Category Archive: chicago police department

January 21st, 2010
post by tamalechica | | 4

The Chicagoland Police?

One of my Blog friends, Goddess over at Hott Cops, had given us cop tv show fans a heads up on a new program that was launched on A&E. Being a curious person, I checked out their website at http://www.chicagoparanormaldetectives.com/.

The show uses the acronym CPD for “Chicago Paranormal Detectives, ” but anyone who lives in the city of Chicago knows that CPD stands for Chicago Police Department. And therein lies the rub, so to speak. I do not have cable tv, but she does, and she posted a couple of shots from her blog.

Besides the cigar hanging out of the guy’s mouth, what caught my eye was his patch. It was not a Chicago Police Department patch. I know since I’ve seen Mr Novio’s plenty of times. That got me into the staring mode. The hat was also missing the familiar checkerboard look that you see on Chicago Police hats.

Chicago Sun Times writers Frank Main and Annie Sweeney had the title header for their article on this program right: Ghostbusting’ suburban cops land TV gig.

On the program’s Facebook Page, I found the disclaimer at the very bottom of the left sidebar for those are a little confused about whether these guys are Chicago Police.

Aside from our television series, we continue to provide people with confidential investigations and the peace of mind of knowing that if they “need help”, it is available from the only known paranormal investigative group of its kind.

www.chicagoparanormaldetectives.com * (not affiliated with the chicago police department)

What they do say is this:

C.P.D. is a private Chicagoland based group of professionals who are off duty, certified Police Officers and Evidence Technicians specializing in paranormal investigations.

I mentioned to Goddess, who is not from Illinois or Chicago, that Chicagoland is a term used by many of us that generally denotes the suburban area that encompasses the surrounding area of the City of Chicago, but not necessarily in the City of Chicago.

I have seen the term Chicagoland used to entice businesses to sign up to participate in expos that were out in the suburbs, not even easily accessible via public transportation. Once an employee of a friend of mine called to tell me they were coming to Chicago to do a trade show. I was looking forward to meeting everyone until I found out that it was at Rosemont, hardly a hop, skip and a jump away for a girl who lives closer to the lakefront than the western edge of the city and has no wheels. This was a surprise for them, too, since they thought they were booking a show in the city.

The concept for the term Chicagoland started around 1950, when the US Census created the MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) of Chicago and other metropolitan communities. In this case, Chicagoland includes Chicago. However, I am one of many people who think of Chicagoland as the surburban and collar areas, since I live in Chicago, not Chicagoland. It may very well be a geographic demographic that uses the term to include Chicago, versus others who consider this to be code for the suburbs.

Goddess and I have been discussing how misleading the way the program is positioned. Not being a Chicagoan, at first she was under the impression that these were all Chicago Police Department officers. When I looked at the materials on their website and Facebook page, except for that disclaimer I mentioned, it is very easy to think these are police from the City of Chicago.

Check out her blog post that got our conversation going:
http://hottcops.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-thought-this-was-hilarious.html

Either way, the concept could be intriguing if you are into paranormal topics.

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AE, Chicago Paranormal Detectives, chicago police department, Chicagoland, Goddess, Hott Cops
July 7th, 2009
post by tamalechica | | Closed

FALSE arrest: If this can happen to a Chicago Police Officer, it can happen to YOU! Craig Davis’s double nightmare

One day after work, Craig Davis found himself arrested: handcuffed, fingerprinted, photographed for his mug shot, and thrown in jail. The suburban police department involved filed a false report, later expunged by court order, but Officer Davis, a Chicago Police Officer, remained stuck in Unit 376 for over 20 months. Why and what is Unit 376 and why should we care?

In May, the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police filed a class action grievance on behalf of all Officers who have been assigned to Unit 376. Unit 376 is where Police Department relocates Officers who are in limbo, waiting to be cleared of some serious charge or if found guilty, fired. Officers report for duty there and for those who were already cleared legally but stuck in the IPRA cog, they function under employed and unable to return to the streets. What is the reason for being in limbo? They are waiting for the IPRA (Independent Police Review Authority) to get around to clearing or sustaining the charges against them.

