To the Principal's Office - Again

What with the sudden coverage by all the major news stations and papers of the No Confidence vote, one has to wonder what strings Shortshanks is pulling to get this sort of response. Now the City Council is calling J-Fed in for another whuppin'

• Fresh from a union vote of no-confidence in him, embattled Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis will make his third trip to the City Council hot seat — this time to explain police deployment.

  At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, Police Committee Chairman Isaac Carothers (29th) and Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th) introduced a resolution demanding Council hearings on “the most effective use of police resources in higher crime areas.”

  With police hiring slowing to a crawl in Mayor Daley’s 2009 budget, Weis promised last fall to realign Chicago’s 281 police beats.

Ah yes. Realignment. Another promise unfulfilled. The hottest of hot potatoes. We still suspect that Shortshanks is going to use J-Fed as the sacrificial lamb to force through a wholesale redistricting and realignment that hasn't been done since the days of Summerdale. With lackluster hiring (200 bodies this year in the face of 800 retirements) and no test announced, closing a few Districts and disbanding a few units is going to be one way (maybe the only way) to maintain any sort of street presence in strength pretty soon.

Interesting times.