Your tax dollars at work
Thursday, Dec 18, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yesterday morning…
At 9:30 yesterday morning, Commander Bovino and his crew were at the Home Depot in Cicero.
The store is in a large commercial strip along S. Cicero Ave. that also includes a Target and a Sam’s Club, among others. There’s a Menard’s right up the street and a Portillo’s just down the street.
“ICE is targeting it because they can walk up to anybody and ask for papers and about nine out of 10 will look Latino,” a longtime Cicero resident speculated today when I asked about the neighborhood.
* ABC7…
A high-traffic area of the South Loop is drawing extra attention from local law enforcement.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office is applying significant resources into the Roosevelt Road corridor in an effort to curb drug activity and make residents feel safe. […]
The stepped-up presence from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in the South Loop started in June. Over the last six months, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office says it’s made more than 1,700 traffic stops and 136 arrests, including 17 arrests resulting in felony gun charges and 18 resulting in felony drug charges.
17 felony gun arrests from June 1 through December 15 is approximately one bust every 12 days.
ABC7 also rode along with a sheriff’s deputy. Its crew was taken on a 100 mph chase down Lake Shore Drive. The pursuit ended at a school.
* Sun-Times…
The FBI investigated Rommell Kellogg — a brother of former Harvey Mayor Eric Kellogg — for more than two decades while federal agents uncovered layer upon layer of corruption in the south suburb.
Then in 2023, a jury found Rommell Kellogg guilty of collecting more than $800,000 in bribes from a strip club in exchange for keeping the doors open and allowing prostitution. Rommell Kellogg, whose name is spelled Rommel in his own court filings, claimed he was entrapped by the government. […]
Last month, U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman sentenced him to only a day in jail, which she considered to be served, along with two years of supervised release. He was ordered to repay $47,500 in government funds he allegedly took as bribes during the investigation.
* More…
* Tribune | Lead prosecutor in Bovino murder-for-hire case unexpectedly leaving US attorney’s office ahead of trial:The timing is unusual, particularly given the sensitivity of the Espinoza Martinez case. For more than two months, Bovino and other immigration enforcement leaders have repeatedly held the charges up as an example of the alleged violence toward immigration officials in Chicago and around the country. Sources also said that Tucker, who came to the office from Chicago law firm Sidley Austin LLP, is leaving before having landed a new position elsewhere, which is an atypical move.
* Tribune | Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino praises police assistance in immigration enforcement as CPD denies support: Chicago police said in a statement that a federal agent called in to say another vehicle was “attempting to ram them.” The department said officers located and stopped the vehicle to obtain further information. After speaking with Luna, police said he was able to leave. “A preliminary review of this incident shows CPD only responded to the call they received regarding potential criminal action,” the statement said. “An internal review to ensure responding officers were in compliance with department policy continues.”
- ArchPundit - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 12:40 pm:
Rough streets of a Cicero business corridor, O’Hare, and Evanston must be hard to patrol.
- The Farm Grad - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 1:06 pm:
One of the largest own-goals in political history.
DJT managed to secure 50% of the Hispanic vote, in part due to his promise to close the border.
So he closes the border (good), but he’s also deporting abuelos and traumatizing Hispanic toddlers in ICE raids!!!
At this point, the GOP would be fortunate to get 25% Hispanic vote next November
- Jockey - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 1:19 pm:
Tom Dart is completely tone deaf. High-speed car chases down LSD and randomly pulling over 1,700 cars to generate traffic stop numbers to get on t.v. This is exactly why CPD is in their 6th year of a consent decree. This diminishes the hard work Superintendent Snelling is achieving with building more community trust. Unbelievable.
- Jockey - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 1:20 pm:
Also, CPD has a strict No-Chase policy.
- Soccermom - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 1:34 pm:
a 100 mph chase is a greater threat to public safety than the people they were chasing
- Rudy’s teeth - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 1:40 pm:
If only Bovino and his companions would ride the Red Line from 10 pm to 6 am daily…
- Google is Your Friend - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 1:41 pm:
==- Jockey - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 1:20 pm:==
CPD does not have a “No-chase policy.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2021/5/12/22425231/lori-lightfoot-chicago-police-vehicle-pursuit-policy-emails
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 1:45 pm:
I went to that Home Depot and Menards dozens of times over the years, never realized my life was in danger. Maybe it’s because I’m not 5’ 4”.
- Dotnonymous x - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 2:05 pm:
Overcompensation is the biggest word I can think of to describe Bovino’s tough guy behavior.
- R.F. - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 2:07 pm:
Agree that 100 mph chases are almost always dumb. But if I lived in the South Loop I’d feel like stepped up police patrols in my neighborhood are a pretty good use of my tax dollars.
- Jockey - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 2:08 pm:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2023/12/4/23988293/chicago-police-cpd-vehicle-pursuit-chase-policy-civilian-commission-consent-decree
- Paddyrollingstone - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 2:10 pm:
With apologies to Stephen A. Douglas, I think Bovino should be described from now on as the “Little Giant.”
