Second City Cop

Labels: sarcasm AND silliness

• She lost 20 teeth. She suffered a brain injury and seizures. And she struggled to pay her medical bills because she didn't have insurance.

  Jen Hall was the victim of a brutal, disfiguring beating outside a Jewel store in the South Loop in August 2008.

  Her attacker, Derrick King, was later sentenced to three years in prison for the crime. King, 48, went into state Department of Corrections custody in early October, but he was paroled only two weeks later under a policy change by Gov. Quinn's administration.

  On Wednesday, Quinn announced he would reverse that policy, which allowed 1,781 inmates to leave prison early between Sept. 16 and Dec. 14 -- when the governor suspended the program.

Labels: state politics

• Russia's space agency chief said Wednesday a spacecraft may be dispatched to knock a large asteroid off course and reduce the chances of earth impact, even though U.S. scientists say such a scenario is unlikely.
  
  AnatolyPerminov told GolosRossii radio the space agency would hold a meeting soon to assess a mission to Apophis. He said his agency might eventually invite NASA, the European Space Agency, the Chinese space agency and others to join the project.
  
  When the 270-meter (885-foot) asteroid was first discovered in 2004, astronomers estimated its chances of smashing into Earth in its first flyby, in 2029, at 1-in-37.
  
  Further studies have ruled out the possibility of an impact in 2029, when the asteroid is expected to come no closer than 18,300 miles (29,450 kilometers) from Earth's surface, but they indicated a small possibility of a hit on subsequent encounters.

Labels: we got nothing

Labels: open posts

• Chicago police shot and critically wounded a man tonight near 54th Street and Indiana Avenue in the city's Washington Park neighborhood, authorities said.

  The shooting occurred at about 7:40 p.m., authorities said. The wounded man was found several blocks away and transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, a spokesman said. The wounded man was described as being 31 years old.

  [...] Tonight's shooting marks the fifth Chicago police-involved shooting since Christmas Eve.

Labels: shooting

• Here's the breakdown of what to expect:The loop area, bound by Lake Michigan to the East, Wacker Drive to the North and West, and Congress Parkway to the South, will see the highest parking rates, at 4ドル.25 per hour.
  
  It'll cost 2ドル.50 per hour to park in the Central Business District outside the Loop, an area bounded by Lake Michigan to the East, North Avenue to the North, Halsted to the West, and Roosevelt Road to the South rates.
  
  In all other areas of the city, rates will be 1ドル.25 per hour.

Labels: we got nothing

• Like many other big illegal parties in Chicago, the one in Lawndale Sunday had liquor flowing and DJs spinning in a former industrial building.

  But this one also had what police called "an elaborate, club-style entry to the building," with four industrial spotlights lighting up a sign and stanchions and velvet ropes marking the entrance.

  The party was busted when a neighbor who heard the blaring music coming from the 4400 block of West Fifth Avenue called authorities to complain, police said.

• Police found the two doormen, [...] were carrying guns, and on searching the building, found a woman with a gun, [...] as well as five other handguns in other parts of the building. The three were charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon and other gun-related crimes, and are being held in lieu of bail at the Cook County Jail.

Labels: silly people

• Chicago police shot a suspect Monday night in the Cragin neighborhood on the Northwest Side.

  The suspect's condition was not known, but no officers were hurt in the shooting.

  The shooting happened shortly before 11 p.m. in the 5500 block of West Henderson Street.

Labels: shooting

• A Wauconda shooting and alleged home invasion over the weekend appears to be the result of a mistaken address, police said Monday.
  
  Two Wauconda residents, a 15-year-old boy and a 49-year-old man, were shot by the owner of a house on the 300 block of Indian Ridge Trail in the far north suburb just before 6 p.m., police said, after the two refused to leave the residence.
  
  Wauconda police Cmdr. John Thibault said the two thought they were picking up a family member. When told by the residents that their family member was not present, the visitors did not believe them, he said.
  
  The two forced their way in and allegedly assaulted the two people inside, causing minor injuries, according to police.

Labels: we got nothing

Labels: sports

Labels: silly people

• A man was shot by police Sunday morning after allegedly pointing his weapon at officers in the South Side Chatham neighborhood.

  About 1:45 a.m., Gresham District police officers initiated a traffic stop in the 500 block of East 79th Street after a license plate check revealed the vehicle was stolen, police said.

