Chuck Goudie - Daley Whore

How does that taste Chuck?

• Scc, just watched 6pm news. Wed 10pm channel 7
  I-Report with Chuck Goudie called Buried Treasure. They say it is a bonus of 4700.00 that city employees have been receiving for decades and the Alderman says cutting it could save the city millions right away. They are coming after our pay and all the officers who want to sit it out on the sidelines on Thursday should know that they are about to take a pay cut if city hall gets its way.

Hey Chuck? Be sure you point out the following with your "I-Report"

• Chicago has no shift differential like most major police departments. It's a standard feature for officers working the afternoon and midnight shifts nationwide.
• Chicago has no educational differential like most major departments. That's to say, the better educated you are, the higher your salary. Check LAPD and Boston for two examples.
• Chicago aldercreatures just took a 6% pay hike for their "part time" jobs, putting their base salary somewhere around $100,000. CPD doesn't hit their top salary until 25 years.
• Chicago aldercreatures also took an increase in their "discretionary" fund. It's now about $1.33 million per aldercreature.
  

So after you're done sucking off Daley and Beale there Chuck, wipe your chin. Second, how about looking into cutting the number of aldercreatures, their staff and their expense accounts. We just read where City, County and Illinois corruption have cost the taxpayers $300 million (a lowball figure) and 30 aldercreatures have gone to jail in less than 25 years.

Uniforms and Duty Availability have been part of the Contract for years. Decades even. We even get taxed on it. So after your obvious hit job airs tomorrow night, we're going to make sure everyone knows exactly what companies bought air time on your newscast and we'll call on the FOP to begin a boycott of those sponsors.

Buried Treasure? Let us know what kind of treasure you find with your nose buried in Daley's ass. Who pointed you at this BS Chuck? Did they at least buy you dinner before you put out?

Protest Getting Bigger

State and National attention:

• National FOP President Chuck Canterbury and State FOP President Ted Street will join Lodge #7 on Thursday, April 2, 2009 to support their brothers and sisters with a show of fraternalism. This is exactly what the FOP is all about. Please come out and show your support for them.

Also, the FOP has added at least two buses to the schedule and listed an additional stop for pick ups.

A word of warning from our 001 District readers though:

• ***** WARNING *****
  Dont plan on parking in the 001st Dist on the big day!!! Just recently got word from a reliable source that an inspector along with a couple of tow trucks will be in the lot removing vehicles. Check the C.O. book.
  
  Stay safe,

Supposedly Deputy Sergeant Keating, who owes his entire career to spending afternoons in a boat with Shortshanks, has decided that he can't be accommodating to cops who protest. That's kind of humorous seeing as how the 001 District is so understanding when it comes to holding condo association meetings in their Multi Purpose room and extend parking courtesy to them.

J-Fed's Blackberry message aside, they are going to fuck with the marchers in any way their tiny minds can devise. Parking tickets by TMA's or supervisors; tows if they can find a reason; they will find a way. Use the FOP buses whenever possible, car pool, take the train. Make THEM be the assholes, not us.

Raise Taxes!

The democrats answer to everything!

• Mayor Daley said today he would support Gov. Quinn's call for a 50 percent increase in the state income tax, only if it's tied to property tax relief and only if the governor scraps a plan to withhold millions in income tax growth from cities.

  Daley also demanded an infusion of capital funding to the CTA to ease pressure to raise fares and at least $200 million and pension relief for Chicago Public Schools to avoid classroom cuts and another local property tax increase.
  

And as you raise taxes, corporations and industry will flee the city and state, leading to this:

• The jobless rate in the Chicago metropolitan area spiked to 9 percent in February, up from 5.6 percent a year earlier, exceeding the nation's 8.1 percent rate and the state¹s 8.6 percent rate, the Illinois Department of Employment Security said Tuesday.

  The area lost 126,400 jobs over the year.

Strap in people. It's going to be a rough ride.

He Said There Was No Money?

Does the media even read what they publish on a day to day basis? Shortshanks pulls all raises off the table one day, then he calls us greedy and says we ought to come back to the table even though he took his ball and went home, then he announces this crap:

• A draft of Chicago's plans for the city's central area through 2020 calls for $15.5 billion in public works, mostly for transportation improvements, and asserts the projects are attainable with or without the 2016 Olympics.

  The projects include a West Loop transit hub beneath Clinton Street with an estimated price tag of almost $6 billion. The hub would connect Metra and CTA rail and bus lines with a proposed Carroll Street rail line, itself a $260 million item, near the north bank of the Chicago River.

  Other big-ticket items include $1.5 billion for CTA express train service to the airports and a $500 million for a landscaped roof over the Kennedy Expy. from Monroe to Washington around which new office buildings could be added. A $377 million plan foresees moving part of Lake Shore Drive east from Navy Pier to the Oak Street curve, creating space for bike and pedestrian paths.

Our math might be a little off, but just canceling the $377 million plan to move Lake Shore Drive again could provide police with a 14% raise each year over the next 19 years and still leave room to increase the aldercreatures "discretionary" fund to $2 million a year.

No wonder the Sun Times is joining the Tribune in bankruptcy.

Daley's House of Cards

Typical Daley:

• Mayor Daley's $2.5 billion plan to privatize Midway Airport has run into turbulence -- and it just might be grounded entirely -- because of the nation's credit crunch and Wall Street slide, City Hall sources said Monday.

  An April 6 closing date that would have made Midway the "first privatization of a major American airport" has been cancelled -- and it's likely to be put off for six months to give Midway Investment and Development Company LLC an opportunity to salvage the deal by lining up more equity investors or bank financing.

So that's a $2.5 billion hole that won't be filled, including:

• An estimated $1.15 billion of the proceeds would have been used to pay off Midway Airport debt. The deal also included: $225 million for police and fire protection; $126 million for soundproofing and Midway capital projects already underway and $19 million for transaction fees and legal expenses.

  State law requires 90 percent of the $1 billion profit to be used to bankroll city infrastructure projects and shore up under-funded city employee pension funds.

  That left $100 million to be spent at Daley's discretion. Chief Financial Officer Paul Volpe has said the money would be parceled out to balance the next four city budgets.

