Gov. says Guard, state police may help in Chicago

Gov. says Guard, state police may help in Chicago

ap.google.com

CHICAGO (AP) — Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday talked about sending state troopers or even the Illinois National Guard to help Chicago combat crime — an offer that Mayor Richard Daley didn't know was coming.

Appearing at a signing ceremony for a bill that toughens the penalty for adults who provide guns to minors, Blagojevich said "violent crime in the city of Chicago is out of control."

"I'm offering resources of the state to the city to work in a constructive way with Mayor Daley to do everything we can possibly do to help" stop this violence, the governor said.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
cbs2chicago.com

The article goes on to say that most likely it would be state troopers and not guardsmen who would be sent to aid in fighting crime in the windy city, but it does remind me of all the police state threads here on ATS.

Anyone here a local, and can confirm that this measure is needed in Chicago?

ap.google.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

From a personal standpoint, I moved away from Chicago in 2003. It is my favorite American city. But the 'policing' tactic of 100% surveillance became too much for me. When they started putting in their own version of what London has going on, I had to leave.

I am not sure Chicago needs more Police officers, but they need a more 'honest' policing style. This Honesty refers to the respect a policeman should have for a law abiding citizen. This goes for the cameras they put up to spy on us, the way that Police officers in Chicago treat everyone like a criminal, and it goes for the amounts of corruption within the police force (and city government at large).

The Police treat people like criminals, but are often acting like criminals themselves. I could post examples from the news media, but since I am giving my own personal account I might in another post. But even the seemingly minor law of parking in fire lanes/handicap spaces. If the Police break these laws daily (DALEY), it starts to show after a while.

While I am not a big fan of Guiliani the person or politician, his policies in New York City on crime were rather brutally effective. If you bust every Jaywalker you see, people will be too scared to do anything else. While I don't think the New York model is exactly right either, Chicago could at least take a few things when it comes to policing strategy.

In regard to the Illinois Governor speaking on Chicago, and about sending them 'help', he may have opened up a political can of worms that he might regret. King Daley II does not take criticism lightly. I would not be surprised a little while down the road if this Governor finds himself in some sort of scandal. I am just saying....

DocMoreau

(edit Capitalization/Spellin')


[edit on 17/7/2008 by DocMoreau]

reply to post by DocMoreau


Thanks for the providing your personal experiences and thoughts about Chicago, if they are really that in your face policing the city, how could the crime level be so high as to have the governor offer the state police and nat'l guard to the mayor to help out.

It doesn't make sense, but I don't live there, I just thought it might be another conditioning of the public to have us start getting used to having the extra guns around so to say.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
reply to post by DocMoreau

 

Thanks for the providing your personal experiences and thoughts about Chicago, if they are really that in your face policing the city, how could the crime level be so high as to have the governor offer the state police and nat'l guard to the mayor to help out.

It doesn't make sense, but I don't live there, I just thought it might be another conditioning of the public to have us start getting used to having the extra guns around so to say.

The reason that the crime level is still so high, while the Police are so in your face, is because of the sheer amount of Police Corruption in Chicago.

Charged In Corruption Investigation - 3 Officers Charged With Home Invasion, Official Misconduct


Chicago offers lessons on complaints against police

As the former chief of special prosecutions in Chicago responsible for police misconduct, among other areas, I have found the content and tone of recent statements by union officials representing Eugene police very disturbing.

During the four years I headed that bureau in Cook County in the 1980s, more than 100 police officers were indicted and convicted of every imaginable crime — from murder for hire to drug dealing out of squad cars to systematic traffic shakedowns.

During this time the Cook County judiciary and bar also came under investigation for fixing court cases, from murder cases to parking tickets, eventually leading to the conviction of almost 20 judges, 50 attorneys, and numerous bagmen (including police officers), who carried bribes between corrupt attorneys and corrupt judges.

The bribery marketplace often found corrupt defense attorneys doing the math to determine whether it would be more economical to bribe the police officer or the judge.

The system was institutionally corrupt. Literally every case could be “fixed” by arranging for the clerk’s office to rig the random assignment system, thereby allowing corrupt attorneys to steer their cases to corrupt judges.

