Second City Cop

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LvuH0kdil4
  
  Last month, our new pension trustee Mike Shields tried to get rid of an investment manager that has lost nearly half of a 50ドルm investment. He lost that battle. This month, he tried to stop the pension fund from paying for law school for the "Executive Director's" personal secretary. He lost, but at least he's making some waves and shining a light on the BS. There are four trustees that are/were the police. Why don't they all vote for the right thing? And, who exactly is the secretary's clout? Answers, anyone? It must be good.

Labels: pension

• In September 2008, Officer Jamison traveled to Utah to attend a law enforcement training conference. On Saturday, September 13, prior to leaving for the airport to return to Chicago, Officer Jamison stopped for breakfast. What began as a quiet travel day soon took a turn that no one could have predicted.

  As Officer Jamison exited the restaurant to wait for his partner, he observed a couple in the parking lot apparently saying goodbye to each other. Before they separated, a stranger approached the couple, walked up to the man, and simply stated, "I'm sorry." With lightening speed he drew a pair of scissors and proceeded to stab the victim in the face, neck, and arms. Officer Jamison witnessed the attack and rushed to help the victim and subdue the assailant.

Labels: good news

• Margaret Rains and Haley Tepe were sitting down to enjoy ice cream at a Baskin-Robbins in Aurora, Colo., when a sport utility vehicle driven by an illegal immigrant sent two cars plowing into the shop, leaving three dead and the two women injured.

  Now the women are taking action against the city of Denver, arguing that its sanctuary-city policy contributed to the Sept. 4 crash. The driver, 23-year-old Francis Hernandez, had been arrested numerous times by Denver police, but was never reported to federal immigration authorities.

Labels: national politics

• Gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson is recalling two of its popular pistol models due to a worst-case-scenario kind of defect: one that could cause the guns to go off without the trigger being pulled.

  According to a Smith & Wesson Safety Recall Notice, the company has identified a defect in certain Walther PPK and PPK/S pistols that could cause a chambered round to fire when the pistol's hammer is lowered, even without the trigger being pulled. Smith & Wesson is advising owners of affected Walther pistols to stop using the guns at once, and to return them to Smith & Wesson for installation of a new hammer block that will remedy the defect.

Labels: safety issues

Labels: olympics

• If you're getting robbed in Oak Park, police want you to put your lips on a whistle and blow.
  Police Chief Rick Tanksley is dusting off the actress Lauren Bacall approach to community policing in response to last year's alarming 46 percent spike in robberies.
  He wants to outfit folks with brass police whistles they can use to attract attention when they spot shadowy characters up to no good.

Labels: dumb ideas

• This week city attorneys defending a Chicago Police officer who was sued for the shooting death of a man used a new animation technique that came as close to CSI as it gets.

  A jury found in favor of the city and the officer Tuesday after a six-day trial.

  "The jury thinks we can do everything CSI does,'' city attorney Matt Hurd said. "When we can use this CSI stuff, it's something a jury can relate to.''

• Law department officials said they are not aware of another case where the animation was used. It's costly -- 15,000ドル in this case. The animation will be considered for use on a case-by-case basis.

Labels: good news

• Chicago police on Thursday charged a reputed gang member who they believe used an assault rifle to fatally shoot three teenagers in the South Chicago neighborhood last week.
  
  Martin Ybarra, 20, was charged with three counts of murder after help from the community led to his arrest Tuesday on the Southeast Side and he was identified by witnesses, police said.
  
  
• Police may be looking for more suspects, officials said Thursday. The rifle believed to be tied to the murders was recovered, police said.

Labels: crime

• He was a high school and college basketball great, an NBA champion and an All-Star, a front-office executive and a respected broadcaster, but Johnny Kerr, who died tonight at 76 after a long battle with prostate cancer, always will be known as a Chicago Bull.
  
  Perhaps the best ambassador the Bulls will ever have, Kerr's nickname, "Red" -- for his hair color -- couldn't have been more appropriate. In many ways, Kerr was Mr. Bull: the first coach in franchise history, NBA Coach of the Year that 1966-67 season, later the club's business manager and finally its television and radio analyst for 33 years.
  
