Unsafe Cabs

But still nothing on squad cars:

• The City of Chicago has pulled dozens of cabs off the streets in a crackdown on cab companies using salvaged cars.

  The city's Department of Consumer Protection says the taxis are salvaged vehicles, which means many of them have been in collisions that have caused major damage. It is unclear how long many of the vehicles have been on the streets but city officials believe they posed a major threat to safety.

  Thousands of cabs roam the streets of Chicago carrying passengers to their destinations. The city has inspected and licensed the vehicles before they hit the streets. But the consumer protection department has apparently determined that some are not as they appear. In fact, in a number of cases insurance companies have already determined the vehicles to be a total loss.

• According to Carfax, a salvage title on a car indicates the vehicle was damaged to more than 75 percent of the cost of repairing it. The vehicles are often sold to rebuilders or recyclers who often use them for parts. It is against city regulations for these vehicles to be used as taxis.

75% of the cost of repair equals a salvage title? What about when it's more? Is that cumulative or just from a one-time incident? Because we know of two vehicles that have been under the knife twenty and more times. And more than a few wagons pushing 300,000 miles.

We're just curious, especially with the rumor that Picardi is about to land another job at police headquarters in the Administrative side of things. Whoops! Was that supposed to get out?