Shortshanks is scrambling to find money again. Now we're going to have "sponsored" street patching?

• Mayor Daley on Tuesday warmed to the idea of KFC filling Chicago potholes — even if it means KFC logos on city streets — so long as the fried chicken chain serves up enough gravy.

  Last week, Daley’s Lincoln Town Car suffered a flat tire on Pulaski Road after hitting a giant pothole.

  On Tuesday, the mayor upped the ante so many times he sounded like an auctioneer attempting to sell pothole patching to the highest bidder.

  “If they give us $25 million or $30 million, we’d be glad to look at it. . . . I want the money up front. I’ll take $50 million if you give me $50 million,” he said.

Wow. And this guy wins elections.

UPDATE: Here's an interesting tidbit tucked away in the article:

• Asked to assess the chances the blockbuster deal will ever go through, the source said, "I wouldn't put odds on it. No matter what happens, the city gets $126 million. That's more for the city budget than the city gets" if the deal goes through, because of strings attached to the larger pot of money.

Even if it fails, the City gets $126 million? Who's stealing that money?

Kit Kun

Benjamín no tiene un mes y medio. El Kun lo metió en el Calderón y le ganó al Barcelona y a Villarreal. El sábado lo metió en el Monumental y mojó. Algunos lo llaman talismán…

RELACIONADO: KUN PREMIADO

Nueva camiseta de Inglaterra

El diseño rompe fronteras

Grande fue mi sorpresa cuando recibí las planillas de diseño de la camiseta de Boca en aquel entonces. Corría 1997 y Nike, haciéndose cargo de la indumentaria de Boca Júniors, provocó la polémica del momento de la que ni Diego puso abstraerse: ¿cómo le van a agregar blanco a la auriazul?

Había que aceptarlo: la camiseta de Boca se diseñaba en Estados Unidos. A traducir pulgadas a centímetros se ha dicho y contactarse via internet por cualquier duda.

El viernes pasado The Sun adelantó la nueva camiseta de la selección inglesa diseñada por el argentino Aitor Throup (se mudó a Burnley, Lancs a los 12 años) para Umbro, inspirada en la utilizada durante los cuartos de final del Mundial 66, con los 3 leones de insignia de 1948 y destinada a convertirse en la mas cara de las camisetas inglesas (50 libras) para reemplazar el modelo 2008.

La prenda fue hecha a medida para jugadores como Frank Lampard y fue utilizada por primera vez el día siguiente, el pasado sábado 28 de marzo, cuando Inglaterra goleó amistosamente a Eslovaquia.

PARA VER MAS DETALLES PUEDEN ENTRAR A LA PAGINA DE UMBRO, DONDE TAMBIÉN PODRÁN PERSONALIZAR SU CAMISETA COMO LA QUE HICIMOS DE NO DOBLA.

APROVECHAMOS PARA AGRADECER A PAOLO PARENTE, EDITOR DE CALCIO NAPOLI EN ESPAÑOL, POR MENCIONARNOS PARA EL PREMIO APACHE 2009.

J-Fed Does Right

We've been getting a bunch of crap in the comment sections lately as we attempt to keep the March at the top of everyone's "to-do" list. Mainly, it's City trolls attempting to spread disinformation about whether or not you're allowed to bring guns (you are), whether you should show up in uniform (you shouldn't - if you're coming from court, cover up), and whether of not the Department will be interfering with our First Amendment Rights as they have in the past.

The following was posted in our comment sections three days ago. We wondered if it was real or not. A little detective work revealed it to be genuine and posted in a number of stations and units and CO Books:

• ----- Original Message -----
  From: Weis, Jody P.
  To: [removed]
  Sent: Fri Mar 27 19:15:49 2009
  Subject:
  
  All:
  
  Earlier today, I was copied on a letter sent from FOP President Mark Donahue to the City’s Corporation Counsel alleging that the Department was planning an improper first amendment investigation into those individuals who choose to participate in an FOP-organized picket on 02 April.
  
  This allegation is false and not substantiated by any information that is available within the Department. I am deeply concerned that such an allegation would be raised against members of the Department without proof.
  
  I would ask that you inform the members of your command that the Department is committed to upholding the constitution, and that we will support the first amendment rights of the men and women of the Department, regardless of the first amendment activity they choose to participate in. The Department will support their rights; it is vital that we stress this point to the membership.
  
  Every day, numerous first amendment activities are ongoing throughout the City with the full support and protection of legal first amendment activity by the members of the Department; the event on 02 April will enjoy the same support and protections by the Department provided to any other activity.
  
  Thank you for your leadership in this issue.
  Jody
  
  Jody Weis
  Superintendent
  Chicago Police Department

The fact that J-Fed felt it necessary to address this issue tells anyone familiar with the political structure exactly what we need to know. So as we give J-Fed piles of grief when he deserves it, we'll give him his props when he earns them, too. One instance of doing the right thing isn't going to change our minds, but it is the right thing and needs to be pointed out.

The PBPA - Lieutenants and Captains Association posted a message of support Monday and a press release was issued. Thanks to Lieutenant Weisskopf, Captain Drozd and their memberships.

SecondCitySarge has declared their intent to join the Informational Picket, but no word from the official Sergeants Union site.

We still haven't seen a SecondCityExempts blog up and running, and we don't really expect one soon. In any event, Thursday is the day. Let's see if some of the supervisors expressing support come out and show some support, too. The more the merrier.

Bad Search...SIX TIMES?

We usually try to limit our "fair use" of media material to three paragraphs and then direct the readers to the actual website to complete their reading so as not to deprive the originators of visiting eyeballs. We took a bit more of this article to drive home a point. It regards the gun found in the Cook County Jail laundry room earlier this month:

• A 39-year-old man is accused of trying to bring a gun into Cook County Jail complex after he was arrested and taken there for a bond hearing, officials said. Bennie Ellison, 39, was charged today with possession of contraband in a penal institution stemming from an incident earlier this month in which a gun was found at the jail.
  
  
  Ellison was arrested on March 18 on a possession charge, said Cook County Sheriff spokesman Steve Patterson.
  
  Ellison tied a small 38-caliber handgun to the strings of his shorts, Patterson said.
  
  The suspect was searched by Chicago police officers on the scene and taken to a district station, according to the spokesman.
  
