NYPD VERDICT

To anyone who knew the facts of the case and understood the law, Friday’s acquittal of the three New York Police Department detectives charged in the November 2006 shooting death of Sean Bell was entirely predictable.


Read the rest at Pajama's Media.com

RAMBLINGS

Mr. Weis got a break this weekend from the violence of the week before. Hopefully Mr. Weis acknowledges that a near 40 degree drop in temperature and constant rain was the cause for the drop in violent crimes. Having SWAT go on patrol is not the answer.

Speaking of SWAT. Kudos to the boys in olive drab!

On Saturday Rigoberto Lopez entered an auto shop on the southeast side. Lopez took three hostages at gun point and after police arrived he refused to release them. Lopez fired at SWAT members. SWAT members moved in on Lopez. Lopez is dead and all the hostages were freed and unharmed.

Excellent job to all those involved.

I'll believe it when I see it. During this past week the Mayor announced that Chicago Police officers will carry M4 carbines. Monique Bond, in the Tribune, already pouring some cold water on the Mayor's comments....

"It's very preliminary. It's really under review. It is something being reviewed. As far as all of the logistics, the training component, might be premature to discuss it at this point," Bond said.

I'm not going to hold my breath.

By the way, Fox News32 thought it newsworthy to run an unscientific poll to see how the viewers felt about us being armed with the M4 carbine. On their website they asked if it were right or wrong that we be armed with high power rifles. Well the uniformed opinions flowed in as usual.
This one from Sherrie5870: WRONG!!!
How can having high powered guns for the police stop crime. Its not like the crimes are happening in front of the police because they are not. The people that are committing the crimes are getting away because there is no police presence. If there were police patrolling more often the criminals would be scarce. I moved here to escape the violence from Gary, IN. I feel like right out of the frying pan and into the fire now. I now homeschool my children. I'm now trying to find somewhere safer.
Sherrie

No Shit Sherlock! The purpose for being better armed is not to deter crime but make sure we aren't out gunned you idiot. AK47 Vs. 9mm = dead police

And this pearl of wisdom from Keto: They shot at that cougar 21 times an hit him 3 times,
now they want them to have these weapons ? What A joke.

Get over the cougar asshole!

If you didn't catch the Roe Conn Show with Mr. Weis you can hear it here.
If that were an official police report we could be looking at a couple rule 14 violations. Is it just me or is he slightly delusional?

IS MR. WEIS IN OVER HIS HEAD?

22nd district tact car fired on by offender with AK 47
left click picture to enlarge (Via SCC)
Thank God these officers are still with us. Great job job 22nd district.


What a weekend here in the Windy City. Over at CBS2Chicago.com the headline reads like this;

Bloody Weekend: At Least 21 Shot, 4 Dead
This just after the department made these stats available:

From January through March, murders decreased 1.1 percent and aggravated batteries decreased 0.8 percent, according to a release Friday from police. Criminal sexual assaults were down 13.9 percent, the release said. Robberies were up 16.3 percent in that time period. Overall crime was up 1.9 percent, though. The Harrison District on the West Side had the largest decrease compared to the same period last year, the release said, with an overall reduction in crime of 16.1 percent.

Fast forward to this evening and and look at CBS2Chicago.com

There have been 26 shootings this weekend, four of them fatal – that's seven more than this same weekend last year.

The department will be targeting gang leaders, enhancing bike and foot patrols and saturating violent zones or areas of the city with more resources.

What resources Mr. Weis?
On Friday Mr. Weis thought it prudent to gut TRU of 91 officers and 6 sergeants effective the 6th period. Despite the attitude by many readers over at SCC I take a contrary opinion to the relevance of TRU. Why? I think large departments need a large unit that can be deployed at the drop of a dime to a critical incident. For instance, an airplane rolling off a runway at Midway Airport, a bomb blowing up downtown or a commuter train derailment. Besides,deploying 25 tact teams to handle a protest march is ridiculous. Tact teams and gang teams need to stay in their district where they know the players and the game. When there isn't a critical incident then a unit like TRU can be deployed to hot spots throughout the city to saturate and be a deterrence to increased violence.
Early Friday the department announced the decline in homicides and aggravated batteries between the months of January thru March. This may have been the news that motivated Mr. Weis to decide it was time to eliminate two companies from TRU. Now if you believe that the addition of six sergeants to patrol is going to make a difference then you my friends are drinking the Federal Kool-aid. The addition of 91 officers to patrol sounds like it may make a difference but keep in mind that these officers are detailed and would be sent back to their districts. Depending on which districts they are from, at best, 5-6 patrolmen may be back to your district. Sorry but that isn't the solution to our manpower needs. The problem is the lack of hiring and the attrition rate, plain and simple.