  
• Norm Van Lier, one of the most popular players in Bulls history, was found dead in his Chicago apartment today. He was 61.

  The cause of death was not released, pending a report by the Cook County medical examiner's office.

  Van Lier had been working as a Bulls analyst for ComcastSportsnet Chicago after 10-year playing career.

Labels: sports

• The truck driver who plowed into a Red Line station in Chinatown last April, killing two people and injuring 21 others, suffered a "medical condition" just before the crash, a federal lawsuit filed by the truck driver's family alleged.
  
  The lawsuit filed by Donald Wells' wife, Ann Darlene Wells of Metamora, Mich., alleges that Chicago police ignored pleas by family members for medical treatment for Wells, who was "talking incoherently . . . and otherwise behaving abnormally" during the 48 hours he was in police custody.
  
  
• Wells, 64, who was suffering "from a mental condition and...experiencing severe physical and psychiatric ailments" while in police custody, died of pneumonia and multiple organ failure in June, the lawsuit said. The suit alleged that police indifference to Wells' medical condition contributed to his death. The suit names the City of Chicago and numerous police officers as defendants.
  
  The Tribune reported at the time of the crash that Wells was taken to Stroger Hospital immediately, but he refused treatment in part because he had no health insurance.

• but he refused treatment in part because he had no health insurance

Labels: silly people

• CPS has voted to go ahead and close a number of schools for under-enrollment or poor performance.
  
  The school system had slated 22 under-enrolled or struggling schools for closing or reorganization, but Chief Executive officer Ron Huberman took six schools off the list Monday after hearing from parents, teachers and others at public hearings
  
  In all, 16 schools will be closed or consolidated

Labels: we got nothing

• Mayor Daley today stood behind his police superintendent for refusing a judge’s order to release names of officers with five or more citizen complaints filed against them since 2002.

Labels: city politics, department issues

• Over the last 16 months, Mark Geinosky has received 24 parking tickets.
  
  All but one have been dismissed. You can bet that one will be thrown out, too, when he goes to administrative court next week.
  
  For reasons Geinosky can't explain, he believes Chicago police officers have targeted him with the barrage of citations—sometimes issuing four tickets at a time for such things as parking too close to a fire hydrant, obstructing the roadway or leaving his vehicle in a crosswalk.

• Of the 24 tickets he has received, 13 were written by the same officer. The Problem Solver is not naming the officer because he has not been charged with any wrongdoing. The 13 tickets were written at four different South Side locations in May, July, August and October of last year. All 13 of those tickets were written at exactly 10 p.m., no matter which day they were issued. And all 13 were sequential in number, meaning that from May to October that officer wrote no tickets to anyone other than Geinosky from the ticket book in question.

Labels: we got nothing

• How would you like to rent a car in Waukegan or St. Charles, only to be slapped with the 8 percent "transaction tax" that applies to Chicago car rentals?

  Brace yourself. With a burgeoning 50ドル.5 million budget gap, Chicago is reaching into suburban pockets. And Enterprise Rent-a-Car has filed a lawsuit challenging the Daley administration's effort to collect the tax from drivers who rent cars in the suburbs.

  The suit was filed last week in Kane County after an administrative ruling by the city's Department of Revenue that City Hall will "presume" that all car rentals in the six-county area are subject to Chicago's 8 percent transaction tax.

Labels: un-fucking-believable

• Chicago Cop Watch is a website whose stated goal is to engage in monitoring of the police, videotaping police activity, and educating the public about police misconduct. The Chicago Cop Watch recently posted a video of purported police misconduct aboard a CTA bus.
  
  The Lodge has fielded many questions regarding the CTA Bus Video that was posted on Chicago Cop Watch.org. as well as questions regarding the operation of the Chicago Cop Watch website. Unfortunately, the Lodge does not have the answers to these questions.
  
  The registrar, administrator, or tech for Chicago Cop Watch should be able to answer our members questions.
  Whois.com lists the registration contact information for the chicagocopwatch.org registrar, administrator, and tech as:
  
  Spencer Thayer
  3139 N. Francisco Ave., Apt. 2N
  Chicago, IL 60618-7057
  
  312-576-0270
  
  spencer@uglatto.com
  
  Please contact Mr. Thayer with your questions regarding the video or operation of the website.