  After ordering the man to exit the vehicle and attempting to place him into custody, officers discovered a weapon and a struggled ensued, police said.

  The 38-year-old man then fled on foot and the officers gave chase. At this time, the he allegedly pointed his gun in the direction of officers, and the officers fired, striking the him, police said.

Labels: shooting

• The Rev. Jesse Jackson is urging Rockford residents to push for a federal investigation into the police shooting of an unarmed man inside a church-run day care.
  
  At a news conference at the day care center, Jackson criticized a grand jury for ruling last week that the shooting was justified.
  
  He urged residents to push for an outcome that's "just and fair."

Labels: silly people

• Two suspects in a home invasion were hospitalized after they were shot by one of the homeowners.

  They broke into a home in north suburban Wauconda.

  Authorities say two masked men pushed their way into a house near Old Country Way and Indian Ridge Terrace.

  Two people inside the house told them to leave, but they refused.

  After a fight, one of the homeowners shot the intruders.

Labels: crime, gun issues

• Cration is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Ralph Elliott, 79, who had stopped to pick up chicken for a family holiday party.

  "The witnesses said (Cration) told them he shot the old man," Lattanzio told Cook County Judge Israel Desierto during a bond hearing.

  Desierto ordered Cration, who also faces an attempted armed robbery charge, held without bail. Lattanzio argued that the suspect's 1985 murder conviction and the charge of murder during an armed robbery makes Cration eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

• Elliott, of the 1400 block of East 55th Street, already had put the chicken in his car when the gunman approached and shot him repeatedly, Lattanzio said.

  Witnesses said the shooter then held Elliot upright while rifling through his pockets before letting him crumple to the ground, the prosecutor said.

• Before he was even charged he said he was dizzy and has high blood pressure. Right over to mercy hosp where he was admitted so he could have his Christmas Dinner of roast turkey with all the trimmings, while in a nice cozzy bed. God strike me down if I am lying. He also complained to the nurse because he does not drink coffee and he wanted juice... What a joke our society has become. we are soft. he should have been sent over a bologna sandwich from the lock-up.

Labels: un-fucking-fucking-believable

• The attempted robbery went horribly wrong -- so wrong that the target of the crime ended up shooting and killing one of the alleged robbers after getting hold of a gun that had been used to force him into a car, sources said.

  Now, a 16-year-old boy is charged with murder and armed robbery in connection with the Tuesday night incident in the Garfield Boulevard neighborhood on the South Side, Chicago Police said Friday.

• At some point, some members of the group, including the teen, went to a restaurant and left another alleged accomplice, Barbara McComb, 21, of the 4200 block of South Calumet, guarding the man with a gun, sources said.

  A struggled ensued, and the target says he seized the gun and shot and killed McComb. A Thursday autopsy determined McComb died of several gunshot wounds. The death was ruled a homicide, authorities said.

Labels: crime, media

• Tondonlia Brown and her two young children escaped a Christmas morning fire, only to return to their South Side apartment and find burglars had stolen their gifts and many of their possessions.

  Just as the holiday was looking grim, Chicago Police Officer Michael Lawrence stepped in with toys and a gift card. He had responded to the burglary call, and after talking to Brown and the children, he couldn't get their plight off his mind.

Labels: good news

• Authorities have charged a Joliet man on parole for murder with the slaying of a 79-year-old Hyde Park resident who Thursday afternoon had just left a fast-food restaurant where he picked up chicken for a Christmas Eve party.

  Police say Lee Cration, 48, waited for Ralph Elliott to leave a a Popeye's restaurant, then came up to him as he tried to get in his car. Cration allegedly struggled with Elliott, then shot him in the face and back. He rummaged through Elliott's pockets before fleeing, police said.

• Records show he was paroled in November 2008 from prison, where he had been held since 1985 for a murder a year before. He also was convicted in 2001 and 2005 of aggravated battery of a peace officer. In the earlier incident, he assaulted at least two prison guards at Pinckneyville Correctional Center who tried to get him to remove personal property from his cell. Officials at the time said Cration had "an extensive history of violence, including ten staff assaults and one inmate assault along with five 'dangerous disturbances,' " according to an Associated Press story.