IPRA was created in 1974 and in 2007 became an independent city department. Per their website, IPRA performs the intake function for all allegations of misconduct made against members of the Chicago Police Department “… Headed by a civilian Chief Administrator and staffed entirely with civilian investigators, IPRA is charged with the mission of maintaining the highest level of integrity while conducting objective, thorough investigations, striving to reach a sound and just conclusion … ” So what is the problem? IPRA isn’t moving all that fast to clear Officers who shouldn’t even be there, where allegations of wrongdoing are clearly false.

The IPRA backlog is not a big secret. Per the Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge 7 website 5-08-09: (http://www.chicagofop.org/cu050809.html) “Several have made requests to have their police powers restored and sent back to their units of assignment to no avail. The Lodge has said that enough is enough and has filed a class action grievance on behalf of all officers that have been involuntarily assigned to Unit 376.”Now take a look at the nightmare that Chicago Police Officer Craig Davis has endured. On October 24, 2007 at around 11:00 PM, Officer Craig Davis had finished work for the day, and was still in uniform. He went to the home of someone his wife knew, looking for her. The wife’s friend called the Burbank Police to get rid of him. Davis was trying to leave anyway, but his wife was physically blocking his vehicle.

When the Burbank Police arrived, since he was still uniform and carrying, Craig Davis identified himself as a Chicago Police Officer, and from that point on, his life was turned upside down. According to the then Mrs. Davis, the Burbank Police lied to her, telling her that it would be better for him if she filed a complaint and both Mr. and Mrs. Davis understood that this was considered a “domestic incident.”Before you could say, “Barney Fife,” Officer Craig Davis was arrested and thrown in jail. The charge by the Burbank Police Department was for “domestic Battery:” hardly representative of the “domestic Incident” they were told was the complaint. Basically Craig Davis was arrested for arguing with his then wife in public. Freedom of Speech be damned.

For all of us civilians out there, what you may not know is that whenever a Chicago Police Officer is charged with anything that smells of a criminal nature, no matter how innocent they are of the matter, they are immediately stripped of their Police powers. Craig Davis was no exception, and he was stripped the next day, October 25th, 2007 at around 1:00 AM.

Despite being estranged, his now ex wife went to court for him to testify on his behalf. On October 29, 2007 in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Criminal Division, before the Honorable Judge James J. Ryan, gave the order to Expunge the records from both the Burbank Police Department and the Illinois State Police Department and to seal the records. In March of 2008 Craig received a letter stating that his records were now officially expunged.

In June of 2008, well after he was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, IPRA, the Independent Police Review Authority, finally got around to interviewing Craig Davis. By June of 2009, 15 months after Judge Ryan cleared Craig Davis of the false charges that caused him to be put into CPD limbo, and 20 months after his encounter with the Burbank Police Department, he still remained “in limbo.” When I first met Craig Davis, I remember that one of the first things he said was how much he missed being on the street. Don’t we want Police Officers on the street who really love their job?

Officer Davis has had a unique experience: he had to deal with an allegedly false police report (Burbank Police), being cuffed and arrested at gunpoint, fingerprinted, photographed, thrown in jail, and then going through the criminal court process as a ‘criminal’ before being cleared of all charges. So I ask, why should you care? This should frighten and alarm all good citizens, because if this can happen to a Chicago Police Officer, it can happen to anyone. It can happen to YOU.

So who is Craig Davis? He’s a Christian man, and I say this because he takes his religion and his calling seriously. He feels that God has led him to Chicago for a reason: to serve. Besides being a man devoted to God and Christ, he’s a father of an adorable son from different marriage unrelated to the woman noted before, and is working on an MBA. Anyone that knows him also knows he loves Morrisey.

Craig Davis is also the first in his family to be a Chicago Police Officer, so unlike Mike Mette, he had no police father with friends who can also help put the pressure on to get his situation out in the news media. Craig Davis is also not a Chicago born and bred native, so he lacks the network of family, friends and mentors that native Chicagoans and especially native Chicagoans who become Chicago Police Officers often would turn to in this type of situation.

In essence, Craig Davis was just an ordinary guy who seems to have gotten jammed up by some people on a power trip, and this has cost him his ability to provide for himself and his family in the manner he normally would. Even more alarming is that despite having his name cleared, he was still stuck in Unit 376 limbo until July 6, 2009. If this were you, after the courts cleared you of any wrongdoing, and expunged your records, you would have been back in your job a lot sooner.

