More deception from Jody Weis

VIA - SECOND CITY COP
Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said Sunday that citizen complaints against his officers are declining.

Weis said complaints were down 12 percent in 2009 from 2008 and that this year's numbers through May are down 7 percent from the pace of a year ago.

He attributed the decline to better training and performance evaluations, including a system that gives supervisors instant access to complaints lodged against individual officers.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA....Oh Lord, that was a good one:

* “There will be no excuses for our supervisors not knowing the activity of their officers,” Weis said at a news conference at police headquarters, 3510 S. Michigan. He also said lawsuits against the department for alleged mistreatment of suspects are down 60 percent year-to-date through April compared with the same period in 2009.

A few questions that media cheerleaders might want to ask J-Fled:

* Manpower - up or down since 2008?
* Street Officers - up or down since 2008?
* Officer Issued Moving Violations - up or down since 2008?
* Officer Issued Parking Violations - up or down since 2008?
* Arrests - up or down since 2008?
* Officer Initiated Streets stops - up or down since 2008?

We'll even give the media a hint - choose "down" for every answer and you'll ace the test. The fact of the matter is that fewer citizen contacts result in fewer complaints against officers:

1. It has nothing to do with training, most of which is 5-minute videos at roll call;
2. it has zero to do with supervisors having "instant access" to complaints against officers since it still has to be investigated and put on paper by supervisors and is all subject to FOP Contract rules and restrictions;
3. it certainly doesn't have anything to do with "performance evaluations," none of which mean anything since it just started this year and hasn't even established a baseline for half the Department yet.

What is happening is a classic example of a phenomenon called "de-policing." But don't take our word for it. Here's someone who noticed it almost two years ago. Anyone who claims otherwise is full of shit - and that includes all the talking heads down at 35th Street.