Labels: FOP

• Police have not been able to retrieve images from a city surveillance camera perched above the Southeast Side corner where three teens were slain Friday.

  The camera's blue light was blinking, but the camera may not have been recording. City technicians and vendors are inspecting it and trying to determine if any images can be downloaded.

• The lack of footage has not hampered the investigation into the shooting at 87th and Exchange, several sources said. Police have said they are looking for three people.

Labels: crime

• Police say an internal department investigation on how a 14-year-old boy allegedly was able to impersonate a Chicago officer is complete.

  But police spokeswoman Antoinette Ursitti said Monday the findings won't be made public until Supt. Jody Weis (WEES) can address them.

  Ursitti says an investigation into the Jan. 24 security breach includes surveillance video and witness interviews.

  The incident was embarrassing for Weis and the department

Labels: department issues

• Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis has refused a federal judge’s order to release the names of officers who have at least five citizen complaints filed against them since 2000.

  U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez had given Weis until 4 p.m. Friday to do so.

  The list was being sought, along with a list of excessive-force complaints, by attorneys suing the city over an allegation that an officer falsely arrested and used excessive force against two children.

• ...to hand over the list because it would, "compromise officers’ performance, threaten safety, reduce morale and improperly impugn many officers’ otherwise well-deserved good reputations."

Labels: department issues

• There was something posted in the comments section awhile back about BOP 009-062. This order from Dugan requires supervisors to make copies of SPARS and send them up the chain to the Deputy Chief for review. The W/C gives me one, I save it electronically, make copies (what happen to being paperless) send it up the chain. I recommend a reprimand and the W/C and DC sign off on it. It is kicked back from the Deputy Chief (more likely his PO secretary) with a note stating the officer should be given a day.
  
  I have two problems with this. First, SPARs are suppose to be district level discipline. The DC approves the thing and its kicked back from his boss. Second, if you don't agree with my recommendation that is fine. Don't send me a note. Either concur or not concur electronically. The pussies up above never have the balls to put their name on these things.
  
  Long story short, a PO know at the district level as being a hard worker gets fucked out of a day because a deputy chief, who does not know him, and is not even in the command channel review for SPARS, want to show off to pussy Dugan how tough he can be on uniform violators.
  
  Way to go Dugan. I know you and your Wies cronies got our backs. This really going to help morale on the watch.

Labels: department issues

• Mayor Richard Daley on Monday joined the queen of England and the pope as influential leaders who have their own YouTube channels.

  [...] "This site is an opportunity to talk to residents directly," he said, noting YouTube’s wide reach.

• Asked whether the site would include videos that were critical of him, he responded, "We’ll see, I don’t know yet."

Labels: city politics, video

• Despite all the promises and assurances that Officers would stay in their original Areas of assignment, the Area 3 Gang Team was moved all the way down to Area 2 after the triple header, shorting the tax paying citizens some 80 gang officers. But not to worry - fully a third of the new Area Gang Teams have put in their papers to return to their Districts of Assignment. Can you say "reverse seniority?"

Labels: from the comments

• here is an interesting stat:
  
  01FEB08-14FEB08:
  041A: 20
  0110: 6
  
  01FEB09-14FEB09:
  041A: 41
  0110: 10

Labels: crime

Labels: video

• Schaumburg Police Director Richard Casler has resigned his post, a village trustee said this morning.
  
  
• Casler ran the police department as a civilian, supervising two sworn chiefs -- a chief of operations and a chief of staff. He formerly was the chief of the department and took the director role five days after retiring from the department in October 2001.

• Ninety-six percent of union members in January 2003 voted no-confidence for Casler and "that vote speaks for itself," Atamian said.

  "That was our stand then and since then it's gone downhill," he said. "Schaumburg used to have a reputation as one of the premier police departments. ... Hopefully now we can get back to that status."

Labels: department issues

Labels: sarcasm AND silliness

• A 28-year-old man was fatally shot early Sunday in a Chicago Housing Authority parking lot in the South Side's Pilsen neighborhood, police said.

  Police responded to the shooting at 1252 S. Loomis St. at 4:20 a.m., according to Monroe District police.

