!

OFF-DUTY P.O. MURDERED

Murdered behind his home after returning from work.

“A family in there has lost a husband and a son. Our police family has lost a police officer and the City of Chicago has also lost a young police officer,” Cline said.

The officer was identified this morning by the Cook County medical examiner's office as Jose Vasquez, 34. After being found in the back of his building, authorities took him to Stroger Hospital of Cook County several blocks away but he was pronounced dead about 2:15 a.m.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Vasquez and the Vasquez family.

(Inappropriate comments will be deleted)

COMPARISIONS

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE DATABASE
The above link was sent to us courtesy of one of our readers. Another of our readers suggested we compare the ratio of officers to investigators and officers to supervisors as compared to other agencies.
We looked at the tables and immediately found a discrepancy. According to this chart a new sergeants salary is $47,190 and the chart does not tell us the ratios of patrolmen to supervisors. Go ahead and view the site and come to your own conclusions. Thanks to the reader who sent the link.

EYE IN THE SKY

The other day we heard these guys on the zone. They were letting the troops know that they were available for request and no request too small.

Helicopters flown by Air Support include three Bell Jet Ranger helicopters and a Eurocopter A-Star helicopter. Staffed 24 hours a day, this high flying unit handled 1,466 calls for service in 2005 and was instrumental in 286 arrests, 68 assist other agency calls, the recovery of 55 vehicles and the eradication of marijuana plants.

If you were new to Chicago you might of thought the following described the Chicago Police Departments Aviation Unit. In fact this is a description of the Memphis Police Department's Air Support Unit.
A little research and we found that Nashville Metro P.D. has 3 Bell Jet Ranger helicopters. Tampa P.D. boast 3 Bell Jet Rangers along with 2 military OH-6 (little birds) and 2 fixed wing airplanes.The LAPD with the largest Air Unit in the world has a total of 17 various models and 1 airplane. NYPD also has a large aviation unit but their website gives no insight to the number of aircraft in the fleet.
Cities from medium to large have aviation units and now Chicago can boast about its lone helicopter. Welcome to the new millennium

FRIDAY 09 FEB 07

Lawsuit filed in bid to rebut police study on new procedures

Criminal defense lawyers are going to court to try to force the Chicago Police Department and other agencies to release data they used in a study that claims a reform of police lineup procedures does not work.

The 2006 study claimed that police lineups in which witnesses are shown people or photos one at a time, instead of all at once, are less accurate.

TRIBUNE

Parole opposed for murder convicts

Cook County State's Atty. Richard Devine on Thursday called for changes to the process in which the Illinois Prisoner Review Board reviews cases, pointing to two murderers who were recently granted parole.

TRIBUNE

Police Officer Accused of Assaulting Meter-Reader

R. Eugene Pincham is the arrestee's lawyer...need we say more?

SERGEANTS PART II RESULTS OUT

According to the Departments offical blog the results were mailed out on Wednesday
02 Feb 07

DICKS LIST

002
Blum, Chris
Garlington, Christoph D.
Davis, Arthur
004
Cobb, Aaron S.
Stoll, Kevin M.
Kajdi, Steven A.
005
Watson, Arleseuia N.
006
Jackson, Donovan
008
Cunningham, Mark T.
011
Sipchen, David W.
Killackey III, John E.
012
Chavarria, Alejandro
Mc Govern, James F.
Ulleweit, Fredrick C.
013
Kennedy, Michael T.
Acevedo, Marco A.
Oseguera, Albert J.
014
Riley, Patrick J.
017
Hansson, Jeffrey G.
018
Drew, Michael J.
019
Lorenty, Glen F.
Corcoran, James F.
Broderick, John P.
Jantke, Fredrick F.
020
Perez, Albert
Beck, Thomas E.
022
Glynn, Kevin P.
Piechocki, John M.
Costello, Robert R.
023
Elkins, Eric J.
025
De Cicco, James C.
Goduto, Leonard P.
Wright, Brian E.
111
Dolan, Christine M.
124
Seledon, Oscar
125
Jackowiak, David A.
140
Sullivan, Patricia L.
153
Ferguson, Brian J.
177
Otten, Marvin F.
188
Daniel, Heather L.
189
Bean, Ricky A.
Freeman, Daniel R
193
Olson, Keith R.
Dineen, Thomas P.
Louis, Edward H.
196
Buie, Gregory W.
Jurek, John J.
253
Murphy, Cullen T.
Cochran, Michael G.
Butler II, James P.
­

NEW DICKS LIST OUT

Congrats to the 50 new dicks. Sorry we don't have the list but we will put it up on Thursday night.

On another note we have been hearing that another class of sergeants will be made sometime this year off the existing list......To those on the existing list we aren't trying to get your hopes up. To those waiting for the results of the new test we certainly aren't trying to piss you off.

Why the delay in part II test results? We aren't going to pretend to know the answer but we'll speculate anyways.
We had heard that there was some sort of grievance filed and that has led to a delay in publishing the results.
Another scenario is that certain persons are in striking distance of making it off the list and they are clout heavy....why waste a merit selection on someone who can make it legit?

Update: One of our readers sent us a heads-up from CHECKERBOARD, the official blog of the Department, and they confirm that the Sergeants results were mailed on Wednesday. We empathise with those of you that were under 500 on the list and didn't make it.

Ex-Border Agent Said Beaten in Prison

We ran a story a few weeks back about two Border Patrol Officers found guilty in the shooting of a drug smuggler.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a vocal supporter of the agents and opponent of illegal immigration, criticized the Bush administration Tuesday for failing to protect Ramos and demanded a full presidential pardon for the two men.

"Not only did the administration choose the side of a foreign dope runner over the agents who stopped him from smuggling a load of drugs into the county _ now they've failed to protect that agent while his case is on appeal," he said in a statement.