There are tons more. Those two just jumped out at me during my google search...
DocMoreau

This does fall right in line with the rise of the Fascist Police State we have been warning against. There are paramilitary ops being carried out in mainstream locales as "testing" operations, and we have mercenary corps operating on domestic soil in populated areas. Great thread JacKatMtn!

Sorry-Dbl post.

[edit on 18-7-2008 by DimensionalDetective]

I hope some government official in Chicago reads this response..

1. If you disarm the citizenry of the country then only the criminals will have guns.
a. You can't disarm what you can't control.
b. You can't control criminals
c. Weak citizens are dumb enough to go unarmed.
2. Once you have disarmed the citizens the crime rate will go up.
3. Cops never stop a crime, they either commit one or they get there after it's done.
4. Use of cameras and surveilence doesn't work, if it did we would have won the iraq war years ago.
5. Politicians live in a fantasy world and drink their own Koolaid.
6. Politicians are too stupid to get a real job, thus they are politicians.

Those who are willing to give up some of their freedom for security deserve neither --- Ben Franklin.

Did any politician ever wonder why crime has gone up at the same proportion as the effort to disarm this country. What did this country not have these problems back before the liberal idiots took over?

BTW, once it does become a police state, the people will start to go hungry and cold. At that point in time it will be the police who are hunted. If a cop has money or food and all others don't... Cops will be used for food.

[edit on 18-7-2008 by GrndLkNatv]

[edit on 18-7-2008 by GrndLkNatv]

[edit on 18-7-2008 by GrndLkNatv]

[edit on 18-7-2008 by GrndLkNatv]

Chicago? I thought Obama had straightened that place out when he worked as a "community organizer"? We've all heard about how he used his values to create jobs, etc.

Seems like the jobs he created were jobs for criminals.

reply to post by jsobecky


Really? I don't think Obama was mentioned anywhere in the story, or even in this thread until you arrived. Nor were we talking about him 'creating jobs'

But I guess you could be right. But I think you might be off on the timeline. It was more likely that he created the 'jobs for criminals' while he was in Springfield. While he was getting more funding for the corrupt Chicago Police from his 'Senatorial District', right? That what you were alluding to, trolling your bait through here, right?

The fish are not biting...


Now back to the thread:

Chicago Mayor Promises Police State

May 29th, 2006
Determined to prevent the traditional surge in summer violence, Mayor Daley on Wednesday ordered police “in battle dress” to use roadside safety checks, dog searches and high-tech license plate readers to establish an unprecedented weekend presence in high-crime neighborhoods.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had anything at this level before,” said Police Supt. Phil Cline.

Chicago Police TASER 82 Year Old Grandma After Forced Entry for "Wellness" Check

November 6, 2007
Unless an 82-year-old grandmother is holding a loaded gun, there's no excuse for
police officers to use a Taser. None.But that's what happened Oct. 29 when Chicago Police officers went to a West Side home to make a "well-being" check. The officers were responding to a request from the city'sDepartment of Aging. Apparently, the department had received an anonymous tip that Lillian Fletcher, who has a history of mental illness, was home alone and in need of assistance. When Fletcher refused to open her door, police were called. Although Fletcher cracked the door, she still refused to let her visitors into the house.

Unfortunately, despite Fletcher's documented mental condition, police officers --including a sergeant -- resorted to the same tactics they use when they are dealing with violent criminals. For instance, last August, Chicago Police officers were accused of causing the death of a South Side man after they subdued him with a Taser. The officers were responding to a 911 call placed by the man's family. Allegedly, Gefery Johnson was combative and resisted arrest. Officers used a Taser and pepper spray on Johnson, and he later died. Last week, the Cook County medical examiner's office ruled Johnson's death "accidental" and blamed coc aine intoxication rather than the Taser.

Chicago Police to use m4 carbines

April 27, 2008
Chicago police officers will be armed with combat rifles to better rival the firepower of street gangs, police Superintendent Jody Weis has announced.

