Outfit? What Outfit?

Doesn't anyone connect the dots? Anyone?

• A politically connected Cook County state's attorney's office employee threatened to use her position to expose her ex-boyfriend as a federal informant against the Outfit, voice mail messages played in court suggest.
  
  Prosecutors are investigating two cell phone messages that narcotics unit administrator Patti Simone left the father of her children, Nicky Rosales, during a bitter split earlier this year, Cook County State's Atty. Anita Alvarez's spokeswoman Sally Daly said.

Just a domestic squabble? Not really:

• Simone was once spokeswoman for former State's Atty. Richard Devine but now makes $67,000 a year working in Alvarez's narcotics unit. She has continued to work at the Cook County Criminal Court building since the tapes surfaced.
  
  She is the daughter of Palos Township Democratic Committeeman Sam Simone.
  
  The godfather to her children is Richie "The Cat" Catazone, reputed to run the Chicago Outfit's 26th Street gambling operation, while Rosales' cousin is convicted mob hit man Harry Aleman, Rosales said.

So a woman with "family" connections is working in the State's Attorneys office, close to all sorts of sensitive information of ongoing investigations, wiretaps, trials, etc., and no one blinks an eye?

Well why would they? It's not like the mayor's brother is married to the daughter of another Outfit connected family, is it? And John Kass hasn't written a series of articles about the mayor riding around in golf carts with known associates of Organized Crime groups. Or certain "minority" front companies landing all sorts of contracts aren't owned by people with all sorts of odd associations to underworld figures.

The mind boggles.

Money for MillerCoors

Let's check the recent headlines:

• Chicago Schools Cutting 550 Workers
  
  
• City Council Approves Furlough Days
  
  
• Union Workers Protest Layoffs at City Hall

And you can choose any of the recent headlines regarding Daley's nephew making money hand over fist and the Olympic Parade of dollars.

Then there's this story slipping under the radar:

• MillerCoors LLC officially opened its headquarters in Chicago Friday in a project estimated by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's office to cost $21.8 million.

  The new headquarters, at 250 S. Wacker Drive, for the joint venture that combines Milwaukee's Miller Brewing Co. and Colorado's Coors Brewing Co. will bring 325 jobs to Chicago, according to a Daley press release.

• The city of Chicago agreed to provide $6 million in tax incremental financing funds for redevelopment of the property. In addition, the state of Illinois pledged an economic package of roughly $18 million to lure MillerCoors to Chicago over Dallas.

$6 million for MillerCoors. And our contract is two years and a day late so far. But hey, let's just lay off police and fire fighters to cover for our own ineptitude.

We Cant Make This Up

What a moron:

• Chicago police were called to a Logan Square home early this morning by a man who claimed that he had been robbed there of cash and $2,000 worth of marijuana, police said.
  
  "While we certainly don't like home invasions, it is unusual when somebody admits to having had a loss of drugs,'' said Chicago Police Capt. Marc Buslik.

The guys working the tip on the street don't usually bitch too much when they get stuck up or ripped off. They settle it themselves or someone does for them. These independent operators though, they are a strange breed. We imagine he thinks he's getting his dope and his money back if someone actually arrests the offenders.

Media Plays Catch-up Again

Ce résumé n'est pas disponible. Veuillez cliquer ici pour afficher l'article.

Misdemeanor Battery?

That's what the headline reads:

• A man arrested after allegedly stabbing his girlfriend several times with a screwdriver and setting his South Side apartment on fire during a domestic dispute was charged with misdemeanor battery.

  The 43-year-old was charged with two misdemeanors -- violating an order of protection and domestic battery, police spokesman Kevin Kilmer said.

She's in serious condition with stab wounds and so is he from smoke inhalation from the arson. But misdemeanors? Did she invite him over or is Felony Review missing something in the law?

Puede fallar (vol.10)

28 años tardó la IFAB en adosar el penal al reglamento del fútbol.
85 años tardó Antonin Panenka en darle estilo.
30 años tardó Zinedine Zidane para agregarle angustia.
5 segundos tardó Francesco Totti en ponerle humor.

El “tiro de la muerte” quedó atribuido a William McCrum (Milford, Irlanda del Norte) que llevó la idea a la Irish Football Association que, a su vez, la acercó a la International Football Association Board (aprobado el 02.06.1891) para implementarla en la temporada 1891-92. La estrenó como gol John Heath (14.09.1891, Wolverhampton Wanderers 5 Accrington 0) por la Copa de Inglaterra.

Happy Anniversary!

Two years without a contract at midnight tonight. And all we have to show for it is Daley's hissy fit for daring to march on City Hall to let the public know we're a bit tired of being treated as an afterthought.

At this point, we're going to be on the backside of a four-year deal that will have to be negotiated again in 2011.

Open post for remembrances of a contract.

Remember Who "Has Your Back"

This has popped up in the comments every so often since J-Fed arrived. We let it go through as a matter of course - it's public record. It's also a very pointed reminder of what is running this Department at this very moment. The original link is archived, but if you have a pay account with the Tribune, you can probably access it. It's mirrored at this site here.

• FBI sought to fire complaining agent
  Memo describes retaliation plan
  
  By Todd Lighty; Tribune staff reporter; Published July 13, 2004
  
  A Chicago FBI agent who has complained to the media and Congress that the bureau bungled terrorism investigations had been targeted for firing by supervisors who vowed to "take him out," according to a memo written by a former high-ranking official in the FBI's disciplinary office.
  
  The FBI opened an internal investigation against Agent Robert G. Wright Jr. in 2003 just days after his appearance at a news conference and on a national television news program, according to the memo obtained by the Tribune.
  
  The top two agents in the FBI's disciplinary office at the time, Robert J. Jordan and J.P. "Jody" Weis, ordered an investigation into Wright for insubordination and had already made up their minds to have him fired, according to the memo.
  
  The memo, written by John Roberts when he was third in command of the Office of Professional Responsibility, questioned how often supervisors misused the disciplinary process to silence employees critical of the FBI.
  