Labels: un-fucking-fucking-believable

• Deering District police officers responded about 8:40 p.m. to a domestic disturbance in the 2000 block of West 51st Street and found a man holding a knife to his throat inside the home, according to a police statement.

  [...] Officers ordered the male to drop the knife, and a Taser was deployed when he did not comply. The male was not affected by the Taser and held the knife against the neck of a woman in the residence, according to the statement. Sources said the woman was his wife.

  Officers again ordered him to drop the knife. When he failed to comply again an officer discharged a Taser for a second time. Again, the Taser did not affect the suspect, the statement said.

  According to sources, when officers tased the man the first time, he pulled the wires out. When officers tased him for the second time, he again pulled the wires out with his hands.

  The man then lunged at officers with the knife, prompting an officer to fire his weapon, fatally wounding him, police said.

Labels: shooting

• There were a couple of class acts out on Christmas Eve. Rabbi Wolf and Father Nangle visited some Districts, at least on the north side, on the 3rd and first watches. May God Bless both of them for their commitment to the "real police".

Labels: from the comments

• A Nigerian man who said he was an agent for al-Qaida tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane Friday as it was preparing to land in Detroit, but travelers who smelled smoke and heard what sounded like firecrackers rushed to subdue him, the passengers and federal officials said.
  
  Flight 253 with 278 passengers and 11 crew members aboard was about 20 minutes from the airport when passengers heard popping noises, witnesses said. At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man. Shortly afterward, the suspect was taken to the front of the plane with his pants cut off and his legs burned, a passenger said.
  
  One U.S. intelligence official said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.

• Tuesday, December 22, 2009 11:19 PM EST
  
  JOHNSTOWN — U.S. Rep. John Murtha told reporters Tuesday that he isn't convinced al-Qaida is still a threat to national security.

Labels: terrorism

Labels: open posts

• As police Supt. Jody Weis went from floor to floor of police headquarters today dressed in his red holiday sweater, he not only wished his troops Merry Christmas.

  He also thanked them for a job well done — given the 12 percent drop in total crime in Chicago this year, compared to 2008.

• But his holiday spirits were tempered by a bit of bad news: the murder clearance rate has dipped about 4 percentage points this year to 54 percent. That includes killings committed in 2009, as well as older ones.

  The dip in the clearance rate is being attributed in part to a failure of citizens to tip the police off to criminals in their midst.

Labels: info for the police

• The victim said he was ordered into the front seat of the car with the driver while the others sat in the back.

  "So we're circling the block. They're talking about going back to my house, getting my flat screen. . .I'm thinking this must be a dream, nothing like this has ever happened to me. I work a 9-to-5 job at an insurance company. I just want to come home and live my life," he said.

  He said the robbers drove him to Maggie's Gyros at 349 E. 47th Street, where two of them went in with his wallet, ATM card and PIN. "I had to give them my PIN number because the driver told me if I was lying, they'd shoot me. And I believed them," he said.

  "We drove around the block, and then a third guy wants to know if I have a checking account or a savings account. So after I tell him, he gets out at the restaurant. So it's me, the person in the back, and the driver who has a .38 pointed at me the whole time, even while he's driving," the victim said.

  The car pulled into an alley near 47th and King. Halfway down, a woman in the back seat told the driver to toss her the gun because she didn't want police to see it, he said.

  "All of a sudden, by the grace of God, between these two fools, I hear boom, and then I hear her hollering and screaming, 'I shot my finger off, I shot it off.' The driver starts panicking and he goes right into a Dumpster," the victim continued.

  "That's when I knew it was my moment. But me and the driver are strapped in tight by these automatic seatbelts, and that makes it harder."

  "My adrenaline was pumping. I reach over the seat and go to get the gun. I got the driver kicking at me, and I'm fighting for the gun with the woman. One arm is fending off his kicks, the other is trying to get this gun. I finally get it and point it at the driver, about six inches away from his abdomen. I pulled the trigger and nothing happened.

  "So I'm thinking, oh man, I have to get out of here."

  He said he rolled out of the car and started running down the alley. The woman got out and chased him.

  "I don't know if she's gonna kill me or not, so I fire a warning shot," the man said. "Unfortunately it hit her. I never fired a gun in my life."

  The man, still holding the gun, said he then ran toward the gyros shop and started yelling that he needed a policeman.

