Chuck Goudie Article

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=290937

'I have never heard of any City Council member ...'
By Chuck Goudie | Daily Herald Columnist


Tonight is the anniversary of the deadliest event in Chicago Police Department history. On the evening of May 4, 1886, as a drizzle fell on the city's near West side, a labor rally was held in support of something we take for granted: the 8-hour work day.

There was a large, boisterous crowd listening to a number of speakers. But it was so peaceful that even Mayor Carter Harrison Sr. listened for a time.

As the last speaker was reciting his final words about 10:30 p.m., someone threw a pipe bomb at the column of Chicago police officers.

The police opened fire and some of the protesters pulled guns of their own and shot back. After the 5-minute melee, dozens of people lay slaughtered on the street.

Among the dead were seven Chicago police officers. An eighth policeman died later from his injuries.

Some called it a massacre.

It is usually known as the Haymarket Riot.

In polite circles, it is called the Haymarket Affair.

By whatever name, this anniversary of that terrible Chicago event on this date 123 years ago is an opportunity to think about the thousands of people who have served and protected all of us; especially those who have been wounded and killed in the line of duty.

But it is difficult not to be disillusioned about law enforcement these days.

Just this year a Southsider was sentenced for secretly working as a Chicago mobster while he was also on the police force - providing crucial information to the Outfit about an underworld homicide.

Last month, an 18-year Chicago detective was charged in a drunken car crash on the Dan Ryan that killed two innocent victims.

Last week, the son of a disgraced, corrupt Chicago cop was convicted of leaking sensitive information to the mob while working as a deputy United States Marshal.

Also last week, three Chicago cops were cleared in the infamous Jefferson Tap and Grille bar fracas - but not before the department name was sullied by repeated airing of video showing one of the off-duty cops with his hands on the neck of a patron.

There seems to have been a steady stream of embarrassing, unacceptable events involving some of Chicago's "finest."

And if you concentrate just on those, it is easy to avoid being thankful for good cops. But there are more of them, many more, than there are bad ones.

Day after day in this city, the unsung, hardworking majority are trampled by a knucklehead minority that can't stay straight.

I was reminded of this recently, loud and clear, after reporting a story on ABC 7 about a sensitive contract issue raised by a South side alderman. Ald. Anthony Beale was suggesting that police and fire officers forgo $5,000 in what he termed "bonuses," that they receive every year in addition to their regular salaries.

The contractual payments are intended to cover a "uniform allowance" and for what is called "duty availability," which is basically a fee to ensure that officers are reachable for work 24/7.

As I have learned over the years, reports even mildly challenging of police - especially pay or benefits - are met by a voracious response. This was no different.

But one response touched me. That it came from a retired city fire lieutenant shows the symbiosis between cops and firefighters.

His name is Jim McMahon and he wrote to me for one reason. The "18,000 men and woman of the Chicago Police and Fire Departments have been working without a raise or a current contract since 2007 - the old worn out excuse that 'we are currently in tough economic times' doesn't hold any water any more. The economy was doing just fine back in 2007 and the Police and Fire Departments should have been given a contract with a raise back then, just like all of the other city departments did."

What came from McMahon's heart should touch all of us on this anniversary, and as we begin Police Month.

"While in the performance of their duty, I have never heard of any City Council member:

Saving anyone's life

Prying anyone out of a wreck

Chasing an armed criminal down a dark alley

Working to total physical exhaustion

Running into, or on top of, a burning building

Getting paralyzed

Getting 2nd and 3rd degree burns

Getting disfigured

Diving into the lake, river or lagoon at night - in all seasons

Had someone die in their arms

Putting dead victims in body bags

Getting buried in a building collapse

Comfort an abused child

Catch a communicable disease

Being exposed to deadly carcinogens and other health hazards

Subjected to random drug and alcohol screening

Shot at, stabbed, spit on or assaulted

Getting killed in the line of duty

But I do know of thousands of police and fireman that have, and do all these things on a daily basis without hesitation, and all they've ever asked for is a little respect and a living wage to raise their families with. The average person couldn't, or wouldn't do these jobs effectively, and would never even consider putting themselves in harm's way and risk their life for someone they don't even know, not for any amount of money.