  Roberts could not be reached Monday for comment, but his lawyer, Stephen Kohn, said the memo's point is clear. "The FBI uses its Office of Professional Responsibility to retaliate against whistleblowers," Kohn said.

Our ex-feeb leader is well versed in methods of political intrigue and using the disciplinary arm of his previous employer to choke off dissent and those who would point out errors by the organization.

The name of the game at any large bureaucracy is to protect the organization at all costs. It would appear that since Day One, Shortshanks brought someone who will "protect the mayor at all costs" to the game.

Arrest Falloff?

From the comments:

• all of "us" warriors are down 1200 arrests this month compared to this month last year.

That's quite a drop for a single month. Anyone have the monthly breakdown for 2008 and compared to 2009? We're imagining the drop off has as much to do with all the beat cars not having a lot of time for arresting as it does with an actual cessation of proactive police work.

But don't worry! Help is on the way - in about a year or two:

• Chicago is applying for $106 million in federal-stimulus grants to hire 400 new police officers, even though there’s a costly string attached: When the three-year grants expire, the officers must remain on the city payroll for at least another year.

No worries on the "remain[ing] on the city payroll" once the three years are up. At the rate of retirements, we'll be short those 400 three or four times over by 2012.

Vanecko Warehouse Problems

This was our pension money, right? How did we make out on this one?

• Candy Basselen has run a steel fabricating company on the Southwest Side for many years.

  Last summer, she moved it a few blocks south, and City Hall told her she had to get a new business license.

  But they wouldn't give her one.

• None of this made sense to Basselen because she was just a tenant. She didn't understand why the city wasn't leaning on the warehouse owners to fix the landscaping violations.

  [...] "If the city knew there were code violations, why was the city operating out of the building,'' Basselen says. "The city was utilizing a building they themselves said wasn't up to code.''

  So who owns that building? The mayor's nephew Robert Vanecko and his partners. They bought it with some of the millions of dollars Vanecko manages for five city pension funds.

And the City was paying exorbitant rental fees, well above market rates, just to park dump trucks (Hired Truck dump trucks by the way).

So did we turn a profit? Does anyone know? Is the fund out of danger? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Another Good Job

Excellent job in 014:

• Chicago Police caught a suspected rapist early Monday on the Northwest Side after a neighbor heard a woman's screams, saw a man dragging her through an alley and called 911.

  The man was yanking his pants up when Shakespeare District officers responded, police said. He ran, but they caught him within a block.

  Officers made the arrest at 3:30 a.m. near Armitage and Damen. Police recovered a kitchen knife and gloves.

Looks like they might clear up a pattern with this one, too.

FUTBOL ARGENTINO: TAPA LPND Nº 100

La tapa nº 100 llegó el domingo en que no había fútbol y muestra los 99 números anteriores. Contentos de dejar esta huella en la blogósfera, la tapa NO DOBLA, cuya única hija reconocida es el Esportivo (Tic Espor) ha recorrido nuestro fútbol y varias geografías desde hace 2 años. Agradeciendo a todos los lectores invitamos - a quienes dispongan del tiempo - a recorrerlas desde el enlace del sidebar (donde Bolatti se florea) o desde aquí.

Slight Correction

The 108 shooting victims for 19 June through 26 June? Add 24 to that:

• off topic but relating to the previous topic of "108 shot" the number is actually higher. if you look in data warehouse, clear, chris and in the web mapping features and combine all of that info you will find that the acutal victims of agg batt with a handgun is 132 from 19 jun 09 to 26 jun 09. the number of 108 is somewhat correct only because there were 108 incidents. some of these incidents had multiple gunshot victims which makes the exact number of gunshot victims 132. this does not include stabbings, but during that period there were no stabbing related homicides.. or at least none yet ruled homicides that were involving a knife. one of the homicides did involve a vehicle ramming and not gunfire. from what i am seeing it is a fairly bloody weekend. when monday or tuesday rolls around I will try to post the numbers for the weekend. for now, thats all I got. pretty violent... but still not as bad as the 90s as im sure many of you can still remember.

And someone else noted that the number of 041A Record Division numbers was higher this past weekend than during any other weekend this year or last year.

Copa Confederaciones 2009

Día a día, partido a partido y gol a gol, desde su inauguración hasta la final, seguimos la Copa Confederaciones Sudáfrica 2009. Con algunas sorpresas, menos fútbol del esperado y unas vuvuzelas que quedarán sonando en el aire por mucho tiempo, esto es lo que recorrimos:

HISTORIA Y CALENDARIO
PARTIDO 1: SUDAFRICA 0 IRAK 0
PARTIDO 2: ESPAÑA 5 NUEVA ZELANDA 0
PARTIDO 3: ITALIA 3 ESTADOS UNIDOS 1
PARTIDO 4: BRASIL 4 EGIPTO 3
PARTIDO 5: ESPAÑA 1 IRAK 0
PARTIDO 6: SUDAFRICA 2 NUEVA ZELANDA 0
PARTIDO 7: BRASIL 3 ESTADOS UNIDOS 0
PARTIDO 8: EGIPTO 1 ITALIA 0
PARTIDO 9: IRAK 0 NUEVA ZELANDA 0
PARTIDO 10: ESPAÑA 1 SUDAFRICA 0
PARTIDO 11: ESTADOS UNIDOS 3 EGIPTO 0
PARTIDO 12: BRASIL 3 ITALIA 0
PARTIDO 13: ESTADOS UNIDOS 2 ESPAÑA 0
PARTIDO 14: BRASIL 1 SUDAFRICA 0
VUVUZELAS
PARTIDO 15: ESPAÑA 3 SUDAFRICA 2
PARTIDO 16: BRASIL 3 ESTADOS UNIDOS 2

Para ver la Copa Confederaciones 09 en continuado click aquí.

Uh-Oh

Tommy Skilling speaks:

• An entrenched low pressure system approaching Lake Huron will generate gusty northwest winds, spreading cloudiness back over and pulling cool Canadian air into the western Great Lakes and Midwest the first half of the week.
  