  Ellison was searched a second time and then taken to central booking where he was patted down a third time, Patterson said.
  
  On March 19, Ellison was searched a fourth time by a court deputy before he appeared in Central Bond Court, Patterson said.
  
  After his bond was set, Ellison was transferred to intake were he was supposed to pass through a pair of metal detectors. But he avoided doing so by slipping into a line of men who had already gone through the detectors, Patterson said.
  
  At that point, Ellison tossed the gun into a laundry pile in a loading area outside Division 5 at the jail.

That's THREE Chicago Police searches, ONE County search AND he avoided TWO County metal detectors.

WHAT THE FUCK?!? How many cops did he come in contact with? How many sheriffs? This guy could have executed any number of law enforcement officers over the course of two days. If you aren't going to do the searches to keep yourself safe, do it for the poor bastard who has to handle your prisoner after processing or transporting who might have someone who misses them at home.

And yes, we've seen the comments popping up about the gun making it into the 011th District lock up. At least their lock up found the damn thing after just a single miss by the 012th District officers. This one was about SIX misses by two different commands (district, central detention) and two different departments and had to rely on the honesty of a Cook County inmate working the laundry room to find the pistol.

Free Idea for Daley

Vancouver is having nothing but problems in the run-up to the Winter Games in 2010 due to a huge gang war:

• Even as Vancouver prepares to host the 2010 Winter Games, its crime rate is going up. Since January alone, there have been 45 shootings in the region, 17 of them fatal. There were 58 murders last year in this region of 2.7 million people, up from 41 the year before, according to the regional Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

While the flare up in "gun free" Canada is not related to the Olympics, it doesn't bode well for tourists coming in for the Games. So to combat some of the more notorious drive-by violence, Vancouver authorities have been reduced to this:

• Vancouver police are deterring drive-by shootings by setting up cement barricades outside of gangsters' homes.

  The temporary cement blocks sit in front of two houses in southeast Vancouver in the 1200-block of East 63rd Avenue and the 900-block of East 54th Avenue.

  Const. Jana McGuinness confirmed the barricades are to prevent drive-by shootings.

  [...] The barricades are meant to slow down people driving by the homes, deterring them from firing shots and speeding off.

  City engineer Murray Whiteman, who is responsible for street operations, said the barriers are a cost-effective way to curb gunplay.

Cost effective? That sounds like a dinner bell ringing to old "Blue Light Camera" Shortshanks! And they're oh so very attractive - almost as attractive as his center median planters!

No charge for the idea Richie.

This Sounds So Familiar

It really does:

On a completely unrelated topic, be sure you get those self submitted "merit" packages in soon. The deadline is fast approaching.

Contract Violation Jackpot

Big win by the FOP:

• In 2006 the Dept opened the Juvenile Intervention and Support Center and opened it up for bid to Detectives. No one bid and the Department filled it "at the Department's discretion". These officers soon bid out of the JISC and the Dept then involuntarily detailed a different group of officers to the JISC. After their details ended they were then involuntarily assigned to the JISC based upon the "valuable experience" they had obtained during their involuntarily detail.
  
  The Lodge went to arbitration and the arbitrator found the original transfers were OK because no one had bid, however the subsequent Detail and reassignment violated the contract. He awarded the officers time and one half for each day they were improperly detailed
  
  The City took the rare move to file in court and ask a judge to set aside the arbitrator's award. Our attorneys fought the City on this. On today's date Judge Peter Flynn rejected the City's arguments and confirmed the Arbitrator's award of time and one half to these officers.

That's time-and-one-half for the entire terms of the details, which in some cases ended up being quite lengthy. And for days they worked holidays and OT? Ouch. Nice job.

Derecho de admisión en espectáculos futbolísticos

El Ministerio de Justicia, Seguridad y Derechos Humanos publicó hoy en el Boletín Oficial la resolución sobre el derecho de admisión en los espectáculos futbolísticos con lo que la medida ya puede ser instrumentada en los estadios ubicados en el ámbito de la Capital Federal.

Entre otros, puede leerse:

Las entidades deportivas comprendidas en el Régimen de Seguridad en el Fútbol establecido en el Decreto Nº 1466/97 deberán supervisar durante el Ingreso del público al estadio, que no sean introducidos al mismo elementos que atenten contra la seguridad, como asimismo que no ingresen personas con signos de encontrarse bajo los efectos del consumo de alcohol y estupefacientes, o que a su juicio puedan alterar el orden durante el transcurso del espectáculo, requiriendo en caso de conflicto la colaboración policial para hacer efectivo el derecho de admisión de la entidad organizadora.

Es voluntad de LA AFA, prestar su total colaboración para el desarrollo de una gestión de eficiencia en la prevención de la violencia por parte de los Clubes y el Estado.

A los fines de lograr una adecuada coordinación se vuelve necesario contar con la cooperación recíproca entre todos los actores comprometidos en la organización de los espectáculos futbolísticos, de modo tal que posibiliten una rápida y eficaz actuación del Estado en la prevención de la violencia en el fútbol, y bajo esa finalidad, convienen en celebrar el presente acuerdo sujeto a las cláusulas y condiciones que a continuación se detallan:

RESOLUCION 838/2009 COMPLETA

Contate otro Aníbal (Fernández).

Chile gana con autoridad

Entre ecos de conflicto diplomático, ante 53000 espectadores y 5000 policías en derredor del estadio, Chile ganó en Lima (Perú 1 Chile 3) después de 24 años, con una destacada actuación de Alexis Sánchez y pelea en la punta del torneo clasificatorio a Sudafrica 2010.

Chile entró ganando 1-0 con bolea de Alexis en el segundo minuto de juego. "No se puede ignorar la incidencia de un gol – dijo luego Marcelo Bielsa - de todas maneras, Perú cerró el primer tiempo con un gol que ponía las cosas accesibles para ellos, pero en líneas generales, me parece que Chile defendió y atacó bien, pudiendo gobernar el partido".

Vean en el vídeo, minuto 70, como llegan tres hombres chilenos al arco peruano ganando Chile 1-2.

Algunas otras frases de Bielsa (vía charla técnica) que nunca están demás:

CLICK PARA AMPLIAR

OEMC Radio System Failure?