Weis unveiled the plan to equip and train the department's 13,500 officers with M4 carbines on Friday. Details about when the change would happen and who would pay for the guns were not disclosed.

Chicago, city of broad strictures

June 28, 2008
...The blues bars of "Sweet Home Chicago" are smoky no more, thanks to one of the most restrictive city smoking bans in the country. Chicago is one of just a few cities in the world to limit the use of trans fats in its restaurants. Even a place once christened Hog Butcher for the World engaged in an embarrassing public debate over the discomfort of fatted geese.

Thanks in large part to the efforts of an aggressively anti-alcohol mayor, the tipsy town that used to boast more than 7,000 taverns in the postwar 1940s now sips its suds in barely 1,300 bars. And you can forget about owning a gun in this town. Chicago has some of the most restrictive gun laws in America.

The fact is, a lot of "little soft cities" have become brassier and freer and, well, funner than Chicago.

At Reason Magazine, we recently took a look at how the 35 most-populous cities in the United States balance individual freedom with government paternalism. We ranked the cities on how much freedom they afford their residents to indulge in alcohol, tobacco, drugs, sex, gambling and food. And, for good measure, we also looked at the cities' gun laws, use of traffic and surveillance cameras, and tossed in an "other" category to catch weird laws such as New York's ban on unlicensed dancing, or Chicago's tax on bottled water.

The sad news, Chicagoans, is that your town came in dead last. And it wasn't even close.

Chicago reigns supreme when it comes to treating its citizens like children (Las Vegas topped our rankings as America's freest city). Chicagoans pay the second-highest cigarette tax in the country, and the sixth-highest tax on alcohol. Chicago has more traffic-light cameras than any city in America (despite studies questioning their effectiveness), restricts cell phone use while driving, and it's quickly moving toward a creepy public surveillance system similar to London's.

That is just a few examples I found in a quick Google search. There are countless other examples daily (DALEY) that either never get told, or are not newsworthy because of the regularity of occurrence.

Here is an interesting gang site (terrible design) discussing longtime Chicago Police Corruption in much more detail. A History of Brutality, Racism, and Corruption in the Chicago Police Department
www.gangresearch.net...

Commander Jon Burge was found responsible for organizing the torture of mainly black men held in confinement by the CPD. He had close dealings with most of Chicago Chiefs of Police and recieved a commendation from then States Attorney Richard M. Daley. The Special Prosecutor has alleged Burge tortured at least 195 people

Criminals Policing Criminals.
DocMoreau

[edit on 19/7/2008 by DocMoreau]

PDF of the Operation Disruption press release

In July of 2003, the Chi-cago Police Departmentunveiled a revolutionary pilot program using spe-cially developed and cus-tomized technology to reduce crime in Chicago’s most violence prone com-munities. “Operation Disruption adds one more tool to our crime-fighting toolbox,” said Police Su-perintendent Philip J. Cline. “Specifically aimedat reducing violent crimeand narcotics activity, theendeavor will hit drug dealers and gang bangers in their pocketbooks by disrupting illegal narcotics operations – the lifebloodof any gang.

Chicago To Expand Video Surveillance System

November 30, 2004
Starting in December, police will begin to install 50 new street surveillance cameras, complete with gunshot detectors like those on cameras already in place, city officials announced Tuesday. Developers say the microphones are sensitive enough to detect when a silencer is being used to muffle the sound of gunfire.
City officials are calling the safety program Operation Disruption, NBC5's Natalie Martinez reported. The program began last summer with 30 cameras set up throughout Chicago. The first cameras sent information back to officers' laptop computers in squad cars, but the expanded system will be controlled through a central command center, where retired police officers will monitor activity.
"We've integrated the gunshot detection with the video surveillance that actually electronically identifies the location and turns in the location of the gunshot, and we've integrated that with wireless technology that remotely feeds the center," said Ron Huberman, executive director of the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
Authorities said the system allows police the freedom to patrol high-crime neighborhoods, where cameras are perched in bulletproof boxes atop light poles. The cameras allow instant replay and display compass information so controllers can more easily help police find victims and perpetrators of crimes.
Mayor Richard M. Daley said the camera program shows the city is paving the way for the rest of the country.
"We're so far advanced than any other city -- and sometimes the state and federal governments -- they come here to look at the technology," Daley said.