This is just my opinion but I think the Former SAC is in way over his head and if he thinks gutting TRU is a great idea then beware.
By the way Mr. Weis, January thru March was cold and miserable and there is a call for a long hot summer.

Would love to hear from sergeants in patrol and from TRU.

Comments about hair gel and 2 year wonders may not be published. Lets take a few things a little more serious.

UPDATE: The final weekend count From CBS2Chicago.com

In all, at least 37 people were shot, two were stabbed and at least seven people are dead.

A couple of comments from readers of the L.A. TIMES concerning the

"I am totally disgusted by Chicago Police and will report them to PETA for their horrible attack on an innocent animal. Do they not know what a tranquilizer gun is????? I cried at the injustice for this poor animal lost in a concrete jungle. I hope those officers can sleep safe in knowing that they were only protecting themselves and their pride while they could have waited for animal services to take the animal back to its natural habitat. Foul and cowardices. And may I say stupidity." -- Animal Rights

On the other hand....

"I'm cracking up reading all the comments about the 'beautiful innocent animal' ...what a bunch of whiney hippies. It's a dangerous predator. It could have killed any of those officers easily, not to mention any children who it might have happened upon. Beautiful innocent children. What is this country coming to when the life of an animal is given higher value that the life of a human??" -- Wyzbok

Read more at L.A. Unleashed.



You're God Damn right they killed that animal to protect themselves! Nothing to do with pride and everything to do with survival and the survival of others. I'd give my life for my child but not a fucking animal. People like "Animal Rights" are fools.

This animal..........

was in this neighborhood,

and some residents are questioning the use of force used by the police.

Well at least we have the support of the superintendent.

"There's no doubt that lives were saved as a result of his actions and his fellow officers' attempts to contain the animal away from innocent bystanders," Police Supt. Jody Weis said in a statement.

However, the ramblings of the Mayor were classic....

Mayor Richard Daley also added his support for the police response. .

"First of all, it happened at 5:30 in the afternoon [in] the Roscoe Village community. It was seen running between buildings. The cougar charged a police officer," he said in remarks at an unrelated event.

Daley noted that a principal at an elementary school where a day-care program was still active alerted the police of the animal's presence in a school parking lot.

"Now, I just want to tell you, if the cougar attacked a child, they'd sue the city because the police officer didn't do their job. So everybody second guesses, you know. So let the cougar run around and attack children. Everybody would be filing lawsuits, and yelling at the police and all the local officials. … Too bad that we didn't have an animal care and control personnel. [They] were en route to the scene. But again you have to make individual decisions. I didn't see a neighbor run out and grab it and say, 'Oh I love you' and bring it in the house. This is unbelievable. I mean, I just, I just. … 'Don't worry about it.' "

He added, "A cougar is a beautiful animal. I mean, it really is."

I'll give him an "A" for effort.
Read the whole story in the Tribune.

HELICOPTERS

I am a big advocate of the use of helicopters for law enforcement. I have written about this before and the Chicago Police Department lags way behind departments a quarter of our size. With that being said, I would like to applaud the work that is done by the crews of the aviation unit despite their limited resources. A couple of evenings ago helicopter 1 monitored a pursuit in the suburb of Burnham and proceeded to assist. The vehicle being pursued was involved in a robbery in Hammond, Indiana. The driver crashed his vehicle and fled on foot. The helicopter was able to locate the offender and radio his location to officers on the street. (Story on Fox) Well done guys.
Sergeants don't be reluctant to request the assistance of the helicopter and don't be discouraged if you are denied. Remember these crews are working with limited resources and at this time of year weather plays a big role.

In todays Tribune, John Kass writes an article on the ludicrous sentences of Pichino Hill versus Mike Mette. On 22 March I wrote a post on the same issue. Did I inspire John Kass? Probably not, John has been a great advocate in the press for Mike Mette's cause.
Keep up the good work.