Before anyone passes judgment on the members of the Chicago Police and Fire Departments, I'd challenge them to see if they could last one week alongside these dedicated men and women, and just stay with them, no matter what, and do what they are asked to do, in a moment's notice! This challenge extends to every citizen, journalist, alderman, or any other politician in the city of Chicago, including our Honorable Mayor, Richard M. Daley."
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This was published 04 May 09 Goudie was the one who was bitching that Police received uniform allowances . Thank you Jim Mc Mahon !

CPD Morale Survey

Chicago police measure morale with survey
May 17, 2009 5:58 PM | 1 Comment
For months, Chicago police officers have been saying privately that morale at the department is at an all-time low. Now Supt. Jody Weis wants to see just how true that may be.
The department launched an online survey of its members last week, hoping to determine how they feel about morale and stress on the job. The survey, conducted with the help of University of Illinois at Chicago researchers, is intended to examine how well pilot programs for alternative shifts are going but also give Weis a look at overall morale, said Bill Dougherty, first vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents rank-and-file officers.

The survey, which includes more than 50 questions, asks department members about how their job affects time with their families, their satisfaction with the department and even whether they've considered working for other departments, Dougherty said.

Department members have until mid-June to complete the online survey, and results are expected by the end of summer, police said.

"We want to provide the best workplace environment for our employees," Weis said in a statement. "That is why we are interested in the experiences of our department members and how they are affected by everyday work issues. We encourage everyone to fill out the survey in an open and honest manner."

The department and UIC are promising that those who participate in the survey won't be identified, although they will have to input a code to allow the department to measure responses by years of service and unit.

Though the FOP helped draft the survey, Dougherty said the union hasn't endorsed the survey for its members because it wasn't allowed to take part in the collection of the surveys.

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We don't need a survey WEIS already said morale is fine because we go on 10-1 calls
(officer need assistance ).
When I came on in the 90's they had a rating system which they are trying to implement again. This rating system was a joke everyone who worked the desk or in the commanders officer received a 90% or higher. If you received a 75% or lower you didn't get your step raise . They could only give out so many 90's & 80's scores. Guess what if a Sgt. didn't like you your stuck with a low score which many officers refused to sign .
Morale will go even lower with this idiotic rating system i hope the FOP does something about this

4 American's Murdered In Tijuana

4 Americans Strangled in MexicoAP
posted: 5 HOURS 46 MINUTES AGOcomments: 528filed under: National News, World NewsPrintShareText SizeAAATIJUANA, Mexico (May 15) — The bodies of four U.S. citizens were found strangled, beaten and stabbed in a van in this border city, two days after they reportedly left their Southern California homes for a night at the Mexican clubs, U.S. officials said Thursday.
The victims, ages 19 to 23 years old, were found tied up on Saturday, but their deaths were not reported earlier because they were under investigation, said Fermin Gomez, an assistant state prosecutor in Baja California.
U.S. consular officials in Tijuana said the victims — two men and two women from the San Diego and Chula Vista areas — were U.S. citizens. The state attorney general's office in Baja California said one of the women was Mexican.
Their deaths are the latest in a string of violence in Tijuana that authorities blame on a bloody turf war between drug cartels.
"I just don't think kids should be going to Tijuana right now," Chula Vista police Lt. Scott Arsenault told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "They ran into the wrong people, obviously."
Bernard Gonzales, a spokesman for the Chula Vista Police Department, said a friend told the women's parents they were headed to nightclubs in Tijuana on Thursday night. They were reported missing the next day when they did not answer their cell phones.
_______________________________________________The Houston Chronicle recently ran a piece entitled Caught in the Chaos [By Lise Olsen, February 8, 2009]. It reported that "More than 200 U.S. citizens have been slain in Mexico’s escalating wave of violence since 2004—an average of nearly one killing a week…" and that " More U.S. citizens suffered unnatural deaths in Mexico than in any other foreign country—excluding military killed in combat zones—from 2004 to 2007, State Department statistics show." (There are also 75 Americans missing in Mexico).

We have to stop giving them our money !

Missing CPD Canine ! FYI

Chicago police dog missing on SW Side
May 14, 2009 10:36 AM | 7 Comments | UPDATED STORY
A Chicago police Canine Unit officer is looking for his animal partner who was spooked by a clap of thunder and jumped the fence at the officer's Southwest Side home Wednesday night, police said.

