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Body cams, Proud Boys and disinterest

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The Chicago Police Department has been slow to make critical changes that could improve its taxpayer-funded body camera program, the city’s watchdog found.

The department made little progress on changes recommended by the Chicago Inspector General (IG) two years ago, the oversight agency said in a report released Thursday. In 2019, the IG found lax oversight by supervisors who are required to check officers’ body camera videos, and an oversight committee that failed to meet regularly.

The IG made a series of recommendations, including that CPD take “corrective measures” to ensure lieutenants do their required reviews of body camera videos. Those reviews are a key accountability measure designed to make sure officers use their cameras properly.

Since 2017, nearly every CPD officer has been equipped with a body camera. The technology cost taxpayers more than $16 million, and department policy outlines clear requirements for turning on and using the cameras.

* Five days…

A Chicago cop has been issued a five-day suspension for his ties to the far-right Proud Boys and is now facing a second internal probe into allegations of sexual abuse, the Sun-Times has learned.

Officer Robert Bakker is the subject of four internal investigations that were all opened last year, according to records obtained by the Sun-Times.

Though the inquiry into Bakker’s cozy relationship with the Proud Boys initially resulted in the suspension, he hasn’t yet served it because the case was later reopened at the request of Inspector General Joseph Ferguson’s office, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. The inspector general’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ald. Andre Vazquez (40th) previously raised alarms about Bakker to Police Supt. David Brown and Mayor Lori Lightfoot that he said fell on deaf ears. In an interview Wednesday, Vazquez said Bakker’s interactions with the controversial group should have resulted in “an immediate dismissal or some kind of punitive action.”

From a year ago…

The screenshots, which are about a year old, appear to show Bakker coordinating Proud Boy meet-ups in the area

* Background is here if you need it. Block Club Chicago…

Despite having a license plate number and name, police haven’t arrested or cited the woman who drove through a family’s yard and hit a neighbor’s car over the weekend.

The inaction has angered Far Northwest Siders who say she needs to be held accountable for dangerously escalating clashes between supporters and critics of Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th).

Pete Czosnyka, who thinks his home was targeted by the driver because of his criticism of Gardiner, said he identified the woman from multiple tips and license plate information provided by witnesses. Czosnyka said he gave that information to police, who looked up the driver’s plates within an hour of the incident and told him “she lived close” but did not provide a name, he said. […]

The fact that officers from the 16th District have not made moves on the case is concerning, Czosnyka said — especially because one of the officers who came to his house is the vice president of the Northwest Side GOP Club and the 41st Ward Republican committeeman.

The 41st Ward GOP Committeeperson is Ammie Kessem.

…Adding… Five days after the alleged crime…

A woman who allegedly threatened a Jefferson Park family over their criticism of a Northwest Side alderman before mowing down their garden with her car has been arrested, police said Thursday.

Officers arrested a woman before noon Thursday and said charges are pending against the individual, whose name was not yet released, a Police Department spokesman said.

* Related…

* Despite Consent Decree, Police Reform Remains Elusive

* CPD’s new foot pursuit policy draws criticism from police shooting victims’ families

* Illinois Lawmakers Bar Police From Using Deception When Interrogating Minors

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 12:21 pm

Comments

Officer Bakker better be careful…Chicago FOP might try to draft him to be their next president, with all of these internal investigations.

To this quote: “dangerously escalating clashes between supporters and critics of Ald. Jim Gardiner”

This is something you would see reported in some unstable banana republic. Is this guy an Alderman or the local dictator?

Comment by NIU Grad Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 12:32 pm
The body cams should always record, period. Placing the burden on the officer to remember to start recording will result in poor compliance. Humans are just really terrible at consistency with that sort of discretionary decision-making, especially when they have more important personal safety concerns to focus on. We need to make their jobs as easy as possible so they do that job well.

To accommodate the need to protect the privacy of a witness, CI, or victim, they should just reverse the button situation. Rather than pushing it to turn it on, they should push it to turn it off for a predefined period. That could be 2 minutes before it was pushed to 5 minutes after or something like that. Better yet, it could encrypt that portion of the video rather than turning it off. Then, only the officer (and perhaps IA) could view the recording.

Comment by thechampaignlife Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 12:38 pm
Let me get this staight. The Republican ”
Committeeman of the 41 ward is not conducting a proper investigation of an incident posdibly involving the 45 ward aldermans posdible supporters? Cmon that absurd even by chicago standards

Comment by Regular democrat Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 12:41 pm
Judging from her Facebook page Ammie needs to learn the rules of capitalization for the English language.

