IM CALLING BULLSHIT ON THIS ONE

The government of Mexico is protesting the deportation of Elvira Arellano.

A Mexican Senate committee passed a measure Wednesday urging President Felipe Calderon to send a diplomatic note to the United States protesting the deportation of an illegal migrant who took refuge in a Chicago church for a year.

"We cannot remain quiet in view of this injustice and must ask for firm action from our authorities," Mexican Sen. Humberto Zazue said.

Are these people for real? You violate us and when we right the wrong you protest.
Go to hell!
USA Today

And if that isn't enough to frost your ass, watch this video.

Brought To You By The Religion Of Peace

This happy smiling 5 year old child was playing outside his house, in Baghdad, when two masked sub-human beings doused him with gasoline and set him on fire. I can not imagine the pain this child went through and I can only try and imagine the grief his parents must endure every single day. I hugged my six year old a little longer today after reading this story.

I found this story over at Littlegreenfootballs.com who linked it from (read the entire story at) CNN.com
The people of this country have got to wake up and realize the type of animals we are up against in Iraq. Those who praise Allah prior to blowing up American patrols, beheading perceived enemies, kidnapping, torturing and burning children are the same Jihadist animals that hijacked 4 U.S. aircraft and murdered nearly 3000 on 9/11.
We can not fail in Iraq!

UPDATE: Again from Little Green Footballs via CNN
great news about the burned Little boy from Baghdad

The Children’s Burn Foundation — a non-profit organization based out of Sherman Oaks, California, that provides support for burn victims locally, nationally and internationally — has agreed to pay for the transportation for Youssif and his family to come to the United States and to set up a fund so you can donate.

The foundation says it will cover all medical costs — from surgeries for Youssif to housing costs to any social rehabilitation that might be needed for him. Surgeries will be performed by Dr. Peter Grossman, a plastic surgeon with the affiliated-Grossman Burn Center who is donating his services for Youssif’s cause.

Officials are still trying to get the appropriate visas for his travels. Youssif could be in the United States for up to a year for the various treatments he needs.

Donate to the Children's Burn Foundation

10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1

JUST A REMINDER
The Mike Mette Defense Fund committee will be hosting a rally in support of Mike, on Thursday August 23rd, 2007 from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at the White Eagle Banquets and Restaurant, located at 6839 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL. Tickets for the event are $60.00, which includes a Buffet table, Open Bar and entertainment. There will also be a silent auction, featuring many great items! All proceeds from this event go towards Mike's legal defense. Come out and show your support to Mike and his family, as they continue their fight, to right this terrible wrong!

To obtain your tickets for this event, please contact any of the following listed individuals.

Jim Jones-Ret. Sgt. CPD (773) 879-9267

Dave Welbel-Sgt CPD (773) 719-2588

Nick Nickeas-Ret. Lt. CPD (312) 813-4000

Bobby Browne-Ret. Det. CPD (773) 218-1064

Brian Blacklidge: (773) 909-0405

Tony DeLeonardis-Sgt CPD (312) 523-8037

Steve Gaughan: (847) 962-6545

Michael Chasen D.C-Det.Div. CPD (312) 718-4261

Kevin Murphy (773) 763-9407

Walter Smith-Det. CPD (312) 497-6688

Dennis McEnerney:Cmdr.Niles PD (847) 588-6581

John Northen-Ret. Sgt CPD (773) 935-4500

Dean Patras (847) 567-3326

John Farrell-Capt. CPD (312) 805-0622

Or email us at
TEN1MM@AOL.COM orcmdrmac@yahoo.com

Black Victimization

I ran across an article by Dr. Walter Williams about black on black crime.

According to Bureau of Justice statistics, between 1976 and 2005, blacks, while 13 percent of the population, committed over 52 percent of the nation's homicides and were 46 percent of the homicide victims. Ninety-four percent of black homicide victims had a black person as their murderer.

Through statistics Dr.Williams points out facts that you and I already knew. This man puts the blame where it belongs.

Liberals and their political allies say the problem is the easy accessibility of guns and greater gun control is the solution. That has to be nonsense. Guns do not commit crimes; people do.

Up through 1979, the FBI reported homicide arrests sorted by racial breakdowns that included Japanese. Between 1976 and 1978, 21 of 48,695 arrests for murder and non-negligent manslaughter were Japanese-Americans. That translates to an annual murder rate of 1 per 100,000 of the Japanese-American population. Would anyone advance the argument that the reason why homicide is virtually nonexistent among Japanese-Americans is because they can't find guns?

DR. Williams has a solution for the silent members of the "community". Read the entire article over at Townhall.com

MUST OF BEEN A SLOW NEWS DAY

To their credit NBC5's site mentioned

62 Officers Receive Special Commendations

Some Chicago police officers on Tuesday were honored for going above and beyond the call of duty in solving crimes.

Officer Charlie Streff helped nab a serial burglar who was targeting the North Side, NBC5 reported. Other officers were honored for rescuing a kidnapping victim, and solving a string of violent armed robberies.

In all, 62 officers received special commendations.

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?

Plenty of news out there about the cities budget shortfall.....
The Sun Times (Fran Spielman) links the shortfall to a depressed real estate market, Shakman and Jon Burge.

Exacerbating the problem is the $12 million fund created to compensate victims of the city’s rigged hiring system and $13 million in legal fees paid over the last 18 months as a result of federal corruption investigations, the long-running Shakman case and the police torture case against former Lt. Jon Burge.

Bernard Stone thinks he has the answer.

Ald. Bernard Stone (50th) said he’s not at all convinced that a property tax increase is inevitable. Instead, Stone wants the city to do an inventory of what he believes is more than $1 billion worth of surplus land, then sell it off at a public auction that would get the property back on the tax rolls.

“Nobody in this city has any concept of how many parcels of real estate we own. Some if it is very valuable. You’ve got pieces of land worth millions sitting idle. You’ll not only bring in enough to cover the shortfall. You’ll bring in a big surplus,” he said.

I also found a blurb on ABC7's site and it too only speaks to the second mandatory unpaid furlough day being offered as a fix.
When I went to Craine's Chicago Business I found a part of this story no one in the mainstream media cared to report:

The city recently projected a $217-million hole in its yet-to-be-unveiled 2008 budget, much higher than usual. The city also reported that its unobligated cash balance has dropped to less than 1% of spending, and that the ratio of assets to liabilities in its pension funds continues to drop.

How much money did they "bank" in the Skyway lease deal?

Planter Box Pays Off

Car flees cops, rolls on Magnificent Mile Two men were arrested, including one who authorities said was carrying 20 small bags of cocaine, after they sped away from Chicago police at about 4:15 a.m. and crashed into center-strip planters on North Michigan Avenue, police said this morning.

Great outcome this morning, but my biggest fear is when one of our own hits one.

SPEAKING OF ILLEGALS

Mark Styn writes a great article on illegal immigration and crime despite 9/11.

So, this Peruvian guy was here on a green card? Or did he apply for a temporary construction-work visa from the U.S. Embassy in Lima?

Not exactly. Jose Carranza is an "undocumented" immigrant. His criminal career did not begin with the triple murder he's alleged to have committed, nor with the barroom assault from earlier this year, nor with the 31 counts of aggravated sexual assault relating to the rape of a 5-year-old child, for which Mr. Carranza had been released on bail. (His $50,000 bail on the assault charge and $150,000 bail on the child-rape charges have now been revoked.) No, Mr. Carranza's criminal career in the United States began when he decided to live in this country unlawfully.

People in this country need to wake up!

MIKE METTE FUND RAISER 23 AUG

Anonymous said...
SCS,

THE TEST OF THE CPD AND OUR UNITY WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY AUG 23,07 AT THE WHITE EAGLE BANQUET HALL IN NILES,IL

THE REASON I SAY THIS IS THAT I BELIEVE MOST COPPERS ARE MOUTHS,FULL OF BRAVADO AND VALOROUS TALK AFTER SOME BEER BUT IN REALITY JUST MOUTHS SPEWING TALK...

PROVE ME WRONG....

THOUSANDS IN ATTENDANCE WILL PROVE ME WRONG,SHOW THIS NONBELIEVER...
MIKE METTE GOT FUCKED,PURE AND SIMPLE ALONG WITH MANY OTHER COPPERS ALONG THE WAY OVER THE YEARS,WE CAN AND HAVE A CHANCE TO HELP HIM WIN...

IS THERE ANY UNITY,BLUE LINE,TRUE BLUE,HEART????