On April 7th, 2009, Chicago Tribune reporter David Heinzmann referred to another officer who “languished in the 311 callback center’s purgatorial assignment for tainted officers for more than two years.”

This article was in final draft form when I received a message from Craig that IAD (Internal Affairs Department) had just contacted him and he now has his Police powers restored, will be reporting back to the Academy and he looks forward to returning back to being a Chicago Police Officer, doing the job he loves.

And yes, Unit 376 = the call center 311. Like the numbers, the delay is bad math.

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311, Burbank Police Department, chicago police department, false arrest, IAD, IPRA, Unit 376
May 22nd, 2009
post by tamalechica | | 2

The Cost of Politics in the Chicago Police Department

Chicago Police Pictures, Images and Photos

The media reports that morale issues in the Chicago Police Department is low. However, much has not been said about the many causes of morale issues in the CPD. Besides the obvious things like equipment issues and policies that many Officers may find restrictive in their ability to serve and protect, there’s that good old something called politics.

Politics. Most all of us have had to deal with it. Sometimes politics is just that grey area as to how things get done, connections are made, alliances are formed, and social change for the better occurs. Sometimes politics is just plain ugly.Politics is ugly when a person in power uses their position to cause harm to another person. It is ugly when an ego maniacal person decides they’ve been affronted or insulted by some perceived slight, whether true or a confabulation.

It is especially ugly when a person stands up for themselves or another on a matter of ethical principle, and in return they become the object of vengeance. This kind of politics is especially ugly when it messes with many good Officers of the Chicago Police Department.I’ve heard stories. The names are clearly fictional but the events are not.

Case Number 1: If I don’t like you, you are going to Siberia
An “Officer Smith” said something that his superior did not like. The response of the superior was to send him to one of the roughest Districts in the city. This officer, who worked days, eventually moved to a different unit, taking midnights instead. “Officer Smith” filed a grievance and he won – a cash settlement.

Case Number 2: When is an African American Officer not African American?
In one of the most preposterous cases, “Officer Parker” could not get a sworn Affidavit from a potential complainant. In the State of Illinois, a sworn Affidavit is required before an investigation can proceed. Without the Affidavit, legally no action can be taken. However, for some politically hungry ladder climbers, rules are just made to be broken.

The Officer’s boss told him to make someone accountable, even though no investigation could legally be performed. Before the complainant decided she didn’t want to swear under oath that her complaint was ‘the truth,’ she specifically said the “offender” was not African American. Color has no boundaries when you are trying to claw your way up the ladder. This political ‘boss’ gave the orders to jam up Officer Jones, who had written the non-complainant a ticket.

When Officer Parker pointed out that Officer Jones was African American, the boss lady told him to do it anyway. She also made it very clear that she was majorly pissed he did not quietly go along with her plans to screw another Officer. In case he didn’t get her drift, she transferred this veteran with 20 plus years on the street to midnights.

Case #3: I was home sleeping, I’m on a different shift.
In another case, an Officer worked a unit where certain names were preprinted on a Watch Command sheet, used for different shifts within that watch. One day the Officer is required to show up in Federal court and is grilled about Officers that never worked for him. After explaining that they just use photocopies of preprinted forms, and to get the information about the Officers involved they need to read the actual times worked and match them to the Officer in charge, he is dismissed from the stand.

Despite this, to this day , well over 10 years later,he still has an infraction listed in his jacket that has no merit, since he had nothing to do with those who were getting disciplinary action.If you’ve ever wondered why some claim that morale is bad in the CPD, add the above knowledge to the picture that you have about the way the Department treats some of their Officers. Is this how you would want to be treated at your job? Is this how you would want your friends, family or yourself treated? Is this how you would want any human being treated?

Certainly, this is not how the members of the nation’s second largest Police Department should be treated when they are here to serve and protect. Not respecting the guys and gals on the street says a lot about not respecting the Office and the ideals that should be serving the department, and supporting those who start their day of work by putting their Level 3 vest on to do what none of us civilians could, would want to, or can even phathom.
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If you really want to know the state of morale as it relates to bad politics, find out how many dollars are paid out in Grievance awards, and look at the number of Grievance cases that had to be filed by Police Officers. These Grievances are filed when Officers basically get screwed by politics, and I’ve heard that it is quite a substantial sum. when their bosses and others don’t honor the job they are supposed to do.