Learn how to help the Agents through Friends Of The Border Patrol

MERIT?

Cost of Clout
$12 million from your taxes will go to those denied jobs, promotions because of politics, deal says (SUN-TIMES)

Noelle Brennan, the monitor appointed by a federal judge to oversee hiring in the wake of federal patronage prosecutions, would become more or less permanent, overseeing hiring and parceling out the $12 million to victims.

We were led to believe that Shakman did not pertain to our wonderful merit system and then we see this;

At Brennan's suggestion, City Hall agreed to overhaul a controversial "merit promotion" system that critics say the Police and Fire departments used to promote clouted candidates.

Got a complaint? Go to the Shakeman Monitor

DRUG BUST IN 008

A 56-year-old man was arrested early Thursday after police found $22 million of drugs in the vehicle he was driving.

In a SUN-TIMES article 8th district tact officers are credited with the arrest. Job well done! These officers will undoubtedly be recipients of new vehicle stop award that Deputy Superintendent Williams has spoken about.

2 ARRESTED IN BOSTON

Two people were arrested for disorderly conduct when a publicity stunt went awry.The men were hired by a marketing firm to place electronic light boxes throughout Boston and nine other cities including Chicago (see TRIBUNE).

The 1-foot tall signs resembled a circuit board, with protruding wires and batteries. Most depicted a boxy, cartoon character giving passersby the finger -- a more obvious sight when darkness fell.

Great Job Time-Warner! Not only do you think you can use the public way for your commercial gain but you think its ok to flash an obscene gesture to any passerby including children. Criminal charges have been set in motion lets hope civil proceeding also are considered.

Free parking

Here is a story in the SUN-TIMES about a S&S supervisor who used a city garage to store his personal vehicle. The supervisor is taking 30 days. We wonder if the same case could be made against district commanders or watch commanders who seem to think the sally-port is their personal garage?

NEW SERGEANTS ASSIGNMENTS

TO----------------------FROM
001 BRIDGES, Tim R. 018
002 FICHT, Leonard K. 024
002 LOPEZ, Jose L. 640
002 McINERNEY, Raymond J.009
002 ROWLING, Steven R. 253
003 DOWNS, Richard E. 153
003 HEIN, Jon P. 013
003 MULLINS, Stanley M. 006
003 PARKS, Cedric V. 620
003 SVILAR, William 610
003 ABER, Nicholas E. 012
004 PITROWSKI, Dawn M. 011
005 FLANAGAN, Thomas J. 701
005 FLANIGAN, Kevin T. 603
005 KINNEY, David B. 620
005 MORRISSEY, Margaret M. 018
005 PETTIS, Christoph 050
005 ROYSTER, Thermon A. 610
005 SMITH, Dennis L. 022
007 BOCARDO, Michael R. 193
007 JASICA, Shannon K. 022
007 LOMBARD, Richard P. 620
007 SCHAAF, Jeffrey A. 010
007 SULLINS, Edward J. 045
009 DORRIS, John E. 008
009 MUSZYNSKY, Michael W. 019
009 O'DONNELL, Johnny 603
010 BORJA, Jean P. 012
010 GEORGE, Mark A. 017
010 SOTO, Alexis C. 015
012 BIELICKI, Anita M. 057
012 FORBES Jr., Terence P. 025
012 LAUFER, James R. 025
013 AXIUM, Jack A. 050
013 BAZAREK, Michael G. 640
013 O'DONNELL, Weslene M. 018
014 NIEVES, Luz A. 121
014 ROWAN, James G. 153
015 AYLWARD, Patrick M. 015
015 BANICH, Thomas J. 023
015 BARZ, Michael J. 650
015 BETANCOURT, William 014
015 DEVINE, Peter C. 640
015 MONTGOMERY, Phyore D. 121
015 PARHAM, Andre 006
015 VALDES, Hector A. 630
024 DELGADO, John M. 013
025 ERNST, Raymond G. 650
025 MILLS, Thomas 121
025 WHITE, Glenn 015

MUMIA

We were asked to sign a petition to oppose the renaming of a street, in New York City, in honor of convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal. We in Chicago actively opposed the creation of Fred Hampton Way and to date we have succeeded. We urge you to read the story of Daniel Faulkner #4699, Philadelphia P.D.,murdered on 9 DEC 81 by Mumia Abu-Jamal. This convicted killer is a celebrity among the radical left and his supporters are circulating this petition.

We, the undersigned, support the campaign to rename a street in Harlem in honor of internationally renowned political prisoner and death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal:

-because of Mumia’s lifelong dedication to his people and to justice, and for never allowing himself to be silenced, even while on death row, and

-because of Mumia’s incredible accomplishments, including during the almost 25 years he has spent on death row: five published books and weekly brilliant commentaries exposing the lies that imperialist USA fosters, that are read and listened to by millions around the world, and

-because given the many honors he has received around the world – including honorary citizenship of Palermo, Venice, the Central District of Copenhagen, and Paris, and a street naming in Saint-Denis, and dozens of university, community, and literary awards, it is befitting that Harlem, too, honor our Brother, and

-because Mumia’s case is in its last stages in the court system and, while there is an opportunity for a new and fair trial, the State of Pennsylvania, the Fraternal Order of Police and their allies are opposing that tooth and nail and are demanding, instead, that Mumia be executed, and naming a street in honor of Mumia in Harlem would offer a serious challenge to railroading him to death.

Please take a moment to go to the online petition against Mumia St. and show your support of the memory of Danny Faulkner.