  "I'm waving this gun around because I talk with my hands," he explained. "Well, all these people in the restaurant think I'm the bad guy and start ducking under their tables and screaming. So I gotta run out of there."

  He spotted a CTA truck on the street and "pleaded with the workers inside to call police."

  "They believed me. But they said, 'You better get the hell out of here. You're saying one thing, but your gun is saying another,'" he said.

  The man said he ran down the street to the store where he had been headed to buy some snacks, but it was closed. At that moment, he saw a patrol car and waved it down.

  "I put my hands on the hood, told them I had a gun in my pocket, and that (some) men tried to rob me. So they came out, cuffed me, took me back to the station so I could tell my story."

  The man said he feels badly the woman died, saying he only meant to warn her. "But my blood was pumping so fast and my adrenaline. . ."

Labels: un-fucking-fucking-believable

• Eight months before Jimmie Smith raped a young woman, her two sisters and their teenage friend in a harrowing 36-hour ordeal last May, he sexually assaulted one of the victims but was never charged, Cook County prosecutors said today.

  This afternoon, prosecutors announced Smith, 34, has been charged with the sexual assault and criminal sexual assault related to the Sept. 1, 2008 attack.

  When Judge Peggy Chiampas asked why charges were never filed in the alleged rape of the then 20-year-old woman, Assistant State’s Attorney Mariano Reyna said he did not know. Reyna instead detailed how Smith raped the woman and the three others months later.

Labels: county, scandals

• With unemployment hovering just under the 11 percent mark in Cook County alone and local government tightening its belt, Sheriff Tom Dart is offering some light on the horizon: a veritable hiring bonanza.

  Today Dart’s office announced that as many 500 correctional officers will be hired in the new year. And the pay is decent: roughly 45,000ドル a year, including health, dental and vision insurance — not to mention a county pension.

• The jobs, approved by Cook County Commissioners as part of the county’s overall 3ドル billion budget for 2010, are part of a federal mandate to add correctional officer posts at the Cook County Jail.

Labels: county

• It appears inspectors are beefing up their presence at all the courts. A desk sgt. has been assigned to vehicle impound court. Today at 26th/cal an inspector was going to the rooms and checking to make sure the officers were there. Just want to get the word out.
  

Labels: info for the police

• Too often, discussions of Chicago's budget deficit focus on selling civic assets: With the Skyway and parking meters leased, perhaps the water system is next.

  This is precisely backward. We have finite infrastructure, so instead of leasing its assets for generations to come, Chicago should cut its liabilities and unload its excess. What does the city have way more of than it needs?

  Aldermen. And alderwomen.

  Half of the City Council should be eliminated.

  Not literally, of course. But if Chicago wants to save tens of millions of dollars a year, one strategy is dead obvious: Go from 50 wards to 25.

• This idea is not solely mine: A local blog, Second City Cop, rallied its readers to petition for a non-binding referendum on this topic in the 2010 primary, and its volunteers got more than 11,000 signatures — in about three weeks. And there is a Facebook page dedicated to "Reduce Chicago Alderman," and they don't mean a healthy diet and regular exercise.

  Such a change would require the state Legislature to amend Section 21-26 of the Revised Cities and Villages Act of 1941, which set our current number of wards, but it could be done.

• CLICK HERE!

• User Name: librewonk@doodyge.net
• Password: makefree4

Labels: city politics

• State Rep. Monique Davis owes the Chicago Board of Education close to 500,000ドル in rent, back taxes and fines for a South Side building she has been using rent-free as a legislative office for 7 years, according to a report from the school system's inspector general.
  
  The school district has taken legal action against the long-time Chicago legislator, suing her for 83,737ドル.35, according to court documents filed in November. The district is not seeking compensation for property taxes and associated fees.

Labels: corruption

• The City of Chicago will be shutting down early for the Christmas holiday, as part of Mayor Daley's plan to save the cash-strapped city money.
  
  City Hall, public libraries, health clinics and most other city offices will be closed on Christmas Eve as those city workers are being forced to take the day off without pay.
  
  Police and Fire Department operations are not affected and will remain fully staffed. Any other worker needed to provide for the public's safety will also be on the job.
  
  As part of the 2009 budget, three reduced-service days were planned for 2009: Aug. 17, the Friday after Thanksgiving; and Christmas Eve.
  