The above was sent to me by a person challenging all of us to do our part in supporting Mike Mette. Myself, I believe all who can do something will. I have been around long enough to see the generosity exhibited by fellow officers for fellow officers in need. Keep up the good work and please stay safe....

FINALLY

Immigration activist Arellano arrested

LOS ANGELES--An immigration activist who sought refuge inside a Chicago church for a year was arrested in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon after taking her campaign on the road.

Elvira Arellano was arrested about 4:15 p.m. Chicago time by law enforcement officials after leaving Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in downtown Los Angeles, said Emma Lozano, an adviser who was there during the arrest.

Justice has prevailed! This women, an illegal immigrant, has evaded justice since a deportation order was issued in 1997, she was holed up in a sanctuary/church for over a year and now she is a speaker on "immigrant rights". The media will now make this women and her son the "martyr's" of this cause. Oh well, the right thing was done.

VIEWPOINT

I received an email from a reader who sent me this video............


We could use a little support like this from the Chicago media...

CPD: Crime down so far this year

Story on ABC7
Chicago Police say crime is down so far this year when compared to last year.

DURKIN PARK LAWSUIT

Richard and Sheryl Kruise want to see some accountability. The teen who hit Richard received only traffic violations, and the couple thinks the teen was intent on murder. Story onNBC5

City Wide Openings

002-2/1st, 1/3rd
003-2/1st
005-2/1st, 1/2nd
006-2/1st
007-3/1st, 1/3rd
008-3/1st
009-1/1st
013-1/3rd
015-1/1st
019-1/1st
020-1/1st
023-1/1st
024-1/1st
025-1/1st

We Want Answers

The ignoranant "community activist" and the family of, soon to be canonized, Aaron Harrison showed up at the Chicago Police Board meeting today.

Interim superintendent's Starks' inability to discuss the ongoing investigation intensified the frustration among several dozen people in the audience. They wanted details surrounding the August 6 shooting of 18-year-old Aaron Harrison by special operations officers.

Huhhhh! They wanted details? What details do they want? They have made up their minds that the officer murder St. Aarron. They insist that he was shot in the back.

"I would just like to know the name of the officer who gunned down my nephew. He shot him in the back," said Sabrina Johnson, victim's aunt.

see video on ABC7

Rumour has it Charlie Williams wanted to call Dana on the carpet for getting anywhere near the protesters and inciting them.

Dispatchers suspended in park brawl case

Two 911 dispatchers were suspended for failing to notify police about a brawl at a Southwest Side park last month that left a teenager in a coma, Chicago emergency officials said today.

These two will pay a price for not dispatching cars that weren't available.

One of the dispatchers was given a 20-day suspension and the other was given 15 days in connection with the July 14 incident at Durkin Park, 8445 S. Kolin Ave., when nearly a half-hour elapsed before police arrived to quell a melee, according to the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

Someone in the media should be asking why a few years ago every rapid response car on third watch was manned and today barely three to four are up in most districts.

CBS2 video

SORRY

Dear Friends,
On Aug 15th I was just beginning to write a post about the anticipated interview of Mike Mette on Anderson Cooper's show on CNN. Unfortunately there was a cable problem at my house and my computer was out of service until this afternoon. I noticed however that the title of the post published and that is because blogger automatically saves as you type.
Sorry for the confusion.

Mike Mette On CNN

UPDATE FROM MIKE METTE DEFENSE FUND:

For those of you who watched last night's show to see the story, it was obviously bumped from the broadcast because of the major breaking news reports involving the Earthquake and the Miner's. We are trying to find out if it has been rescheduled. We will post the info as soon as we know!

THE DECISION TO BE SHOT IS MADE BY THE OFFENDER

(A letter posted on FOP Lodge 7 Website)

Is anyone in the media going to ask why Aaron Harrison was in possession of a gun? Was he intending to shoot someone? Who gave him the gun? Why did he point the weapon at the officer? Why, if he lives in Berwyn with his mother, was he at Roosevelt and Sacramento with a gun? Another question is why didn’t Harrison toss the gun while he was running? Was the gun used in a prior homicide? These are all questions that will be answered as the forensic test results start to come in.

The family and their attorney James Montgomery have filed a lawsuit against the City and are quite dramatic about the bullet first striking Harrison’s shoulder. This is consistent with the direction that Harrison was running while pointing the gun at the officer.
Montgomery was on the news railing on about how witnesses were told by policemen that if they cooperate with the investigation they too would be shot. I was there that night and I can tell you for fact that the Detectives located witnesses and the witnesses refused to go into Area Four and cooperate with the investigation. For this you can thank your legislators because they legislated how Police investigations are to be conducted.

Nearly every person out there that night had a camera phone and there were several video recorders, so I am sure that if one officer threatened a witness it would have been recorded and played by the media. I saw at least twenty people videotaping or recording as the investigation was being conducted. You have to believe that if what Montgomery says is true someone would have turned over a tape to the media. This can only mean that the officers that night conducted themselves in a professional manner under very hostile conditions.

James Montgomery stated he has numerous witnesses who saw that Harrison was unarmed. Then how did the gun get there? Did the police plant the gun? What officer planted the gun? Is there a C.R. number against an officer for planting the gun? What will Montgomery say when the DNA results come back and prove that the only person who had the gun was Harrison? Will he then come up with a witness who saw how the police planted the DNA on the gun?

Rev. Jakes is threatening to write a letter to the Olympic Committee if the officers are not removed from street duty. This is completely irresponsible but we would expect nothing less from him. According to Jakes due process is something that everyone except police officers are entitled to.

Our officers should never be expected to risk death or serious injury when confronted by an armed offender. The choice is simple and it is made for the officer by the offender, drop the weapon and surrender or aim the weapon and be shot. This is how we are trained. We don’t want to lose one officer because of second-guessing. Second-guessing is something reserved for the Jakeses, Montgomerys and Sharptons of the world.

Lastly, the activists are saying that the Chicago Police Department is out of control and I can tell you that that is not true. What is true is that there are areas of the City that are out of control -- areas of the City that allow people to run around carrying guns and tolerate violent behavior. It is time for the good people living in these areas to step up to the plate and take back their neighborhoods.

Greg Bella
3rd Vice-President
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7

Tensions festering in North Lawndale

Tribune

Green worries about his neighborhood.

People and police are on edge, and he's savvy enough to know that around here, both sides have guns.

"I'm afraid they're going to push these boys so hard they're going to start going after the police," Green said, shaking his head in dismay. "They better do something about this. And they better do something about this quick."

Dick Devine won't run again

Sun-Times

Cook County State’s Attorney Dick Devine will not seek another term, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times today.
Devine, 64, is expected to announce this later in the morning at a news conference at his Loop offices.

Respected group to run search

BY FRAN SPIELMAN AND FRANK MAIN

The Washington think-tank that recruited former New York Police Commissioner William Bratton to run the Los Angeles Police Department will conduct a second nationwide search for Chicago's top cop.
The Police Executive Research Forum replaces David Gomez & Associates, the Chicago firm awarded a $100,000 contract to conduct the Round One search that ended in a do-over. Their field included only 13 outsiders among 40 applicants.

STARKS

We have a reader who likes to send whole articles from the Trib and Sun-Times and I agree they are of interest but I will link to those articles instead of reprinting them in entirety.
Michael Sneed of the Sun-Times has written about acting-Superintendent Starks three times this week and today's installment revisits his lack of a security clearence.
BY MICHAEL SNEED Sun-Times Columnist

Sneed is told Mayor Daley's new interim Police Supt. Dana Starks may have shot himself in the foot during his first week in office.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

In a previous post I wrote about Cincinnati in 2001 and the police slowdown that ensued after continued attacks on the police by ministers,politicians and the media.
I don't think we are anywhere near what happened there but the seeds of discontent are being planted. I borrowed this from Second City Cop in the comments.