  The instability created by this far-reaching low could trigger scattered afternoon and nighttime showers later Monday and Tuesday. The cloud cover along with the unseasonably cold air will result in temperatures struggling to warm out of the 60s, even during the afternoon -- especially Tuesday.
  
  Late in the week, the low pressure system gradually moves east and weakens.

83 degrees Friday. 85 degrees Saturday. So the night of 03 July will be warm, but not oppressively hot. A perfect night for about a million people to head to the lakefront and watch the show. And we aren't just talking about fireworks.

Be careful boys and girls.

Quote of the Year

Priceless:

• A troubled Garfield Park teenager killed when the stolen Jeep he was riding in crashed and caught fire just yards from his home was a good kid who made a bad choice, family friends said Sunday.
  
  
• "People will think, here's a kid who rode in a stolen car and got what he deserved. But if he'd grown up in different circumstances, he could have helped change the world."

And if a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his ass when he hops.

Here's a clue people (and folks) - life is choices. We are what we make of them. And a parent is supposed to guide those choices, either by example or by taking the child by the hand and directing them to the correct choice. A 13-year-old doesn't just wake up and start taking other peoples automobiles with 4 friends one morning - it just doesn't happen. He sees people stealing, he sees a general disrespect for ownership of assets, he has no boundaries or enforceable limits or self discipline.

That's a failure of parenting. That's a failure of the community.

Sun Times "Reporting"

Silly reporters. They try to get it right, but still have to get their digs in:

• A 19-year-old man was shot by Chicago Police Sunday morning on the South Side's Englewood neighborhood after police said he pointed a weapon at an officer.

  The "offender" was shot by an officer in the 6400 block of South Wood Street about 11:10 a.m., according to police News Affairs. He was taken with a gunshot wound to the leg to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in good condition.

  Tactical officers working in the Englewood District were conducting a directed mission in the area of West 63rd Street and South Honore Street when they attempted to approach a man believed to have a weapon, according to a Chicago Police release.

The Sun Times actually uses the word "offender" in the report, but puts it in quotes so the reader doesn't actually thing the Sun Times is condoning his "offender-ness."

It would seem that the Tact officers were dead on in their assessment that the suspect had a weapon, seeing as how they shot him after the offender pointed it at them and it was subsequently recovered. Good job all around.

Copa Confederaciones 2009: Brasil campeón.

CLICK PARA AMPLIAR

CLICK PARA AMPLIAR

RELACIONADOS:
BRASIL, SIEMPRE BRASIL (VALE CHUMBAR)
BRASIL UNA VEZ MAS (TM)
BRASIL ES BRASIL (SECCION DEPORTIVA)

Vuvuzelas

Cuando en junio de 2007 el Barcelona llegaba solidariamente (UNICEF) al estadio Loftus de Pretoria para jugar un amistoso con el local Mamelodi Sundowns, las típicas cornetas - vuvuzelas - eran llamadas "el hermoso sonido del fútbol".
Hoy, en el verdadero ensayo de la Copa Confederaciones, TV, jugadores, técnicos y dirigentes se quejan sin decir, claro, lo que puede decir Diego Latorre: "insoportables moscas gigantes que te zumban en el oído".

Once a Banger...

...always a banger.

Anyone who's been following the news, may have seen this story this past week:

• A federal jury has awarded $21 million to a man who sued a former Chicago Police officer, accusing the officer of framing him for murder, authorities said.

  Attorneys for Juan Johnson held a news conference to discuss the award, which they said they believed was the largest-ever in a wrongful conviction case involving the city of Chicago.

  [...] Johnson, a reputed Spanish Cobras leader, filed a lawsuit against former Chicago Police gang crimes specialist Reynaldo Guevara, accusing him of framing him with a 1989 murder. The city also was named in the lawsuit.

It seems a number of witnesses changed their testimony on the stand after Johnson already spent 11 years in prison leading to the questionable acquittal. Bottom feeding lawyers twisted the civil trial to their own ends, suppressing information on Johnson's gang banging past and the fact that the FBI of all people "busted Johnson last year for allegedly selling drugs" while he was a member of CeaseFire.

Today, this appears in our comment section - it seems too good to be true:

• 3 more shot today in humboldt park in 2 incidents. the first at 0700 hours. 1 died. the other 2 will live.
  
  the dead guy was in the car of some goof who just won a $21 million verdict against the city.

$21 million (minus bottom feeder fees) and he ends up with a dead body in his car not even six days later? Anyone think the cops had it right all along and the gang bangers have figured out how to game the system? Anyone up for some tort reform?

Hilarious Channel 5 Report

Here's the Sun Times report:

• Taste of Chicago revelers will see more police, and for the first time they'll have to enter at security-heavy entrances in a comprehensive plan Supt. Jody Weis unveiled Thursday designed to quell the violence that landed him on the hot seat last year.
  
  [...] "Folks will feel very safe because they're going to see a police officer on almost every block, and in some instances 20 feet, so we're going to have a very hard presence in terms of letting people know we have a lot of officers in place," he said.

At least the City is acknowledging last year's Taste was screwed up beyond belief. But Channel 5 did a report on this same thing Friday night. And in the background shot behind the reporter standing in the middle of the Taste, describing how tight security was going to be? Three or four jagoffs "throwing up for the nation." We just about died laughing. Channel 5 has thus far refrained from posting this piece.

The fact is, even with secured entrances and high visibility presence, gang bangers and ne'er-do-wells are going to get in. And depending on how they feel like behaving, they are going to cause trouble. There's too much to cover and it's too open. It's big and quite frankly, it has gotten too large to effectively police.

You want to start having nightmares? Think about ten guys with rifles landed at the yacht club walking southwest. It's Mumbai on the Lakefront.

These Are Our Leaders?

We're supposed to impound cars to generate revenue stop crime. Someone even wrote a letter about it. Here's the problem:

• (from the comments) In-service training requires personnel at the academy to do training. Yet everyone screams that the academy is open. Brust orders academy to detail out ten instructors a day with a sgt to work seat belt missions on the south side. The team must impound cars and write tickets. Not to answer calls and make arrests....
  