  The city expects to save 8ドル.3 million.

Labels: sarcasm AND silliness

• Drugmaker MedImmune is recalling nearly 5 million doses of swine flu vaccine because the nasal spray appears to lose strength over time, federal health officials announced Tuesday.

  The vaccine recall is the second this month caused by declining potency and comes as public health officials urge millions of Americans to get vaccinated against swine flu.

Labels: we got nothing

• An Oak Brook college student who disappeared after she left a River North bar early Sunday has been found safe.

• O’Connell became tired at the bar and left her friends, according to a flier. She told them she was taking a cab back to Oak Brook, where she lives. She was last seen outside the bar at 3 a.m. Sunday.

Labels: dumb ideas

• Two Pierce County sheriff's deputies were seriously wounded late Monday after they were "ambushed" while responding to a domestic-violence call, according to the Sheriff's Department.

  The shooting suspect, identified as 35-year-old David E. Crable, was shot and killed in the Monday night shootout near Eatonville, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

  A deputy, shot multiple times, was in critical condition early Tuesday morning after being flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He was undergoing surgery, Troyer said.

Labels: officer down

• Six people leaving an Englewood nightclub were wounded during a Sunday night gang-related shooting on the South Side.

  Police said a group of adults leaving a nightclub were traveling in a van in the 6500 block of South Damen Avenue when another vehicle approached and somebody inside opened fire, striking six adults in the van.

• An off-duty Lockport police officer was charged tonight with reckless homicide and drunk-driving charges in connection with a three-car crash that killed an immigrant from Vietnam who was driving home on the Stevenson Expressway from his second job.

Labels: we got nothing

• "If I...saw that I was the cause of (poor) morale in this department, no one would have to ask me to leave. I would leave on my own." - Jody P. Weis, April 3, 2009.

Labels: silly people

• A 22-year-old Riverdale man was shot and killed by police in the south suburb as they were responding to a call of someone with an assault weapon, officials said. [...]
  
  
  Police said that about 1:30 p.m., police were called to the area near 141st and School Street for a report of a man with an assault weapon. The man was one of three people in the area, according to police.
  
  When police showed up they saw the three men on the 14100 block of School Street. When police exited their vehicle they pursued the men on foot.
  
  Collins, who allegedly had a weapon, refused to drop it after police ordered him to do so, police said. The officer fired his gun, fatally hitting Collins. Police did not say if Collins was pointing the gun at the officer.

• Police fatally shot an ax-wielding man early Monday in northwest suburban Des Plaines, police said.

  Krzysztos A. Kaczor, 24, of the 400 block of East Washington Street in Des Plaines, was shot by police in the 200 block of Oxford Road and was pronounced dead at 2:14 a.m. Monday at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

  About 1:15 a.m., Des Plaines police responded to a report of shots fired in the 400 block of Washington Avenue and found Kaczor running through the neighborhood with an ax, according to a Des Plaines police release.

Labels: shooting, suburban

Labels: county, rumors

• BREAKING NEWS:
  
  Anonymous said...
  BC's husband EOD in a little hot water? Video footage going around with EOD talking crazy
  
  12/15/2009 10:35:00 PM
  
  
• Ed O was caught MF'ing J Weisel and how he has torn the department to shreds. He just spoke the truth. No rampage just truth. The guy is a hero in my eyes. Somebody with balls in exempt rank. The first time I've seen a Christmas miracle. You go boss, I'd follow you to the gates of hell. He's a boss that's loyal to his troops. He's one of the few exempt cops left. If not the last.
  
  12/17/2009 05:33:00 PM
  
  
• Well ladies and gentlemen, the story has grown legs!
  
  Apparently, it was true your "hero" EOD was caught badmouthing (in front of numerous witnesses at the Christmas Party and allegedly now on youtube) the very person (JFED) who is responsible for not only promoting him and his wife and enlarging their undeserving overinflated pensions.
  
  Rumor is the EOD is done before end of the year. He will be given a choice to retire (which he has the years and age) or force to be demoted. So you might just get your chance to follow him you little redhead.
  
  The moral of the story is "don't bite the hand that feeds you" (at least not publicly at a Christmas Party).

Labels: from the comments

• During tough economic times, gifts under the Christmas tree are no longer taken for granted. But imagine what it's like for child who has lost a parent.