AN OLD TIMERS PLEA said...
TO ANY 011TH DISTRICT READER

I AM GOING TO PLEAD WITH YOU TO JUST GO TO WORK AND ANSWER YOUR JOBS! I PROMISE YOU, IF YOU WILL CONSIDER THIS OPTION, YOU WILL NOT BE SELLING EVERYTHING YOU OWN AND BORROWING MONEY FROM YOUR PARENTS TO STAY OUT OF JAIL. YOU WILL NOT BE HOPING TO GET A JOB AT MCCORMICK PLACE WHILE WAITING FOR YOUR TRIAL AND YOU MAY NOT END UP WITH A HONORS FUNERAL. PLEASE, JUST FOR ONE PERIOD, DO NOT RECOVER A GUN, DO NOT CONDUCT SURVEILLANCE, DO NOT MAKE A PINCH UNLESS ON SIGNED COMPLAINTS, DO NOT WRITE A CONTACT CARD, TICKET, ANOV, DO NOT IMPOUND A VEHICLE, DO NOT DO DISPERSAL. LET THEM HAVE THE CORNERS. LET THE REVERENDS EAT JUST WHAT THEY ORDERED UP! RESPOND TO ALL OF YOUR ASSIGNMENTS, DO PAPER AND LEAVE! LET THE SAVAGES HAVE THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. LET THE ANIMALS SAY SHIT TO YOU AS YOU DRIVE BY AND LAUGH AT THEM BECAUSE YOU KNOW THEY WILL BE LAID OUT THERE SOON. THEY WILL BE KILLING EACHOTHER OVER THE DOPE CORNERS IN ABOUT 7 DAYS. I KNOW IT IS GOING TO BE HARD TO STOMACH, BUT YOU HAVE TO DO IT. I KNOW YOU HAVE GOOD WATCH COMMANDERS, BUT YOU JUST CAN’T HELP THEM OUT DURING THESE TIMES. LET THE MURDER, YES MURDER, NOT HOMICIDE, RATE SOAR. MAKE YOUR NOTIFICATIONS AND CALL THE BODY SNATCHERS. LET THEM MARCH, DESTROY, RAPE AND MAME. THEN GIVE THEM A CASE REPORT. IF YOU ARE ASSIGNED TO A DOMESTIC OR ANY TYPE OF SITUATION IN WHICH YOU MAY HAVE TO PROTECT YOURSELF, CALL FOR ANOTHER CAR AND HAVE THEM TAKE THEIR CELLULAR TELEPHONE AND DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. TRY NOT TO CAPTURE ANY OF THE COPPERS IN THE VIDEO AND IT MAY MAKE FOR HILARIOUS U-TUBE POSTINGS. LET’S TURN THE TABLES ON THEM, VIDEOTAPE EVERYTHING. AL SHARPTON AND JESSE JACKSON WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT ON NATIONAL T.V.

WHEN CHARLIE WILLIAMS DOESN’T WANT YOU TO EVEN PROTECT YOU OWN POLICE STATION, CRITICIZES YOUR COMMANDER FOR WANTING TO DO SO, NO FUCKING PROBLEM JACK, YOU GOT IT!

WHEN THE INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT KNOWS THAT THE 011TH DISTRICT SHOOTING WAS GOOD AND REFUSES TO ALLOW ANYONE TO SAY THAT OR COMMENT ON IT, NO FUCKING PROBLEM JAGOFF. YOU SHOWED US WHAT YOU WERE DURING THE MEEKS DEBACLE.

IF YOU ARE ASSIGNED TO THE 011TH DISTRICT AND READ THIS, I AM BEGGING YOU TO PRINT IT OUT AND PASS IT AROUND. I AM GOING TO POST THIS ON EVERY SIGHT THAT SCC WILL ALLOW ME TO.

GO HOME, KISS YOU GIRLFRIEND/WIFE, SMELL YOU BABY, LOOK AT YOUR KIDS SLEEPING AND BE SAFE! MAY GOD HELP US AND BLESS US ALL!

8/09/2007 07:23:00 PM

This is by no means an endorsement of this position but an illustartion of how some out there feel.

PENSION

Reprinted from FOP Lodge7 Website:

The Lodge has responded to a recent editorial in Crain’s Chicago Business which derided the Mayor for not negotiating for significant changes to Chicago’s Pension Funds during the most recent settlements with the Trades. It is important that the business community readership of this magazine hear from the Labor side of this issue, and it is our hope that our letter will be published and exposed in the same forum as was Mr. Crain’s. Follow this link, images/Crains Article.pdf, to read both our letter and Crain’s editorial.

Remember Cincinnati 2001

In the past few days it has been as frustrating as hell to be a policemen. Incidents in the 6th district and the 11th district have brought cries of "they murdered him", "he was a respectful boy" and "he would never have a gun" brought to you by a complicit and irresponsible media.
By recommendation of Second City Cop I visited a liberal website called the Chicagoist for their spin of the latest police incidents. The comments varied but I was surprised to see quite a few siding with the police. It was the anti-police comments that amazed me. It reminded me somewhat of Cincinnati in 2001 and and led me to a google search.
I found a brilliant article in the Jewish World Review by David Horowitz (July 11, 2001)

Consider the perspective of an under-represented party in these events, the law enforcement community in Cincinnati. This community was in the habit of reading Miranda rights to every predator it arrested however calculating and vile his criminal misdeeds. But now it saw itself presumed guilty in front of the entire nation, and before evidence of any crime had even been presented. This community now witnessed a swifter indictment lodged against one of its own, than against many of the felons it had pursued. Overnight, and without probable cause, it had become the target of a national lynch mob seeking "justice" from a policeman for the crime of performing his protective duty. In advance of any trial or presentation of the facts, this community could not fail to notice that it had been put in the criminal dock and had no defenders in the national press or even among city officials who were pledged to uphold the law and support the public good.

A recent newsletter to members of the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police, contains this warning from its President: "If you want to make 20 traffic stops a shift and chase every dope dealer you see, you go right ahead. Just remember that if something goes wrong, or you make the slightest mistake in that split second, it could result in having your worst nightmare come true for you and your family, and City Hall will sell you out."

Allow me a certain bluntness in interpolating these facts: In Cincinnati, the crusade for social justice conducted by self-righteous race hustlers, myopic idealists and political whores has produced a police force predictably (and sensibly) reluctant to continue enforcing the law at its own unappreciated expense. This has produced an equally predictable crime wave whose mounting roster of victims is -- also predictably -- black.

I seriously doubt that we are at this point yet but a continued systematic attack against the police could result in a reluctance by the police to be the police.

Jesse Feels The Heat And Then Spews Bullshit

A few days back the Tribune reported on the arrival of Al Sharpton and his organization to Chicago and I commented on it. The angle I didn't cover has now come to light.

Sharpton said in an interview that he was coming to Chicago at the request of Wright and daughter Jeri, who will serve as president of his Chicago venture.
Some activists see Jeremiah Wright's involvement with Sharpton as a logical step for a pastor who has also proven to be outspoken, even when it has put him outside mainstream African-American leadership in Chicago.

It appears that the Reverend Wright has brought in an antagonist like Sharpton and created an executive position for his daughter. That in and of itself could be a subject for later discussion. Wright will now be propelled as the leader of black ministers in Chicago with his allegiance to Sharpton and their crusade against police brutality thus stepping on the toes of Jesse.

Several pastors involved in the fight for greater police accountability said Jesse Jackson has not been aggressive on the issue and that Sharpton would fill a void.

"Jackson hasn't confronted this," said Acree, a member of The Leaders Network, a coalition of about 20 religious leaders. "That leaves this awesome challenge of dealing with police misconduct to us, the no-name local activists. I think Sharpton saw this as an opportunity."

Well it didn't take Jesse long to realize that he was being marginalized. You see fate smiled down on Jesse Saturday afternoon when Geffery Johnson died while in police custody.

NBC5

"This guy was beaten to death -- naked, crippled in his own house," said Rev. Jesse Jackson of Operation Push. "Taken out of here shackled and handcuffed."

ABC7

"This is unacceptable, mean and abusive. Those officers involved in this killing must face the stiff law of justice," said Rev. Jesse Jackson, Operation PUSH.

Well you have to hand it to him, its right out of Sharpton's playbook.

The Audacity To Complain!

On occasion we've chimed in on the illegal immigrant issue but this story out of Carpentersville pisses me off. It seems the village has decided to impound vehicles that are driven by unlicensed or uninsured motorist.
You drive a car without a license you are in violation of:

625 ILCS 5/6‑101(b) No person shall drive a motor vehicle unless he holds a valid license or permit, or a restricted driving permit issued under the provisions of Section 6‑205, 6‑206, or 6‑113 of this Act.

You drive a car without insurance you are then in violation of:

625 ILCS 5/7‑601(a) No person shall operate, register or maintain registration of, and no owner shall permit another person to operate, register or maintain registration of, a motor vehicle designed to be used on a public highway unless the motor vehicle is covered by a liability insurance policy.

So whats the problem?