Trying to find truth in a rumor coming through in comments that there was a complete OEMC radio system failure last night. We're hearing that OEMC finally got Citywide up and running, but that for several hours last night there was no police or fire radio up at all.

Information?

Picketing Reminders

If you've read the FOP flyer, signs will be provided. We'll leave the phrases and wording to the boys at the Hall. We know they'll want to get out a serious message, so play by their rules. We can't see them objecting to a few "cute" signs carried by family members who show up. Something like "My Daddy needs a Contract" will almost guarantee your kid face time on TV and will bring home the point that we've been trying to raise families in this city for the past two years while the aldercreatures and their staffs got large raises and the other unions got better than average offers in return for ten years of labor peace.

A question:

• We heard families and other supporters are welcome. Are they responsible for their own transportation? If they are, bring quarters or parking cash. Don't give the TMA's an excuse to ticket and tow your family sedan.
  

And a bit of advice:

• Have a few video cameras around. The City will be filming and the last time we rallied, a number of people were more than a little casual about violating the First Amendment at the behest of the Administration.
• The on-duty guy is always right, administratively speaking. He might be 100% wrong in terms of First Amendment Rights, but don't doubt for a second that J-Fed and his underlings will throw the off-duty under the bus.
• Rules and Regulations will conflict with First Amendment Rights on occasion and until someone takes a test case all the way to the US Supreme Court, the Rules and Regulations will take precedence.
  

Rely on the FOP guys there to make statements, defuse volatile situations and sort out conflicts that might arise. We need a decent showing. And we need those who show to be decent.

Kass Contest

If one of our readers doesn't win this thing, or at least place three entries in the top ten, we'll be disappointed:

• A delegation from the International Olympic Committee arrives here this week, ready to be romanced by Mayor Richard Daley, who is in desperate lust to host the 2016 Olympic Games in Chicago.
  
  And we need to help him.
  
  
• Let's give the IOC some suggestions for real, Chicago-style Olympic sporting events, so that the 2016 Olympics will have an authentic Chicago flavor.

Kass provides a hint of what he is looking for:

• I'm talking Chicago-style events like the Bag-Man Relay Races, or the Bag-O-Quarters Clean-and-Jerk Parking Meter competition; and the 100-Meter Dash to Affirmative Action Contracts Won by White Guys.
  
  Or, perhaps one of you might suggest that the IOC adopt the most important event of the 2016 Chicago Olympics:
  
  Hide the Subcontractor.
  
  Another exciting Chicago Olympic event might be the 400-Meter Real Estate Pairs Run.

Click the link at the top for the article. Entries can be mailed to jskass@tribune.com.

Bob Verdi Digs at Daley

Even the sportswriters are having fun with this:

• Is it time to forget fretting about the Chicago Olympics? Normally, I don't forget the Olympics unless they're on TV, and I don't fret about them unless I actually have to go.
  
  But inasmuch as this city is a final four contender for the 2016 Summer Games, civic duty compels us to support the effort with everything we've got, which isn't much after Cook County taxes.
  
  
• On Thursday, International Olympic Committee officials, fondly known as the Dukes of Dandruff, will visit here. But just when you thought they might be impressed by the former Sears Tower renamed for Peter Tom Willis, word comes that Chicago police threaten to picket City Hall.
  
  
• [...] A less invasive measure to cut costs would be to eliminate the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Sequins are expensive. Pay Chicago cops what they deserve and let them have a parade instead.

We'll take the support where we can get it.

Festejos

Cuando uno queda encantado con un lugar siempre quiere volver. Las bondades del clima, los paisajes o los restaurantes o lo que fuere toma color y los costados de la memoria le imprimen brillos particulares.

Pero también creo que cuando uno desea volver a determinado lugar en realidad desea volver menos al lugar que a las vivencias allí pasadas.

Referido a la fiebre por presenciar (y ver) el debut de Diego como Director Técnico oficial de la selección: colas de madrugada y acampe, entradas que se agotan tal como se ponen a la venta, plateas de $60, 80, 100, 130 y hasta 280 se esfuman en horas de ventanilla (u$s 1 millón en dos días y resta vender), las populares que vuelan, la reventa que llega a quintuplicar valores (como si Diego jugara), la noche en el Luna Park, una entrada, otros agolpados en las puertas del predio de Ezeiza, intentando rendijas de alambrado para ver, más de ciento cincuenta periodistas acreditados (mauritano incluido), guardia periodística, previa de conferencia de prensa, conferencia al fin (como si Diego o alguien fuera a revelar algo), ansiedad, en la gente, su público, y en Diego, con el mismo semblante que antes de salir del túnel.

Cuando uno queda encantado con un lugar siempre quiere volver. La República Maradona es un sitio único en el mundo al que siempre, siempre, deseamos volver. Menos por este Diego cuarentón poco afeitado que por aquellas noches ochentosas de tragos, camisetas, papelitos y cornetas y la sensación de que cada festejo le queda chico al motivo.

GOLES
CONFERENCIA DE PRENSA MARADONA
TAPA Nº 87

Another Reason to Picket

From the FOP picket flyer:

• Fact: Alderman Beale wants to stop our Uniform Allowance and Duty Availability pay

Aldercreature Beale had no problem accepting a 6% pay raise for his part-time job and no problem with voting his staff a 5% raise. He also was among the 50 jackasses who saw nothing wrong with taking an increase in the aldercreature's discretionary fund (last reported to be in the neighborhood of $1.33 million to spend on whatever they want) as the economy was tanking.

And on the subject of the planned march, does anyone know if the Sergeants, Lieutenants and Captains have been approached or invited? The PBPA usually relies on the FOP to do the majority of the negotiating so it might be a good thing to have them along.

How about the retirees? The retirees come together and vote in a large block come election time. How many might have a few spare hours to come downtown and march with us? This has a lot of potential.

Oh, and Daley says we're being "unfair"

• It is "unfair" for police to try to link their pay dispute to Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Olympics, Mayor Richard Daley said Saturday.

  Police union members unhappy with contract negotiations say they will picket City Hall on Thursday--the same day the International Olympic Committee's evaluation team arrives in Chicago.

