We're getting reports of paper surveys being filled out and faxed to Patrol so they can produce some dummied up report for the mayor to review. And the comments are alive with the tales of wasted money and resources:
okay, here's the deal about pdt's and gps, from my impeccable sources...when gps was installed, it was incompatible with the vehicle electronics, causing the vehicle engine light to stay on, among other problems);
as of late, apparently, shortshanks wanted a "gps report" (i.e., tell me how it's working!); oemc folks discovered that some gps units don't work, so....some pdt's were fixed....folks were saying that the pdt mounts have to be replaced ($700 per mount?, not sure about that, but it's Chicago, no?); anyway, the pdt's are supposed to be divided into thirds, yellow, blue, and red dot marked (with corresponding metal mounts);
but the guy that paints the mounts works in fleet, while the guy that paints the dot on the pdt works in (who knows?, and do they talk to each other, no), so...when cars get downed for service, depending on how many of what dot color they are, there may or may not be enough pdt's available for the replacement cars (if any) that come back (i.e., blue dot car goes down, you get a red, red goes down you get back a yellow (on the mount), then hunt for a matching pdt in the station.
hey, look at the bright side, it's like the Chicago version of an Easter egg hunt....
Security is important, but so is doing your job, and the more effort you expend on the former, the less effective you are at the latter. One reason air travel is such a god-awful mess is that they put so much energy into checking our shoes that they forget to make flying a pleasant experience. You can cover your ass, or you can move it, but you can't do both.
Not to indulge in too much tea-leaf reading, but what I take away from this whole episode is that if Mayor Daley is forcing Jody Weis to kneel on a rail over a clever teen, then the sands of patience must be running out on our FBI-bodybuilder-turned-ineffectual-superintendent.
The shame about the masquerading kid is that, had he been an actual cop doing something amiss, his colleagues would have smoothly and automatically covered for him, swearing they knew his identity all along and were being indulgent. But because he was an outsider, the time-honored system of reflexive police prevarication failed.
Too late for that now, though if it nudges Weis toward his overdue retirement, I will not be alone in feeling the embarrassment is worth it.
Of course, Neil has to get in his dig at the police - had he been an actual cop doing something amiss, his colleagues would have smoothly and automatically covered for him, swearing they knew his identity all along and were being indulgent - completely ignoring the fact that a majority of cops called for Abbate to be fired, were disgusted by the towing scandal arrests, and are unhappy about the unlawful behavior exhibited by less than one-half-of-one-percent of the Chicago Police Department.
It's not like we're drunk and crooked aldercreatures. Or wife-beating columnists.
Illinois law enforcement officials are divided over a new attempt to permit the state's residents to carry concealed handguns.
Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, has proposed a "Family and Personal Protection Act" that would set statewide standards for issuing concealed carry permits and would exempt permit holders from various unlawful use of weapons laws. The bill, HB0245, was referred to the rules committee after first reading last week.
Similar bills have been introduced, and shunted aside, in most recent legislative sessions. This year, though, the idea could get a boost from the Illinois Sheriff's Association.
Even if it happened in Illinois (a very long shot by any stretch of the imagination). Shortshanks would add exemptions banning Chicago residents from actually being able to defend themselves from criminals. Overtaxed, unarmed and ignorant seems to be the way Daley wants all his voters.
The area around Beijing’s massive Bird’s Nest stadium will be turned into a shopping and entertainment complex in three to five years, a state news agency said Friday.
Officially known as Beijing National Stadium, the showpiece of the Beijing Olympics has fallen into disuse since the end of the games. Paint is already peeling in some areas, and the only visitors these days are tourists who pay about $7 to walk on the stadium floor and browse a pricey souvenir shop.
Plans call for the $450 million stadium to anchor a complex of shops and entertainment outlets in three to five years, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing operator Citic Group. The company will continue to develop tourism as a major draw for the Bird’s Nest, while seeking sports and entertainment events.
[...] A symbol of China’s rising power and confidence, the stadium, whose nickname described its lattice of exterior steel beams, may never recoup its hefty construction cost, particularly amid a global economic slump. Maintenance of the structure alone costs about $8.8 million annually, making it difficult to turn a profit, Xinhua said.