Alarmed by what they said was another ordinance aimed at Latinos, about 400 demonstrators gathered Tuesday night at Carpentersville Village Hall to protest a proposal to impound the vehicles of drivers pulled over without a valid license or proof of insurance.

Outside Village Hall on Tuesday night, Laura Zambrano, who ran unsuccessfully for trustee in the April election, said the latest proposal in Carpentersville was dismaying.

"These are crazy ideas," Zambrano said. "I hate to use the word 'discrimination,' but these ideas seem to target the same community over and over."

I say hooray to Carpentersville.
In the first place, uninsured motorist create higher premiums for insured motorist. In the second place, driving is a privilege not a right. Those who choose not to prove their proficiency are not granted the privilege to drive. When an individual chooses not to obey these laws it appears that the Village of Carpetersville will take away the tool of their lawlessness. Ms. Zambrano seems to think this is a crazy idea.
Lets get something straight! The illegal immigrant broke the law the day he crossed the boarder and he continues to violate the laws of various states and municipalities every time he drives. It's about time that existing laws are enforced and additional penalties are created to persuade the violators to comply.

CONTRACTS

From the Tribune, CBS2, NBC5 and ABC7

The Daley administration and leaders representing 34 unions have reached tentative agreements on new contracts that would stretch over the next 10 years, offering the promise of labor peace through 2016 when the city hopes to land the Summer Olympics, City Hall and labor sources said Monday.

Trades workers under the new pact would continue to be paid the "prevailing wage," the hourly rate earned by their counterparts in private industry, according to a city official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Non-trades employees such as tree trimmers, dispatchers and crossing guards would get pay increases totaling 16 percent over the first five years of the contract, with the ability to seek more in the remaining five years, sources said.

Most important, it lasts ten years, until 2017, one year after the proposed Chicago Olympics.

But Daley insisted that timing had nothing to do with it.

Meanwhile, City Hall has not yet negotiated new contracts with the Fraternal Order of Police and the Chicago Fire Fighters Union.

"My reaction is good for them," FOP President Mark Donahue said of the pending city worker pacts.

Wasn't he just crying poor last week?
Is this a sign that he is negotiating from a weak position?
He wants these contracts settled. In the past he never cared if they were ever settled and now he needs to appear stable.

Dana Did Right

Tribune

Chicago's interim police superintendent said Tuesday that the fatal shooting of a man on the West Side as he ran from police officers appeared to be justified, saying an officer fired at him after he pointed a handgun at them.

Starks said he was on the scene when the crowd gathered Monday night, and his reaction was "a little dismay and also an understanding of how sometimes a community is frustrated when maybe the wrong information gets out and they are not privy to all the facts of an investigation."

The acting Superintendent acted like a Superintendent. He put the story out there as it happened and "diplomatically" put the blame of misinformation where it belonged, in the community.
I think some out there, myself included, would of expected the acting supe to throw the coppers under the bus.
This is by no means an endorsement of Dana
We are just glad we didn't have images of Dana hugging a minister and then stating that those involved will be disciplined.

NEWS

Police fatally shoot man on West Side
Shooting in 11th District.

Ministers face trial in gun protest
Jackson, Pfleger want jury trial.

Man accused of biting an officer during arrest
$40,000 bond

Accusations fly in stun-gun case
Mother of dead man disputes police claim that son was resisting arrest when shot twice with Taser

MIKE METTE DEFENSE FUND

The Mike Mette Defense Fund committee will be hosting a rally in support of Mike, on Thursday August 23rd, 2007 from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at the White Eagle Banquets and Restaurant, located at 6839 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL. Tickets for the event are $60.00, which includes a Buffet table, Open Bar and entertainment. There will also be a silent auction, featuring many great items! All proceeds from this event go towards Mike's legal defense. Come out and show your support to Mike and his family, as they continue their fight, to right this terrible wrong!

Is There A Connection?

In the Tribune on Wednesday it was reported that

Jacquelyn Heard, Daley's press secretary, said that the mayor and Sharpton had a phone conversation Wednesday that lasted about 15 minutes, ending with an agreement to meet in the future.

And then today's Tribune

In a surprise move, Mayor Richard Daley on Thursday rejected the three nominees for police superintendent and asked the Chicago Police Board to continue its search for candidates.

I'll draw the pictures you draw the conclusions.

Let The Race Baiting Begin

Al Sharpton and his National Action Network have set up shop in Chicago and his target is us.

Speaking at a news conference outside the Regal Theater, Sharpton said recent cases of police brutality in Chicago—as well as a history that includes alleged torture under former police Cmdr. Jon Burge—had caught his attention and that he wanted to help "stop the trouble."

In an interview Tuesday, Sharpton said he was prepared to employ a variety of tactics to achieve reform.

"I'll deal with Chicago any way they see fit, from the suites to the streets," he said.

Tribune

Al plans on using a variety of tactics. And here are the results of some of those tactics.
Courtesy of Wikipedia

Tawana Brawley controversy

On November 28, 1987, Tawana Brawley, a 15-year-old black girl, was found smeared with feces, lying in a garbage bag, her clothing torn and burned and with various slurs and epithets written on her body in charcoal. Brawley claimed she had been assaulted and raped by six white men, some of them police officers, in the village of Wappingers Falls, New York.
Attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason joined Sharpton in support of Brawley. A grand jury was convened; after seven months of examining police and medical records, the jury determined that Brawley had fabricated her story. Sharpton, Maddox and Mason accused the Dutchess County prosecutor, Steven Pagones, of racism and of being one of the perpetrators of the alleged abduction and rape. The three were successfully sued for slander and ordered to pay $345,000 in damages, the jury finding Sharpton liable for making seven defamatory statements about Pagones, Maddox for two and Mason for one.

Crown Heights Riot

On August 19, 1991, the Crown Heights Riot occurred after a car accident, involving the motorcade for the Lubavitcher Rebbe, left a young boy named Gavin Cato dead. A riot was sparked after a private Hasidic ambulance came to the scene and, on the orders of a police officer, removed the Hasidic driver from the scene. Gavin and his cousin Angela were picked up soon after by a city ambulance. Caribbean-American and African-American residents of the neighborhood then rioted for four consecutive days fueled by rumors that the private ambulance had refused to treat young Gavin. A visiting rabbinical student from Australia by the name of Yankel Rosenbaum, 29, was killed during the rioting by a mob shouting "Kill the Jew." Sharpton has been seen by some commentators as inflaming tensions with remarks such as "If the Jews want to get it on, tell them to pin their yarmulkes back and come over to my house" and referring to Jews as "diamond merchants."
Sharpton marched through Crown Heights and in front of "770", shortly after the riot, with about 400 protesters (who chanted "Whose streets? Our streets!" and "No justice, no peace!"), in spite of Mayor David Dinkins' attempts to keep the march from happening.

Freddie's Fashion Mart

In 1995, Sharpton led a protest in Harlem against the plans of a black Pentecostal Church, the United House of Prayer, which owned the retail property on 125th Street to ask Fred Harari, the Jewish tenant who operated Freddie's Fashion Mart to evict his longtime subtenant, a black record store, The Record Shack. Sharpton told the protesters, "We will not stand by and allow them to move this brother so that some white interloper can expand his business." On 1995-12-08, Roland J. Smith Jr., one of the protesters, entered the store with a gun and flammable liquid, shot several Jewish customers and employees inside the store and burned it down. He killed seven in the store, and himself. Sharpton claimed that the perpetrator was an open critic of himself and his nonviolent tactics. Sharpton later expressed regret for making the racial remark, "white interloper," and denied responsibility for inflaming or provoking the violence.

Duke lacrosse players

In April 2006, Sharpton went on the public stage calling for the prosecution of three white Duke lacrosse players who had been accused of sexually assaulting an African American woman, Crystal Gail Mangum, who was hired as a stripper at an off-campus party. Sharpton appeared on The O'Reilly Factor, taking the side of Ms. Mangum and defending prosecutor Michael Nifong, saying "I know this DA is probably not one that is crazy. He would not have proceeded if he did not feel that he could convict. So it tells me that all of what you said is either not true or he has convincing evidence that would certainly knock that out." In January 2007, DA Nifong withdrew from the case after ethics charges related to his conduct in the case were brought against him. The North Carolina Attorney General, who replaced him, dropped charges against the accused players in April 2007 and declared that they were innocent, in light of inconsistencies in Ms. Mangum's accounts of events and the lack of any evidence supporting her claims. Nifong was disbarred in June 2007 for unethical conduct in the case, including making misleading statements concerning DNA evidence to judges and defense attorneys.