• ...a 35-year-old man and a 27-year-old man were both shot in the abdomen about 3:40 a.m. in the 600 block of South Pulaski Road and were in critical condition at Mt. Sinai Hospital, according to a police news release.

Labels: crime

• Paramedics were called to an alley near East 87th Street and South Escanaba Avenue about 3:15 p.m. for reports of a shooting...

Labels: crime

• Rep. Kenneth Dunkin has legislation in the rules committee requiring that FOID holders go and get 1,000,000ドル of liability insurance if they own a hand-gun or rifle.
• I'm sure this is just the first volley in the new war against gun ownership in this country. If they cannot do away with guns, they will make owning them prohibitively expensive. Isn't it fun living in a quasi-totalitarian country?
  

• Kenneth Duncan (5th District):
  
  Committee assignments: Appropriations-Higher Education; Financial Institutions; Insurance; International Trade & Commerce; Juvenile Justice Reform (Vice-Chairperson).

Labels: gun issues

Labels: gun issues

• Three teenagers were killed in a shooting this afternoon on Chicago's Southeast Side, officials said. At least one assault rifle was used in the shooting, Police Supt. Jody Weis said.
• The Cook County medical examiner's office said the victims were 13, 15 and 17, but it would not release the victims' names.

• Police said they likely have surveillance video of the shootings because two pod cameras are on the street at the scene. "They're in great positions," Calumet Area Cmdr. Eddie Welch said of the cameras.

Labels: crime

• Bitter cold temperatures and wind chill values are expected to move out of the Chicago area Friday, but a snow storm that could blanket the city with up to eight inches of snow is expected to hit late Friday.

  The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, including Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will counties, that will begin at 11 p.m. Friday and remain in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday.

Labels: sarcasm AND silliness

• The cost of President Barack Obama's Election Day celebration in Grant Park totaled more than 1ドル.7 million, and the city has yet to be paid.

  The Office of Budget and Management says the city is reaching out to the Democratic National Committee to get the money. A DNC spokesperson said the party is still looking at various costs and bills.

  In October, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said the cash-flush Obama campaign would reimburse the city for the total cost of the rally.

• Daley says the Obama campaign will pay for the rally - they don't
• Daley says taxpayers won't be on the hook for 500ドル million in Olympic costs - they will

Labels: we got nothing

Labels: video

• A state House panel is recommending that the General Assembly give Illinois residents the right to carry concealed weapons.

  The two proposals are expected to garner opposition from Chicago-area lawmakers, who have expressed concern about increased gun violence.

  The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last summer overturning a handgun ban in Washington D.C., and an endorsement of concealed carry by the Illinois Sheriffs' Association has given a boost to supporters of a concealed weapon law.

  House Bill 245, sponsored by Marion Democratic Rep. John Bradley, would allow the Illinois State Police to issue the permits. It was endorsed Wednesday on an 11-1 vote, with Democratic state Rep. Julie Hamos of Evanston the lone opponent.

Labels: gun issues

• Mayor Daley has argued that security and terrorism won’t be an issue if his Olympic dreams come true because, by 2016, there will be a surveillance camera on every street corner in Chicago.

  But even before that blanket coverage begins, the "Big Brother’’ network is being put to better use.

  Call takers and dispatchers now see real-time video if there is a surveillance cameras within 150 feet of a 911 call, thanks to a 6ドル million upgrade to the city’s "computer-aided dispatch" system.

• a rather high percentage of the cameras aren't working;
• cops running from paper job to paper job can't get there in a timely fashion;

• victims are going to get dragged into gangways, alleys, garages and are going to get a lot more damaged added to their plate since cops can't find them.

Labels: department issues

• CHICAGO - Patti Blagojevich has been served with a federal subpoena seeking documents, notes or e-mails related to people or entities ranging from former gubernatorial fund raisers to her real estate dealings.
  
  Attorney Raymond Pijon told the Chicago Sun-Times the wife of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is cooperating with federal investigators. However, Pijon said that does not mean she will flip on her husband.