  "If everybody has a complaint about something else, it has nothing to do with 2016," the mayor said. "It's really unfair because the Olympics is bigger than Mayor Daley. It's bigger than the police or fire union, all these unions. It's bigger than them.

No word on how unfair it is the City hasn't kept up with pension obligations as per State law.

Time Due Ruling

The City loses. And maybe loses big:

• Chicago Police officers denied their requests to take compensatory time off could be in line for damages at a time when the city is strapped for cash, thanks to a federal appeals court ruling this week.

  Denying the city's appeal, the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the Police Department can no longer cite manpower shortages to indefinitely deny requests from rank-and-file officers to use comp time awarded in lieu of overtime pay.

  The Fair Labor Standards Act requires the city to grant comp time requests made with sufficient notice, even if it means calling other officers in on their days off to fill the void. The act applies to time earned above and beyond 11 overtime hours in a four-week period.

What price do you put on missing family birthdays, reunions, baseball games, etc. Mastercard calls them "priceless" and we tend to agree.

But what seems to be missing from this entire article is why would the Department feel the need to deny officers time off that they earned unless the Districts and Watches are so undermanned that they can't put up the cars and officers they need to maintain operations?

The facade continues to crumble, and the media continues to ignore the increasingly obvious fact that we are shorthanded, dangerously shorthanded, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

Time for Hauser to Go?

Hop over to the Pension Board minutes and page through. Lots of interesting info. Especially in February 2009:

• It was moved by Trustee Shields, seconded by Trustee Lazzaro that the Board remove law school tuition from the Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund’s continuing education program based on availability of funds and job relatedness.
  ROLL CALL
  For: Shields, Lazzaro, Neely, 3.
  Against: Lux, Hauser, Reusche, 3.
  Absent: Maloney, Volpe, 2.
  MOTION FAILS

We're pretty sure this is the incident regarding the Secretary's law school tuition being paid for with our pension money. As of yet, no one has explained what we get for paying this tuition. Are we paying for A's and B's? D's? Are we getting a free lawyer for two or three years to work on our pension bills and legislation? Are we paying for one single connected individual or are there a bunch of people getting their law degrees to help out? Are we getting ripped off?

Based on the above vote, this was a completely winnable motion as one of the City appointees was absent and those elected to represent our interests had a leg up. Any retirees want to let us know why Hauser voted the way he did? You guys are drawing a pension already.

Pension Fund Abuse?

We missed this at the very bottom of Friday's article on Shortshanks' son and nephew hiring criminal defense attorneys:

• Vanecko and Davis are guaranteed $3 million in fees for managing the pension fund investments under a deal that runs through Dec. 31, 2014. Among the real estate deals in which they have invested so far, they have bought an apartment building at 1212 S. Michigan and loaned $1 million to help restaurateur Matthew O'Malley redevelop the former Chicago Defender building.

If we recall correctly, the Defender building was the subject of a couple of newspaper articles because of a most unusual occurrence:

• Jeffrey Duerwachter made $413,000 in one day last year by buying and selling the Chicago Defender building.
  
  But he did even better investing, making a $413,000 profit by buying and immediately reselling a historic South Loop building that once housed the Chicago Defender, the city's biggest African-American newspaper. And he did it all in one day -- June 8. First, Duerwachter paid $3.72 million for the building and a nearby vacant lot Then, Duerwachter resold the building and lot for $4.1 million to a company owned by Matthew A. O'Malley, a politically connected Chicago restaurant owner who had been negotiating to buy the property from Stratievsky.
  
  O'Malley bought the property with three loans -- including $1 million in city pension funds managed by DV Urban Realty Partners, a company co-owned by Mayor Daley's nephew, Robert Vanecko, and one of Daley's key African-American allies, Allison S. Davis. This was one of the investments Davis and Vanecko made after their newly created company was hired to manage $68 million for five pension funds for city workers, police officers, Chicago teachers and CTA workers.

If we recall, the Pension Fund has agreed to let DV Urban Realty Partners run a $15 million portion of the fund. They have drawn on $5 million of that amount and have lost $1.5 million in shaky investments. But Duerwachter made $413,000 flipping the Defender Building in one day, a connected restaurant owner is making who knows how much and the DV people got their management fees.

Anyone know how the Pension Fund made out in the deal? And can anyone connect the dots here? Mr. Fitzgerald?

Chalkie Companion Shirt

The creator is looking for comments on his design:

We like it. It might be a good one for the next election cycle seeing as how a recall might be a bit of a stretch. Readers?

Argentina 4 Venezuela 0

Put Up or Shut Up

Quite possibly the most important event that will happen in many of our careers:

• The Lodge has been backed into a corner and will participate in informational picketing on Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 11:00 am.

  The First Amendment to the United States Constitution assures all citizens the free exercise of the freedom of speech, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Persons on the public way have a right to express their views and beliefs orally or through the use of signs. These protections apply to our members exercise of their First Amendment Rights as long as they act in a law abiding manner.

While we aren't completely happy with the timing and the admission by the FOP President that the Olympic Committee won't be around to observe and enjoy the festivities, it's what we have at the moment and the moment must be seized.

Go to the link. Print out the attached flyer. If you're off, show up. If you're out of court, swing by, especially anyone with a 9am call at Traffic Court - you're already downtown. If you can get time, burn the day.

Anything less than full buses will rightly be seen as a failure.

Quick Hits (Lengthy)

Too many stories to cover at one time. That means another Quick Hits to get the word out:

• A Midlothian teen accused of punching two Chicago cops during the South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade says "don't blame me" for killing the parade.

  Speaking Thursday - as the commander in charge of policing 310,000 revelers at the parade detailed a nightmarishly "rough day" for his officers - 17-year-old Gonzalo Vasquez said he plans to attend whatever celebration South Side organizers have next year.

  "I was wasted," Vasquez said outside his home in the 14800 block of Lawndale Avenue on Thursday afternoon.

Our old friend Kim Janssen covers the parade spectacle in the South Town Star. A drunk 17-year-old from out of town attacking not one, but two officers. Vasquez...that's Irish, right? Every day, it sure seems it was the correct decision to end the parade.
---------
OEMC problems getting worse:

• Stacked-up calls to Chicago's 911 emergency center are "disappearing completely" from computer screens because of glitches in a $6 million upgrade to the dispatch system, call takers complained Thursday.