(Underline is mine...)

Neighbors divided over Chicago's crime-busting cameras

4/30/2004
CHICAGO — Renee Singletary has noticed a big change since police mounted a conspicuous video camera near the West Side barber shop where she has worked for a decade.
"It's so much quieter now," said Singletary, 42. "Before, there were kids hanging out doing whatever. It was unsafe to walk around."

The camera is one of 30 installed last summer by Chicago police as high-tech scarecrows to chase off gangs and street thugs. The remote-controlled cameras — mounted on lamp posts high above intersections in rough neighborhoods — can rotate 360 degrees and zoom in tight enough to read a license plate, feeding video directly to squad-car laptops.

Fifty upgraded cameras to be installed later this year will have sensors to detect bullets whizzing through the air, relaying the precise location of gunfire to dispatchers.

Chicago’s (Hidden) Surveillance Cameras

In Chicago a few weeks ago, Mayor Daley held a press conference to announce a second generation of police surveillance cameras. The first generation cameras were large, white and blue boxes with a flashing blue light on the top and a large police seal painted on each side. These cameras were mounted on telephone poles and were visible for blocks.

The cameras were initially announced under the name “Operation Disruption,” which was fitting, if one interpreted the name to mean that the camera’s unmistakable presence itself was intended to disrupt criminal activity. I think I remember someone suggesting that the cameras might not even have to be turned on, or that they may even be fake. The deterrence factor was the primary function.

The second generation cameras do not have lights or the police seal, and could be mistaken for street lights. I find this change of tack somewhat troubling. Upon hearing about the first generation of cameras, before they were installed, I though the installation of surveillance cameras was pretty Big Brotherish, but became less concerned when I saw that they would be highly visible, or more accurately, intentionally impossible to miss. With the announcement that the second generation of cameras will be less obtrusive, more portable, and may be installed without any notification, my concern is back. The questions logically follow: how long until the cameras are true hidden cameras? Will there even be a press conference for the third generation?

Some more information on "Operation Disruption".
Here are some images of the cameras:




I for one am not in to having cameras over head watching my every move. I don't think it does anything for actual Policing beside move the criminal elements out of sight of the cameras. I will admit that microphones so sensitive that they can hear a handgun with a silencer seems cool, but if it can hear that quiet of a sound, couldn't just be listening in to anyone's conversation?

DocMoreau

There used to be a website, Chicagocrime.org, that posted every crime commited in Chicago on a Google Map. Apparently it is no longer operating.

The creators have posted chicago.everyblock.com... instead.
I highly recommend checking out the site, you can still see crimes on a google map, look under 'Explore Crimes'

468,583 crimes since June 15, 2007
By primary type
Theft
87,461
Battery
83,598
Criminal damage
56,308
Narcotics
50,257
Other offense
28,106
Assault
27,801
Burglary
26,517
Motor vehicle theft
20,679
Non-criminal
18,827
Robbery
17,345

Once again, it seems like the people of Chicago are aware of the amount of crime that is happening. Part of which comes from the fascist Policing strategies combined with Officer corruption. Part of it probably comes from the strict gun laws that take the guns from average citizens and M4 Carbines into the hands of every policemen to combat the criminals who don't mind breaking gun laws to get a gun.

Either way, sending in State Troopers or even National Guard will not do anything besides escalate the tensions and increase the levels of violence.

DocMoreau

I do know that the state police are already working with local authorities here in lincoln illinois they have safety check points Set up buy the state boys. All citations are given by the local cops. And they are not stopping every car, Just random.

I was driving my father in laws car, Department of defense sticker in window and retired navy licence plate, i still got stopped. I didnt have his insurance card on me so i recieved a citation. Didnt cost me anything to clear it, just about 20 minutes of my time.

I seen the same thing in ohio about 4 years ago. It is becoming common and there is no way we will stop it. I personally dont have a problem with them trying to stop the crime in chicago. We dont have alot of crime in lincoln and i hope it stays that way.