  Over the weekend, one group tried to make the holidays a little easier for them.

  The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation was remembering the families of officers who were killed or injured while on duty with "Operation Santa."

  Children from 18 families were included this year.

Labels: events, good news

• The Baltimore Ravens are starting to look more like a playoff team, although it was difficult to judge for certain Sunday given the woeful performance of the Chicago Bears.
  
  Joe Flacco threw a career-high four touchdown passes, and the Ravens capitalized on six Chicago turnovers in a 31-7 rout.

Labels: sports

• Cook County Board President Todd Stroger was sending a message to House Speaker Michael Madigan when he recently fired two of Madigan's top political operatives from their high-paying county jobs, county sources said.
  
  Madigan, like Mayor Daley, has not made an endorsement in the County Board president race and isn't expected to do so, Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said.
  
  But some of Madigan's Southwest Side foot soldiers have circulated nominating petitions and are actively backing Stroger's chief rivals: Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District boss Terrence O'Brien, county insiders say.
  
  Stroger isn't pleased that Madigan has withheld his backing, county insiders say. He took political revenge first by firing longtime Madigan loyalist Richard Bono, a 99,187ドル county Forest Preserve District maintenance superintendent who also collects a 30,353ドル city pension.

Labels: county

• Getting off the bus running isn't the only issue the Bears have. Getting off the plane, period, proved to be an adventure this weekend.
  
  The team left O'Hare International on a United Airlines charter flight Saturday night, nearly 24 hours after it attempted to depart for Baltimore, a trip hampered by mechanical issues and a potentially record-breaking storm here that continued late into the evening and was expected to dump more than 20 inches of snow.
  
  The Bears took off shortly after 8 p.m. and were scheduled to arrive at a closed Baltimore/Washington airport at 10 p.m. Their game Sunday with the Ravens has been moved to 3:15 p.m.

Labels: sports

• An arbitration panel has awarded Philadelphia Police a new five year contract that would begin to lift residency requirements of officers in the force.
  
  As neither police nor firefighters can strike under state law, a three member panel made up of one appointed by the union, one appointed by the city and an agreed upon third-party, decided the details of the contract.
  
  The panel did not give officers a raise in the first year, but offers police will offer three percent raises in years two and three. Wage increases in the fourth and fifth years will be determined in a reopening of the process.
  
  Under the new residency guidelines, by 2012 officers with five years of experience will be permitted to move out of the city.

• "And so I'm not pleased about this change, but frankly in only two of the 20 largest cities across the country, Chicago and Milwaukee, are police officers required to live in the cities they patrol," said Mayor Nutter.

Labels: info for the police

• After he was arrested last weekend, a man suspected in a crime spree in which two women were killed told police he would have killed many more people if he had not been caught, a police source said Friday.

  Even then, the Cook County state's attorney's office waited more than a day to charge him because authorities had not been able to interview him -- leading police to use a rarely used code allowing them to file charges on their own.

Labels: county

• Ninety cameras will be installed outside Fenger and 39 other Chicago Public high schools to stop what Mayor Daley called the ugly "epidemic of children killing children," thanks to a 2ドル.25 million gift from the banking giant that employs the mayor’s brother.

  Last year, a bloody weekend for CPS students prompted Daley to link 4,844 cameras inside schools and 1,437 exterior school cameras to police districts, squad cars and the 911 center. Until that time, real-time video from school cameras was accessible only to school security.

  Thanks to J.P. Morgan Chase, where William Daley serves as Midwest chairman, 40 more high schools will get exterior cameras. They include Fenger, where 16-year-old Derrion Albert was beaten to death in September during a brawl captured on videotape and played around the world.

• Schools CEO Ron Huberman stressed that some of the new cameras would be "outside the immediate envelope" of the school because that’s where the violence takes place.

  Daley stressed that none of the new cameras would have blue strobe lights that carry the stigma of a high-crime area.

  "You won’t even see this unless you’re looking for it," he said.

Labels: dumb ideas

• Today, the same Cook County jury that found the Chicago man guilty of raping and killing 11 women on the South Side in the 1990s decided to spare his life.

  Rather than recommend the death penalty, jurors decided Crawford should remain in prison for the rest of his life.

Labels: we got nothing

• Unhappy?