  6/26/2009 10:10:00 AM

The reality?

• Heard that Brust and Wedster made a traffic stop in 005 the other day, (no pc for the stop other than they didn't like the looks of the driver). The entire entourage of this seat belt mission was in vehicles behind them. One officer was made to search the driver and found two bags a weed. Brust and Wedster wanted the driver locked up for the weed. The officer politely told them that they did not have pc for the arrest and let the driver go.

Arizona v Gant anyone? These are the people that have our backs? One of those people is in charge of the Academy for pete's sake, teaching recruits how to follow the law. And here they are violating a citizen's civil rights in front of the Instructors they're supposed to be leading.

Alder-morons

We can save money by, get this, laying off police!

• Longtime administration loyalists Ray Suarez and Richard Mell suggested it might be time for a cutback in public safety staffing—something that's usually considered a political no-no. “I thought the pain was going to be shared by all city workers,” Suarez griped.

  “If you want, you can introduce a resolution urging layoffs of police and fire,” snapped committee chairman Ed Burke.

  “I know police and fire are sacrosanct, but these are dire times,” Mell said. “When I see cement mixers gone, when I see those people who are out in our communities daily and they’re going to be gone—the ramifications of what we’re doing are a lot more than what we’re seeing right now.”

Hey morons? If you get us a decent contract, you'll have 500 retirements by years end, guaranteed. And since Shortshanks isn't hiring, you'll "save" millions.

Isn't someone going to propose cutting aldercreatures by half? That'd be at least another $100 million savings in salaries, staffing, and slush funding, not to mention the reduction in corruption which could number in the billions.

Domingo sin fútbol

108 Shot in a Week

Reader in the know. How many did the media report on?

• Ok Scc....Here are the totals for the city in Agg Batts with ONLY handguns for the periods of 19 June-26 June....one full week....I have 108 persons shot and 7 homicides.....That is what I counted off of my blackberry...Bring on the Olympics!!! Zone 8 was like a frigging war zone last night (25 June) there were 4 persons shot in something like 5 mins....and the calls of man w/gun or shots fired were unbelievable!!! I am telling you....108 shot in a week...you do the math as far as how many per day , hour etc.....We live in a war zone...

With knives? Not there. With blunt objects? Nope. Vehicular assaults? Not a one. Just 108 people with more holes in them than they started the week with.

Accountability?

J-Fed old boy, you want to handle this one? We know your head is reeling from the fact she had dope, guns and a convicted gangster stored at a condo in her name, but isn't this a little over the top?

• Aunt B Cuello showed up at the Academy the other nite in civies and no id card.
  F/1 at the desk refused her entry.
  F/1 now dumped.
  
  Hey B is you make a rule, try to follow it yourself!
  
  
• CPD policy states that every officer in plain cloths WILL wear their department I.D. when in a police facility, unless your aunt B the deputy superintendent.
  
  Aunt B comes over the the academy late Wednesday afternoon and is instructed by the female security officer she needs to wear her department I.D. as the signs states when you first walk into the building. Aunt B has no I.D. on her person. Well the security officer is doing her job by the book and the two start to exchange a few words. (the female doesn't know who B is) Aunt B is escorted into the building by a sergeant anyway.
  
  On the way out Aunt B reams the female officer with Maria Maher type screaming and by Friday the female officer is dumped to 004.
  
  Some reward for doing your job by enforcing our policy.

It's the little crap like this that completely undermines anything that comes out of your mouth. Oh, who are we kidding, it's the big stuff, too. And the idiots you surround yourself with.

The Untold Story

The media reports half the facts and thinks they are doing a great job. Here's some disparate pieces of what should have been a much bigger story:

• A boy is dead and four other people -- including two other boys -- remain hospitalized after a Jeep and a van fleeing an armed robbery collided early Friday in the Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side.
  
  A Jeep Cherokee and van collided about 3:30 a.m. at South California Avenue and West Jackson Boulevard -- causing the Jeep to flip and burst into flames, police said.
  
  A boy inside the Jeep was killed and four others from the Jeep were injured and remain hospitalized, including two in critical condition, police said.

So the dead kid turns out to be 13. Out at 3:30? Our radar is beeping that something isn't right here. We read further:

• Two boys -- 13 and 14 -- who were inside the Jeep remained hospitalized as of 10 a.m. with non-life-threatening injuries at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to police...
  

Now we have three teens out at 3:30. Something isn't right. They're all around the same age. We check with another news source:

• Two others, both 15-year-old boys, were at Stroger Hospital this afternoon, where one of them was in critical condition while the other was in serious condition, according to a hospital spokesman.

So, 15, 15, 14, 13, 13. Where's the adult? Or adults? We make one single phone call:

• The SUV turns out to have been stolen

Well that explains why the radar was going off like crazy. They're car thieves. And unfortunately, they were in exactly the right place at the right time to get broadsided by a pair of robbers fleeing the scene of a crime. Let's see the media report that part.

Already, the lib-tards are in the comment sections of the media reports saying, "You can't blame the parents - we all used to sneak out of the house when mom and dad weren't looking." Maybe so. But we don't recall going around boosting cars and flying around the hood. The ability to justify any behavior perpetrated by criminals regardless of age, is astounding of late. The death of personal responsibility continues.

Dumbest Poll Ever?

WGN runs this poll on Friday night:

• Was it appropriate for the former police officers from the 1968 DNC to hold a reunion?

What the hell kind of question is this? Appropriate? These are guys who worked, fought and bled together. If they want to hold a reunion, who the hell is anyone to ask if it's "appropriate?" This is still America, right? The democrats haven't destroyed it yet? We still have freedom of assembly and things like that?

And here's the truly sad part:

• Only 57% agreed it was appropriate

That means 43% of respondents believe that there ought to be restrictions on the rights of people, with whom they have a difference of opinion, to even associate with one another.

Here's some coverage of the protest:

• "No justice, no peace! No riot police!" protesters shouted, some in megaphones, others beating drums in sync. The protesters held signs saying "same stick, different Daley" and "Fight racism! Stop police brutality."