Accusations of racism, homophobia, and bigotry

Some conservative and liberal commentators have accused Sharpton of being racist, antisemitic, and homophobic. Sharpton was quoted as saying to an audience at Kean College in 1994 that, “White folks was in caves while we was building empires ... We taught philosophy and astrology and mathematics before Socrates and them Greek homos ever got around to it.” Sharpton defended his comments by noting that the term “homo” was not homophobic but added that he no longer uses the term. Sharpton's defenders have said that the quote is often used out of context to undermine Sharpton's image.

Enough to make your stomach turn.

I See A New Mission To Be Created

The other day SCC had a post called "The Wrong Buy Back Program" about a fatal shooting at a dice game. Today we see the headline read "Four shot near West Side dice game". Desk sergeants get ready for the onslaught of gambler arrest and dice to be inventoried.

Our congratulations (belated) to our new sergeants. Hurry up we need you.



013 URSITTI, Antoinette M.

124/021 WEST, Laura A.

193 BLANKS, Kelvin M.

196 HARRIS, Alonzo D.

606 / 640 FLAHERTY, Thomas G.

610/008 SEDEVIC, Mark T.

610 CHUDZIK, Walter T.

610 / 606 DICKERSON Jr., Samuel L

610/001 HAUSER, Brian A

610/ 196 HASAN, Andre' A.

610 /002 DELAO, Edward A.

610 / 145 HUFFMAN, Sharon M.

610 ELKINS, Eric J.

610 / 001 PRICE, Matthew D.

620 OSIKA, Thomas J.

620/189 HORTON, Thomas M.

620 / 009 POPPISH, Michael J

620/ 153 Mc GUIRE Jr., Danny L.

620 / 006 WILSON, Michelle E.

620 / 008 DOWLING, Richard P.

620 / 005 BURRELL, Robert A.

620 ULLEWEIT, Frederick C.

620/189 CATO, Eric D.

620 / 006 FORD, Christi

630/ 193 WHITMORE, Gregory A.

630/017 SEDLACEK, Paul M.

630/001 BLOCK, Andrew M.

630 / 025 CALLAGHAN, Brian A.

630/013 HARAN, Patrick A.

630 / 020 KWONG, Norman P.

630 DANIEL, Heather L.

640 / 253 SCHULER, Joseph

640/012 NOVALEZ, Angel L.

640/ 011 GARDNER, Roderick L.

640/189 SANCHEZ, Alejandro

640/377 DZIAK, Steven E.

640 LAURICH, Marlene A.

640/014 WEIGLEIN, Timothy R.

640/013 DE LA TORRE, Miguel

640 / 024 VERGARA, Francisca I.

650 VIVERlTO. Vincent P.

650/015 STACK, Thomas P.

650 / 025 BARTOLI, Daniel A.

650/019 DONAHUE, Patrick E.

650 / 020 NOWACKl, Michael S.

650 / 001 SALADINO, Michael V.

650 / 253 MANNION, Sheamus

650 / 020 GENTILE. William F.

Monday was their first day at the academy. Anyone have a date of graduation?

MUST SEE

I found this video at Duty In The Desert a blog run by an Air Force Lt. Col.

Doesn't the anti-war crowd constantly belittle the intelligence of the fighting men and women of our armed forces?

Same Old Song And Dance

Now for some shocking news!
$217 million budget shortfall expected next year

Taxpayers escaped any increases a year ago as Mayor Richard Daley prepared to run for re-election, and today's gloomy financial picture comes as City Hall negotiates new contracts with its union employees.

Tribune

Remember the money from the Skyway lease? $1.83 billion....according to Daley it was money set aside for a rainy day. The only ones that are going to get soaked are the city employees and taxpayers.

Jon Loevy Makes Me Sick

Since I have had the displeasure of being deposed at this man's "edgy" loft styled law office I get nauseous every time I see his hideous face on t.v.
Jon Loevy is one of the most well to do ambulance chasers in the city. All he needs is some "citizen" to go into his office and claim he was beaten by the police and Jon sees $$$$. Go to the Loevy website and see for yourself what these "guardians" of the down trodden think of you the police.
In today's Tribune another lawsuit was announced by Loevy.
I'm sure this suit will the talk of the blogs but I for one am getting tired of the piling on.

"The only reason they thought they could get away with that is because in this city the system for disciplining and investigating an abuse [by police] is broken and dysfunctional," Jon Loevy

One day a member of the "down trodden" is going to have a pistol pressed up against Jon Loevy's pretentious little head demanding every penny he has and while he is pissing his pants he will be begging for two things; his life and a cop.
Oh well we can always dream.

Backing Mike?

The department's blog, Checkerboard Chat,
makes a statement concerning Mike Mette and links to the Mike Mette Defense Fund website. This is an official site operated by the department and all content must be approved by the superintendent. Its a start.

I Have A Problem With This One

I wanted to see how the dispatchers were reacting to the Durkin Park ordeal. I saw a comment on SCC where it apeared a dispatcher was thanking SCC for putting up the post. Then I found this on ChiTown 911:

What would you have done?
Well once again we are in the middle of chaos! OEMC has for the past 2 weeks been in the newspaper in some not so good articles. It is easy to say well I would of simulcasted that call, or I would not have given lunches out, or I would've put a backlog in the minute I sat down, but what it comes down to is NOBODY knows unless you are put in that situation. One thing is for certain, the 8th district is far too large for what they give us as far as cars to dispatch to. That district needs to be cut in half. At this point what is done is done and there is no way to go back and change what happened. But in the future please dispatchers, put those raps in asap, watch your p's and q's and here's a big one, make your cars go on the air with any transmission instead of that pdt. Like it was told at a roll call, you can party all you want with them, but in the end if a beef comes down, do you really think the guy on the other end of the radio has your back?

Did I miss something or did the coppers on the street throw the dispatchers under the bus? Your immediate supervisors and Tony Ruiz put you there.

SCC Makes Southtown Newspaper

Two police dispatchers put on leave South Town

Several anonymous posts on a local police blog say the first officer to arrive was a patrolman on special assignment in the Gresham District who got a phone call from a family member at the scene, pleading for help because no police were there.

HAD THE FLUE THE LAST FEW DAYS

I'm not 100% but I'll try to keep everyone up to date.

METTE INTERVIEW

Read Mike Mette's interview via Mike Parker CBS2

Shots Fired At And By The Police

July 15, 2007 (CHICAGO) - Three officers of the Chicago Police Department were shot this evening while responding to a call on the city's West Side.

Chicago Police spokesman John Mirabelli says the shooting occurred shortly before 9 p.m.
A woman, believed to be in her 50s, was killed in the incident.

Chicago police were responding to a call in the 1500 block of West Adams. Chicago Police Department spokeswoman Monique Bond said the woman was firing a shotgun out of her second-floor apartment window while police were on the ground below.

"In their attemp to make entry [to the apartment building], the female offender lunged out of the building armed and shooting, striking three police officers," said Bond.

Police shot back at the woman.

Two officers were shot in the arm, and one was grazed in the head. The injured officers were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. All are in stable condition, and their injuries are not lifethreatening.

Dozens of police officers remained on the scene Sunday night. Authorities do not have a motive.

ABC7


Thoughts and prayers with the officers in the hospital this evening.


Earlier today on the far south side officers were involved in a shooting.

The shooting occurred near 11530 S. Stewart Ave. in the Pullman neighborhood about 11:30 a.m., according to police News Affairs Deputy Director Pat Camden.

Officers were driving in the 11500 block of South Princeton Avenue when they attempted to pull over a vehicle for a routine traffic stop. The vehicle then pulled into a vacant lot and a man fled on foot carrying a gun in his hand, Camden said.

Police officers chased the man while other officers arriving to the scene were coming around on Stewart Avenue. The arriving officers saw the man hiding in the bushes holding a 9mm glock with an extended clip, capable of shooting more than 30 rounds, Camden said.

The man then threw his gun into the street and officers attempted to arrest him, when he tackled and attempted to disarm one of the officers. The officer then yelled for his partner "He's got my gun," when the officer shot the man in the shoulder, fearing for his partner's life, Camden said.

"The officer started calling out for help saying, 'He's got my gun.' His partner, at that point, discharged the weapon," said Asst. Deputy Supt. Robert Lopez of the Chicago Police Department.

ABC7
Of course neighbors see it totally different.