Comment by Cheryl44 Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 12:51 pm
That’s “Bakker” with two Ks.
Three would be too obvious.

Comment by Proud Papa Bear Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 12:55 pm
Seems to show that some police only care about destruction of property in certain situations.

Comment by Former Downstater Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 1:03 pm
I’m helping pay for those bodycams and I want them on…especially during the times when bad Cops want them off.

Comment by Dotnonymous Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 1:11 pm
Yo regular democrat - the 41st and 45th wards are very close geographically. They are also similar culturally so it’s not that far fetched.

Comment by low level Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 1:17 pm
“The screenshots, which are about a year old, appear to show Bakker coordinating Proud Boy meet-ups in the area”

It’s more than that. The guy he’s chatting with about the horror of CPD using a rainbow flag image was arrested for stabbing someone at Northerly Island in 2017, among other things. Just a couple bros, one a scumbag criminal and the other one with the legal authority to execute you in the street if he can wrap a halfway convincing narrative around it.

In my view this is CPD sending a clear message that it’s not going to take any policing action if it endorses the political message behind a given crime.

Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 1:24 pm
Here’s an interesting story about Gardiner.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2020/11/24/21635370/cellphone-ald-james-gardiner-charles-sikanich-benjamin-george-45th-ward-lawsuit

Comment by All this Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 1:30 pm
As an embarrassed resident of the 45th Ward, I do hope the Hatfields vs. McCoys routine ends as soon as possible. Each side has long since flown past “nutty”. Get off of social media, drink less booze, and relax, people.

Comment by Ace Laredo Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 1:32 pm
The garden driver/vandal was arrested but hasn’t been named.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/06/10/woman-accused-of-destroying-jefferson-park-familys-garden-because-they-criticized-ald-jim-gardiner-arrested/

Comment by All this Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 1:58 pm
The CPD proud boy is a 45th warder too.

Comment by Sonny Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 2:50 pm
I dunno how it’s justified to be an active member of some sort, for a time, of the Proud Boys.

Thinking as to who they are and what they represent, a member of any standing at any time as a member of law enforcement should be a sobering thing to learn.

I’m sure those five days will teach the person and make others think twice about being a Proud Boy.

I mean, it’s five days… that’ll show them.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 2:54 pm
“Get off of social media, drink less booze, and relax, people.”

I completely agree with two of the three things you have stated. Now where’s the beer?

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 2:57 pm
Think Kessem complained about a sign on a Park Ridge school with the simple message of Black Lives matter and more that one sees on signs on a fair amount of suburban lawns around there. She’s also ranting about Sean Casten and a librarian “pushing” a Pride message. maybe she’s thinking of moving into the suburbs…yikes.

Comment by Amalia Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 3:38 pm
The picture of Bakker today in CST, he’s wearing a T-shirt with … a Masonic symbol. No /s …

Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 3:59 pm
I don’t care who you are or what your neighborhood “issue” is. Normal people do not drive into a person’s private yard multiple times to destroy their garden and, in the process crash a neighbor’s parked car as well. The security film on Block Club capturing this incident is pretty definitive.

Comment by Responsa Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 4:04 pm
Is there a list of all the groups which participation in will get a CPD officer suspended? If so, who all is on it?

Comment by Woodcutter Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 4:11 pm
How is the suspension of a government employee permissible based on mere association with a disfavored group?

Comment by Simply anon Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 4:25 pm
=== disfavored group===

Aw, that’s fun.

“The group has been banned from numerous social networks, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as YouTube.

On February 3, 2021, Canada officially designated the Proud Boys as a terrorist group and the United States Justice Department announced the indictment of members for conspiracy related to the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.

Since then, several Proud Boys members and affiliates have been indicted for their alleged roles in the incursion.”

It’s fun how you see the proud boys. Thanks for letting me know.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 4:29 pm
===I dunno how it’s justified to be an active member of some sort, for a time, of the Proud Boys===

Whatever time frame is required to figure out that they’re not a #Pride organization.

Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 5:06 pm
@ Precinct Captain: Some are, without a doubt, but certainly not all of them are that way. No real need to paint with a broad brush, but I guess you’re gonna paint how you’re gonna paint. Not buying the “artwork” though.

Comment by Yiddishcowboy Thursday, Jun 10, 21 @ 11:58 pm