Apparently the politics is such that there are the power hungry who probably haven’t been on the street much, and they prefer to have their careers catapulted via collateral damage. That their idea of collateral damage could be those who joined the CPD to serve and protect and not play political games is a tragedy in itself, and it stinks.

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chicago, chicago police department, cpd, grievances, morale
March 14th, 2009
post by tamalechica | | Closed

WVON Program Discussion on Police Brutality

I received an email from Kendall Moore, who has a radio program on WVON on late Saturday afternoon. Kendall is doing a story on police brutality and the release of the names of the officers, in his words, “who have been accused of brutality.”

Also expected to be participating in his show is 21st Ward Alderman Howard Brookings, Attorney Craig Futterman (University of Chicago Law School) and Pat Hill (Executive Director of the Afro-American Police League).

He hopes to discuss the real story behind Police Superintendent Jody Weis releasing the names of “abusing police officers.” (quotes are mine).

As mentioned in a previous post, I clarified the fact that this is not a list of Officers accused of brutality, but it is just a complaint list and it includes complaints for just about anything you can imagine, versus a complaint that is taken seriously because it is sustained (an affidavit has been sworn and an investigation performed that has found improper police procedure was involved.

Kendall welcomes your calls. His program will be on air today from 4:00 to 7:00 PM, 1690 AM.

773 / 591-1630

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brutality, chicago police department, kendall moore, wvon
March 8th, 2009
post by tamalechica | | 7

Weis and the List of Officers Accused of Misconduct

Complaints Pictures, Images and Photos

There has been a lot in the media lately about “the list” that Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis recently handed over. It is reported to contain a list of officers who have repeatedly been accused of misconduct. According to the Chicago Tribune, “Weis said he still plans to appear Monday before U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman, who ordered him to explain why for weeks he defied a court order to release the list to attorneys. Weis said he still disagrees with the judge’s decision because releasing the list would harm officer morale and could lead to misconceptions about officer conduct. But, Weis added, he must comply.”

I found this interesting because in the past, when these lists have been demanded, they have always been refused, but then again, in the past, the Police Superintendents have always been Chicago Police Officers, and in being one, even as “management” they would have to uphold and honor any binding agreements not to release these lists. Mr. Weis obviously did not want to go to jail over this yet reporters have often ended up in jail because they refused to give up a source.

On some levels, having a non CPD Officer at the helm allows a certain magnitude of organizational dynamics to occur when one is not constrained to mental paradigms that can occur when there are too many perceptual clogs entrenched in how changes can be employed. Outside perspective is usually a good thing. However, we are also looking at a complex organization that serves the citizens of Chicago and involves men and women who see and witness some of the most unspeakable acts that humans can do to one another on a frequent basis.

Back to the complaint lists. Why is releasing these lists a bad thing? Releasing those lists are a bad thing because the lists as they stand are extraordinarily misleading. The complaint list is just that, a list of people who complained about an officer. This is completely different from a Sustained Complaint, which has more merit.

What is the difference? Imagine you are an Officer and you’ve just written a parking ticket. John Doe comes running over after you’ve already gotten back into your squad car. John Doe is angry that he got caught parking in front of a fire hydrant, so he calls in a complaint. Now you have a complaint against you. It’s a bad day — you see someone trying to drag a woman into an alley and you try to stop the guy. He attacks you so you need to use force to subdue him. Someone else walks by just when you are doing this and calls a complaint in. Now you have two of them. Later that week you arrest a 3 drug dealers and 7 of their customers are enraged that you are making it harder for them to buy drugs. They both call in complaints against you. Now you have ten complaints. Does this seem incredulous? Hardly. That complaint list is just that, a list of complaints against any officer.