NEW LT'S

003 DIVITTORIO, Michael
010 BARNAS, Kenneth
018 RICHARDS, Edward
024 KELENYI, Robert
025 STOPPA, Kenneth
123 KLICH, Robert
124 MARINO, James
125 SADOWSKI, Kevin
140 HOFFMAN, Jeffrey
143 LEWIS, Genessa
177 DUBIEL, Robert
189 RYLE, Mike
193 DEDORE, Scott
212 FLETCHER, Christopher
376 SEUFERT, Peter
620 JARMUSZ, David
630 AUGUSTYN, George
640 JOHNSON, Eddie
640 FEGAN, Peter
702 PIGOTT, Michael

TOWS

Everyone is a buzz about The 1st Deputies knee jerk reaction to a story in the Sun-Times about coppers parking illegally.
This from the Lieutenants Association

Tows of Department Vehicles
On 19 January 2007 a fax message was sent to all units from First Deputy Starks regarding the towing of illegally parked Department Vehicles, both marked and un marked. It states that all vehicles must be parked legally and must be prepared to justify their actions should they be parked illegally. Under no circumstances are department vehicles to be parked in Handicapped spaces or on a fire hydrant. It goes on to state that The Department of Streets and Sanitation will notify Operations Command when they find a vehicle. The on duty ADS will be notified who will determine the status of the illegally parked department vehicle.

When a department vehicle is towed the operator will be held responsible for the citation, towing and other costs associated with the tow. In addition the operator of the vehicle may face disciplinary measures.

We at the Chicago Police Lieutenants Association would like to point out that there is no part of our contract that allows for the City of Chicago or Chicago Police Department to levy cash penalties against a Lieutenant. In addition no where in the General Orders is there mention of cash penalties for discipline. If the City of Chicago wishes to tow vehicles it owns that is fine with us and if they wish to levy a cash penalty perhaps they will need to go after the registered owner of the vehicle.

This not only applies to lieutenants but to all department members.
This wouldn't be the first time that the 1st Deputy Sup. and the Deputy Sup.Bureau of Patrol have had knee jerk reactions to stories in the Sun-Times or other media.
i.e. Meeks, backlogs, sending 10 PO's from 002 to 005 in violation of the contract and now this. Horrible examples of management.

ENDORSEMENTS

We have a link to the FOP ENDORSEMENTS

TYPICAL

Why after every police shooting we hear from the "experts" about the short comings of the involved officers? Whether it be from the blowhard in roll call or from people who rant on SCC somebody always has to critique the actions of the involved.

Anonymous said...
"Two officers fired several shots at the man, hitting him once in the shoulder". TWO OFFICERS...SEVERAL SHOTS...ONCE IN THE SHOULDER...all I can say is WOW!!! This had to be at close range if it all happen at the desk. No wonder the department is offering 100 free rounds to practice.

1/22/2007 10:06:03 PM

The above comment was found on the SCC site in response to the shooting in 003 yesterday. This guy is giving his expert opinion based on what he read in the newspaper. Whats close range? Two feet, three feet maybe as far as five feet? Maybe the officer who fired and struck the offender was 30 feet away. The desk area in 007 or 009 would be tight quarters but its wide open in 003. Quantify "several", more than 3?. How do guys guys pass judgement when all they have is a short quote in the newspaper. Why bother sending the dicks out? We have coppers who know all the answers. The above comment was probably offered by someone who was never involved in a police shooting.

CAMPAIGNING

On saturday there was a knock at my door. When I answered it I found a lady standing there with a big smile and campaign literature in hand. The lady wanted to know if I would be supporting Alderman __x__ in the up coming elections. I looked at her sternly and stated "absolutely not". The smile left her face and she thanked me and slowly walked away. I had only wished I would have explained why I wouldn't support the Alderman. Well a few hours later opportunity knocked at my door and this time it was an older gentlemen with literature in hand. The man started his pitch and I cut him off and told him that no way would I support this Alderman __x__. I explained to him that Alderman__x___ is a rubber stamp for the mayor. I told him I was a police officer and that it was a disgrace that we are forced to work without contracts for nearly 3 years at a time.
The guy nodded, walked away and moved to another neighbors house. I saw a few more front yards with the alderman's signs up later that evening. The sad thing is some of these "supporters" are policemen. We have to stop putting these $98,000 a year part-timers in a position to be a rubber stamp for an administration that has no incentive to bargain with us in good faith.

A DAMN SHAME!

.WASHINGTON TIMES

Two former U.S. Border Patrol agents surrendered yesterday to begin prison sentences for shooting a drug-smuggling suspect in the buttocks after he assaulted one of them, dumped nearly 800 pounds of marijuana along the Rio Grande and then fled into Mexico.

Read the story and you will shake your head in amazement. A drug smuggler crosses our border to sell his shit in our country and is stopped by our guys. The stop results in a pursuit and shots are eventually fired and the bad guy makes good his escape back to Mexico...end of story? No... his mother (a third party) complains of her son being shot by Border Patrol. The IG does an investigation and the Attorney General locates the shithead smuggler and offers him immunity if he would be willing to come back and testify against our guys.

Do you remember "KIKI" Camerena?

The United States government pursued a lengthy investigation of Camarena's murder: due to the difficulty of extraditing Mexican citizens, the FBI went as far as to have one suspect, Humberto Alvarez-Machain, kidnapped by bounty hunters and taken into the United States. Despite vigorous protests from the Mexican government, Alvarez was tried in United States District Court in Los Angeles, but the trial resulted in an acquittal.

The amazing thing is we had a DEA Agent tortured and murdered by Mexican drug dealers and the best we could do is kidnap some asshole that gets acquitted.

JOHN PALLOHUSKY

A note from John Pallohusky regarding the posting of our current contract...

Enough said:

As soon as a copy of the current contract becomes available it will be posted. The contract was previously approved by the Chicago City Council and is in effect. There have been various corrections and adjustments since the approval of the contract that had to be made before it could be printed and posted. We are currently awaiting the corrected version from the City. I cannot and will not sign off on the contract until these adjustments are made.