My fear is they will run the bad elements out of chicago and they will run to towns like lincoln. I grew up in north hollywood california, I watched it turn into gangland in just a few short years in the eighties. The first signs of that happening here i will be the first to support such action.I used to have a problem with authority and for good reason, I was into bad things and didnt want to get caught. Now im a family man that has reformed and will never do anything to hurt my family.

So the saying goes, If you dont have anything to hide you have nothing to worry about. I used to preach against that saying but not anymore. Do you see my point? Stop doing wrong and you have nothing to worry about.

Originally posted by russ1969
I do know that the state police are already working with local authorities here in lincoln illinois they have safety check points Set up buy the state boys. All citations are given by the local cops. And they are not stopping every car, Just random.

I am not sure we are talking about the same things Russ. But hopefully you are right, that the criminals don't move out to Lincoln. Hopefully they just stop committing crimes.

There are currently State Patrol officers in Chicago, have been for years. They patrol the interstate highways all throughout Chicago. I personally think that the Governor's comments were meant to mess with Mayor Daley politically.

newsblogs.chicagotribune.com...

Just how the State Police would play a significant role is questionable since Blagojevich has only recently begun rebuilding its ranks after union officials say the agency lost more than 10 percent of its positions from 2001 through 2005 and patrolling of many areas, particularly during nights and weekends, is spotty at best.

Blagojevich suggested that recently retired troopers might be able to come back for a few months to help out in Chicago.

The governor's offer could be more politically embarrassing than helpful for Daley, who has been conscious of the city's image as he tries to win the 2016 Olympic Games.

In regard to you getting stopped along I-55 in a 'safety checkpoint', I hope you are aware of the number of Narcotics that flow from Mexico along I-55. Also the number of Illegal Immigrants that travel that same route. I imagine that you were just a part of their probably illegal shakedown.

More important to me, how is it legal to stop random cars to check for proof of insurance? By law, every driver is legally required to have insurance in the State of Illinois. Where is the probable cause that any of those drivers were breaking any laws, and where is the presumed innocence? That 'safety checkpoint' seems like another example of Police Officers acting like criminals...

DocMoreau

I didnt say it was I -55. It was in town off the highway. When i said i was a family man and if the criminals moved into thios part of town i would support these actions, I was hoping for alot of responses as to why i would give up my rights. I was trying to make a point of how most americans think. In truth i would not give up my rights for this cause.

I guess these type of tactics are being more and more excepted and its sad. Not only is it a show of force but it is also a way for these counties to generate moneys from these tickets. It will take alot of people getting arrested for not allowing these police to ask anything of you during these stops. Its up to the people to put a stop to this. We need to start making government accountable for there actions and put a stop to it once and for all.

reply to post by russ1969


Sorry Russ, I meant because Lincoln is in the I55 corridor anyway. But if it were off the highway, I wonder if there are many undocumented or illegal workers in your area?

A random 'safety check' to me still seems like an invasive police act.

I think we agree, right?
DocMoreau

If they use NG troops for policing Chicago, Illinois will be the first state to kick this country up to the next level of being a police state. I strongly disagree with this move and I hope it never takes place. Once it does, the precedent will have been set and there will be no going back. Then again, maybe that's the idea.

reply to post by DocMoreau

That safety (sobriety, et al) checkpoint is a BS tactic to skirt the Fourth Amendment. I can't believe it hasn't been challenged in the courts.

If I am not mistaken - the US National Guard has as it's primary mission an obligation to supplement existing state police forces when in the judgement of the governor intervention is required.

And, is this not an area that Obama was politically active in during his formative years?

I am personally aware of 7 times that National Guards of a few states were sucessfully used to help local government.

And yes one of those occaisions was a complete cluster.

Like most, this is not a challenge that arose overnight and will not IMHO be resolved in a forthnight. To me this is a classic case of crises management instead of governmental administration.

reply to post by kerontehe

I'm not aware of any time when the NG has been used for routine LE functions. Emergency situations, yes, but general policing to supplement existing departments, no. Do you have a source?