  Just last month, Mayor Daley showcased the upgrade, which lets call takers and dispatchers see real-time video from surveillance cameras within 150 feet of any 911 call.
  

  But then problems started cropping up, apparently tied to the servers installed three weeks ago as part of the upgrade. Calls that are "stacked" because police officers are responding to higher-priority calls have been "disappearing completely" from computer screens, sources said.

We aren't going to complain too much about stacked dope jobs disappearing, but knowing the City's propensity for truth telling (i.e. none whatsoever), we're more worried about actual legit calls getting lost in cyberspace. Add this to the ongoing under staffing prevalent at OEMC and the taxpayers are going to get stuck with another multimillion dollar preventable lawsuit.
----------
Another CPS casualty - one year later:

• A 15-year-old boy died Thursday after being shot last May on Chicago's South Side, officials said today.

  Rakeem Robinson was shot May 30 in the 5200 block of South Calumet Avenue, said Monique Bond, a Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman. Robinson, of the 5700 block of South Indiana Avenue, was pronounced dead at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

  At the time of the shooting, Robinson was 14 and a student at Dunbar Vocational Career Academy High School on the South Side, Bond said.

If counted properly, that will push the CPS stats somewhere over thirty for the school year. A new record maybe?
----------
A nonsense threat from the Feds:

• Newsradio 780 has learned the federal government is threatening to take action against the University of Chicago Medical Center now that investigators have found deficiencies in the emergency room.

  This follows the death of an elderly man in the emergency room waiting room last month.

  What the federal government is threatening to do is take away the University of Chicago Medical Center's Medicare certification.

Ok, let's just review some of Illinois pay-to-play history:

• An individual we'll call "Michelle O" is hired by the U of C hospitals for a job so important, that when she leaves it, it sits vacant for a year and is cut from the budget in 2009. For this job, she gets over $100,000 to figure out how to increase minority outreach;
• An individual we'll call "Barack O" is elected to the US Senate and gets a committee assignment that will allow him to direct a number of earmarks totaling over $1 million to the U of C hospitals for all sorts of stuff.
• The U of C, in a completely voluntary sort of way, gives "Michelle O" a raise that triples her salary in a job that is so important, they eliminate it a year later.
• "Barack O" moves on to a better job in charge of all sorts of cool stuff, including the people threatening to take away the U of C Medicare Certification.

We'll lay even money on a bunch of apologies, maybe a letter of reprimand and a bunch of promises to never let anything like what just happened to happen ever again - and by the way, it wasn't our fault. Anyone want to bet against us?

Childish?

If true, a new low:

• Jody took his ball and went home today... He was absent at the monthly "superintendents award ceremony". Just a week or so after he was given a no confidence vote, Jody Weis was "too busy" to spend an hour of his day honoring and presenting awards to the officers that, according to first deputy superintendent James Jackson, "went above and beyond the call of duty and exemplify why I am proud to call myself a Chicago Policeman". What a shame. This act of defiance by the superintendent clearly has drawn a line in the sand. It is them against me.

We recall a couple of instances of the Awards Ceremony being canceled or delayed because the Superintendent couldn't be there. But just not showing up? Even in a fit of pique?

Certainly seems like he's "got your back," doesn't it?

What Could They Be Hiding II

They're lawyering up? Already?

• Mayor Daley's son and nephew have hired a criminal defense attorney to represent them in the ongoing investigation of their investment in a sewer-cleaning company that won millions of dollars in no-bid contract extensions from City Hall.

  Charles Sklarsky, a former federal prosecutor now with the law firm of Jenner & Block, confirmed Thursday he is representing Patrick Daley and his cousin Robert Vanecko.

David Hoffman, the Inspector General, is also a former Fed. Perhaps this is all part of Daley's master plan? Former Fed-on-Former Fed battle? Can it be a fight to the death? We could sell tickets and use it to fund the pension Daley and his relatives have managed to loot for the past decade plus.

And who has copies of the Pension Board minutes where the retiree representative voted with the City representatives to deny disability payments to a number of coppers? We need the full story. Perhaps the Patrolman's Representative needs to start a blog to update everyone on this stuff?

CPD in Oakland

The trip took almost two days and crossing the Continental Divide meant a bunch of snow in Wyoming. But the Chicago Police Department had a showing in Oakland to honor the four fallen Officers that was appreciated by California Law Enforcement to no end:


If any other pics of the trip are available, we'll see if we can get them up on this site and a few of our fellow blogger sites.

Eyewitness Testimony Destroyed

Jefferson Tap trial coverage:

• The testimony of a key witness against a police officer charged with punching a man in the face inside a West Loop bar was undercut today when security video showed the officer outside the bar when the man was struck.

• But Fahey then played footage from a second camera monitoring the exterior of the building that showed Barnes on the sidewalk outside at the moment when Vanderford said she saw him throw the punch. Fahey asked if she was still certain she saw Barnes strike Gilfand.

  Vanderford hesitated before answering.

  "Since no one can be in two places at one time ... I would say it's possible that I'm mistaken," she said.

Mistaken? Lady, you ought to be charged with perjury. And the ASA's prosecuting this disaster of a case ought to be fired by Anita Alvarez for missing this glaringly obvious hole in their case. This is looking more and more like a political persecution and a wholesale overreaction to a simple battery case between two groups at a bar.

No comment from Leo.

Why the Parade was Canceled

We have been forwarded an e-mail from a few different people. The e-mail seems to be from a the Chair of the Southside Irish Parade Committee and was sent out to members prior to the press release of Wednesday. Here's the primary reason the parade was canceled:

• Many will say this was a long time coming. The behavior of those who come to this neighborhood on parade day just to get drunk and cause trouble has gotten worse and worse over the past decade, and it's finally become too much for the neighborhood to endure. The tipping point, in case your curious, was the fact that 11 police officers were assaulted during the 2009 parade. This total disregard for law enforcement crossed a new line, and we were afraid the next step would be someone getting seriously injured or even killed. So given that mindset, we obviously could not go forward.
  
