More Shot; Not Dugan's Fault

Since Dugan was taking the blame for the 52 shot, 10 dead weekend, we guess this is the opening salvo in Ernie Brown's tenure of blame:

• At least 13 people were shot, two fatally, within less than six hours early this morning, authorities said.
  

  The shootings took place in several neighborhoods between a little after midnight and just before 6 a.m. , according to a Chicago Police News Affairs news media notification log.

This was Friday night into Saturday morning, so Ernie can thank Tommy Skilling once again for the stormy weather for keeping a lid on things.

What's that you say? Dugan isn't to blame and J-Fled is spinning faster than a top?

• Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis said today he changed the leadership of his department's patrol division to inject a shot of innovation and bolster officers' ability to forge bonds with community residents to tackle the gang problem and fight crime across the city.

• Brown has shown the creativity the department needs, Weis said today during an appearance with Mayor Richard Daley at a community policing meeting in the Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side.

  Department sources said the decision was based on broad concerns that Weis' strategies for the patrol division were not being implemented.

  Weis declined to discuss why he removed Dugan but said he had been considering the change for some time. He said Dugan's removal had nothing to do with the shootings of more than 50 people last weekend during a spate of violence that left at least eight dead.

  "I can't say enough great things about Danny (Dugan). Terrific guy," Weis said. "Like I said, I'd go through a door with him anytime, and have a beer with him anytime. But at this time, we're faced with some unusual circumstances, and I just think Ernie Brown is a really innovative guy who can help us move the department to the next level and overcome some of these challenges."

Wow. J-Fled seems to be more flexible than Stretch Armstrong here. We could barely keep up with the number of background investigations Ernie Brown seems to have failed and we're still counting the number of domestic type court cases someone was kind enough to post with Ernie's name listed.

"Innovation" indeed. And we didn't realize that there was a "next level" beneath "rock bottom," but J-Fled certainly seems to be driving the department that direction.