John Pallohusky
President

ISSUES

We have been requested to discuss issues that pertain to sergeants and in particular issues that effect our contract. When it comes to salary increases, health care and retiree benefits we have very little input if any at all. The FOP and Fireman's local 2 are the two unions that negotiate for the rank and file of both departments and we work from those results. So what are the issues that we should put on the table? there are many but I would like to address one issue tonight.
Lets talk about bidding on recognized openings. The current system is a joke! In patrol every unit has roughly 27-30 sergeants (018/40 sergeants vs. 005/21). Each watch has 5 bid spots for a total of 15 and the remaining sergeants are management be they on the watch, gang/tact or neighborhood relations. Now you take 15 sergeants per district and multiply by 25 districts and you get 375 out 1268 sergeants (30%) that are bid. Granted there are plenty of sergeants in units that are on scholarship and have no problem with the status quo but they too are at the mercy of management.
Take a look at the last citywide openings and your choices are limited....midnights here and there (except 005). The new class of sergeants tentatively graduates on Feb 07 and some will be assigned to places that many with time on the job would love the opportunity to go to.
Prior to the graduation of a sergeants class the department should open up city wide all the units that are in need of sergeants. When that round of bidding is complete they can assign the new sergeants to fill the spots that have now become vacant. We are supervisors and that makes us part of management but having a little more say in where we work would be a breath of fresh air.

Its true the website is up and running!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Over at SCC they ran a post regarding an article in National Review Magazine written by LAPD Officer "Jack Dunphy" (alias). Most if not all of you read SCC but if you missed their post I will link the NRO article here.

BID OPENINGS FOR SERGEANT

005----------2/1st Watch, 2/2nd Watch

007----------2/1st Watch

013----------1/1st Watch

014----------1/1st Watch

022----------1/1st Watch

005 WITH TWO OPENINGS ON DAYS?

You have to ask yourself why. Why does the 5th district have two openings on 2nd watch? The obvious answer is that people don't want to or can't work for Capt. White.
Now you have to wonder why is it allowed to happen? The only conclusion one can come to is 35th St. doesn't care. The morale is sapped out of the 5th district and we noticed that they have at least 4 sergeants detailed in. Come on 35th St. wake up!

25,000 VISITS

Today at 5:12 pm CST we had our 25,000th visitor. A month ago we were averaging 200 visits a day and the past few weeks it has jumped to around 450 per day. We have had visits from virtually every state in country and from around the world including Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, U.K., Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Holland and Poland.

GUN AND DOPE FOUND IN TROUTMANS HOUSE

Just found this bit of news in theTRIBUNE.

The drugs are not specified, but the entry in the FBI log shows "suspect drugs and drug paraphernalia" were found in a dresser in her home. Also, in the search of Troutman's office, "a white powdery substance" in a plastic bag was found in a drawer of a desk.

No drug or gun charges have been lodged against the alderman, and authorities have not elaborated on the discovery

Too bad she is exempted from the most restrictive gun laws in the country. The alderman's attorney, Sam Adams Jr, assures us that the white powder substance is a vitamin supplement. Since when is paraphernalia required to ingest vitamins?

008th DISTRICT....TROUBLE IN PARADISE?

We have been reading SCC and their threads concerning a blow-up by 8th District Commander James Carrol. We wanted to know what really happened from a reliable source and not from those dealing in rumours and innuendo.
We contacted a couple of P.O.s that we know and got a good idea of how things went down. According to our source D/S Charles Williams was in the district for the evening and Commander Carrol was with ADS Debra Kirby. Carrol makes it known that he doesn't want anyone checking off prior to 15 after the hour. Carrol walks in the station, early, and there are a few guys standing around the radio room waiting to turn in their equipment. Carrol then quips "didn't everyone get the memo about check off time?" Well low and behold some smart ass has to raise his hand and say "I didn't get the memo"
Supposedly this is the cause of the meltdown. Should Carrol have come down on the whole watch? A supervisor should never reprimand or correct the group when your target is just a few. Our source however, tells us the problem isn't just 2-3 guys but is a prevailing mindset on the watch. The sad thing is a sarcastic P.O. thinks his sarcasm is appropriate to use with an already irate boss. This is either a total lack of respect or maybe pure stupidity.
Since that incident rumours are now running rampant over at SCC...take this for example:Second City Cop

My source is high ranking, very reliable and trustworthy. My confidence level in this information is HIGH. REPEATING HIGH LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE.

008th District:

Friday, will bring about the following changes:

D/C launched but may receive a lateral position out of Patrol Division.

Lt. Richie Scotchbreath will be transferred to an inside position at Headquarters, placed on personal concern for an "addiction." City is very worried that if he smashes into 5 school kids with a M plate car while impaired that this blog is proof in itself that it was widely known that a problem existed and was not addressed by the City.

A certain P.O. (D.B.) will be placed back to his assigned position at 051 (Airport Law South).

Two Tactical Sgt's and a Watch Sgt. will be reassigned.


But this may not be good news for the 8th District. The new D/C may have been "told" to do whatever he/she has to in order to correct the problems on third watch and to "closely supervisor the 3rd watch". Meaning their complaining of a "yelling", publicly and when they were in the "wrong" may cause many to wish they would have kept their mouths shut.

Good Luck To All and Good Night

The above writer seems to confirm what we heard about 3rd watch. we aren't passing judgement but relating what we heard. Be careful what you ask for people.....you just might get it.
The other rumour we tried tackling over there was the one that stated that no tact or gang car was to be west of Pulaski. As our guys relate to us its pretty hard to be west of Pulaski when all you do is bullshit edge missions and activity related to the DOC. That being said our guys said no way was any order or directive given to deny them working west of Pulaski. In fact they told us that there are a couple of cars that work exclusively west of Pulaski(of their own accord)

NEW CLASS

The new class of sergeants are to graduate on 31 Jan 07 (so we hear)
Anyone in the know please confirm or correct.