12 HOUR DAYS

In LA the 12 hour day, as I have been told, is based on fixed days off. There are two day off groups, Mon-Tue-Wed and Thur-Fri-Sat. You bid for a day off group. For example, officer A is low on seniority and his days off are Mon-Tue and Wed and every other Sunday. Officer B is higher in seniority and his days off are Thur-Fri-Sat and the alternate Sunday.
For me three straight 12 hour days is a bit much, add a fourth every other week and its beyond acceptable. Add to it that less senior officers may not see a weekend for years. No thanks!
I am not sure what Mr. Weis' 12 hour schedule looks like so I can't comment but I would love to put forward one that might gain some support.
A 12 hour day is long but under this plan you only work two days and then off two days. Our friends in the firehouse "work" 24 hours then off two days. Every 5th time they do this (correct me if I'm wrong) they get a "Daley Day", which gives them 5 consecutive days off. I believe this is to keep them within the 2080 hours a year. Under the two on, two off plan you would work 24 hours, not consecutively, and then be off two days. In a 4 week period you will work two 48 hour weeks and two 36 hour weeks. This means that after the 4 week period you would be owed 8 hours time and after three periods you would be owed 24 hours. This necessitates the need for a "Daley Days" for policemen. Firemen receive them on a rotating basis and this could be figured into our schedule with a minimal effect on manpower.
The bottom line to this plan is you work 2080 hours a year, work two days, off two days, and once during a three period span you are off for 6 days.
Food for thought.

Eliminate 6th Work Day

Just a thought about eliminating the 6th consecutive work day.
Some time ago I had a conversation with an officer of the NYPD and asked him about their work schedule. To my surprise he stated that they worked 5 on 2 off then worked 5 on and 3 off. In this way you rotate days off but you fall far short of the 2080 hours that the city requires. (40 hours per week x 52 weeks = 2080 hours) With this type of schedule you would work roughly 1950 hours a year. I know somebody who mentioned this to a high official of FOP and he stated that the city's stance is that our salary is based on 2080 hours and that if we wanted that schedule we would have to prorate our salaries.
For example, let us take an officer under the current contract at step level 7 (over 10 years)
The officers yearly salary is $70,656.00 which is $33.97 per hour. We take the hourly salary and multiple by the new amount of worked hours. 33.97 x 1950 = $66,240.00 for a difference of -$4,416.00.

I am by no means advocating this schedule but only making you aware that it is an alternative.


Food for thought....My nest post will deal with a 12 hour schedule that is an alternate to what you have been hearing.

UNIFORMS

The subject is uniforms and the lack of uniformity in the department.
Rumors abound on SCC about what changes we will see, i.e., the elimination of both black vest covers and cargo pants. I have an opinion about the uniform as I'm sure most of you do.

Let us start from the top to the bottom. Keep in mind that I am some what of a traditionalist but also believe in officer comfort.

Well I think it goes without saying that the hat on the right looks like one worn by a professional and the one on the left by a security guard. The one on the left is comfortable but looks terrible.
Tradition wins out on this one.

Blacks vest versus a light blue/white vest.
The proper wearing of the vest is under your shirt but in the high humidity of summer it becomes almost unbearable. Since it becomes impractical to conceal your vest, the vest cover becomes the only option. The light colored (light blue/ white) vest becomes filthy within a couple of days of wear. Therefor the black vest cover is my choice.
Comforts wins here.

Shirts
Is there an issue?

NYPD

LAPD

Not very long ago our brothers of the NYPD wore light blue shirts and now they have switched to the navy blue shirt like our brothers of the LAPD.

The color of our shirts is of no real importance one way or the other. However, if we prefer the dark vest then it would stand to reason that we wear a dark shirt.

The pants have caused a lot of discussion. I for one was very happy when the cargo pants became an optional uniform choice. However, I find myself never using the additional pockets but I prefer the material of the pants (cotton like) over the shinny 80/20's that we were previously required to wear. I'm all for the material but indifferent to the pockets.
Comfort wins again.

Does your appearance command respect? Your appearance does not make you a good policeman but perception in the public’s eye is reality. Do we have an appearance problem? We definitely could use some sprucing up. As a department I think uniformity can be accomplished with office comfort being the number one priority.