One witness says she saw what happened to Coleman after he was shot.

"The guy raised his head up and said, 'So y'all are just going to shoot me like that?' and the other officer came and kneeled down and started punching the guy in his face," said witness Stephanie Henderson.

So Ms. Henderson is all upset that a policeman allegedly cracked a fleeing felon who just attempted to disarm a police officer. Well she can just kiss my ass! What if your child was on the street when this piece of shit was running from the police?
What if asshole was able to dump his Glock and nobody saw it? What if then a small child found it later and then shot himself or someone else? Huh Ms Henderson?
Stupidity is the issue here. I have worked in the ghetto my whole career. Lets face it...when asshole is shot his "people come out of the woodwork wolfing".
When all is said and done there are usually a few witnesses that saw it as we did. I have been personally thanked by hard working decent people who are sick and tired of the "bullshit" but sadly the assholes are the ones who get airtime.

Outrage!!!!

Second City Cop as you probably know is running a story about an off-duty Chicago Police Office who is being sentenced to 5 years in prison for defending himself. Read the story at ABS7 and become as outraged as I am. My outrage is directed at a judge (bench trial) who advocates "turning the other cheek", a prosecutor who didn't feel the officers response was "warranted" and most of all at a police officer/officers that felt the need to arrest Mike Mette.
According to SCC this will be the subject of a Sunday John Kass article. I really don't expect to any hear any kind of a comment out of 35th street. I know we'll get the usual "where is FOP on this one" but the question asked should be where are we?.......There are plenty of people you, the rank and file, should be contacting........
The FOP Grand Lodge
Iowa, Governor Culver's Office
Dubuque Police Chief, Kim Wadding
Dubuque County Attorney's Office (563) 589-4470
Our real hope here is that Mike is able to successfully appeal this outrageous verdict and that justice will prevail.

UPDATE:Excellent piece by John Kass

So You Hate The Media

http://view.break.com/330538 - Watch more free videos

AWESOME

The Dillon Mini-Gun can fire up to 6000 30mm rounds per minute but are usually programmed to 3000 rounds per minute. Just plain awesome!

Revenue

City takes step to water meters for all

Mayor Richard Daley signaled the move toward universal metering in 2003, saying it was part of a strategy to improve conservation and better manage the precious resource Chicago has at its doorstep: Lake Michigan.......

full story in the Tribune
Who is he kidding?

More Revenue

Push to impound vehicles driven by motorists with suspended licenses

Aldermen advanced a measure Thursday that would mandate impoundment of cars and trucks driven by motorists with revoked or suspended licenses despite warnings by Daley administration officials that the city's pounds could not handle the thousands of vehicles a year that would be taken off the street as a result......

Read the whole story in the Tribune

Are They Serious?????

'Smile, you're on camera!' Police to get 'head-cams'

Police officers in the UK are to be given head-mouted video cameras to film incidents and arrests, the footage of which can then be used in evidence............

from the Evening Standard

TASER ROUNDS

I found this one at Ace Of Spades.

Continuing to strike fear into the hearts of, well, everyone, Taser has released an electrified round that works with any 12-gauge shotgun. The Wireless eXtended Range Electronic Projectile, or XREP, is a fin-stabilized, self-contained round with no wires leading back to the gun and a maximum range of 100 ft. Previous Tasers, such as the C2 civilian model I was hit with a few months ago, are only useful within around 30 ft.
The XREP punctures the target with multiple probes, and then unspools to dangle from the unfortunate belligerent's body, all the while applying Taser's infamous rapid-fire electrical pulses. As an added bonus, any helpful passerby trying to yank the XREP out of the target before the 20-second discharge cycle is finished will also get zapped, thanks to a "hand-trap wire" that's nestled
in among the other hanging cables.

Down to 3

Two senior Chicago Police Department officials and a former New York City commander emerged Monday as finalists to become Chicago's next police superintendent.

After conducting a two-month search and taking nearly 50 applications for the job, the Chicago Police Board submitted the names of Hiram Grau, Charles Williams and Thomas Belfiore for Mayor Richard Daley's consideration........Tribune

Does anyone believe Belifiore has a snowball's chance in hell. In essence we are down to two and and the politics of race will ultimately eliminate that down to 1.
I am not trying to be racist nor am I trying to make race the issue but lets be adult about this. The reality of politics makes Charles Williams the obvious choice. Belifiore is not only white but he is an outsider and therefore destined for failure. Hirum Grau and Charles Williams are both "minorities" but Williams is in the running at the right time. There are no blacks that are heads of any major department in the city and Daley will make his decision based on that.
God help us all...........the upside is he is out of patrol.

NEW WEAPONS ORDER

I found this on the departments website.

Striker-fired pistols manufactured by Smith and Wesson, Springfield Armory, and Glock have been approved

The calibers of 9mm Luger (Parabellum), .40 S&W, and .45 ACP have been approved

Department members will be allowed to transition to striker-fired pistols as their primary weapon after they have completed a voluntary transition course during off-duty hours

Transition courses will consist of either 24 hours of instruction for revolver officers or 16 hours of instruction for semi-automatic officers

Transition Courses are being planned for the last three months of 2007; a schedule of courses has not yet been posted

Department members will not be allowed to carry a striker-fired pistol until they have either completed their basic recruit training with a striker-fired pistol or completed the required transition course

Department members will not be required to transition to a new firing system

Department members will be allowed to transition to a semi-automatic pistol as their primary weapon in lieu of their prescribed revolver

Shooting in 004

At approximately 1100am officers were involved in a shooting at 8300 S. Exchange. A 9mm pistol was recovered and the offender was taken to the hospital. Neither of the officers was injured.....Tribune

City Looks To Outsource Hiring Duties

Chicago's City Hall plans to outsource some hiring duties following a federal trial in which former city employees were convicted of corrupting the employment process, according to a published report.
A CBS2 story is reporting that the city recently asked companies to submit their qualifications to take over part of the city's hiring duties.
The selected firm or firms will

"administer examinations in an environment that will ensure the proper administration and the integrity of the exam process,"

So we must assume that the city is admitting that tests in the past were not administered properly and vacant of integrity.

Attorney Michael Shakman's lawsuit against the city served as the catalyst for the deal. Shakman told the Tribune that he was not aware of the outsourcing plan but said it appears to involve a private firm taking over many of the city's personnel duties.

"We'd like to understand the reasons for this approach," Shakman said.

Shakman seems to be a bit pessimistic. Many questions will need to answered regarding this one.
What departments will be effected?
Will the hiring firm only be administering hiring tests or promotional tests as well?
As far as the firm chosen to "administer examinations in an environment that will ensure the proper administration and the integrity of the exam process," we wonder if they will be selected with the same standards.

Indiana State Trooper Murdered

Tribune
Master Trooper David Rich was fatally shot in the chest by a Michigan man who then reloaded the shotgun and killed himself, state police Sgt. Tony Slocum said....

Open Post

Been out of town the last few days.

I caught this one at Second City Cop and needless to say I was as impressed as they were.
From The Munchkin Wrangler:

WHY THE GUN IS CIVILIZATION

Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that's it.

In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.

When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gangbanger, and a single gay guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.

There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat--it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed. People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.

Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser. People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level. The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weightlifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable.

When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation...and that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act.
Posted by Marko at 7:06 AM

POLICE SHOOTING IN 005

Tribune

Chicago police shot and wounded a person on the city's Far South Side early today.

The shooting occured shortly after midnight in the 11400 block of South Stewart Avenue, in the city's Roseland neighborhood, Officer Hector Alfaro said. He had no immediate details on the circumstances of the shooting or the condition of the patient.

Hope all is well with those involved.

SOUTHERN JUSTICE

Texas death row inmate,Patrick Knight, did not manage to come through on his promise to tell a joke during his last statement.

Randall County Sheriff Joel Richardson, who watched Knight die, said the joke plan seemed to be a ploy by Knight to draw attention to himself.

"Despite all the hype about his joke, it turns out he's not much of a comedian," he said. "He's simply an executed cold-blooded killer."

And this one from Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, authorities executed a terminally ill man who, according to his lawyer, has been told by doctors he likely would die of cancer within six months anyway. Death penalty opponents have called the execution of two-time killer Jimmy Dale Bland pointless, while prosecutors have said Bland's health was no reason to show him mercy.