We'd love to see the "Same Stick, Different Daley" made into a t-shirt. We'd buy three. But the "Fight racism!" rings a bit hollow at a 1968 reunion, seeing as how it was mostly white hippie and yippie protesters jumping on a mostly white police force.

Nice Work

The ability is still there. The skills remain. It's just in a reactive mode.

• One person was killed in a shooting tonight on the West Side and police arrested several suspects following a more than seven-mile pursuit that ended in a Southwest Side alley, officials said.

  About 8:20 p.m., police were notified of a person shot near Homan and Ogden Avenues. About 20 minutes later, officials said, a vehicle fleeing the scene from police got boxed in to an alley near 70th Street and Fairfield Avenue.

  Four people bailed from the vehicle, but found themselves surrounded by responding officers a short time later, officials said. A weapon was also confiscated.

Very good work Officers.

Law School Scandal

The Tribune doing some fine reporting for the first time in a bit. John Kass continues his peerless take on it all:

• If there were any doubts that Illinois is the diseased poster child of political corruption, those doubts are long gone.
  
  Friday's story in the Tribune exposes a widening pattern of corruption at the University of Illinois. This time, with the trading of law school admission for patronage-style jobs.
  
  So any doubts about where this state stands should be erased. What remains is the smell.

And what a smell it is. The full Tribune report is here. The internal e-mails released finally prove support to a theory that cops have speculated on for years:

• [Law School Dean Heidi] Hurd's e-mail suggests that students getting the jobs are to be those in the "bottom of the class." Law school rankings depend in part on the job placement rate of graduates.
  
  It wasn't immediately clear if the private sector or government jobs were provided.

Government lawyers, be they Corp Counsel, ASA's or various elected thieves, are usually the bottom of the barrel as far as Law School rankings are concerned. The U of I proves to be no exception to these expectations.

Puede fallar (vol.9)

Una ciudad, Buenos Aires, donde pululan los directores técnicos que trabajan de otra cosa, se redime hablando de fútbol sin percatarse acaso de los pormenores que convierten a los entrenadores en obsesivos: la importancia de no dar por terminado el partido antes de tiempo (ni 40 segundos antes), la importancia de no perder la pelota en el medio campo, la importancia de mover rápido en un tiro libre o la importancia de tener al mejor.

Aldercreature Olympic Vote

Here's how it will go. Our opinion only, but it will be interesting to see how close we are:

• More secret meetings, all in violation of the Open Meetings law. Two, three or four aldercreatures meeting with various administration officials and private influential citizens with a financial interest in the games. Lisa Madigan and Fitzgerald will look the other way.
  
• Promises will be made to certain aldercreatures, especially those with open land to build or existing facilities to be improved with promises of jobs, contracts and kickbacks. It's the Chicago way after all.
• Threats will be conveyed to certain appointed aldercreatures. Daley has appointed around 27 or 28 of the current 50. Markers will be called in and they will vote Daley's way or else.

Remember, all Daley needs is 26 votes. And because too many on the Council owe him their very existence, he will get most of the 26 from this pool. The uprising felt in the wards that actually pay attention to the corrupt process will allow Shortshanks to make gains, too. He can actually give these aldercreatures political cover by allowing them to vote against the Olympic bond and insurance issues. They can cry to their constituents that, "I voted against it! It was all those other greedy bastards!" And by doing this, Daley will be owed yet another favor by these "anti" Olympic aldercreatures anyway.

Anyone see it differently?

Officer Cole Updates

From comments and e-mail:

• OT....I just got back from Visiting Densey Cole at the rehab center. He is alert and talking and has some feeling in his outer extremities. He can feel it when you touch his toes and hands. He will be going to a longer term rehab in Colorado, probably some time next week. He is in as good spirits as the situation will allow, and is looking forward to this next chapter. It was great to see him, and both he and his girlfriend asked me to pass along their thanks at all of the support that they have gotten in all forms. Once we get his info as to mail and e-mail out west it will be passed along. He has a tough road ahead, and he will continue to need our support and prayers. I know, as does he, that he will get that support both now and in the future.
  
  
• Howdy, just left Densey Cole's room. He is getting stronger and actually getting married tomorrow. He will be going to a rehab facility soon, so those who want to see him need to get there in the next week. He would be happy to see anyone, well those who know him, who want to come. I didn't want to put it in a regular post, but I did want you to know it was legit. Cards and letters are definitely a great idea.
  
  visiting hours are 1100-1900, but I got there at 0950 and they let me in no problem.
  
  He also wanted to make sure everyone who was involved right after the accident, to saturating the neighborhoods, to getting his property back, especially to catching the guy, and visiting him a tremendous thank you...

Certainly some welcome news. And married? Congratulations Officer. We'll update when possible.

Back to the Streets (Not?)

Again, a half-baked idea goes awry once implemented due to a complete lack of strategic foresight:

• No radio jobs? No paper jobs? Aren't these police officers? Aren't they sworn and can legally carry a gun, unlike certain unsworn Chiefs of Staff? They just ride along on existing district jobs and with very few exceptions, never do a thing to chip the $200 manicures - and that's just the guys.
• With these seat-fillers, we are getting reports that for the first time in years, Districts are actually able to man a full compliment of Rapid Response cars...except that there aren't any cars to fill! That's right - for at least the fifth straight month, and probably longer, the day began with "no pool cars available citywide."

And now we get this safety issue:

• FYI, I'm a "wheel gunner", who after my 1st "incident", discovered that 6 shots were not enough.....and went w/15 shot 9mm, the next day....I was told today, that my aux. 9mm is expired and MUST only carry, on duty, my.357. Because no auxillary weapons qualifications can be scheduled...I know, it's better to take the "hit", for using my aux.weapon to have the firepower to defend my Brothers and I, but armed only w/my 6 shot, I feel extremely vulnerable, regardless of how well I can shoot it. And to those that say "don't do anything",FU,shit happens!!Just by virtue of donning my vest and Star, I'm in harms way.....To the powers that be I implore you, to let us carry our auxillary weapon as a proper means of defense, when "shit happens"........