TROUTMAN ARRESTED

Tribune\
Ald. Arenda Troutman (20th) was arrested today on bribery charges. We have linked to the affidavit and it appears Ms. Troutman accepted bribes to make zoning changes for a private development.
Ms. Troutman is no stranger to trouble when it concerns the FBI. In 2004 she was linked with, Black Disciple, Donnell "Scandalous" Jehan.

According to law-enforcement sources, Troutman had been seen with Jehan and he was observed driving her luxury SUV.

Troutman also came under fire after two envelopes addressed to her from the Chicago Police Department were found by FBI agents in Jehan's home.

Troutman has refused to confirm a personal relationship with Jehan, saying only that she knew him as a businessman who owned a construction company.

Jehan is listed on the FBI's Most Wanted List for Chicago. There are also allegations that her family's trucking firm earned money from the "hired truck" scandal. One wonders if she has anything worthwhile to offer the feds?

LIEUTENANTS TEST

I was reading some of the remarks we received and some that SCC has received about the lieutenants test, no big surprise! The thing that struck me was will the results of part two be released before the results for part two of the sergeants test? Rumour has it that there may another class created off the 2002 list. Five years for a list is a long time but also keep in mind they have only made approximately 360 off that list.

UPDATE

A reader asked if we would disable word verification and we obliged. Comment moderation will still be use.

GOOD LUCK

Good luck to all those taking part two of the Lt's exam on Saturday.

Read Mary Mitchell in todays SUNTIMES
This idiot (Mary Mitchell) doesn't get it does she?
Ms. Rivera you bore the children of a drug dealer and you question the City for keeping a bad cop on its payroll.
You went to the public trough because your babies daddy is in the joint and he can't provide through his illegal means anymore.
Mary obviously doesn't know he difference between compensatory and punitive damages and the indemnification by the City.
Now the City wants its legal cost paid by Ms. Rivera for losing in Federal Court and Mary thinks this is bad precedence. After all, according to Mary, the City pays out millions for brutallity cases every year. Well Mary that was bad precedence.
The City needs to invest in fighting these bullshit cases. The cost would be high in the begining but when the settlements become few and far between lawyers will not be willing to take the gamble of a loss.

UNIFORMS

In the last thread someone mentioned "get rid of those baseball caps".
I couldn't agree more.

You have to admit in the last 7-8 years the uniform changes that have occured are a bit surprising.

The gym shoe.......probably nice for inside people. Don't have to shine them.

Sweater ........................I know guys who never wear a jacket anymore.
I'm not a stickler but the vest cover over the
sweater? whats that about?

Turtleneck/dickie........keeps the neck warm.

Cargo Pants...............One of the best changes.

Baseball cap...............along with the new star it gives a look of "heyseed"

Coolmax shirts.............comfortable

Go ahead give your opinion.......maybe suggest some changes for the future.

NICE JOB GUYS

Updated photo "Sun-Times"
Two of our finest saved the life of a baby and the babies mother in a fire at the 6000 block of north Kenmore.
See the video at ABC7- News

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Well over the weekend it appears most if not all the sergeants received their calenders.
We have posted the upcoming general meetings for both CPSA and FOP.

HE GONE!!!

UNION!!!!!!

Should we continue with the status quo or make changes after the expiration of the existing contract?

This is an important issue and after the class of 50 pre-sergeants graduates, barring any retirements, we will have 1300 members. We pay $50.00 a month in union dues (totalling nearly $65,000.00) and we need representation.

People have been complaining that when they call the Sergeants Association with questions it takes up to a week to get an answer. The response from some is to volunteer or shut up. Folks that's not the answer. We need people to staff those lines who know what they are talking about and are paid employees of the sergeants.

A website is a valuable tool to get out information and for what its worth we don't have one. The non-updated website is indicative of the state of our union.

Apathy runs rampant in this union as it does at FOP. I would not be able to tell you how many of our members are eligible to run for an elected office but I am aware that a little over 120 are eligible at FOP. Just about 1% of FOP members are eligible to run for an elected office with less than 40% of the members voting in elections. To me this is a great example of apathy and I'm sure the numbers are probably the same with the Sergeants Association.

We may never be able to change the atmosphere of apathy and thus a few members will always control the destinies of many. So you have to ask yourself what direction you would like to see our association go.

So far we have read some interesting comments, and here are some possibilities that we see happening.

1. Apathy prevails and we stay the course.
2. Decertification occurs and we must then pick an organization to represent us.
3. We select FOP and are separate from lodge 7
4. We select FOP and share facilities with lodge 7 (building, staff, etc.)
5. We select an entirely different bargaining organization i.e. Teamsters.
6. We select PB&PA again with the promise of changes.

This post has not been written to blame the current or past presidents of the Sergeants Association for the problems that exist. We created this post with the intention of getting the members to move in the direction of getting involved.
Whether that involvement is as a PB&PA member or a member of a new bargaining unit.

Last updated on 01/06/2005

Just a reminder of the banner at the bottom of the Sergeants Association, PB&PA website.

Don't be surprised if there is a move for decertification of PB&PA after the expiration of the current contract.

Keep in mind that this is the opinion of a few sergeants that I have spoken to about the subject.
We would like to provide a forum for discussion concerning this very issue.
We will print all comments (no personal attacks) pro or con.

Gerald Ford dead at 93

Brawls break out at 3 movie theaters

Spend all day with the family on Christmas. After dinner you relax and then decide to go see a movie to put an end to a great day. My choice of movie theaters is always in the burbs...Why?