Gotta love Southern justice!
Tribune

UPDATE

Lt’s Promotion Exam: UPDATE 26 June 07
We are, along with our attorneys still evaluating what options are available to us to address several unresolved issues. Prior to the re-test on 23 June 07 our attorneys did inform the Court Appointed Federal Overseer of our concerns regarding this examination process.

We have been informed that 415 applicants participated in the re-test conducted on Saturday 23 June 2007.

Several of our members who participated in the re-test conducted on Saturday 23 June 2007 have expressed concerns about equipment malfunctions, technical problems and procedural problems while taking the test.

Any sergeant who believes they have an issue that needs to be addressed is encouraged to once again, do the following:
Prepare a DETAILED To / From Report stating what the problem was. Vague or general issues cannot be evaluated properly.

Forward TWO (2) copies to:
Lt. Lyle Myers
Personnel Division – Unit 123
Once received, Lt. Myers will forward one copy to the Human Resource Division. The second copy will be date and time stamped and returned to the initiating sergeant for their record.
PLEASE do not delay in submitting your To / From Report.
In addition, please forward a copy to the C.P.S.A.
Fax:
773-376-7344

Email:
Cpsa_sgts@ameritech.net

Inter-Dept Mail:
Unit 545

U.S. Mail:
1616 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, Il 60609


Sincerely,

John Pallohusky
President
Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association

Lt’s Promotion Exam: UPDATE 22 June 07; 1215hrs.

The Illinois Appellate Court has DECLINED our appeal to issue an injunction against the City enjoining the City from administering the retest of the oral assessment portion of the promotional examination scheduled for 23 June 2007.

THE RE-TEST WILL PROCEED AS SCHEDULED ON SATURDAY 23 JUNE 2007.

Sincerely,
John Pallohusky
President
Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association

DOWNSTATE DEPUTY SHOT

News-Gazette

Douglas County's Chief Deputy Tommy Martin was shot twice, according to Emery. Deputy Martin was shot in the face and torso and is in stable but critical condition at Carle Foundation Hospital. Douglas County Sheriff Charlie McGrew said Deputy Martin came out of his first surgery late this afternoon and a second one will follow. He is still in critial but stable condition, McGrew said.

Our thoughts and prayers go out Chief Deputy Tommy Martin.

RED-LIGHT CAMERAS; SAFETY OR REVENUE?

In 2003 the city began installing red-light cameras at intersections that had high incidences of traffic accidents. Originally 10 cameras where installed and as of last month 39 exist city wide. There are plans to have 70 cameras operating by years end. There is no doubt these cameras generate enormous amounts of revenue,$19.8 mil in 06, but the primary purpose is to save lives. Or is it?

"We believe that the red-light cameras have been very effective in changing dangerous driver behavior for the better," said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. "We believe they encourage people to drive more safely."

Kevin Smith over at OEMC may truly believe what he is saying, but the aldermen see revenue and nothing is going to get in the way of that. It seems that Cobra has developed a warning device to alert a driver when he is approaching an intersection equipped with a red-light camera. This would appear to have the same effect as the goal stated by Kevin over at OEMC. And that goal is a safer intersection.
Joe Blow has one of these devises in his car and he approaches 55th and Western, "beep-beep-beep" Joe slows down on the yellow and comes to a complete stop on the red. Is this a problem? Damn right it is! If Joe wasn't warned he may have run the light a little late and got himself a nice $90 ticket in the mail.

Ald. Edward Burke (14th) announced Thursday that he will seek to ban the new technology.

And Burke threw off any pretense that the cameras' primary purpose is to reduce the number of traffic accidents at dangerous spots where motorists run reds.

Funny thing is none of us were naive enough to really believe it was about safety, but the intentions of Burke and Co shows their true motives.$$$$$$
Read the whole story in the Tribune

Lt’s Promotion Exam: UPDATE 21 June 07; 1830hrs.

Our Attorneys have presented our case to the Illinois Appellate Court. We have requested that the Appellate Court issue an injunction against the City enjoining the City from administering the retest of the oral assessment portion of the promotional examination scheduled for 23 June 2007. We are awaiting the decision.

As soon as the Court rules we will post the decision.

Sincerely,

John Pallohusky
President
Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association

Lt’s Promotion Exam: UPDATE 19 June 07

On Tuesday 19 June 07 our case was before the Honorable Judge Bernetta D. Bush in Cook County Circuit Court – Chancery Division. Case NO. 07-CH-13182.

Judge Bush ruled in favor of the City. Judge Bush refused to allow our attorneys to conduct a preliminary hearing and produce evidence to support our case. The Judge basically ruled that the City could do whatever they want when it comes to the promotional and examination process.

At the time of the hearing we presented to the Court 347 Affidavits signed by our affected members.

In court the City’s Attorneys stated the following:

51 of the original tests had technical problems.
None of the tests had been scored.
The City’s Attorneys stated this is a fair process. Additionally, there is the 30% meritorious process available to every eligible candidate.
Our Attorneys are in the process of requesting an emergency hearing in the Illinois Appellate Court Division. The purpose of this is to block the scheduled re-test on 23 June 2007.

Once again, I would urge all of our members to contact their respective elected officials and express their concerns regarding the promotional and examination process. This is the only way to effect change.

I want to thank all of our members who were able to attend today’s hearing in support of our case.

Sincerely,

John Pallohusky
President
Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association

IF YOU WERE SUPERINTENDENT

Today you wake up and are the new Superintendent. You have to make 5 changes that you believe will improve the Department. What would you change?
Oh and politics need not be considered!

My Apologies.....The last set of comments sent in were accidentally deleted. If you would be so kind to resubmit them I would appreciate it.

SHIT ROLLS DOWN HILL

Well the Mayor spouts off about what we should or shouldn't be doing and before you know it Charlie Williams is creating memos. So far this year coppers on 1st and 3rd watch have written just over 11,000 curfew citations compared to 12,900 citations written for all of last year.

"Police are gonna enforce the curfew. ... Police are gonna start cleaning the corners. Don't complain to them because, if there's a drive-by shooting, you'll complain afterwards."

The men and women of 1st and 3rd watch have done their job with less officers in patrol and yet his grandstanding at a news conference will cause Charlie Williams to spring into action and demand more.
Maybe you should give a DOC Award to the officer with the most curfews written in the level 2 DOC. Better yet how about a curfew ribbon!

ENOUGH!

Sorry "kids" but I will no longer publish your North Side vs. South Side war of words.

MAN ATTACKS POLICE WITH A MEAT CLEAVER AND IS SHOT

The above headline is how it should have been written but instead it reads like this,
Man shot dead by Chicago police
The Tribune not only creates an inflammatory headline but contributes to the ignorance of the average reader as to options available to policemen.

Two Deering District officers responded at about 4:45 p.m. to their home on the 4500 block of South Wood Street and saw the man holding a pipe and a cleaver, police said Deputy Chief Michael Shields. The officers told the man to drop his weapons, and when he didn't, they sprayed him with chemical spray, he said.

The man then lunged at the officers with the weapons, causing both to shoot him, Shields said.

and then the questioning of the officers judgement is called by the "offenders" girlfriend.

"They didn't have to shoot him as much as they did," she said. "They could have found some other way to disarm him."

and the split second required to find that "other way" is never brought up by the Tribune only the babbling of the dead mans girlfriend.

Council delays vote on police standards reform

Sun-Times
Rookie aldermen lead challenge to mayor's plan

Four aldermen -- Bob Fioretti (2nd), Pat Dowell (3rd), Howard Brookins (21st) and Joe Moore (49th) -- used a parliamentary maneuver to delay consideration of the ordinance.

The new structure would take OPS out of the Police Department and make it a separate city department with subpoena power and a chief administrator who reports directly to the mayor. Fioretti questioned how independent the agency would be if it's still under the mayor's thumb.

Daley reacted angrily, "Who should it be -- the pope? I'm the mayor. . . . Schools are my responsibility. Why can't police be my responsibility?"

Talk about a no win situation!

PB&PA Lt’s Promotion Exam: UPDATE 14 June 07

The Honorable Judge Bernetta D. Bush has set the following date to hear our case.

Presiding Judge: Bernetta D. Bush
Case NO. 07-CH-13182
Court Room: Richard J. Daley Center – Rm 2008
Date: Tuesday 19 June 2007
Time: 10:00 a.m.

So far we have received approximately 300 affidavits. I encouraged all of our affected members who are available, to attend this hearing.

Sincerely,

John Pallohusky
President
Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association



HOW TO OBTAIN AN AFFIDAVIT
We are making Affidavits available to anyone that is eligible to participate in the re-test. If you have not already received this Affidavit and are interested in obtaining one it is available via email as an attachment or by contacting the Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association at 773-376-7272.