If true, then the unbelievable has actually happened - we can't only not carry rifles without jumping through hoops, anyone who hired on before the early 1990's is being required to transition backwards to a revolver in the face of increasing firepower utilized against the police and citizens because the Department can't run a range program to save its life.

Can someone verify that last paragraph?

End of the Line for BQ?

We can only hope so:

• breaking news!!! just confirmed by a very good source that lillie crump in 003 is gone on friday. her, the supe and the first had a meeting that didnt go very well. she will be sent back down to her civil service rank.. this is just an inside rumor but if you ask the right people im sure you will find it confirmed. this comes from a very good 5th floor insider. I also talked to a guy in three who knows that lillie went to the closed door meeting and was extremly flustered when returning to the district. its all adding up now. hopefully she enjoys her last few days.

If any of this is true, it would seem that J-Fed is actually doing the job he should have been doing about a year-and-a-half ago by interviewing some of the mopes he "put" in charge. We all know that J-Fed actually had zero input into his command staff - how could he? He didn't know anyone aside from Peterson.

We are actually surprised that Masters (oops - another CR number) is letting him off his leash and loosening the blindfold so J-Fed can see what he's been taking a beating for on the blogs.

Creepy Singer Dead

Now is the chance for SVU to Exceptionally Clear/Close just about every unsolved case in the archives.

As Jackson aged, he not only changed his entire facial structure, he got paler and paler, so he'll fit the description of the unnamed offender 80 or more percent of the time.

The overall clearance rate would triple overnight.

Estudiantes 1 Nacional 0

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Copa Confederaciones: Brasil 1 Sudáfrica 0

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Englewood Killing

Just about every specialized unit working in Englewood or the surrounding districts, manpower pulled from damn near every district in the city, and still, violence abounds:

• A 9-year-old girl was killed and three other people were wounded when an unknown shooter or shooters opened fire from a van on a crowded block on the South Side Wednesday night.

  The young victim was identified by her family as Chastity Turner, who was just beginning her summer vacation after 3rd grade and was staying with her father at her grandmother's house when the shooting occurred.

  Police confirmed at a news conference at the scene in the 7400 block of South Stewart Avenue that a 9-year-old girl had died in the shooting.

Another warm couple of days building to the weekend.

Conversación con una hincha de Huracán.

A las 13.15 de hoy, 11 horas después de publicado este post, se publicó esta nota anónima titulada Aclaración comunicado - La Banda de la Quema.

LPND: No tenés ningún amigo cuervo?
HH: Uno solo, porque no puedo, y ya hoy me cague a puteadas. No soporto o sea no los soporto todo el tiempo chicaneándote. Son lo peor que hay, se creen el Manchester.

LPND:No se le pega a un árbol caído
HH: Si la única vez que están caídos, acordate que siempre los caídos somos nosotros, esta es la única vez que se da vuelta la torta

Es el momento
Los odio, jaja

Che que feita la carta de disculpas. Parece una cargada.
A mi la barra brava, que son solamente Pueblito y la José C. Paz me salvó el pellejo muchas veces. Para que las cosas cambien deberían cambiar un tanto otras. La última vez que fui a Rosario si no fuera por la barra la policía nos cagaba a palazos y sin motivos… entonces... lo que pasó es que la Zabaleta, como hay plata ahora, aparecen todos

Qué cosas debieran cambiar?
La policía es peor que la barra. Prefiero al bocón de la José que a un policía, porque cuando salgo de la cancha de Central me tengo que bancar que un cana me persiga corriéndome con un palo en la mano diciéndome que me suba a cualquier micro cuando tenía que subir al tres corriendo como pelotudos sin haber hecho nada al grito de súbanse porteños de mierda y ahí puso el lomo la barra. En San Juan también, siempre lo ponen ellos.. y ahora si se deben quedar con un vuelto pero, cuando fuimos a San Juan que salieron tres micros pedorros, créeme que no había a quien revenderle entradas, al fantasma de la opera si no iba nadie… entonces... todo muy lindo sale que son delincuentes en todos lados que de última uno lo sabe pero peor es lo de la policía que son delincuentes apoyados por el sistema.


Pero vos cobrás por ir a la cancha?
No, pero ellos tampoco cobraban cuando íbamos cuatro… el año pasado contra Arsenal en cancha de Arsenal fuimos la barra y cinco más a la cancha, no se a quien le habrá revendido entradas la barra para subsistir porque no fue ni el mono, porque el partido anterior nos había ganado sl 4 a 1... y desde mi punto de vista prefiero a la barra que a la policía...es más honesto lo de ellos.

Pero nadie te obliga a elegir entre unos y otros.
No... pero ese juego de la barra la plata y no se que … ahora dicen que todos roban. Yo voy a la cancha de toda la vida, y jamás nadie de la José ni pueblito le robó a nadie. Si llega a tomar el poder la Zabaleta ahí si que va estar jodido ir… pero a lo que voy es que en todos lados aparecen como los mas malos de todos pero no es tan así la cosa...

Nunca es blanco y negro sino grises Pero cobrar por ser hincha es un laburo particular.
Además yo soy así en todos los aspectos, tengo un pensamiento formado y pienso así en todas las circunstancias. El sistema se queja de gente que el mismo sistema dejó afuera, entonces pasan estas cosas. Es así, siempre que pasan cosas así, termino en el mismo punto...la víctima se termina convirtiendo en el victimario.

De acuerdo con el sistema creador de marginación.
Qué son las barras? Gente marginada. Y bueno, ahí estamos... el tema es este, yo soy así siempre, la gente toda se hace la progre.

Pero el club les da cabida a sueldo. Y a cambio de otros favores.
Pero en casos como este empiezan que son negros de mierda, que los villeros, que mátenlos a todos…

No no no
Yo pienso así siempre, nunca cambio el discurso.