IOWA JUST CANT GET IT RIGHT

I have heard of judges making ridiculous decisions but this one in particular is especially galling. Career criminal Pachino Hill was sentenced to church.


What did Hill do to get himself in trouble with the law?

Hill was driving a car with a broken headlight one night in October, down Fifth Street in Rock Island, testified Rock Island County Sheriff's Deputy Justin Chisholm. Chisholm turned around and attempted to stop the Dodge Neon that Hill was driving. Instead, Hill took off and headed for the Centennial Bridge.

Hill and Chisholm crossed the bridge, turned right onto 2nd Street in downtown Davenport, up Main Street, over to Brady Street and then onto 12th Street.

Chisholm lost sight of Hill and his passenger in his car. As he turned onto 12th Street, approaching Pershing Avenue, he spotted Hill and his passenger running from an alley. Police later recovered the Neon parked behind a house in the alley.

Chisholm chased the two on foot, east toward Iowa Avenue. Chisholm used his Taser to bring Hill to the ground. Hill was then arrested.

Here is a little peek into Mr. Hill's criminal background.

Hill was charged when he was 14 years old with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Lawrence Brown Johnson. He was accused of giving the gun used in the shooting to Clyde Edwards Jr.

Hill pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and terrorism. Hill was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

At the time, then-Scott County Attorney Bill Davis said: "If we had gone to trial and if Pachino were convicted of first-degree murder, he would have gotten life in prison." He thought that considering Hill's young age, the plea was appropriate.

"This is one of the few chances we get to do some good. We have two young men who still will have a chance at life if they decide to do some good," Davis said at the time.

In December 2002, Hill was one of three men charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting at a Davenport police officer. One of those bullets missed the head of the Cpl. Dennis Colclasure by six inches, police investigators said.

A lack of evidence caused Scott County prosecutors to drop those charges. Hill was convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon in connection with that incident, but a judge later ruled the evidence insufficient to charge him with any offense and dismissed the case.

In October 2004, Hill was arrested for helping Bryan Mitchell of Davenport leave the area of the fatal shooting of Grayling Church, 20, of Davenport. He also was accused of concealing the weapon and keeping witnesses from giving statements. He was found not guilty of that charge.

In March 2006, Hill was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a 28-year-old man in the thigh. He pleaded guilty to assault resulting in bodily injury and was sentenced to one year probation and a $250 fine.

It wasn’t long before Hill began being arrested again.

He was charged with child endangerment in April 2006, on a drug charge in July 2006 and a domestic assault charge in August 2006. That charge prompted a police search because he fled after hitting a former girlfriend in the forehead with a bottle and slashing two tires on her car.

He received probation for the child endangerment and drug charges. The domestic assault case was dismissed.

In July 2007, he led police on a chase during a traffic enforcement effort on the Centennial Bridge. He pleaded guilty to driving while barred and received probation. His probation was revoked because of the most recent chase. If he does not complete the terms of the sentenced imposed Wednesday, eight months will be added to the two-year prison sentence.

This is the second time Hill has been convicted of leading police on vehicle pursuits along with the death and mayhem he has brought to the Quad Cities area.

The President of the Davenport Iowa Police Union has spoken out with regards to this judge's outrageous decision.

''We're upset. This is kind of a slap in our face'', said Police Union President Jim Meyrer on Thursday. ''I don't think this 8 weeks of church is going to make him think he shouldn't do this again. He's a repeat offender''.
Union President Meyrer said he hopes it's not a trend. ''Here you have a guy that's been in the system over and over and over, and now he's getting a sentence like this?'' Meyrer said. ''We're just shocked''

We here in Chicago are also shocked President Meyrer! We are shocked that in one county of Iowa a judge can sentence Mike Mette to 5 years in prison for defending himself (the judges words) and a judge in another county gives a repeat violent offender church as a means to rehabilitation. Both sentences are a miscarriage of justice and the people of Iowa should be outraged.


P.S. Ass wipe Hill faces felon charges in Rock Island County (Illinois), where the pursuit originated, and they plan on pursuing jail time.



0

CAMERA TASER USED

A man died Tuesday night after Chicago police shocked him with a Taser stun gun because he was combative during an arrest on the West Side, authorities said Wednesday morning.