There is another type of complaint, the ones most people probably think is what that list should be but it is not. For a complaint to be investigated, the complainant must sign an affidavit that this is true, and this of course means that if you are lying you can be subject to criminal charges. The State of Illinois put this in force a few years ago to cut down on the amount of potentially unfounded complaints (ie: the list that Superintendent Weis gave up). Once the affidavit is signed, then an investigation into the complaint can begin and then it can be determined whether it is with merit or not. For example, if you complain that a short, heavy, male African American officer tried to get you to pay him to let you out of a ticket but then the camera shows that you were the one trying to bribe the officer who is a tall, white female, one can safely figure this is unfounded.

So what does anyone get from the release of that list of “complaints against officers?” They get mostly misinformation. It also makes one wonder why, of all lists, why is the list that can be so misleading the one that is being asked for instead of a different one? It smells of an attempt at sensationalizing how “bad” officers are. The truth of the matter is that Aldermen and anyone else wanting a list that is misleading for whatever purposes should also be held accountable for their poor judgement.

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chicago police department, complaints against officers, cops, cpd, jody weis
February 19th, 2009
post by tamalechica | | 2

Chicago Police Brutality on the CTA?

Tuesday morning, very much before the Chicago Tribune or Sun Times picked up the story, The Windy City Citizen had posted the video with the caption, “A man gets tossed from a bus by a Chicago Police Officer – does the punishment fit the crime? Looks pretty harsh, but I’ll let you decide.” Clicking through to the original YouTube Posting, I was among many people who posted my comments about the video taker’s presumptions. Much to his credit, he did try to politely respond to every posting despite the overwhelming majority of people like me who had no sympathy for a person who had not only not paid his bus fare but was drunk and on the bus.

My issue with the video, by Spencer Thayer, was that his take was that there was unnecessary force. As of Thursday morning, the comments posted were all deleted and no comments can be left. When I watched the video, what I saw was a tough old cop who told the drunk, “Let’s go” and “Get off the bus” and he ordered the guy off at least 14 times before he used force. We are not talking about a drunk who is sitting on a park bench not bothering anyone; this is a case where the drunk refused to pay his bus fare and the CTA driver called the Police. We are looking at a drunk who is unable to respond to verbal commands and therefore, to be removed, he must be physically handled. In the video you can also hear the Police Officer ask the drunk, “You want to fight me?”

According to the Chicago Tribune, “Thayer said he believed the officer should not have touched the man before backup arrived. But he was reluctant to assign blame either way. His Web site, chicagocopwatch.org, is part of a network aimed at increasing vigilance on police issues.” I thought that was interesting, given the fact that the title page of his video states: “the officer was excessively violent and did not wait for the appropriate backup.”

Last year, Police Officer Richard Francis lost his life to a deranged woman who killed him when he removed her from the bus, also at the behest of the CTA driver. Two years ago, Mr. N was flagged down by a CTA bus driver when a disturbed man threatened passengers on a bus. When Mr. N showed up, he said all the passengers ran off the bus. Apparently prior to that, they were all too fearful to move, but the presence of a Police Officer allowed them to feel safe enough to flee. Of course when that happened, there went all the witnesses. The CTA driver, of course, was relieved. The passenger was clearly disturbed but he talked him into beginning to get off the bus on his own. Fortunately, mentally disturbed or not, the passenger was able to understand Mr. N’s explanation of what would happen regarding actions other than peacefully getting off the bus. Each situation is different.

Did I think the Officer used excessive force? Considering the situation, no. Was his language crude? Obviously it’s not how most of us would normally greet each other, but most of us would not get on a bus drunk and not pay our fare. Do all cops handle thing things with a torrent of cuss words? Not any more than the average civilian would given a similar situation when you have to be tough. And obviously this wasn’t the dialogue that your television cops would use, but then again, unlike your television cops, our CPD men and women start their day off by putting on a bullet proof vest, see more dead people in a month than you will ever see in a lifetime, see the gruesome sights of murdered people, suicides, beatings, battered women, sexually abused children, gang crimes, and the everyday issues that occur when the Police are called.