Labels: corruption, state politics

• (720 ILCS 5/14‐2) (from Ch. 38, par. 14‐2)
  Sec. 14‐2. Elements of the offense; affirmative defense.
  (a) A person commits eavesdropping when he:
  (1) Knowingly and intentionally uses an
  eavesdropping device for the purpose of hearing or recording all or any part of any conversation or intercepts, retains, or transcribes electronic communication unless he does so with the consent of all of the parties to such conversation or electronic communication

Labels: from the comments

• You get on a bus;
• You accost the driver and at least one passenger;
• You refuse to pay the fare;
• You are getting off the bus, one way or the other.

• After dark, every bum down here has a knife

Labels: safety issues

• Police continue to warn North Side residents of burglaries that have occurred recently at the hands of people pretending to be utility employees or new neighbors. Once inside victims' homes, they distract the resident while accomplices steal items.

• The offenders begin by ringing the bell or knocking on the door, then giving various false reasons for entry, including that they are new neighbors, utility employees, tree cutters or construction contractors.

  Once inside, they keep the victim distracted while accomplices search for property to take. On one occasion, the victim was physically accosted by the offenders.

  The offenders have been described as male, whites or Hispanics in their late 20s to 30s. The property taken has included cash and/or small items such as jewelry. The offenders have been seen driving various vehicles

Labels: crime

• Chicago police are investigating the use of an off-duty police sergeant's gun in a woman's apparent suicide early Wednesday morning, hours after the sergeant and other officers responded to a disturbance at a restaurant where the woman was arguing with her male companion, sources said.

Labels: we got nothing

• Despite a tearful plea for mercy, proclaiming she’s "no monster," former Ald. Arenda Troutman was sentenced Tuesday to four years in federal prison on mail fraud and tax fraud charges that were part of a corruption investigation.
  
  An emotional Troutman hung her head and apologized to her ward, the city and for bringing "shame" to her family. "As God as my witness, I am no monster. I am not a criminal and I never helped criminals," Troutman said.

• A prosecutor in the case said Tuesday the corruption case grew out of a probe into the Black Disciples street gang. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Alesia said agents doing surveillance on gang kingpin Marvel Thompson saw a meeting take place between the ex-alderman and Thompson.
• Troutman admitted she coerced kickbacks totaling 21,500ドル over the years from developers to support their projects in her South Side ward and, in one case, outside her ward. She was famously caught on wiretaps saying that all aldermen are "ho’s."

Labels: corruption

• The basic concept is that hitting several targets at once, even with just a few fighters at each site, can cause fits for elite counterterrorist forces that are often manpower-heavy, far away and organized to deal with only one crisis at a time. This approach certainly worked in Mumbai, India, last November, where five two-man teams of Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives held the city hostage for two days, killing 179 people. The Indian security forces, many of which had to be flown in from New Delhi, simply had little ability to strike back at more than one site at a time.

Labels: department issues

• Alonzo Walker, Al Brown and another suspect allegedly walked into the drug dealer's home Saturday night with an elaborate robbery plan.

  When it was over, 22-year-old Brown was dead, and Walker was charged with his murder.

  Brown was killed when he confronted and exchanged fire with the drug dealer in the basement of the dealer's home, in the 2400 block of West Adams Street, assistant Cook County state's attorney John Dillon said.

  During the attempted robbery, Walker, 27, shot at two others on the main level of the home, Dillon said.

Labels: crime

• In what squeaky-clean city would a fire department lieutenant known as "Matches," convicted of multiple arsons—including one sparked at an elementary school—feel that he's still entitled to his taxpayer-funded pension of 50,000ドル per year?
  
  Oh, don't pretend you don't know the city.

Labels: dumb ideas

Labels: silly people

• It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that President Mark Donahue and the entire Board of Directors report that Financial Secretary, Timothy M. Fallon suddenly passed away today. Please keep the Fallon family in your prayers.
  
• Visitation and funeral arrangements are not yet determined at this time. They will be posted when they become available.

Labels: officer down

• A Maywood police officer shot a 14-year-old Maywood boy in the hand early Sunday morning after the youth tried to run down the officer with a car following a traffic stop, police said.
  The shooting occurred around 1:35 a.m. near 1st Avenue and the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate Highway 290) after police stopped the car for not having a working headlight, according to Maywood Police Cmdr. Tim Curry.
  