The proposal to build a "temporary" stadium to seat 100,000 on the south lakefront is a typical boondoggle. The stadium would be reduced down to a 40,000 seat arena that doesn't have a tenant lined up for post-Olympic use, leading us to wonder if it might follow the same fate as the "White City" did after the World's Fair. That is to say, a haven for bums, miscreants and scrappers that eventually burned to the ground.
El 20 de junio de 1867, James Bond, los Sres. Smith, J. Simpson y Thomas Best entre otros que venían de tomar cerveza negra, jugaban el primer partido de fútbol en Sudamérica.
Cuatro años después de que en la Freemason´s Tavern de Londres se juntaran algunos hombres de Eton, Westminster y Harrowpara dar forma a la Football Association, a más de mil kilómetros de distancia, otros 16 se juntaban a jugar el partido que inaugura las páginas del fútbol en estas pampas.
Bartolomé Mitre preside un país que está en guerra (Triple Alianza) y está construyendo una larga red ferroviaria que atrae mano de obra y capitales ingleses. En la pensión de la calle Temple (hoy Viamonte) un grupo de ellos, socios del Buenos Aires Cricket Club, decide jugar el partido inaugural que daría forma al Buenos Aires Football Club. El primer feriado próximo (25 de mayo) sería la cita que la lluvia posterga hasta el feriado siguiente, Corpus Christi. El diario inglés The Standard – editado en Buenos Aires – publica: “El partido inaugural de la temporada se jugará en la cancha lindante a la Estación Palermo, el jueves próximo, 20 de junio. El juego comienza a las 12.30”.
“20 de junio. Jueves. Hoy es feriado y el día del partido de fútbol. Thomas Hogg y yo salimos en el tren de las 10 hacia Palermo para marcar la cancha tal como lo habíamos establecido para jugar en el campo de cricket. Después de haber puesto todas las banderas fuimos a la confitería y comimos un poco de pan y queso y bebimos cerveza negra (Porter). Poco después, el resto de los jugadores llegó en el tren de las 12; no pudimos reunir más de aproximadamente ocho por lado y eso nos obligó a correr mucho, jugamos durante aproximadamente dos horas y terminamos absolutamente exhaustos…”
El equipo de Gorros rojos, capitaneado por Thomas Hogg, vence por 4 a 0 al de Gorros blancos, en el que se destaca el juego de Herbert Barge. Inmediatamente después de terminado el cotejo se resuelve de manera unánime la revancha que fuera jugada el 29 de junio y luego un tercer juego disputado el 9 de julio.
Gorros rojos (4): Thomas Hogg (capitán), James Hogg, Thomas Barlow Smith, William Forrester, James Wensley Bond, E.S. Smith, Norman Harry Smith y John Ramsbotham.
Gorros blancos (0): Walter Heald (capitán), Herbert Thomas Barge, Thomas Best, Urban Smith, John Harry Wilmott, R. Ramsay, J. Simpson y William Boschetti.
Es así que a metros del Planetario de Buenos Aires podemos encontrar un monolito que reza: “Aquí se instaló el primer campo de deporte del Buenos Aires Cricket Club”, el primer club deportivo de América Latina.
Someone witty evidently typed up a humorous Honorable for the 14 year old. And those who can't laugh at themselves or the Department are tearing up a northside district looking for the faxer. If you want it to die inspectors, let it go, let it die. You're bringing more attention to it by looking. Now we feel like seeing it and having some fun with it.
You really ought to be wondering how a reporter from one of the local TV stations got into the 003 District station and made it as far as the Watch Commander's office with a hidden camera last night unchallenged. Especially after all the security fixes put into place. That ought to be a bigger priority than a BS Honorable Mention.
Chicago Police are hoping to review security tape from a West Loop club to figure out what led to a shooting that left a self-employed music producer dead and another man wounded.
Bryan King, of the 9700 block of South University, was shot inside Transit Nightclub at 1431 W. Lake St. about 2:30 a.m., police said. A second man also was shot.