  Not sure how you all feel about the parade at this point - I'm sure some of you will be glad to see it go while others will be disappointed. Though I did not hesitate to vote with those committee members who wanted to end it, I think it is an incredible shame. This was an event which helped defined the community in which I've chosen to live. It was a tradition that spanned my entire life and one I'd hoped to share with my daughter. And because of irresponsible people, most of whom don't even live in this community, it has been destroyed.

So for this reason, we salute the chair and the committee for recognizing that this event had ceased to be about Irish heritage and family and culture. Here letter concludes with the following:

• The committee will work hard to make sure that the end of the parade does not mean the end of Irish celebrations in Beverly. We plan to continue with the annual Mass and hopefully create a new tradition - some kind of cultural event, perhaps at the Beverly Art Center, involving Irish music, dance, food, etc. All of that is of course very vague right now, but I hope you all will choose to support it.

We here at SCC wish them a brilliant beginning to a new tradition. Thanks for looking out for the Chicago Police Department and acknowledging what so many other parade organizations aren't willing or mature enough to accept.

Way to Go J-Fed

This is about as bad as Phil hugging Meeks:

• Supt. Jody Weis elevated three Hispanic members of the department Thursday, including promoting a Latino officer to head Internal Affairs, the office that investigates misconduct of police.

That's how Channel 2 opens their coverage.

We give a rat's ass about the racial makeup of the upper echelon, but that's the first thing Daley's media lap dogs report. Not that J-Fed promoted the most qualified individuals to the posts. Not that J-Fed conducted a thorough and exhaustive search that resulted in these three persons being moved to where they could provide the Department and City of Chicago their expertise in advancing the cause of policing in the new century. Reading the full article and you find out exactly what occurred:

• "We're very excited,'' said the Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus, pastor of New Life Covenant Church. "At least they are willing to hear and meet with us, and now we are seeing some changes. It's well overdue. We hope there's more [in] the future.''
  
  Sources said Weis had recognized the need to diversify the upper ranks of the department even before meeting with the clergy. He committed himself to work on it at the meeting, one source said.

Ah, yes. The churches calling the tune. Or at least the churches that have members that Daley needs votes from to hang on to his office on the fifth floor of City Hall.

So Daley tells J-Fed, "Jump" and J-Fed says "How high Mr. Daley?" and Daley says, "Dat's a good boy there Jody" and everyone moves the names around on the doors and desks. If there was any doubt (and there shouldn't have been) that J-Fed is nothing but a tool for Shortshanks, this ought to wash away any remaining questions.

What Could They Be Hiding?

Seriously:

• Trustees for at least two city pension funds are considering stonewalling Chicago's inspector general over a subpoena for records involving their investments with a company co-owned by one of Mayor Daley's nephews.

  The funds invested millions of dollars in DV Urban Realty Partners, founded by Daley nephew Robert Vanecko and Allison Davis, a mayoral supporter whose law firm once employed Barack Obama.

  At their last meeting, trustees for the police fund voiced opposition to the subpoena. They're meeting again today. An attorney for another city pension fund has contacted Inspector General David Hoffman's office to say its trustees also plan to refuse his subpoena, according to sources who would not identify that fund.

Oh, wait. Nothing to see here. Move along people.

Recent Olympic Upheaval

It was all about... MONEY!

• When Chicago 2016 Olympics boosters make a critical sales pitch Thursday, they will have to work hard to be heard over a freshly erupting international financial dispute that could hurt their campaign.
  
  International Olympic Committee officials this week cranked up the heat on their longstanding crusade to reduce the share of Olympic television and sponsorship money that funnels to the United States Olympic Committee, Chicago's bid partner.
  
  The rhetoric has been searing: "It's unfair, scandalously unfair, that the government of the richest country in the world doesn't pay a dime to [Olympic] sport and we have to subsidize American athletes," Hein Verbruggen, an honorary IOC member and one of the most vocal Olympic leaders on the issue, told the Tribune on Wednesday.

Well, actually, that's what the Games are supposed to be about - amateur athletics. Government sponsorship leads to abuses like the East German steroid factories, the Red Army hockey teams, or any of a dozen other scandals. That isn't to say that America hasn't had it's share of doping and cheating and such. But at least the US had amateurs beating what were essentially paid athletes from other countries at times.

Anyway, slightly amusing that at a time when Richie is crying poor and pinching every penny in an attempt to get the Games, the IOC is attempting to steal as much American TV money and sponsorship dollars to pad their own accounts.

2 AÑOS

Exempt and Captain Movement?

Post 'em if you got 'em.

Even the Streets Hate Daley

Amusing:

• It's stranger than fiction! Sneed hears Mayor Daley's car hit a huge pothole Tuesday, which flattened two of his tires!

  • • The kicker: The pothole incident occurred shortly after hizzoner apologized to the Chicago public for the behavior of convicted Streets and Sans czar Al Sanchez, who was in charge of plugging the city's potholes!

  • • Upshot: It was a Pulaski Avenue pothole, which ruptured the tires while Daley was being driven back to City Hall in his Lincoln Town Car.

Does anyone know if Shortshanks hopped out, stripped to his shirtsleeves and helped the Detail change the tires? Does anyone think that Daley actually knows how to change a tire? Or fill a tire for that matter? Yeah, right.

La 12

Podemos preguntarnos por esos chicos que llevan puestas remeras con estampas del Che Guevara acaso tocando de oído. Podemos preguntarnos por este buen hombre que lleva una gorra que se identifica con esta gente?

Protest March Coming

Yes, we got the text messages. Yes, we got the e-mails. The rumor mill is shuddering under the winds of the latest and even the Tribune is picking up on it:

• Leaders of Chicago's police union are considering taking the growing acrimony over contract negotiations public at a most inopportune time for Mayor Daley -- picketing on the day International Olympic Committee evaluators arrive next week to see the city.
  
  Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Donahue acknowledged that a picket line of cops while Olympic officials are in town April 2-7 is "being discussed," but he said nothing has been decided by the union and declined to comment further.
  
  But multiple police sources familiar with union activities said that an "informational picket" is being planned for next Thursday, the day the IOC's 16-member evaluating commission is scheduled to arrive in Chicago. The sources expected the picketing to take place at City Hall, but the location is among issues still being discussed.