Tribune


I too was involved in a "death in custody" incident, and this prior to supervisors being issued Tasers.
The offender was dressed only in his underwear (outside temp in lower 40's), sweating, and breaking windows of the residences on the block. We tried speaking to him and he mumbled incoherently. He became agitated and attacked a group of 8 officers. We struggled to cuff him and as we turned him over to bring him to the wagon we found him unresponsive. Fire was called and he was dead. We later found out that he died as a result of a heart attack and that he was under the influence of cocaine. I'm sure the fact that he weighed nearly 400 pounds didn't help his heart either. The citizens that were on scene, and there were plenty of them, gave the same account of the events as we did.

I found this article that I would like to share with you from PoliceOne.com

Three truths are becoming clear about excited delirium, the perplexing and violent human meltdown that is increasingly confronting LE and EMS personnel as a menacing problem.

1. A subject in the throes of this affliction may be on a "freight train to death" that no form of intervention can slow or stop.

2. Despite accusations by activists, angry relatives and the media, Tasers, "positional asphyxia," and other common scapegoats are not the cause of the person's ultimate demise.

3. If an ED sufferer is to be saved, "early and rapid" coordinated efforts of peace officers and EMS responders will probably be necessary.

These critical facts were the core of a frank debriefing by ED authority Dr. Michael Curtis, attended by PoliceOne and an audience of firefighters, LE officers, EMTs and hospital ER personnel at Waukesha County Technical College near Milwaukee. Curtis, an EMS medical director and an advisor to the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board, will be featured in a roll call training package on ED that the state’s Department of Justice is preparing.

"We have been lulled into a sense of security about medication taking care of psychiatric problems," Curtis stated. "But now we’re seeing an increasing number of people who stop taking their meds, along with a rise in methamphetamine and cocaine use." That baleful blend, in his opinion, means "we’re going to see more and more and more ED confrontations. Major cities may see more than rural areas, but it can strike anywhere."

Much about ED remains a mystery, although the syndrome has been recognized since 1849 or earlier. Modern experience shows that the typical encounter with first responders begins with an "agitated, excited" adult male creating a disturbance, triggering a call to 911.

As Curtis describes it, the subject will exhibit confused, disoriented ("Where am I?") and bizarre behavior that has begun abruptly ("He just snapped, out of the blue!" witnesses may exclaim.). This may include visual or auditory hallucinations, distortions (he may interpret benign noises as gunshots, for example), signs of "unusual fear," and violence directed at objects, especially shiny items and glass.

Hyperthermia (overheating) may be spiking his body temperature from 105 to 113 degrees, so he’s often sweating profusely, although perspiration may cease "in the later phases of the emergency." Frequently ED subjects will be tearing at their clothing or already be partially or totally naked. When police arrive, they probably find the subject "yelling and screaming," with emotions very unstable ("all over the place") and attention span "very short."

Typically a struggle ensues when officers try to restrain him. Because he has "superhuman strength and insensitivity to pain," multiple officers probably get involved ("It may take six to displace him."). He continues to fight even after restrained. Typically, he’s "transported in a police vehicle to jail."

He dies in custody. And the police, police tactics and police equipment are blamed.

[For more details on ED, Curtis recommended that responders consult the PoliceOne Web site, where a number of authoritative reports on the subject are archived. Another resource is the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, headed by Dr. John Peters Jr. (www.ipicd.com).]

Curtis then explained what often doesn’t make the headlines:

Intervention and survivability

Researchers in Los Angeles County studied 18 cases in which ED subjects were placed not in a police vehicle but in an ambulance after being restrained, with paramedics monitoring them. Despite cardiac treatment, all died, and all attempts at resuscitation failed.

Once their body crash begins and "they go over the edge, there is [generally] no bringing them back," Curtis said. Paramedics may try "every trick they have up their sleeve" to no avail. "ED creates some kind of profound derangement of underlying physiology," and in the vast majority of known cases subjects "can’t be resuscitated by any means." Whatever the intervention, "they usually die anyway."

Those who do happen to survive "often have severe medical problems for weeks afterward, including muscle breakdown and kidney failure that may require dialysis," Curtis reported.

The blame game

An autopsy typically shows that the subject suffered "minimal injury from the police confrontation," and that he had "illicit stimulant drugs" in his system. Because of the ineffectiveness of OC, baton strikes and other pain-compliance measures, a Taser may have been used to control his combativeness.