Chromium was another mob/political connected joint that saw more than its share of violence and they were supposed to shut down a while ago. It can't be the old Grand Avenue crew because they liked things quiet, right?
An off-again, on-again pursuit ended today when Oak Brook police nabbed a Gilberts man who officials say had been on the run -- at moderate speeds -- for nine hours.
The pursuit began about 5:30 p.m. Thursday near Springfield, where an Illinois State Police trooper noticed the taillights on a Dodge Neon weren't working, said Lt. Luis Gutierrez, a state police spokesman.
The trooper tried to make a traffic stop but the Neon, which turned out to have been stolen, kept going. It was not speeding and state troopers do not chase drivers for minor crimes, so the trooper noted the license number and let it go, Gutierrez said.
He was charged with trying to run down an officer, who will be fine. But damn - 9 hours? Maybe we can get some of those Neons for patrol?
Gary Medel pertenece al extraño segmento de deportistas tocados por la varita mágica del talento pero que a la vez le dan de un corazón más grande que su pecho capaz de hacer cambiar el estado de ánimo de todo un estadio.
Talento y cojones tiene de sobra, eso nadie lo puede discutir. El hombre a pesar de ser de pocas palabras, sabe como tocar la fibra de sus compañeros y levantarlos. Comete errores pero es algo común para un tipo de 21 años quien declaró que de no haber sido futbolista sería narcotraficante o delincuente.
Se ha mandado embarradas gigantes, como chocar borracho sin documentos, escupir rivales, exponer a su equipo a quedar con uno menos pero también ha realizado hazañas increíbles, las cuales se recuerdan con más cariño.
La última cagada fue volcarse y solo quedar con contusiones, cuando en realidad debería haberse matado. La policía confirmó que había ingerido alcohol y que solo se quedó dormido al volante.
Tuve la suerte de ver a la UC 2008 y era increíble como el joven Medel se echaba al equipo encima y cambiaba la fisonomía de un plantel sin personalidad, sin actitud. Medel con el sólo hecho de ingresar al campo generaba seguridad en sus compañeros, quienes podían jugar un poco más tranquilos sabiendo que Pitbull le cubriría las espaldas y de paso, les solucionaría algún problema extra.
Se habló de San Lorenzo, Independiente, Boca Juniors, Fiorentina y hasta que el poderoso Milán seguía a este polifuncional seleccionado de Bielsa. En Chile y en la UC, todos saben que Medel se va, no hay discusión de eso. El debate está en adónde y en qué condiciones.
Hay muchos que dicen que se parece a Gattuso en su forma de juego. Sin embargo, Edgard Davids es la mejor comparación de Medel: se come la cancha, pero además, juega y hace jugar. Bielsa lo tiene de stopper por la derecha porque quita, toca y ataca, haciendo una dupla perfecta con Arturo Vidal.
El lo tenía claro. “Quiero pasar por Argentina primero y después Europa”. Es lo mismo que piensan muchos futboleros acá, el vértigo del fútbol porteño supera con creces al chileno y dar un salto a Europa cuando no se está 100% preparado es complejo. La única excepción que se me viene a la mente es Arturo Vidal, que de inmediato, luego de ser traspasado de Colo-Colo al Bayer Leverkusen, se instaló a jugar como si lo hiciera en el patio de su casa.
Sin embargo, los malos recuerdos hay por miles, el más reciente y lamentable, es lo que ocurre con Matías Fernández, un jugador con un talento único, pero que de ser un niño mimado en Colo-Colo pasó a un Villarreal con otras figuras y con un técnico que trata a sus jugadores como empleados y no como sus hijos. ¿Resultado? El mejor jugador de América haciendo banca y solo destacando en la selección, en un entorno en el cual todos los defienden.
Volviendo a Médel (como lo dicen ustedes), estoy casi seguro de que podría jugar en cualquier equipo del mundo y en cualquier circunstancia, pero prefiero que pase por Argentina para que sepa la presión de jugar un Superclásico, de tener que matarse para poder jugar y no matarse para ser la figura del partido como lo hace acá.