Brawls broke out at three Chicago movie theater complexes Christmas night

The fights were reported between about 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. at I.C.E. Chatham 14, 210 W. 87th St.; I.C.E. Lawndale 10, 3330 W. Roosevelt Rd.; and AMC Ford City 14 7601 S. Cicero Ave.

The fights did not appear related to any particular movie, police said

No the movie wouldn't be your common denominator in this one.Tribune

Stroger Betrays Unions

You get what you pay for!!!!!!
In todays Sun-Times the unions (AFSME & SEIU) are beside themselves with the proposal by Baby Doc (Todd) Stroger to lay off thousands of their members in order to balance a $500 million projected budget deficit.

Dennis Gannon of the Chicago Federation of Labor. "I'm very concerned about this budget being balanced on the backs of hard-working men and women."

The union proposed that the county raise taxes --

Thats the answer! Screw the honest hard working taxpayer. The Cook County government is an overbloated bureaucracy filled with patronage workers and political hacks.
The fact Todd wants to trim department budgets by 17% is purely political. The jobs that will eventually be eliminated will surely come from the ranks of those with the least political connections.

Not Much In The Way Of News

In today's Tribune there is an article concerning the expiration of most city employee contracts.
June 30, 2007 is fast approaching!
City has no incentive to renegotiate in a timely manner. Retro is paid with no interest.
The city will be looking for us to take on more of the health insurance cost. During the last set of negotiations FOP was able to show that the cities actual cost for medical claims actually decreased from one year to another.
The city will probably be looking to change our pension with a two tier system. In essence new hires would have drastically different benefits then existing members.
The over/under for contract settlememnt is 24 months.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

SHOCKING!

A 13 year old and a 14 year old were arrested Thursday for a series of armed robberies in the University of Chicago area. The two "misguided youths" would approach their victims and display a replica handgun then demand money and cell phones.
As reported in the Tribune

Officers from the Chicago Police Department and the University of Chicago working a special covert mission Thursday night spotted the 13-year-old in the Midway Plaisance, a stretch of park near the university grounds.

The boy fit the description of a suspect in recent robberies in the park, and officers found he was carrying a knife and a replica handgun, according to a Chicago police news release.

The best way to describe the University of Chicago is one square mile inhabited by the socially naive surrounded by stark reality. These little shits have learned at a young age how to spot a good victim (dumb whites). I am not trying to make this a race issue (stupidity vs opportunity) but I'm sure Mary Mitchell will find just the right angle to make it so.
I wonder how successful these "little angels" would have been had they plied their craft south of 59th St/ north of 51st St.

JUAN JUAREZ

Mark Suppelsa of Fox 32 ran a story about a former Chicago Police Office who has written a book called "Brotherhood Of Corruption". Over at SCC they say "Every story we've ever heard about him wasn't complimentary. Go figure." We did a little digging on the Internet and found reviews of this shit and one in particular that stuck out.

"Juarez's frank firsthand account of the culture of corruption that pervades the Chicago Police Department should send chills up the spine of all readers who care about fairness in law enforcement and justice in society. . . . A compelling read."

So according to the reviewer, Professor Michael L. Seigel, University of Florida Levin College of Law, there is a culture of corruption that "pervades" in the Chicago Police Department. Professor Siegel has decided that we have a pervasive corruption problem in the CPD based on the writings of this "pothead". The writers biography on line states that he was a writer for the "Reader" ...go figure.
The sad thing is it is impossible to prove a negative. Any discredit brought to this guy is dismissed by critics as blackballing those who attack the blue wall of silence. I can only think that anyone interested in buying this book is a person who has a negative view of the police in the first place.

WELCOME

50 NEW SERGEANTS!

045 SULLINS, Edward J.
121/610 NIEVES, Luz A.
193 BOCARDO, Michael R.
193/640 LOPEZ, Jose L.
603 O'DONNELL, Johnny
603 FLANIGAN, Kevin T.
606/610 SVILAR, William
610 LOMBARD, Richard P.
610/006 PARHAM, Andre
610/008 DORRIS, John E.
610/009 McINERNEY, Raymond J.
610/015 AYLWARD, Patrick M.
610/018 BRIDGES, TIM R.
610/025 LAUFER, James R.
610/121 MONTGOMERY, Phyore D.
620 KINNEY, David B.
620 PARKS, Cedrick V.
620/011 PITROWSKI, Dawn M.
620/018 MORRISSEY, Margaret M.
620/022 JASICA, Shannon K.
620/022 SMITH, Dennis L.
620/050 PETTIS, Christopher
620/153 DOWNS, Richard B
620/253 ROWLING, Steven R.
620/701 FLANAGAN, Thomas J.
630 VALDES, Hector A.
630/013 HEIN, Jon P.
630/019 MUSZYNSKY, Michael W.
630/023 BANICH, Thomas J.
630/024 FICHT, Leonard K.
630/050 AXIUM, Jack A.
640 DEVINE, Peter C.
640 BAZAREK, Michael G.
640/006 MULLINS, Stanley M.
640/010 SCHAAF, Jeffrey A.
640/012 BORJA, Jean P.
640/012 ZABER, Nicholas E.
640/013 DELGADO, John M.
640/018 O'DONNELL, Weslene M.
640/121 MILLS, Thomas
650 ERNST, Raymond G.
650/014 BETANCOURT, William
650/015 SOTO, Alexis C.
650/015 WHITE, Glenn
650/017 Mark A.
650/025 FORBES JR. Terence P.
650/057 BIELICKI, Anita M.
650/153 ROWAN, James G.

HEY PB&PA / FOP WHERE ARE OUR CALENDERS?

PB&PA.....No website, Phone calls that are returned weeks later, and calenders that will be issued maybe sometime during the new year. We have to do better guys.

and FOP what is your excuse the news letter said we should have had them last week.