  The vehicle suddenly accelerated at one of the officers, who had gotten out of his car. The officer fired a single shot at the driver to protect himself from being hit, Curry said. The bullet pierced a window and struck the youth in the right hand.

• GARY | Lake County police are investigating a fatal shooting involving Gary police officers and at least four suspects, Lake County Police Chief Marco Kuyachich said Monday.
  
  The shootout was the result of a drug-related incident gone bad, Kuyachich said. Police have three people in custody and one person is dead, but Kuyachich declined to release the suspects' identities.

Labels: shooting, suburban

Labels: sarcasm AND silliness

• from the rumor dept.: a) supposedly district bosses have to send a report to Dugan this week re: the reduction in tickets, and what they plan to do about it; b) according to sources, if the "numbers" (homicides, agg batt's) don't improve by April or May, another round of boss housecleaning will take place (all to impress the Olympic folks); c) speaking of Olympics, hearing that there will be a "de-emphasis" on the reporting of violent crime by the local media types (unless, of course, the "numbers" improve); big time pressure from the 5th floor....

• Marcell Castle, a 19-year-old reputed gang member was killed Saturday night after being shot inside a van in the South Side's Park Manor neighborhood.
• A 16-year-old was killed in a shooting in the Pilsen neighborhood late Saturday.
• A 22-year-old man was found fatally shot on a West Side porch late Saturday.
  
• Antonio Cole, 28, of North Keystone Ave., and 34-year-old Lenneht Suggs, of North Laramie Ave., were each fatally shot at 5219 W. Lake St., the Cook County Medical Examiner said. Cole was pronounced dead on the scene at 9:55 p.m. and Suggs was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital at 9 p.m.
• Police are looking for the people responsible for wounding three people in three separate shootings in less than an hour Saturday afternoon on the West Side.
• A 16-year-old boy fatally shot Thursday afternoon near his Southwest Side home was the the first Chicago Public Schools student to be slain this year, and the 17th this school year.

Labels: from the comments, rumors

• If the Blagojeviches thought that impeachment might slake the thirst of federal investigators, they were sorely mistaken. The Chicago Tribune reports that feds dropped subpoenas on Patti Blagojevich’s former employer, which unceremoniously dumped her as soon as her husband joined the ranks of the unemployed. Investigators appear interested in what Patti did for the Chicago Christian Industrial League, and it looks like ... not much

Labels: corruption

• What happened on Ontario and Michigan? Any arrest? Hate crime charges sought? I was downtown last night and saw the police had streets blocked off near Ontario and Michigan Ave. A woman who was punched in the back of the head said informed me she was beat up by a group of African Americans who were running around and randomly beating up white folks. I contacted a buddy in 018 who confirmed the story and learned that several people were sent to area hospitals, some serious. Why did the news not report this?

Labels: from the comments

• At 2230hrs. on Zone 1 a true display of CLASS was heard for all to listen. "1600" ....."Good morning sir" ....."May I have the air for a moment" ...."Go ahead Tony" Commander Anthony Riccio went on to say "people are so quick to blame and judge us and accusing us of doing wrong thing but no one ever tell use when we do something right." He went on to explain that "some officers where accused of a making some racist phone call to the F.B.I. The case is now closed and it was not one of us. I want to thank you officers for the great job you guys do out there everyday ..Thank you".

Labels: good news

Labels: officer down

• [Tribune] U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has changed his story again about what happened before ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed him to the Senate, and state Republican leaders said Saturday they want an investigation into whether he perjured himself.
  
  Burris gradually has acknowledged deeper contacts with Blagojevich allies after initially portraying himself as a surprise pick for the controversial seat the former governor is accused of trying to sell.
• [Sun Times] State lawmakers are calling for a criminal investigation into whether U.S. Sen. Roland Burris committed perjury before a state impeachment panel, in the wake of a Sun-Times exclusive story published online today.

  The development comes after the Chicago Democrat failed to initially disclose under oath to a House panel that he was hit up for campaign cash by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother.

Labels: corruption, state politics

Labels: events

• Click here for a chuckle

Labels: video

• Chicago Olympic bid officials said today the cost of presenting a summer games here in 2016 would be 4ドル.8 billion — including 1ドル billion in construction and a 450ドル million "safety net" against shortfalls — the bulk of it privately financed.