Se va, todos los chilenos lo saben. La cuestión que siempre está en duda es cómo podrán controlar su genio. Es un Pitbull que conoce a su amo, pero que por momentos pierde los estribos y es capaz de hacer cualquier cosa.
Hoy por hoy, Bielsa lo controla, habrá que esperar que el Fantasma Figueroa lo pueda hacer en la UC y que su futuro técnico también.
Questions continue to arise in Daley's Quest for Fire. How about this article from Canada where Vancouver is scheduled to host the 2010 Winter Games:
The athletes’ village rising in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics is casting a shadow over the city’s finances.
Vancouver may have to borrow C$458 million ($375 million) or more to finish the 1,100 units by November, Mayor Gregor Robertson said at a news conference this month. That would almost double the city’s debt to about C$928 million, said Stephen Ogilvie, an analyst at Standard & Poor’s in Toronto. The credit- rating company said Jan. 13 that it might cut Vancouver from AA+.
The city took over financing of the C$1.1 billion housing complex after New York-based lender Fortress Investment Group LLC halted funding to the builder when costs ran C$125 million over budget. Taxpayers are reminded of Canada’s last Olympic-sized fiasco: The 1976 summer games in Montreal, which left Quebec with a C$1.5 billion debt that took decades to pay.
As we have maintained for years now, and as studies have borne out, Olympics lose money. They don't just lose money, they lose TONS of money. Los Angeles 1984 were the only Games to make money in the short term and that was without a massive infrastructure building effort. We can't even name a City Contract that was delivered on-time, on-budget in the past twenty years of Daley's rule - and neither can you because they don't exist.
It didn't take long for veteran Chicago Police Officer Robert Gamez to put his heart defibrillator training to good use.
Gamez is credited with helping to revive a man suffering from a heart attack at Midway Airport today, just one week after the officer received the training on how to operate a defibrillator, Chicago police said.
Shortly before 1 p.m., several travelers gathered at a Southwest Airlines gate waiting to board a plane to Nashville when one of the passengers, a man in his 50s, collapsed and appeared to suffer a seizure, according to a police news release.
A flight attendant grabbed a defibrillator from the plane and handed it to Gamez who immediately began to operate the life-saving device.
We wish there were more stories like this one and not the one directly below. We know it happens often enough, but it's never covered enough.
And shouldn't we have some of these machines in every police station?
A Chicago Police scandal widened today with the unsealing of federal charges against an officer for allegedly taking bribes from tow-truck operators — at least the fourth cop ensnared in the corruption probe.
Officer Jimmie Akins is charged with attempted extortion for allegedly taking bribes in 2006 and 2007.
Akins accepted bribes to let tow-truck operators remove vehicles from accident scenes the officer was responsible for in the Near North District, according to an affidavit by FBI Agent Craig Henderson. Akins would use his cell phone to alert the tow truck operators about accidents, Henderson said.
According to the indictment, this was pretty blatant. Charging interest on missed payments and such sounds more like juice loans than anything else. Any idea when people are going to discover that this has all been tried by other goofs before them? And they were caught, too?
Call someone. Call anyone. Partners, supervisor, chaplains, EAP directly. No matter how bad it gets, no matter what pressure you're under, there is help available.
RIP Detective.
Prayers and well wishes only. All other comments will be deleted.
Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said today it was "unforgivable ...angering and disturbing" that a 14-year-old boy tricked officers into accepting him as one of their own for the major part of a shift last week.
"We were fortunate this young man had no evil in his heart," he said. "...We dodged a bullet on this one."
"This was a matter of complacency. People failed to implement policies that were in place. This is unacceptable."
And the number of firings or demotions and amount of blame to be assessed?
Weis refused to specifically blame anybody for the security breach, but said it was the duty of every officer and every supervisor to challenge any suspicious individual, something that wasn't done in this case.
In addition to an internal department investigation into what went wrong and what procedural changes might be in order, he said he has asked the U.S. Secret Service to conduct an independent investigation of departmental security.
He also said that retailers of police uniforms and equipment had been reminded of security guidelines.