Update.......Received our FOP book in todays mail....19 DEC 06

One of our readers suggested we view this video. We thought you might like it as well.

What's Up With Harwood Heights?

It seems over at Second City Cop they have a post in regards to a beef between Harwood Heights Police And 16th District coppers.

Authorities interview Bears' Johnson after shooting

Tribune

Chicago Police Supt. Philip Cline said a fight broke out before the shooting took place at 1:30 a.m. Saturday and it appears only one shot was fired. The round struck Posey in the left shoulder and traveled into his chest. The victim was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital a short time later.

Johnson, 25, and Posey were charged Thursday after police raided Johnson's Gurnee home and found six guns, some of which were loaded and laying in plain view. The Bears have benched Johnson for Sunday's game

You have got to be kidding me!

NEWS

Cable worker charged in bathtub slaying
Sun-Times Tribune
When I saw this headline I thought it was the murdered girl found in Garfield Ridge.

Bears player faces gun charges
Sun-Times

Secretary of State's daughter caught in drug sting
Sun-Times

Lorraine White, 47, of Chicago, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, attempted possession of a controlled substance and criminal trespass, the police said.

Jersey cop sues state troopers over arrest
Sun-Times

WHO YOU CRAPPIN?

SUN-TIMES
DENY! DENY! DENY!.........This is the strategy our beloved mayor loves to employ when faced with questions concerning his knowledge about corruption in his administration.
Fran Spielman describes the mayor as a person who prides himself on being a master of detail and wants to know;

how he could have been oblivious to the fact that city hiring and promotions were being rigged.

And the mayor skillfully dodged the question with this brilliant answer.

"You have asked me that question a thousand times and I've given you the same answer. I'm not going to keep repeating [it]," Daley said. "If I knew everything in the world, I don't think I'd be mayor. I'd be something else."

You would then be what?...GOD!
Fran hardly asked if the mayor knew everything in the world. Fran asked how was he not aware of what was going on in his world and in particular the corruption perpetrated by his closest operatives.

The mayor wants you to believe that there is no possible way for him to know top officials of his staff were corrupt. There is no possible way he would have known about job and promotion rigging. Everyone in the city knew about it in one form or another. It is a way life in Chicago "The city that works". You and I know about rigging (meritorious) promotions. We aren't the only agancy in the city that practices this fine art of politics. Somehow the mayor was able to insulate himself from any knowledge of the crap that has been going on on his behalf.

Well Mr. Mayor you now have created new precedent in defense of a charge of culpabilty. The next time you (P.O/Supervisor) face an accusation of culpability because your partner or one of your cars was involved in some bullshit..just remember, "I can't know everything in the world. I'm not God!"

UPDATE: from AP

Daniel Katalinic is a former deputy commissioner of streets and sanitation. In pleading guilty last year, he admitting knowing that court orders requiring merit hiring of city employees were being violated.

Katalinic was sentenced today by a judge who warned that corruption in Chicago "has to stop."

OFFICE SHOT IN 14

Thoughts and Prayers for a speedy recovery.

NBC 5
WGN TV
TRIBUNE

Shooting Downtown

Channel 32
Tribune

No complaints about SWAT this time.

Why Rookie Cops Need To Listen To Old Timers

Found this little funny post at
Crimefiles and didn't think Pual would mind if we republished it.

When you’re a young cop, you instantly become the smartest, strongest, best looking, bravest son of a bitch on the planet. You look in the mirror a lot to admire yourself in that superman uniform.

Soon you are sent to patrol and get an lazy old goat for a partner instead of another cool dude like yourself. That’s a bummer. Your new partner has bad feet, seems way too cautious and you just know he was hired when cops did not get real training like you’ve just gotten. You find it embarrassing to be in the same vehicle working with a guy older than your own father.

In Chicago I worked on the Near West Side (012). I had Cook County Hospital, Greek Town, Jew Town, Taylor Street, Skid row and a large high crime area with projects filled with poor African-Americans. It was a busy district and a great place to work. My first boss, Commander Ronald Nash took a big fall and went to the joint for corruption.

As you come to the end of your police academy training you are sent out for Field Weeks to district patrol units. The normal plan is to pair you with an experienced officer working as a “Field Training Officer”. Sometimes they just run out of those creatures and you get what you get.

I was sent to the Near North Side (018) for one such Field Week and was assigned to work a wagon with a real dinosaur. His first name was Gene but I can’t remember his last name. Gene was several months away from mandatory retirement because he’d be 63 years old.

It was Easter Sunday morning and I knew it would be a really dull day. Gene was complaining to me about having to baby sit for a recruit. I was to keep my ears and eyes open. Further I was told to keep my mouth shut and perhaps he’d let me live. We were off to a great start.

Our first radio call did not come in for two whole hours! Then the radio cracked, “Eighteen-seventy-two.” I grabbed the microphone and responded, “Eighteen-seventy-two” The reply was,“Eighteen-seventy-two, a complainant says there’s a DOA floating in the Chicago River." I retorted excitedly, “Ten-Four squad we’re in route!”

Gene said two words, “Oh fudge!” Okay, it was a little stronger than fudge. I was going my first probable homicide call! Gene drove the wagon to the river parking next to the bridge. There was nobody around, not even a complainant, or passers by. As we got out of the wagon to look for a body we were suddenly hit with a really foul odor. Instantly we knew the call was legitimate as we gagged.

Walking closer to the river there he was in all his glory. Large and obese, this fellow was floating face up in the water. He was wearing only a white t-shirt and had his left leg severed attached only by a little tissue. He was bloated and looked ready to explode from the expaneded gas inside his abdominal cavity.