Surprisingly the comments to the story in the Chicago Tribune were generally very favorable towards the Officer. My favorite comment, “The guy deserved it he had plenty of warning to comply. He was resisting. What was the police officer supposed to do offer him cookie.” Well the Girl Scouts are selling…

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chicago police department, chicagocopwatch, cpd, cta, disturbances, police brutality, spencer thayer
January 15th, 2009
post by tamalechica | | 4

Misdirected Aggression

funeral Pictures, Images and Photos

I’ve received some interesting emails around the post about Police Fanobilia. OneTime summed them up when he posted this comment, “I would never walk around with a t-shirt indicating that I was associated with any police department. It makes you a target.”
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For civilians and those of you who do not have a cop that you know personally, this is a common response and sadly, a common state of urban society. The resentments, and worse, toward the police often seem to be reactions to feeling powerless about some situation, and in doing so, rather than look at what’s going on with themselves, it is far easier to blame someone “in power.” I’ve seen this with the Blagojevich public lynching that has been taking place. Right now, if you are having a bad hair day, it’s probably Rod Blagojevich’s fault. If your car insurance went up (never mind if you caused an accident while driving drunk), just blame someone else, and Blago is a very handy scapegoat for just about anything. Come to think of it, my experiment with Rocky Road Brownies didn’t turn out so well, so it must be Blago’s fault as well.
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But I digress. This same misdirected blame often gets directed toward cops and anyone who is too open in their support of local law enforcement, or sometimes, any law enforcement will do. Years ago, when I participated in a retail cooperative, this woman who had a booth across from me was friendly enough but when I told her my landlord was a cop, her countenance changed and her unmistaken hatred for Chicago Police was clear before she even expressed things verbally. I told her he was a really good guy, and her response was to unleash a torrent of vitriol and diatribes about how ALL cops were evil, mean, bullies, abusers, etc. Apparently in the past, she had participated in some sort of protest, and when they were told to disperse, she mouthed off and refused to move. This resulted in her finding her face smashed against a wall and being handcuffed. Well, duh, but I guess if you’re too busy deciding that you’re a victim of brutality and nothing is happening, then mouthing off at the police and refusing a direct order is a sure fire way to make sure that you can be right about your beliefs.
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I have nothing against protests, and our country has certainly proved some darker periods of time where, without civil disobedience to often make a point, policies that should not have been in place would never have been reviewed and modified or changed. If nothing else, our nation was borne from protest, but we also need to temper what we do with knowledge and maturity, and to decide whether our actions will serve the cause we are supporting versus just allowing us to be right in our beliefs about “them” and “the police.”
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Many years ago, during a large fire that destroyed a well known Chicago grocery store location, Mr. N ordered the group of civilian gawkers to move back. Never mind that the building was ablaze in full glory and it was clearly a dangerous situation, and that by moving them further away from the scene they would be protected. One of the overly righteous shot an angry verbal question, “By whose order are you telling ME to move?” Hello, anyone notice the uniform, badge and gun?? Or maybe this cretin just confused watching television with the thing called reality. Personally, I couldn’t imagine questioning someone who is trained to entrust the safety of the public while a building is all ablaze and clearly going down. I know we all have some issues about being bossed around, but common sense should prevail.
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So coupled with the need to blame others, the negative general attitude that many already harbor toward law enforcement, frustration in their own lives and who knows what else, it isn’t a huge surprise that wearing anything that draws attention to oneself as either a cop or a fan of the police could make one a target.Police officers themselves have told me that when they are going to and from work, they do not wear their uniforms unless they can cover up at least the top (which identifies them as the police). I’ve seen what then creates an odd wardrobe look in grocery stores, since I recognize the dark navy cargo pants that the CPD here wear, often topped off with a leather jacket or sporty looking parka. It’s definitely not Donna Karan or Ralph Lauren.
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It’s a sad reflection that the people who are sworn to serve and protect are made to feel that they are not only under appreciated, but fair game for the nasty comments most have had the unpleasant privilege to hear while off duty. I’ve heard my fair share by people who need to make others wrong, whether it is about the police, some coworker, or someone they have acquaintance with.
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I have to wonder about the haters, who do they call when they need the police? Sting?

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chicago police department, haters, reality
January 6th, 2009
post by tamalechica | | 3

Police fanobilia – does it confuse you?

Earlier this month, Goddess shared a story about a St. Charles, Il man who sued the Belleview, Illinois Police Department for an alleged violation of his civil rights. The man, Adam Weinstein, was arrested for impersonating a Police Officer because he had a tee shirt on with the word, “police” written across the front and back. Although he received a ticket, it was later dismissed.