"The news media have implied a cause-and-effect relationship between Tasers and in-custody deaths," including those involving ED. But, Curtis asserted, "if you search the medical literature, there is no scientific evidence to date" that such a relationship exists.

Nor, he said, is there valid evidence that the way these subjects were restrained caused death via so-called positional asphyxia or hog-tying.

"If you [conduct a Web search for] ‘Taser and death,’ you’ll find news articles from all over the U.S., and the headline is always the same: ‘Dies After Being Stunned by Taser,’" Curtis said. "Cause-and-effect is assumed, but that is a fallacy of logic. Even though ‘B’ came before ‘C’ doesn’t mean that ‘B’ caused ‘C,’ especially if an alternative explanation, ‘A,’ better explains the result" ("A," in this case, being the nature of ED itself).

"Several forensic pathology studies" have confirmed that ED "is an imminently life-threatening medical emergency" that can produce fatal consequences, Curtis said. In short, the ED subject is already a medical mess before responders arrive.

"Because of pathology going on in his brain, his body can’t cool itself and his temperature just keeps shooting up" toward lethal levels. This is aggravated by his extreme physical activity (agitation and violence) and by dehydration.

Disruption of the subject’s metabolic functions, particularly a dangerous lowering of his blood’s acidity (pH) level, tends also be a significant characteristic of violent activity and dehydration — and of ED, Curtis explained. "The body works best within a narrow range of pH;" outside that range, there may be dire consequences.

Less clear but also a common associated factor in ED deaths is the subject’s "noncompliance with medications to control psychosis or bipolar disorder," Curtis said. Perhaps the effects of sudden withdrawal without being under medical supervision has placed these people "more at risk."

The dominant cause underlying this physiological chaos, Curtis said, is most often "stimulant drug abuse. A characteristic pattern is binging for two to four days before the ED episode. Acute intoxication with one of the stimulants — cocaine, meth, PCP — triggers the event" and sets the subject up for a calamitous outcome.

Mix into all this possible contributory health threats such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and you have a subject who’s "on a freight train to death," Curtis said, quoting a phrase coined by Sgt. Dennis Angle of Waukesha, Wis., Police Department.

In some cases, Curtis acknowledged, coroners or medical examiners have blamed Tasering for ED deaths, "but when subjected to scrutiny these determinations have not held up." The ED syndrome itself "is the underlying reason for these people dying, not intervention. So far, no one has been able to show a pathophysiological pathway from Taser to death."

SOUTHSIDE FIRE

Two officers from TRU on-viewed a fire on the 4700 block of south Paulina. The two entered the burning building to assist residents to safety. The officers were able to rescue three residents and a Fourth was pronounced at Holy Cross Hospital. The officers were treated along with a firemen for injuries. I heard that the officers were released this morning. Good job guys.

Read more in the Tribune

FINAL CALL

Final Call, the alleged media arm of the Nation of Islam, had a $15,000 gas bill that was seriously delinquent. Peoples Energy workers were sent to the 79th St. location to shut off the gas. As a worker attempted to reach the line under the sidewalk, he was attacked by two members of the Nation of Islam. The employee was not injured but a battery took place against a protected employee. Amazingly Felony Review approved felony charges as they should have.

Read the story in the Tribune.

PARADES AND FESTIVALS

The last time I went to the South side Irish Parade was three years ago and I did so reluctantly. I brought my 4 year old son and a neighbors 6 year old daughter and I regretted every minute of it. We walked along 103rd street to the sights and sounds of drunk teenagers and adults alike. The obnoxious language and smell of cannabis was everywhere. Proud to be Irish? Hardly! As we neared Western Ave my 4 year old and the 6 year old neighbor had to witness teenage girls squatting in the alley and pissing. We watched the parade for a few minutes and I brought the kids home.
I have had enough of this disgusting display of crude behavior and unchecked public drunkenness. My family and a couple of families that we are friends with now take an annual trip to the Dells when the South Side Irish Parade is scheduled.
I say hurray to the department for wanting to take a stronger stance on enforcement. This event was originally intended for families to get together and celebrate their Irish heritage. It has now degenerated to a mass drunk fest drawing idiots from all over the city not just the southwest side. There is also an attitude amongst teens that this event is somehow a right of passage for them to act like drunken fools.
According to news reports the department made 50 arrest and hundreds of ANOVs were issued. Is this enough to curtail the stupidity? I seriously doubt it, but keep it up and hammer them harder next year.
I agree with the tougher stance the department has taken and I hope that they approach the other ethnic festivals with equal zeal i.e.
Cinco De Mayo in Douglas Park, Puertorican Fest in Humbolt Park and the Bud Billiken Parade.