The dog, named Bear, is a German shepherd and has been missing since about 10:30 p.m., said Police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak.

The officer took the dog out into the backyard of his home in the 3800 block of West 109th Street about 10:30 p.m. during a lull in Wednesday night's thunderstorms, Kubiak said.

A clap of thunder scared Bear and "all of a sudden" he climbed a 5-foot fence and took off in an easterly direction, Kubiak said.

The male German shepherd is black and tan, and weighs about 74 pounds. He has a computer chip under his skin that identifies him, Kubiak said. He is about 2-1/2 years old, according to police.

Authorities are running a bulletin about Bear over the Chicago police band radio.

Bear's human partner was "out almost all night looking for him," went home and slept for a few hours, and was beginning his search again about 8 a.m., Kubiak said.

Anyone who locates Bear should call the Chicago Police Canine Unit at 312-746-7180, Kubiak said.

WTF ! Performance Standards For Chicago Police

New performance standards for Chicago cops
May 12, 2009 8:45 PM | No Comments
The Chicago Police Department will begin evaluating its officers next year in a new way, examining not only officers' job performance but also their attitudes, ability to adapt and interactions with the public.
The department did away with its evaluation rating system about six years ago after complaints that it was too inconsistent and essentially a "popularity contest," Deputy Supt. of Patrol Daniel Dugan said.

Under the new system, officers will be judged on their accountability and dependability, problem-solving and decision-making, adaptability and responsiveness, communication with others and job knowledge and professional development.

A general order issued recently gave detailed examples. Officers who fail to spot a suspect in a vehicle stop or deal angrily with the public could be tagged with "requires improvement" or "unacceptable" marks. Officers could earn "exceeds expectations" marks for going out of their way to volunteer for extra assignments or for suggesting changes to improve current policies.

Other examples mention officers' attitudes toward department bosses or change -- a tenet sources say was included because of poor morale in the department. Dugan said that though attitude can affect officers' performances, the department is really trying to focus on getting officers to maintain professionalism.

"We're not asking everybody to go out and have a smile on their face every time," Dugan said. "Let's face facts. ... We see the underbelly of life and it has its toll. But we do expect officers to go out there and perform their job."

And while there's no mention of having to make a certain number of arrests or issue a certain number of tickets, officers could be judged for that too, if they're not addressing needs in their districts. As an example, Dugan cited issuing few traffic tickets in an area that has a high number of traffic crashes.

The ratings could have a real impact on officers' careers, even leading to termination for incompetence for the poorest performers.

Dugan said the new evaluation system will make evaluations fairer.

"Now the officers have some type of guidelines on what's expected of them and they'll know exactly what it is they're going to be evaluated for," Dugan said.

Dennis J. Kenney, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said few departments create comprehensive performance evaluations because they find it difficult to define exactly what makes a good police officer. Though he applauded Chicago's effort, he said the department should be careful not to hold all officers -- from rookies to veterans -- to the same standard.

"Part of the problem with the sort of subject evaluation is the supervisors who are doing the evaluation see far too little of the officer to actually know what they do," Kenney said.

Sad Day In Iraq For Our Troops

BAGHDAD (May 11) - A U.S. soldier opened fire on fellow troops and at least five were killed Monday, the Pentagon and U.S. Command said.
It was unclear if the shooter was among the dead in the shooting, which the U.S. Command said in a brief statement occurred about 2 p.m. at Camp Liberty near Baghdad International Airport.
Pentagon officials first indicated that an Army soldier shot the others and then turned the gun on himself. Later, the officials said it was unclear whether the shooter was among the five dead.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue is sensitive and details unclear.
There have been several incidents recently when gunmen dressed as Iraqi soldiers have opened fire on American troops, including an attack in the northern city of Mosul on May 2 when two soldiers and the gunman were killed.
The toll from the Monday shooting was the highest for U.S. personnel in a single attack since April 10, when a suicide truck driver killed five American soldiers with a blast near a police headquarters in Mosul. The U.S. death toll in April was 19, the highest in seven months, amid an upsurge of violence in Iraq.

New Tshirt To Impress The Ladies !

Yes this is a new tshirt design I guess for the not so well endowed man