When I first read that article, my personal opinion was that this was an misinterpretation on the part of the Belleview officer who arrested Weinstein. People are drawn to cop culture, and things that convey a connection with the police for a variety of reasons. I had a conversation with Danny Smith, author of “On the Job,” about this topic. For any of you who are unfamiliar with Mr. Smith, he is from a Chicago Police family, with six members in his family who either have served or are serving. Daniel is also available for media interviews and public speaking engagements. For anyone who has been intrigued with cop culture but lacks the inside connections to our men and women in blue, his book is a must read.

I asked him, “Why do you think anyone would try to impersonate a police officer, especially by wearing a Tee shirt that says “POLICE” both on the front and on the back?” Danny responded that, “I think of it more as being a “fan” of police.” And added that he thought that there’s an element of individuals who enjoy the casual perception from others that they might be the police as well as others who might be “fans” of police and wish to show their “support” for that team.” I do have to concur, since Mr. N has given me stickers to put on my non-existent car that is from one of his CPD associations (not the FOP) to show my support. In this manner, it is similar to when I wear a Loyola Jacket or baseball cap, since I am an alum.

Danny did make the distinction that there is an issue, “when one goes beyond that and leads others to believe that they truly are the police through conversation or other actions. That’s simply dishonest.” Agreed. That is not only dishonest, it’s tacky and it’s fronting. It is as offensive as when someone represents themselves as military veterans who have served, when they have not, in order to gain some momentary perceived status or admiration. It is not earned, and it is certainly not deserved in my book.

My second question was this: “Is it your personal opinion that just walking around with one of those tee shirts conveys that a person is a PO?” Danny shares the same viewpoint that I have (maybe this is why I liked his book so much!), “Indeed, walking around with such a shirt might convey one is a PO to the casual observer, but I certainly wouldn’t assume that anybody wearing such a shirt would unquestionably be an officer. For me, it would likely be little more than a conversation starter. Let’s say I’m walking around with a CPD shirt. I can’t control what others think or assume; however, I can control my response if they come to me and engage in conversation.”

My last question to him about his topic was, “Do you think that this could cause confusion? In business, when there is a copyright infringement, one of the major issues is whether something would cause confusion in the marketplace. If it has that capacity, it would be deemed illegal. How do you view the tee shirt issue I’ve asked about?”

Danny’s response, “I suppose it could cause confusion, but a simple question–ie. Are you a police officer?–paired with an honest answer should squelch any uncertainty. I do know that many police departments, particularly in cities, aren’t terribly excited about regular folks walking around with NYPD or CPD clothing because such clothing does lead to that assumption.

Still, these clothes are also eagerly distributed by officers to their family members and available for general purchase at a number of uniform stores, none of which say “Hey, you can’t buy that shirt unless you can show me a badge.” My bottom line: what’s the big deal? Just don’t be dishonest if confronted with a question.

There was a time when this Chica was given one of the Homicide Tee shirts (Our Day Starts when Yours Ends) from a Chicago Police Detective who spent many years in Homicide. When I first wore the Homicide Tee shirt, I had just moved into this building in Andersonville. I didn’t know that there was some kind of work release place down the street, and these gang banger looking girls made it known that they did not approve of my support. If looks could kill I’d be channeling this blog from the other side.

For awhile, every time they saw me, they’d try to start something with me. Eventually the main aggressor began to cool her Habaneros, since she was beginning to waddle down the street looking ever so pregnant. Later she surprised me when, upon encountering her as she was pushing her baby buggy, she actually said “hello” in a semi-friendly manner. So that was one reaction to the tee shirt. Other people used to just think it was a cool shirt, except some of the more squeamish who apparently didn’t appreciate gallows humor. The detective that gave it to me said something like, ‘you should see what is on the shirts that my buddies in the Bomb and Arson Squad wear!’

Some people seem to use the symbol of the police to convey, “Leave me alone, I know a cop” as if they believe they will be protected in some way. While in a jewelry store on Montrose, I noticed a Chicago Police Officer’s Dress hat sitting on the table on the owner’s side of the counter. I commented that Mr. Novio is a Chicago Cop. I was staring at it because it looked out of date, and then one of the owners acknowledged that a friend of theirs gave it to them to display and it was very old.