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 2:19 pm:
===I’d feel like===
That’s the issue. It’s about feelings, not actual results. The story even says as much several times.
“make residents feel safe”
“his office’s efforts to make people feel safe”
“‘We’re feeling pretty good about where we’re at so far,’ Dart said. ”
“Just 20 minutes earlier, Commander Ware addressed a group of nearly two dozen officers. ‘You guys are out here making the citizens feel safe,’ Ware said.”
- Amalia - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 2:23 pm:
South Loop focus a good thing. keep reading about murders, shootings down there. It was on the south loop side that the gang of kids murdered that homeless man.
- Incandenza - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 2:25 pm:
=== a 100 mph chase is a greater threat to public safety than the people they were chasing ===
There is a fix to this and that is to geo-speed limit cars similar to how scooters and bikes are. The technology is there.
Better yet, design our roads so it’s impossible to go over 100 mph, that way everyone is safer all the time. You can’t be okay with the design of the roads now and then complain that alleged criminals and police put everyone in danger when they utilize the roads in the exact way they’re designed.
- Jack in Chatham - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 2:45 pm:
@Rudy’s Teeth; or the Blue Line anytime after Dusk.
- R.F. - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 2:46 pm:
== It’s about feelings ==
I don’t disagree with that. And yes, fear of crime has been unfairly stoked by the media and social media trolls. But I’m not sure spending resources to improve people’s feelings is a such bad thing. If you’re going to have a thriving urban space people are going to need to “feel safe” as they walk around, shop, grab a bite, or hop on a train or bus. We can shout “you have nothing to fear but fear itself” to everyone walking up and down Roosevelt Road, but I think seeing a police presence would help more — maybe not for everyone, but certainly for the overwhelming majority of folks.
- H-W - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 2:49 pm:
What does un-Constitutional discrimintion look like?
=== Commander Bovino and his crew were at the Home Depot in Cicero ===
Just because the current Supreme Court says federal police can use racial profiles writ-large as a legitimate grounds for surveillance, do no think this will not be over-turned in a subsequent Supreme Court. Temporality is not the same as Long-term thinking, right?
- H-W - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 2:53 pm:
=== crew was taken on a 100 mph chase down Lake Shore ===
Why?
Did this not endanger others, beyond the crew? This pursuit was unnecessarily dangerous.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 2:56 pm:
===Why?===
Read the story…
The driver allegedly had more than 60 grams of cannabis, but police also said they found a gun, enough to charge the driver with felony aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon. […]
While the gun represents the most serious charge on the stop, Sheriff Dart says the source of the problem is often marijuana. ABC7 asked Dart why his office is focusing on street transactions of a drug that can be purchased legally.
“The stuff that’s sold on the street is still wildly less expensive than the other stuff,” Dart said. “And so those markets are still not only in existence, they’re thriving.”
- Dotnonymous x - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 3:10 pm:
Sheriff Dart says the source of the conveniently made up problem is often marijuana…and if it wasn’t that they’d find other stuff…say stuff until you laugh?
- JS Mill - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 3:16 pm:
=In a rough neighborhood as we speak=
Oh heavens to betsy, that poor little fella. If only he had a gun and body armor and armored vehicles…oh wait. Never mind.
=Maybe it’s because I’m not 5’ 4”.=
That made me laugh.
- Frida's Boss - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 3:35 pm:
Performance theater- meant for the rest of the country, not Chicago or Illinois.
- The Opinions Bureau - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 5:12 pm:
One way to end drug dealing in parking lots is not building an acre of parking over and under a transit center served by three rail lines and even more bus lines.
- Leslie K - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 5:42 pm:
==Tom Dart is completely tone deaf. High-speed car chases down LSD and randomly pulling over 1,700 cars to generate traffic stop numbers to get on t.v. This is exactly why CPD is in their 6th year of a consent decree==
CPD is in the 6th year of a consent decreee because of what some other department is doing? That itself would be a news story if remotely true.
https://directives.chicagopolice.org/#directive/public/6217
As to CPD’s chase policy, start at the above and work the links. It is cautious, but not a complete “no.”
- H-W - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 7:37 pm:
===Why?===
Rich, I’ll not debate you. Smiley face.
Law enforcement had two civilians in the car, and drove at speeds that kill. That in itself is unacceptable behavior.
Drugs? Guns? Residents in neighborhoods?
Unacceptable policing practice by the car carrying civilians.
Happy holidays to you and Isabel
- Dotnonymous x - Thursday, Dec 18, 25 @ 7:48 pm:
- One way to end drug dealing in parking lots is not building an acre of parking over and under a transit center served by three rail lines and even more bus lines. -
Another way would be to design a system that provides for everyone and one that reduces those living in economic despair who seek drugs as a temporary escape.