  That safety net would be used before the city would be on the hook for up to 500ドル million if revenues fall short.

• LONDON—As Chicagoans get their first peek Friday at the details of the city's 2016 Olympic proposal, they might keep in mind how much anticipation and excitement greeted the unveiling of London's "bid book" in 2004.
  
  Organizers here also envisioned a grand, affordable Games, putting the price tag at 4ドル.9 billion. These Olympics, in similar fashion to some of the elements in Chicago's proposed Games, were to be paid for in part with corporate sponsorships and heavy private investment in an athletes village that could be sold afterward for a profit.
  
  [...] Five years later, the price tag for the 2012 Games has nearly tripled to 13ドル.5 billion, the result of unexpected cost increases that have dogged nearly every Olympics. A growing recession, which some fear may be Britain's worst since the 1930s, has darkened London's financial picture, just as the U.S. downturn may threaten Chicago's.

• VANCOUVER -[...] The Vancouver Games have an operating budget of 1ドル.63 billion -- a 104ドル million increase over the original budget that was developed about two years ago.

  Games security was originally estimated at 140ドル million to be split between the provincial and federal governments. The Canadian government has since acknowledged that cost could be as high as 800ドル million -- or 1 billion in Canadian funds.

  British Columbia's finance minister Colin Hansen acknowledged Monday that B.C.'s share of security costs will "likely" blow a hole in the province's total Games budget.

Labels: olympics

Labels: gun issues, video

• A federal jury today cleared a former Glen Ellyn police officer of wrongdoing, finding he didn't use excessive force when he fatally shot a naked College of DuPage student after responding to a domestic battery call in 2006.

  Jurors deliberated for less than an hour.

  [...] Bradley testified that he fired the fatal shot after Uwumargogie straddled him and repeatedly punched him in the face. Bradley, now a state trooper, said he feared he was about to lose consciousness.

Labels: suburban

• In that, on 24-Jan-2009, you entered the 003rd District police station in an illegally obtained obtained police uniform and brilliantly by-passed the elaborate Homeland Security system to secure a radio (that you did not know how to operate) and a citation book (that you did not know how to fill out since your 8th grade class had not covered that yet), proceeded to assign yourself to a traffic car and in 5 hours came in with more activity tan any other officer in the 003rd District. We stand in awe that as a 14 year old juvenile, you accomplished all of this without a star, a gun, or a police I.D. Congratulations, and stand proud that you now have more experience on the street than our very own Superintendent.

• To: IAD
  From: Anon E. Moose
  Subject: Fake Certificate
  
  R/O located this item hanging on the wall in the XXX District. R/O is faxing it to you so that you can continue to spend valuable time, money, and resources chasing down the perpetrators.

Labels: sarcasm AND silliness

• Cuello should have known what was going on in her condo, just like all the other landlords in Chicago are expected to know what's going on in their rental apartments.

  They don't get to plead "I didn't know" when fed-up neighbors finally contact the alderman or complain about the problem at a CAPS meeting.

  These residents expect property owners to carefully screen their tenants and move quickly to evict problem renters.

  So how could Chicago's top cop, the guy who was supposed to clean up the police department, defend his top brass for doing less?

  "I just don't see where there is any culpability," Weis said.

• "I just don't see where there is any culpability," Weis said.

Labels: department issues

• Meter rates are going up in the Loop Friday and in other parts of the city later this month, as part of the city’s 1ドル.15 billion agreement to privatize its meter system.

  [...] On Friday, meter costs in the Loop will increase to 3ドル.50 an hour from 3ドル an hour.

• The city is getting 1ドル.15 billion to outsource meter management over the next 75 years to Chicago Parking Meters LLC.

Labels: we got nothing

• Motorists who are stopped by police while chatting or texting on handheld devices now face higher fines in Chicago.

  The City Council approved the measure yesterday.

  Drivers caught on handheld mobile phones in Chicago could face fines of 100ドル. It was 75ドル before.

  If someone gets into an accident while on the phone, the maximum fine more than doubles, from 200ドル to 500ドル.

  But, Mayor Richard M. Daley insists it’s not about the money. He says it's an issue of safety.

Labels: money questions