El tema es la utilización que el club hace de ellos. Cobran por favores y termina siendo un laburo Cuando digo club digo personas que administran el club.
Yo no digo que no lo hagan y no digo que este bien, pero te puedo asegurar que en la B lo único que ganaban eran dos camisetas y un viaje a Mar del Plata a ver a Aldosivi. Tampoco era el gran negocio… ahora si, pero antes no... y estos están cuando no había nada y ahora que hay mucho y, lamentablemente, así como dejo que este sistema capitalista me meta el dedo en el orto cada día de mi vida, tengo que dejar que estos lo hagan, nada más que estos marginados quedan como mas delincuentes que los otros, pero no, los policías y políticos son más delincuentes que estos, son peores y no desvarié con el tema porque todo arranca de ahí… si las cosas fueran un poquito distintas desde arriba, esto no sería así.

Yo no veo la cosa como un partido entre policías y barras.
No, yo tampoco. Lo que hago es una comparación de que a los barras de dan con todo pero que no son tan así las cosas.

Lo veo como dirigentes corruptos que pagan mano de obra desocupada para trabajos sucios. Por qué un hincha debe cobrar para ir a ver a su equipo? Por qué cobra premios?
No entendés a lo que me refiero yo… ahora todos van a juzgar a los barras con esas cosas obvias pero la realidad es que una cosa es verdad.

Obvias?
Los que viajamos y vamos siempre sabemos que quien nos salvó el culo de que la policía nos tire balazos de goma prácticamente a quema ropa en San Juan fueron ellos. Los que se ponen para los balazos son ellos. Yo no justifico todo esto pero quieren cambiar a los barras, que cambien todo empezando por ese viejo de mierda de Grondona.

Por eso no entiendo las demandas al estado de hoy. El estado tiene cargo de generar pobreza. Pero Babington, Miele, Aguilar y Grondona son los primeros que deben desfilar. Por nombrar a alguno…
Y bueno, por eso mismo, repito para mí lo que hace cualquier barra está mal, no lo justifico para nada, pero siempre se la agarran con los más vulnerables... y le dan leña a la gente para que empiece con ese comentario facho y cuadrado de los negros villeros...


No es mi caso. Un tipo que va calzado, sea blanco o negro, es un tipo de mierda. Y un tipo que sale a matar no tiene derecho a ir a una cancha Ahora... por que es la pelea?
Mirá el tema es asi. Está Pueblito y la José C. Paz.

Si
Que son la barra de Huracán desde siempre. O sea, están cuando va bien, mal o mas o menos… o sea que, sea como sea con beneficios, privilegios o no, son hinchas de Huracán y no tocan a nadie de Huracán. Eso te lo aseguro yo. Bueno, el tema es que como ahora a Huracán entra plata, los de villa Zabaleta reclaman un lugar en la barra y obviamente sus beneficios. Hicieron un acuerdo con la José y Pueblito de que entre cierta cantidad de gente y de cierta cantidad de plata… obviamente no cumplieron la cantidad de gente. Empezó a quedarse gente de Zabaleta afuera. De a poco fueron armando quilombo. Entonces en el último partido los de Zabaleta, como se enojaron porque no estaban de acuerdo con lo que les estaban dando, empezaron a robara la gente común de Huracán y quisieron saquear los puestos de patys cuyos ingresos son para la José.

Los de Zabaleta trajeron más gente o José C. Paz aceptó menos gente?
Trajeron más gente los de Zabaleta porque querían armar quilombo. Porque ellos lo que quieren es desplazar a la José y a Pueblito, no quieren un acuerdo.

La guita que entra ahora es recaudación?
De eso no se mucho. Yo lo que se es que si Zabaleta desbarata a Pueblito y a la José no se puede ir mas a la popular porque a esos si que les chupa un huevo la gente.

Y por qué la guita de los patys va para la barra? En concepto de?
Ni idea. Se que lo manejan ellos. O sea es un negocio de ellos.

Votos, aprietes, gritos?
Y si, debe ser.


El trapo nuevo costó 36 lucas.
Cuestión que bueno, esto es un quilombo… si, si, eso no se de dónde lo sacaron. Yo compré unas rifas pero para otro que todavía no hicieron, la subcomisión del hincha, que es el escudo grande, pero de ese ni idea donde sacaron la plata. El que dice "grande se nace" la plata la juntamos todos pero este la verdad que no se.

Federal Money = More Cops?

The question is "when?"

• Chicago Police officials are hoping to hire up to 150 officers this year with federal grant money, Supt. Jody Weis said Tuesday.

  In the meantime, Weis is putting about 300 additional officers on the street this summer by shifting them from desk jobs or paying overtime with federal grants.

So wait a minute...we're shorthanded?

And they are paying time-and-one-half to work the Taste of Chicago?

Things aren't looking up any time soon either seeing as how there aren't but 46 recruits in the Academy, no class is scheduled the rest of the summer, the Range is shut down for lead contamination and won't be open for shooting for months...how are we supposed to get anyone trained up?

We also heard that auxiliary qualifications aren't happening, rifle qualifications have slowed to a crawl, and transition courses are nonexistent. We can only hope that one day soon, we'll enter the 19th century of policing.

Secret Meetings

Has anyone involved ever heard of the Open Meetings Act?

• Just two days after Chicago 2016 Chairman Patrick Ryan tried to put off public hearings with angry aldermen about plans for financing the Olympic Games, he came to City Hall on Wednesday to allay their concerns in a series of closed-door meetings.

  As he tried to calm City Council members who complained Mayor Richard Daley was keeping them in the dark about potential liability for taxpayers, Ryan and a Daley spokeswoman denied the private briefings would prevent the public from knowing what aldermen were being told.

The head of a private foundation dedicated to spending almost $5 billion in taxpayer money holding secret meetings with the people who are supposed to represent and safeguard the public interest and control the purse strings?

Time to yank the plug on these assholes. Call them and let them know you are supporting viable candidates to oppose them in every instance.

Blood Shortage

Thank goodness crime is down or we'd have a big problem on our hands:

• There is a real emergency for a county hospital emergency room. The uptick in violence is literally draining the blood supply.
  