That would be zero then. Evidently, everyone involved is just too damn heavy to discipline or take the heat for this one. J-Fed says it's the "duty of every officer and every supervisor to challenge any suspicious individual," meaning that in a station that has more unsecured ingress and egress points than Niagara Falls, everyone better be running around with a leaky bucket to catch the drops falling down.
Thank goodness we can finally put this episode behind us and potential security breaches have been addressed. Move along people - nothing to see here.
The cover of yesterday's Sun Times would appear to be a rather large violation of the "pictures of juveniles in custody" rule.
After all the rip jobs we've handed out over the past three years regarding the unauthorized photos of a certain sergeant being inside a crime scene, we'd hope that no one was still dumb enough to spread those things around.
We understand that it's his mother releasing his name to the press. That's her prerogative.
But god help you if you trust a reporter to cover your ass regarding a violation of State law should Lisa Madigan decide it's time to enforce that one. You better delete the file from your phone, remove the chip, torch the phone and bury the ashes somewhere.
Police Superintendent Jody Weis will be placed on the City Council hot seat for the second time in six months, this time to explain how a 14-year-old police impersonator managed to scam his way onto the streets for a five-hour tour of duty.
“When you consider the security risk and the potential for disaster-for the young boy, the Chicago Police Department and Chicago residents, it’s clear we deserve some answers,” Police Committee Chairman Isaac Carothers (29th) said in a news release today.
“Someone has to account for the fact that no sworn member of the department caught him before it reached this level. … This represents a serious breakdown in police security and operational procedures, which should not happen in the nation's third-largest city.”
But Ike will tone it down for another "merit" promotion for his brother. That would make four? "Merit" has done more to kill this department than most other causes we can think of.
How about instead of having the Inspectors come to roll call and write people up for silly shit, further destroying morale and not actually securing police facilities, J-Fed has the Inspectors go around to each and every police facility and write up building violations?
These could be code violations or safety violations. Doors that don't close, broken windows, nonfunctional thermostats, fire alarms, keypads, lockup doors, broken stairwells, bums in the lobbies, plumbing, collapsing structures, etc.
Then they could recoup money for Daley's "Quest for Olympic Fire" by SPAR-ing Commanders and Deputy Chiefs who are supposed to be responsible for their facilities.
To the officers who sent the photos to the Sun-times and to SCC for putting the story on the front of the blog instead of leaving it in the comment section shame on you.
Huh? What have you been smoking Sparky?
While watching the press conference with Dugan and Jackson the reporters were asking questions they could have only gotten from this blog. This 14 yr old tried this in several other districts and has fine tuned his act and finally got away with actually getting in a squad car. Why was no one alerted with a city wide bulletin?
Why don't we ask someone? Don't officers deserve some kind of safety net from those who are supposed to "have their backs" as the Superintendent so blithely stated a week ago? Or are we just going to take Monique's word that he never had contact with the public, didn't drive the car, didn't write tickets? The number of dropped balls on this one is incredible.
Anyone can get in any station.
That would seem to be a problem then.
You have plainclothes officers who dress worse than street thugs and have the tattoos to match. Are you so ashamed of your star that you never wear it? Granted the old stars were better, but it doesn't matter. I always wore my star with pride, I earned it. Anyone that does not wear an ID card needs to be challenged and if they are insulted that you don't know them shame on them, too.
Then that would put the blame on the sergeants, lieutenants, captains, inspectors, and assorted brass, wouldn't it? What's your point here?
If you SCC had left the story buried in the comments section and not posted on the lead page, I truly believe this would not be the lead story everywhere. You have ruined a W/C's good career and yes he is one of the best.
Then you are high. Or drunk. By the time we posted it, there were 20 comments about it in the comment sections. By the time we hit roll call, the arrest report was already in the Captain's hands and he said he got 43 Blackberry messages about it. This one wasn't staying quiet, not by a long shot.
The Sgt. messed up by not actually checking on the car and instead I am sure used his PDT or the radio to log the car. You can actually put no contact on a log when you don't see the car and that can happen.
We're sure that goes over real well with the Captain. In this day and age of GPS everywhere, your log better match the readout. False Official Reports and all that. You want a list of sergeants at Callback right now for that exact charge?