  You're not alone. A new happiness survey ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia -- and Illinois comes in at a miserable 45th.

  People in sunny, outdoorsy states -- Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida -- say they're the happiest, and researchers think they know why.

• Economists Andrew J. Oswald and Stephen Wu compared the happiness ranking with studies that rated states on criteria including availability of public land, commuting time, taxes, climate, crime rates, air quality and schools.

Labels: we got nothing

• How was your office's holiday party? Didn't have one? Neither did many others, as cost-conscious top brass tighten the purse strings.
  
  But there was one party Thursday – paid with your tax dollars.
  
  CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports.
  
  Political producer Ed Marshall was not exactly welcomed with open arms by the Cook County agency that is supposed to be training workers and finding jobs for them.

Labels: media

• Unrolling a 10-foot-long petition with more than 1,300 signatures, parents Wednesday demanded that a neighborhood high school be placed inside half-empty Carver Military Academy.

  Activists from the Altgeld Gardens public-housing development went to the Chicago School Board's monthly meeting with a name for the proposed school -- the Hazel Johnson School for Environmental Justice -- and a flashy 38-page color brochure outlining its goals.

• Activists demanded the board hold an "emergency meeting" so the proposed school could open before the start of the second semester.

  "Will you schedule an emergency meeting in Altgeld, or do you want the blood of another child on your hands?" asked University of Illinois at Chicago Professor Rico Gutstein.

Labels: we got nothing

• An elephant never forgets. Apparently, neither does an alderman.

  Emboldened by a new complaint filed against Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus, Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th) has re-introduced her elephant cruelty ordinance for the third time since the 2005 death of three elephants at Lincoln Park Zoo.

  Last year, an admittedly "heartbroken" Smith accepted a watered-down substitute for her proposal only to have it derailed by aldermen scared off by the ridicule that followed Chicago’s now-repealed ban on foie gras.

• The new version, introduced at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, is virtually identical to the bill derailed last year. It makes it unlawful "to use on an elephant any device or instrument with the intent to cause pain and injury, except as necessary to administer legitimate medical treatment to the elephant." Chains and "similar restraining" devices are also prohibited, except for use for medical purposes.

  Violators would face daily fines as high as 5,000ドル and up to six months in prison.

Labels: dumb ideas

• Chicago city workers are less likely to report job-related misconduct than their counterparts elsewhere, largely because they don’t believe the problem will be fixed and they fear retaliation from bosses, a new survey by Mayor Richard Daley's hiring compliance office reveals.

• The survey also found that a paltry 17 percent of Chicago’s workers believed they will be rewarded for following compliance and ethical standards.

• Boswell ordered the survey, which cost approximately 40,000ドル. The survey took the pulse of more than 1,800 workers and was conducted in August and September by the Ethics Resource Center, a private, nonprofit organization. The survey's error margin is 2.2 percentage points.

Labels: dumb ideas

• In the wake of a tragic case involving a missing girl, two Chicago alderman are proposing that police notify the news media every time a missing-persons report is filed involving anyone under the age of 18.

  Ald. Edward Burke (14th) and Sandi Jackson (7th) offered a proposal today to require the Chicago Police Department to post a photo and a description of every youth within three hours of their being reported missing.

• Still, police sources said they fear the ordinance might have an unintended and opposite result — that it might overwhelm the department and prompt the media to ignore alerts about missing children because there would be so many of them.

Labels: dumb ideas

• Phase 2 of the premium free healthcare benefit at retirement required that at least 130 members apply for retirement in order for any member to enjoy this benefit upon retirement between April 1 and December 31, 2010.
  
  Today, the Lodge was notified that the 130 application threshold had been surpassed. Any member who submits a retirement PAR by December 31, 2009, with a retirement date of April 1 through December 31, 2010, will now be able to take advantage of this benefit. The member must have reached his 55th birthday by the requested date of retirement.

Labels: info for the police

• Chicago School Board members will decide Wednesday whether to dump their 24,000ドル-a-year receipt-free expense accounts -- tabs once likened to "slush funds" -- in favor of submitting receipts for all work-related expenses.

• The new expense account policy is a dramatic shift from the one board members approved in March, shortly after Scott returned to the board as president. At that time, despite a record deficit, board members agreed to double their expense accounts, to 2,000ドル a month, and to hike Scott's monthly tab from 1,600ドル to 3,000ドル.