  
• The blood bank showed us the eight units of O-negative blood that are left. Only three of the units are designated for trauma patients, though. Any more outbreaks of violence on the streets pose a threat here.
  
  "Tonight we may be in a very tough situation," Dr. Dennis said. "Because we're that short on O-negative blood."
  
  O-negative is the universal donor type and anyone can accept it when seconds count.

We, along with others, have noticed the BloodMobile popping up at Districts and cruising the Medical Districts on the south and west sides looking for donations on the street. The local hospitals are stretched way too thin in terms of blood supplies due to the surge in aggravated batteries that don't seem to be reported in the news too often. A nurse friend said that her hospital has been canceling elective surgeries to keep from using blood supplies.

It's amazing how cops seem to be able to connect all the dots that the media can't. Or won't.

Copa Confederaciones: Estados Unidos 2 España 0

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Estados Unidos venció a España (2-0) por la primera semifinal de la Copa Confederaciones 09 en el Free State de Mangaung, rompiendo todos los pronósticos, el invicto de Vicente del Bosque (DT) y el invicto español de 35 partidos consecutivos (15.11.06, Rumania 0-1).
Amenazante y agresivo, Estados Unidos amenazó desde el comienzo ante una Furia sedada que no conjugaba. Un grave error de Capdevila, que pretende anticipar siendo último hombre, permite que Altidore le gane la posición y deje en evidencia el error de Casillas en no poner manos firmes al disparo (´27).
España no supo asimilar el primer gol en contra de la competición y los nervios rojos salieron a jugar su partido. Xavi apurado, Fábregas tirando pelotazos y Villa con el arco corrido presagiaban la caída.
España salió a buscar pero Estados Unidos esperó con dos líneas de 4 juntas invitando a entrar por las bandas para despejar todos los centros llegados al área. Cazorla por Fábregas tampoco funcionó y acaso nada funcionaría: más de 20 tiros al arco yankee fueron desviados.
El cambio que propuso Bob Bradley (EE.UU) fue ideal. A 2 minutos de haber ingresado (por Charlie Davies), Feilhaber arma el 2º gol entrando en velocidad, habilitando a Donovan que centra y, encontrando a un lento y desconcentrado Ramos, Dempsey le sopla la pelota al gol (´74).
Podemos hablar de un buen planteo de Bradley sólo a partir de los goles que se comió España.
Podríamos hablar de que Casillas está supravalorado, de que la defensa roja tiene graves fallos conceptuales o de que, en definitiva, España padece miedo escénico.

ESPAÑA 1 SUDAFRICA 0
ESPAÑA 1 IRAK 0
ESPAÑA 5 NUEVA ZELANDA 0

What Could Possibly Happen?

It's not like he's risking any personal money:

• The head of Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics has rushed to assure city taxpayers and city council members that it's unlikely they'll be on the hook for millions in case the games turn out to be a financial flop.
  
  Patrick Ryan said Monday that the risk of taxpayers' money in Chicago bid is "improbable.''
  
  Bid organizers met with the International Olympic Committee in Switzerland last week. The meeting included a promise from Chicago Mayor Richard Daley that he'd sign a host city contract, which assures the city will take full financial responsibility for the games.

"Improbable"? No, Mr. Ryan. What is "improbable" is a City contract awarded in Daley's Chicago that actually comes in on-time, under-budget and fully functional as designed. Off the tops of our heads, we can't think of a single instance. Ever.

Daley and his spokesweasel Jackie Heard are now spinning so fast, they could power Chicago for a year based on their RPM's lately:

• After initially questioning the need, Mayor Richard Daley has decided to discuss the controversy over Chicago's Olympic bid contract with aldermen in a public forum, his spokeswoman said today.

  “The mayor understands the City Council is a critical partner in this endeavor,” Daley spokeswoman Jacquelyn Heard said. “They’ve raised concerns. They have questions. So we will put the matter before council again.”

  Whether the session is informational or involves another vote “would be a determination that the City Council members would have to make.”

  A day earlier, Heard had said the mayor did not have to take the issue before the council again. That changed today.

So this is pretty much the last voice the public will have in an almost $5 BILLION bid for the Olympics that is sure to balloon to over $15 BILLION in the years to come. Remember, that initial bid is a full year of City resources committed to the Olympics in it's entirety. Nothing, and we mean NOTHING else gets paid for without a massive tax increase. Once the costs spiral out of control, we'll be looking at tax hikes of unimaginable proportions, even with Washington's help.

So call your aldercreatures. Here's a link with a handy list of phone numbers. Make the call and spread the word.

Blog 501?

So has John Henry and Pat Camden's embarrassment of a Department blog finally collapsed? We'd check it, but we don't give them traffic as a matter of policy. We'll get a homeless bum at the library to check it out and report back.

In the meantime, this is popping up in the comment sections:

• Blog501 is going online in order to provide CPD members with credible news, accurate information and an open and honest forum to post questions. J-Fed asks that you put in your PC# to post comments. This will be a VERY significant blog. Not like that other insignificant one.
  
  Mike Masters

So the Department is starting another blog? Credible news, accurate information and an open, honest forum for questions? And all you have to do is enter your PC#? Hahahaha!!! Oh lord. Hahahahahahahahaha!!!

Um...wasn't that what J-Fed's Town Hall Meeting were for? Are they admitting that everything that came before was bullshit, lies, smoke and mirrors?

Between Shaved, SecondCitySarge, Rue and your humble servants here, you get the real pulse of the Department 24-7-365. The Department doesn't want any of us to have credible, accurate or timely information. The Department wants mushrooms - raised in the dark and fed horseshit. Weis, Brust, Masters and the rest don't even have to send out to the stables for their Grade-A horse crap.

UPDATE: According to our homeless correspondent, the "official" Department blog is still up and running. Of course, it hasn't been updated since the 15 April. And it didn't even have a single remembrance for Officer Valadez. Not one. For that reason alone, the "official" blog should be put out of its misery. It's an embarrassment. And Henry and Camden ought to be ashamed.