Why one day of pickets? Why not a few days worth? Why not a bus on standby for the "grand tour" and drive ahead of the IOC entourage to conduct "informational pickets" at each and every whistle-stop the convoy makes?

One day of picketing is a mosquito bite to Shortshanks. One week of being alongside his Olympic dream is a festering boil on Daley's ass.

019 Insanity

This is a joke, right?

• O.T. but what's with 019 grading the P.O.'s? Not sure if it's just on the 2nd watch but I've heard that the 2nd watch Watch Commander recently handed out letter grades to the P.O.'s on the watch. You got graded on your activity (or lack thereof). Not sure what affect it would have on the P.O.
  
  Is this the new evaluation system that the department has been promising to roll out?

Save the paper boys and girls. Save every scrap you can put your hands on and document who was in the room when the W/C handed it out.

Especially save it if the W/C is attempting to deny you Special Employment or Time Due based on your letter grade.

Re-Opening an Investigation

We've all heard that the "numbers game" is real, is bullshit, is reality, is fantasy. We certainly hope that it's BS. But way too much of this Department is numbers driven and not really "results oriented." Our 40% and dropping clearance rate is proof of that.

The Fox News piece only lends credence to the conspiracy side of the argument, especially when Fox has an Exempt Supervisor admitting the base has been reopened.

No More Parade

It just got too big and unmanageable:

• Let this release serve as notice that the South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee is not planning to stage a parade in its present form in March of 2010.

  This decision was not arrived at lightly. For 31 years, this parade was a staple of the Beverly/Morgan Park and Mt. Greenwood communities – a celebration of faith, family and heritage that was cherished by thousands. Founded in 1979 by the Hendry and Coakley families, it was intended to instill in this community an appreciation for the Irish heritage that so many of its residents share.

Unfortunately, the parade sort of contributed to a fulfillment of a number of Irish stereotypes, too, and that as much as anything resulted in its demise. Too big, too sloppy, too ridiculous. No telling how much pressure City Hall put on the organizers, but we imagine it was considerable.

Now, will that pressure be brought to bear on another set of "organizers" that drain police resources at the other end of the parade calendar? Because we are rapidly approaching the point where we will not be able to cover the manpower needs for a large scale event like that anymore.

Entrenadores despedidos

Clausura 2009, 7 fechas, 6 entrenadores renunciantes y 3 en la cornisa (Roberto Sensini de Newells, Claudio Vivas de Argentinos Júniors y Miguel Angel Russo de San Lorenzo).

Inaugurando el año de resciciones, Juan Manuel Llop se fue de Racing el 21 de febrero después de perder los 3 partidos jugados por el torneo y decir que debió renunciar en diciembre.
Gustavo Alfaro es despedido de Rosario Central el 1 de marzo después de una paupérrima campaña que terminó con 8 partidos sin victorias. Reinaldo Merlo, con tres fechas y dos goleadas, está a un punto de igualar su performance.
El 9 de marzo, Omar Labruna es despedido de Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy. Héctor Arzubialde toma el puesto y el lobo le hace 4 a Independiente y gana de visitante después de 25 intentos (Arg. Jrs 0-1).
El 11 de marzo renuncia Leonardo Astrada a Estudiantes. Había empezado bien, perdió la final de la Sudamericana con Inter (Porto Alegre) y se desinfló. Parece que la fosa empezó a abrirse cuando sacó a Angeleri de la concentración. Tomó el cargo Alejandro Sabella y Estudiantes, en 2 partidos, no perdió.
El 21 de marzo renuncia Pepé Santoro, después de comparecer en cada domingo, echar a la vieja Reinoso y no encontrarle la vuelta al equipo que gana y pierde como de pasos al caminar.
Jorge Burruchaga pegó el portazo en Bánfield atrás de Santoro por sentir que no tiene respaldo dirigencial. Su salida abre especulaciones en derredor de la calesita DT.

CLICK PARA AMPLIAR

Information Being Suppressed?

Someone mentioned this in a comment section:

• Is it just us or do the reports of shootings seem down?

We did an unscientific survey of a few of the media outlets listed on the right side and aside from the railroad copper killing the armed assailant (good job by the way), there weren't many shootings reported over the past few days. Not even in the "metro briefing" blurbs that take a paragraph or so.

It's doubly unusual because we've been on the scenes of at least two shootings in the past few days and heard of another seven that didn't make the news, including a triple wounding.

What reason could there be for keeping a lid on violent crime numbers? Is there some big even planned for the first week of April that would necessitate keeping hidden actual instances of Chicagoans trying to off each other?

And the media dances while Richie calls the tunes.

Common Sense Rejected

By Shortshanks no less:

• Mayor Daley is seething over a West Side legislator’s suggestion that children be educated about gun safety and gun use.
  
  State Rep. Annazette Collins (D-Chicago) said she believes that education is the key to gun safety, and said a hands-on approach is the key to taking away the mystery and allure of guns.
  
  “Downstate they teach you that guns are meant for hunting, for protection,” she said. “Here in the urban cities, all they see are guns on TV and they gun down people.”
  
  Opponents filled a town hall meeting Monday night in Garfield Park, and Mayor Daley is adding his voice to the outrage.
  
  “It’s the silliest position I’ve ever heard taken,” Daley said.

No, the silliest position is Illinois and Wisconsin being the last of the 50 states to legalize some form of concealed carry that has been proven time and time again to reduce violent crime.

But actually educating people, young people, as to basic safety principles regarding something that, despite all Shortshank's attempts to ban it, still manages to pop up with astonishing frequency. Notice how Daley twists the issue to his own anti-gun views:

• Daley said putting guns in the hands of more children is the last thing the city of Chicago needs.
  
  [...] Daley said there is already too much gun violence on Chicago’s West Side, and said he believed Collins’ proposal would only fuel it.
  
  “If (she thinks) more guns on the West Side is going to help those people, she is greatly mistaken,” Daley said.

Collins, of course, didn't say she wanted to put guns in anyone's hands or even more guns in a City that already bans them. She isn't advocating teaching these kids marksmanship, arming them, and sending them out to kill. But being aware of when a gun is loaded (always), what it's capable of (holes in paper, walls, people), and what they should do when they see one (tell the police) isn't a bad idea.