Perhaps the most offensive reason is the last comment that Danny shared with me, “Frankly, I feel the greater issue are the folks with a PD supporter sticker on their car who point to it when pulled over, as if a $20 donation should give them a Get out of Jail Free Card.”

I knew someone who was given a variety of shirts that said “Chicago Police” by someone he knew who sold them. This person once wore it to a restaurant. I think that he enjoyed the attention it garnered him, but the fact is that he accepted “love” meant for the real po-leece, instead of paying his tab.

And yes, some people think that making their donation and getting one of those little stickers gets them some type of “in” with the entire Chicago Police Department, especially during traffic stops. There are also those who believe that if they try to offer the Officer incentive money, that this will also help. Well, the latter can help change things, especially since they could be arrested for trying to bribe a cop and it will be on camera.

As for Mr. N, when he’s not on duty he never wears anything that says he is the Police, except when he carries. I guess that says it all.

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chicago police department, electric fans, families, impersonators
October 27th, 2008
post by tamalechica | | Closed

Jody Weis’s Anti-Gang Plan

According to the Associated Press, “Weis said he was committed to realigning beats based on where officers are needed, but did not know when that would happen.”

Friday’s MyFox News carried this story:

With police hiring slowing to a crawl and Chicago homicides outpacing New York and Los Angeles, Police Supt. Jody Weis vowed Friday to deliver on a promise made and broken by at least four of his predecessors: beat realignment … Weis refused to commit to a deadline. He said he’s more concerned that it’s “done right” than fast.It will be done based on a formula that weighs violent crime most heavily, along with property crime, poverty, unemployment, population density and high-threat targets.

I had missed the article in Friday’s paper, and read about it today in the Uptown Update Blog. If Weis does redistrict, will this really help? Or will it merely shift police away from certain districts and beats, leaving them undermanned for other potential issues? At the same time, Weis seems committed to not hiring more than 200 new police officers. Every year we lose police officers to retirement and disability and injuries or illness, as well as death, and it is rumored that the numbers Chicago is losing is certainly not keeping pace with new hires, especially since we haven’t had any for a long time.

For anyone not familiar with the issues in the Uptown Update Blog, I would suggest checking it out, unless you are feeling hearty, in which case you can hang around the mentioned areas in person. Due to family issues, I had to go into the area east of Broadway near Wilson and Broadway almost every day for over a year, and 3-4 times several years prior to that. Waiting for busses either at Lawrence or Wilson, especially at night, was not the most enjoyable thing to do unless I was doing a documentary.

At times it looked like scenes from The Wire, New York Undercover and other TV programs that showed the underbelly of society. I was offered a great “deal” on rent if I’d move there. Two Chicago Police Officers that I knew who were familiar with the area said, “Don’t do it.” One of them, whose beat covered this area, told me about everything that was going on, just in the past couple of weeks from the time of our conversation. This, of course, was a few months after a man was found by his roommate, his midsection slashed (and rather dead), a mere 3-4 streets over.

So yes, within the same district, in this case the 23rd District, they can certainly use more manpower than may be normally needed for other beats. Since cars from another beat can be called in to assist, it may seem like overkill, but not when the neighboring beats are in areas having just as many problems, in which case it is clearly robbing Peter to pay Paul. Redistricting is one possible solution, but how about addressing overall manpower issues?
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chicago police department, cpd, uptown
October 24th, 2008
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WGN Rick Kogan and “On the Job” a Book about Chicago Cops

For anyone interested in getting a peek into “Chicago cop culture,” I would suggest buying Danny Smith’s book, “On the Job,” of which I did a write up earlier this year. Danny Smith is a local author, and if you’d like to take a listen before you run out to Amazon or Barnes and Noble, to buy his book, you can catch him on WGN Radio.

As most people are aware, unless you are in a cop family or have cop friends, the culture often remains a bit mysterious. Turn on your radio next Sunday and get a bit demystified. Danny will be on the Rick Kogan show this Sunday, November 2nd during the 6:30-7:AM time period.

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authors, chicago, chicago police department, cpd, daniel smith, non-fiction
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