The PO in the car - I feel most sorry for her. I can tell you that sometimes you work with someone for 8 hours and they never talk and it is not her responsibility to check his ID or star and in the winter you cannot see everyone's gun.
We haven't blamed her. The comments have been a bit touchy, but we reserve judgment on that one. It's winter, things get covered. We're glad it didn't turn out badly.
Anything about this job can be learned here in black and white on this blog. You can pick up the latest rumors, who gets transferred, what bosses suck, which bosses are good.
Wrong on most of those accounts.
You have truly done a disservice this time SCC. I hope you are proud of yourself and this blog.
So you're one of those bosses that never believed sunlight was the best disinfectant? You believed in covering up the wrong doing, sweeping illegal conduct under the carpet, letting those who were "born to command" get away with murder and outright theft while everyone else had to play by the rules? Wow, we can smell the "merit" from way over here.
I for one will only check to see if you have the guts to publish this and then I will never view this blog again and yes I will give a clue to who I am. Retired Sgt. KB from 003
We'll, we had the guts. Hope you have a nice retirement. It's obvious that we can't respect your service based on your interpretation of covering up wrongdoing. We won't miss your visit.
Cansados de pelear la titularidad en sus clubes, Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid) y Carlos Tévez (Manchester United) aceptaron sendas propuestas de sus clubes de origen, Ríver y Boca, que se refuerzan de cara al próximo campeonato.
Rememorando los tiempos de Kempes y Maradona, Ríver y Boca pelean por las figuras argentinas que transitan por el mundo…
Mientras tanto, por estas pampas…
Maradona anuncia los jugadores convocados a la selección argentina para el amistoso del 11 de febrero en París sin más cambios que el regreso de Walter Samuely repitiendo incluso los nombres que no encajan y colaboraron en las últimas y pálidas actuaciones por eliminatorias que le facilitaron el puesto.
Checho Batista tomó las juveniles como quien toma la gallina de los huevos de oro. Empezó pidiendo belleza y, pidiendo la hora, empata con Ecuador para entrar en el hexagonal clasificatorio por diferencia de gol.
Boca, en economía de guerra, contrata a Carlos Bianchi para el inédito puesto argentino de manager deportivo con un salario de u$s 1.700.000. Su primera acción responde a cubrir la plaza de arquero en el primer equipo: de común acuerdo con la dirigencia expulsan a Caranta (con 3 años de contrato que costaron mas de u$s 2 millones) y van por el pase de Abbondanzieri (36 años), gestión que tomó estado público y hasta ribetes ridículos por una diferencia de 100.000 euros.
Ríver pena peor que los primos: sin dinero para erogar ni mánagers que contratar, tampoco tiene un plantel competitivo, los pocos nombres que quedan ya están vendidos y quien iba a ser referente de grupo (Abreu) se bajó del avión de pretemporada para irse a Real Sociedad. Mientras Ariel Ortega critica que “se trajeron jugadores que no son para Ríver” y que si Aguilar hubiese querido su vuelta al club se resolvía en “una tarde”, en un intento de cosmética folklórica el presidente fue por el pase de Cristian Fabián, pero tampoco.
Comparada armó una festejada y hueca inauguración de su estadio a sabiendas de que debería anunciar poco tiempo después que el “Libertadores de América” no podría terminarse en tiempo y forma. Entre uno y otro anuncio sólo pasaron decenas de días que incluyen su reelección al frente de Independiente. Hoy trabaja en cerrar su localía para 2009 y después de la negativa de Rácing por el Cilindro habló con Carlos Babington, presidente de Huracán, quien le ofreció el Tomás Ducó a cambio de las butacas que le faltan en la platea.
Rácing, que acaba de negarse a alquilar el Cilindro a Independiente, pena económica y deportivamente. La elección de diciembre – después de 10 años de intervención judicial – trajo vientos democráticos y números crudos: no money. No se pudo retener a la máxima estrella del equipo que volviera de su frustrado paso por Rusia, Maxi Moralez, y espera pelear la promoción con un plantel de 21 años promedio.