  At the time, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall said the expense accounts amounted to "slush funds'' because board members got set amounts monthly, whether they submitted expenses or not. He called the accounts "outrageous'' and inconsistent with school board practices elsewhere.

Labels: un-fucking-fucking-believable

• Chicago police said an officer accidentally shot himself in the leg tonight inside a West Side police station.

  The officer was holstering his weapon inside the Harrison District station, 3151 W. Harrison St., when it discharged, striking him in the right leg, a police spokesman said.

Labels: officer injured

• The Superintendent issued AMFN 095065 which states that: Members assigned to Police Headquarters who have approved Personal Days submitted prior to 09 Dec 2009 will be allowed to use this time.
  
  Section 11.3 of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement states that: Officers shall not be required to work on a personal day provided that written notice of the personal day is given to the appropriate supervisor no later than ten (10) days prior to the personal day .... Any dispute within a unit as to the selection of a personal day shall be resolved by seniority.....

Labels: FOP

• I heard there is going to be a very high level meeting between the CCSAO and CPD later in the week to make nice nice. I guess there are some very hurt feelings on both sides. Expect even more problems with felony review after this. This could get ugly after when this is over.

• The shit storm continues. Very high level arguments about who is the blame, how the paper should be written and whose head will roll. Seems like Debbie Kirby might have a problem. She did take the side of the CCSAO over the CPD. Right now a lot of bosses are fingers pointing at each other hoping to have a chair when the music stops.

Labels: from the comments

Labels: terrorism

• A 56-year-old Bridgeport man who had been last seen over the weekend eventually returned home and is back with his family, police said today.

Labels: we got nothing

• Health officials are recalling hundreds of thousands of doses of H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine after tests indicated they may not be potent enough to protect against the virus.
  
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified doctors about the recall Tuesday. The recall involves about 800,000 doses made by Sanofi Pasteur. The doses are pre-filled syringes intended for young children, ages 6 months to almost three years.

Labels: we got nothing

• Police don't have a contract - and by the way, here's a drunk idiot trying to beat a bartender;
• Police rescue family from a fire - and in case you forgot, here's an asshole climbing behind a bar and trying to serve himself;
• Police haters and aldercreatures with a political ax to grind want everyone's name dragged through the mud - and here's another glimpse of a video of a single drunk moron who never should have been hired in the first place;
• It's time for a Charlie Brown Christmas - and if the guy in this video had appeared at the Christmas Pageant, he would have ripped down the tree and rat-tailed Linus with his own blanket before throwing Lucy over Schroeder's piano.

• The scenes caught on the recording alternate from a typical gathering at a local tavern with men calling out for the next round as the Empire Today commercial airs in the background and Abbate sings "Desperado" to the jukebox. An agitated Abbate punches one friend and tosses another to the ground in apparent anger over a remark made about his dog.
  
  Later that evening, he attacked Obrycka, who tried to thwart Abbate from coming behind the bar. Earlier in the recording, Abbate sang "Sweet Caroline" to Obrycka and the two appear to have civil exchanges,

Labels: sarcasm AND silliness

Labels: we got nothing

• KCTV
• KMBC

Labels: info for the police

• Illinois prison officials say an inmate who took an employee hostage at the Pinckneyville Correctional Center in southern Illinois has been shot and killed.

  According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, the 37-year-old inmate was pronounced dead at the scene about 5 p.m. today, nearly seven hours after the incident began. His name hasn't been released.

• Corrections officials say the offender was serving a sentence for aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping. The crimes took place in Cook County.

Labels: good news

• page 174 - Line Item #3009 - CAPS Project Office:
• 1 PO @ 80,736ドル
• 4 PO @ 78,006ドル
• 4 PO @ 75816ドル
• 14 PO @ 73,116ドル
• 13 PO @ 70,656ドル
• 3 PO @ 43,104ドル

• 3 PO @ 43,104ドル

Labels: money questions

• Wait'll the entire scoop comes out about how CCSAO "nolle prossed" the Chicago case when it was sent to Branch 66. ASA/FRU, effin' useless, they are.
  
  You heard me right. Nolle'd the spree killer's case. Thank God Will County, IL. was able to pick up the pieces.

Labels: crime, from the comments