GREG BELLA FIRES BACK AT J-FED

“If you want guys to work out, let them park the car and go work out, like I’m sure he does…Give us time during an eight-hour shift. That way, we’ll be sure to get it in,” said Greg Bella, the FOP’s third vice-president.....more

RECRUITS JOBLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I recall reading comments, last month, at SCC that a recruit class was sent home until further notice. I assumed that this was just some rumour as a lot of comments are on the blog. A commenter actually clarified what actually happened. The commenter downplayed the sending home of the recruits and implied that all other comments were just uninformed bullshit. The recruits would be back in class during the week. End of story, right? NOT!!!!
I found this tid-bit on Police One.com

On Wednesday, city officials confirmed the training class for some 50 recruits was postponed from Feb. 19 to May 19.

How in the hell does the department/city justify this?

The reason for the delay, city officials said, was to get more "seasoned'' cops on the street.

Over the next three months while the recruit class holds, the city will move officers working desk jobs back onto the street, said Wendy Abrams, spokeswoman for the city's office of budget and management. Money will be spent to fill those "administrative" positions until the recruits start in May.

What an absolute crock of SHIT! You assholes may be able to fill out an ethics form but you surely can't practice being ethical. These men and women had jobs and put in their two weeks notice to take the job you offered them. How do they pay their rent/mortgage, groceries, car payments and all the other expenses people incur just to survive during this 3 month hiatus?
It is already March and we don't expect a class until 19 May, so don't expect a new group of 50 until mid November to be on the street. Keep in mind we have an attrition rate of about 600 a year...........Unbelievable!!!!

For all you FOP haters, there is nothing they can do about this, these poor souls are not covered by the bargaining unit. All Donahue can do is express his displeasure.

TEST RESULTS????

The Town of Cicero has decided that they will withhold the results of Commander Wesley Scott's drug test results.

Officials received the long-awaited results of the hair-follicle test last week but will not disclose them until Scott's case is adjudicated, town spokesman Dan Proft said Tuesday.

"Because we have a pending court case, rather than introducing evidence that could possibly be used by either side, we're going to hold our powder and wait for that case to run its course," Proft said.

A few weeks ago when it was thought that he had passed (the wrong test)town officials made public those results. What makes these results different than those?
Read the whole story in the Tribune.

MIKE METTE

I received a few emails from the folks involved with the Mike Mette group and they have an online petition to State of Iowa Governor Chet Culver and the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning the injustice brought against Mike Mette. SCC has a goal of obtaining 10,000 signatures by 08 MARCH and I have no doubt they will get it.

BLOGO LIKE RYAN

This entry in Wikipedia on, former Illinois Governor, George Ryan regarding his commuting of all death row inmates;

Ryan won praise from death penalty opponents, and was nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. Many conservatives, though, were opposed to the decision, and some questioned the motives behind the commutations, which came as a federal corruption investigation closed in on the governor and his closest political allies. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan called Ryan "pathetic", and suggested that the governor was attempting to save his public image in hopes of avoiding prison himself.

Call me a cynic but now Rod Blagojevich has to tweak his image after a Federal Judge identified him as "public offical A".
In today's Tribune;

After meeting with Northern Illinois University leaders, Gov. Rod Blagojevich asked state lawmakers Wednesday to spend $40 million to raze the lecture hall where five students were fatally shot on Valentine's Day and replace it with a new classroom and memorial building.

The governor's request immediately brought a mixture of kudos and skepticism from lawmakers, some of whom questioned whether taxpayers should bear the financial burden of physically erasing the scene of the tragedy.

This is something that should be left to the alumni of NIU to build an appropriate memorial. I feel for the families of the dead and injured, I feel for those who had to witness the cowardly act that was perpetrated that day. At the risk of sounding callous I don't feel this is an appropriate use of state funds and I believe this is just a political stunt by a shameless politician to improve his public image.