Suddenly the glamour of being a cop was on the ropes for me. We would have to somehow put this huge smelly pile of sh*t into our wagon, take him to a hospital, get a physician to pronounce the guy dead (they won’t take a cop’s word on that in Illinois) and then we'd take him to the Cook County Morgue. Once at the Morgue we'd be expected to remove his t-shit and inventory it as evidence once it was dry. This last procedure has since changed and been assigned to Medical Examiner’s personnel.

Our uniforms would be destroyed and we’d be barfing for sure. Suddenly our fortunes were improving! Two little Black boys were crossing the bridge on bicycles carrying fishing poles. Gene quickly flagged them down and asked to borrow one of the poles. Next, I watched an expert fisherman go to work.

Gene cast the hook right to that T-shirt and snagged it. Then I watched Gene pull the floating mess straight West from the bridge. The soon the body was on the West side of the river! Gene yanked the fishing line and broke it. He crossed back over giving the pole to the now complaining Black kids. Gene reached in his pocket and fished out $5 and gave it to them. The boys left happy and Gene said I now owed him $2.50.

Gene grabbed the radio microphone and called, “Eighteen-seventy-two” The dispatcher responded, “Eighteen-seventy-two.” Gene replied, “Eighteen-seventy-two, be advised this call is bonafide but the DOA is on the 13th district side of the river, we’ll stand by for 13. They’re going to need the Marine Unit or Fire Boat for assistance squad.”

We waited and watched the two poor bastards working a 13th District wagon as they handled the job in the finest tradition of the Chicago Police Department. That was the day I learned that the old timers were smarter than I was. There are some things you just can’t learn in the academy.

EALY CASE

In today's Sun-Times an article is written asking "You be the judge: Should James Ealy have been let go?" Well law and order people will say no and those who believe that the rights of an individual far out weigh the greater good of society will say yes. The article in the end shows how the justice systems scales tip far more in favor of the accused than in the favor of the victim and society as a whole.

James Ealy had been out on bond (for sexual assault) when he commited the henious acts of murdering and raping a 3 year old little boy, Jontae Parker, along 3 other members of the Parker family. He was convicted for the CSA charge and sentenced to 23 years but sreved 10. Three years later he cathes a UUW/Agg Unlawful Restraint case and receives a 10 year sentence but serves less than 3 years.

So throw out James Ealy's life sentence and you still have Ealy receiving 33 years for other crimes since 1983. James Ealy has served less than 13 of those 33 years. At the very least James Ealy should of been in prision till 2013 on his other convictions. The scales however seem to tip in his favor and now Mary Hutchison is dead as a result. Mary Mitchell where is your out rage now?

Bonds set for charged Chicago cops

Tribune

In the Tribune bond was set for the newly charged 3 and new bond was set for the other 3 that were charged originally.

We will not make any personal comments on this subject since we known or are aquainted with 1 or more of the indicted.

BAD NEWS

Channel 9
Not much to say.....

INDICTMENTS

We have not reported on this subject yet because we would like to see the press release first.

Police Supt. Phil Cline released a statement today saying the arrests "illustrate the department's ongoing commitment to root out bad cops who violate the public's trust and the professional integrity" of Chicago police.

SORRY WAS AWAY FOR THE WEEKEND

NEWS

Cops Shoot, Injure Man Allegedly Wielding Knife
CHANNEL 2

(STNG) CHICAGO A female officer from the Rogers Park District shot a man twice Thursday night, injuring him, after police said he charged towards her with a knife while she and another officer responded to a North Side apartment for an incident.

Ward bosses angry at mayor
Circulators of petitions told to sign affidavit SUN-TIMES

The Daley campaign is demanding that petition circulators sign a sworn affidavit that Democratic ward bosses call a "slap in the face" from a mayor who has ignored them

2 aldermen cite slavery, try to block garage pact
SUN-TIMES

Aldermen Dorothy Tillman and Ed Smith filed a lawsuit Thursday against the city, which is set to enter a 99-year lease agreement with Morgan Stanley Investment Management to run the parking structures. Morgan Stanley declined to comment

Police Decry Web Site on Informants
MYWAY.COM

WASHINGTON (AP) - Police and prosecutors are worried that a Web site claiming to identify more than 4,000 informants and undercover agents will cripple investigations and hang targets on witnesses

UNHAPPY READER

You're boring and uncreative and not timely with your moderation and comment posts. Sorry, but you got nothing to give to attract us.

Well we have a dissatisfied "customer" out there and it seems he speaks for all sergeants. Certain critics said SCC would fail when it went to moderation and that prediction obviously hasn't come true. Moderation is extremely important for many reasons but the most important one is we did not want this site to negatively reflect on the members of this department and police officers in general. We felt it was important to allow criticism of the department and those who implement its policies but we weren't going to allow ourselves to become another shithouse stall.
We try to review and publish comments as often as possible. Some days I'm able to spend a couple of hours out of my busy day to post and moderate comments and some days I don't have a free moment. Since this is only a hobby and not my livelihood I'm not about to apologize for my untimeliness in post moderation. We created this site because our union that we pay ($50 a month x 1200 members)$60,000 a month can't seem to update the associations site. We felt that information had to be put out there somewhere and when we run across it we publish it. We peruse various media outlets and police forums to find what we think might be interesting to our readers. Many times we publish a story we find and other times we will editorialise on a story. SCC does a great job in our opinion with hot-button topics but in the past (pre-moderation) some of the reader comments were pure garbage. We hoped to avoid the negatives that SCC experienced in the beginning. If our moderation policy and our timeliness in posting the comments aren't agreeable with you then create your own site.
We look at the site traffic and again we receive approximately 250 visits a day and we believe SCC receives approximately 2000 visits a day. In our case we feel that figures to be approximate 20% of our targeted readers. Maybe someone from SCC can comment. We are huge fans of SCC and as we told them when we started SCS they definitely inspired us.
So if you don't like us don't read us! Again if you think you could do better then create your own site.