PB&PA

Lt’s Promotion Exam: UPDATE 10 June 07
There is apparently a rumor circulating that our lawsuit was dismissed in court last Monday 04 June 07. THIS IS NOT TRUE. In fact, last week our attorneys amended our original complaint. Our case is still pending in the Cook County Circuit Court – Chancery Division before the Honorable Judge Bernetta D. Bush.

We are making Affidavits available to anyone that is eligible to participate in the re-test. If you have not already received this Affidavit and are interested in obtaining one it is available via email as an attachment or by contacting the Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association at 773-376-7272.

Once again, as soon as a hearing date is set we will post it. If there are any questions, please contact the C.P.S.A. via email or directly M-F from 0830 to 1600hrs.

Sincerely,

John Pallohusky
President
Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association

Good Job

Chicago Cop Rescues Woman From Lake Michigan


CHICAGO, Ill. (STNG) -- A woman is in critical condition Sunday morning after she was saved by a Chicago police officer Saturday night when she took a plunge into Lake Michigan during an apparent suicide attempt near Burnham Park on the near South Side.

The Prairie (21st) District bike officer was on a routine patrol near the 31st Street beach pier when someone approached him reporting that they saw a woman jump into Lake Michigan, according to Prairie District Lt. Kathleen Scanlan.

The 27-year-old woman jumped into the water, at 3100 S. Lake Shore Dr., saying she was going to kill herself about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer said.

The bike officer jumped into the freezing water and with the help of other Prairie district officers and a detective was able to rescue the unconscious woman from the water, Scanlan said.

The woman was taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in critical condition, Greer said. The bike officer, who has been a Chicago police officer for 10 years, was also taken to an area hospital for treatment of hypothermia and bumps and bruises he suffered pulling the woman out of the water, Scanlan said.

He was released from the hospital and sent home by 2:30 a.m., the lieutenant said.

CONTRACT TIME

Earlier in the day Mark Donahue appeared on CLTV NEWS and discussed the impending expiration of the contract. The news story focused on a proposed 24% pay increase implemented over 4 years. Donahue pointed out that the department has a tough time attracting qualified candidates and money being the key issue. Also mentioned was a $3000.00 a year city of Chicago cost adjustment.
Of course the money issues are the only ones that the media would find of interest. However, I went over to the FOP Lodge 7 site and found a link to the contract proposal summary to find out what was also being put out there.
Key things the lodge is proposing:
(aside from money and discipline)
FTO's to D2A
FTO's to get 45 minutes
All 25 districts to be training districts
10 hour days for rapids on 2nd & 3rd watch
6 on 3 off for all others except administrative (not 2080 hours folks)
16% meritorious for Detective promotions
Test site north of Madison and test site south of Madison
Test graded and results same day as test
working day furloughs
Me too clause with Fire Department and Supervisors
and more at the FOP site..........

Lt’s Promotion Exam: UPDATE 04 June 07

Our case is scheduled to be heard before the Honorable Judge Bush in the Chancery Division of Cook County Circuit Court. Once a date is set by Judge Bush to hear the case we will post it.

I urge any of our affected members, who have not yet done so to contact the Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association A.S.A.P. at 773-376-7272 for details concerning this lawsuit.

Sincerely,

John Pallohusky
President
Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association

GO FIGURE!

Clout helped build flawed luxury homes
City missed defects in Bridgeport Village plans

By Laurie Cohen and Todd Lighty:
Tribune

Clout at ground floor
Early on, the development appeared to be stalled.

The partners were no lightweights: John Kinsella, a longtime Daley supporter and former chief executive of the advertising agency Leo Burnett; Sidney Diamond, a novelty candymaker; and Snitzer, a real estate developer.

Still, they didn't have the City Hall access they needed. Ald. James Balcer (11th), whose blessing was required for the project to proceed, had refused for a year to even discuss it, according to Snitzer's suit.

Court documents now show that the project's dealings with the city began to click after Kinsella brought in as an adviser Timothy Degnan, an 11th Warder and former top aide to the mayor, to steer the project through official channels. Degnan's business associate, Thomas DiPiazza, was hired as a consultant, to be paid up to $1.3 million..........

HUNDRED CLUB OF COOK COUNTY

A note from the FOP:
HUNDRED CLUB OF COOK COUNTY

The Hundred Club of Cook County is a charitable organization that gives immediate aid to the families of officers killed in the line of duty. Law enforcement members were prohibited from becoming members until legislation was introduced to allow membership.

This organization offers yearly membership for only $50.00. This is a charity that we need to support as it could benefit any one of us on any given day. Please take the time to visit the Hundred Club of Cook County website and become a member.

Doing the Booing Americans Won't Do

By Michelle Malkin

Michelle is pissed off at how Miss USA was treated by Mexicans at the Miss Universe Pagent and who can blame her?

The United States government is on the verge of approving a mass amnesty to millions of illegal aliens -- a plan pushed aggressively by meddling Mexican officials who reap billions of dollars in remittances (illegal aliens' earnings sent back to Mexico) without having to lift a finger to clean up their own country.

And the thanks we get? Internationally televised public humiliation.

On Monday night, the beautiful young woman who represented America in the Miss Universe pageant was booed and mocked as she competed on stage in Mexico City. Rachel Smith, 22, did her best to respond with grace and dignity during the Top Five finalists' interview segment as the audience disrupted the event.

'Hate Crimes' And Double Standards

By Stuart Taylor Jr., National Journal
© National Journal Group Inc.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007

A couple of months ago we asked about the double standard in the national media coverage of the Duke Lacrosse case, white boys rape black woman, and the lack of national coverage of the Knoxville, Tn. couple (white couple both raped and murdered by black men). Mr. Taylor asks the same question and more in his article about the enactment of federal legislation concerning hate crimes.

The Washington Post editorializes that we need this bill because hate crimes "terrorize whole communities." Bosh. It would be one thing if the KKK were on a violent rampage unchecked by local and state authorities. But that is not the case. The reality is that only a minuscule percentage of violent crimes are motivated by the targeted biases. And people murdered over money are just as dead as those murdered out of bias.

That's why one leader said in 1993: "There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery -- then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved." The leader was Jesse Jackson. Passing another hate crime law would make him no safer.

Read the entire article here.

NEWS OF THE DAY

State House Passes Electric Rate Freeze
New Plan Would Evaluate Utility Regulation Policies
CBS2, NBC5, ABC7, Sun-Times

Alderman's Dad Released On Bond In ID Fraud Case
CBS2, ABC7,FOX32

Handcuffed Man Flees Police In Stolen Squad CarNBC5

ACLU: Boeing subsidiary enabled CIA torture activities
ABC7

Gambling may come into play in state budget battle
ABC7

REMEMBER

LTs SURVEYED

We found this survey on the LTS website:


Would you approve a wage reduction of 1-5 percent in exchange for living outside of the City of Chicago, but within Cook County?
votes percent
1. Yes 40 38.46%
2. No 64 61.54%

Total Votes: 104

This as of 27MAY06

FUTURE CONTRACT

We haven't been around during the week and we are trying to play catch up with postings. The following is from the CPSA website:

21 May 07
Future Contract: 01 July 2007 through 30 June 2011We will be holding a series of open informal sessions for any of our members who wish to stop by to discuss issues and concerns for the upcoming contract negotiations. These sessions will be scheduled during various times and D.O.G.’s. In addition, we will be sending out a survey seeking input from our members. This survey will also be available on-line at our Web site.

The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 23 May 2007 at the Association’s Offices located at 1616 W. Pershing Rd. from 1100hrs. – 1230hrs.

John Pallohusky
President

SUPPORT FROM THE LT.s

The following was taken from the LTs Association concerning CPSA lawsuit.

Lt.s Test
The Chicago Police Sergeants' Association filed suit 16 May 2007 in Circuit Court regarding the recent problems and retesting in the Lts. Promotion Exam. Our comment to the Chicago Tribune was that we stand with and support the Sergeants.

Thank You

CASINOS

4 casinos for city, suburbs?
SPRINGFIELD Gov backs $5 bil. plan, new taxes
Sun Times

Governor might take gamble
Blagojevich is open to casino package
Tribune

It has been suggested that revenues from a city casino should be earmarked for pension funding. Unfortunately it hasn't been suggested by anyone political. Our unions need to start taking this subject seriously and bringing it out into the public forum.