PO Potatoes- The thoughts and musings of a crime fighting Potato

676 retirees 237 resignations 130 on leave of absences That is 1,043 officers no longer part of Chicago's police force at the end of 2021. Add another 300+ set to retire the first 2 months of 2022 and that's a 10th of the manpower IF  the department was fully staffed (at 13,100).  Which it isn't, and hasn't been for a few years now, so we are talking about an even higher percentage, I'd surmise that is more like 10%.  Even Rahm's 1000 (the 1000 new hires) didn't get us back to fully staffed.  The department has struggled to hire, and yes I know its everywhere , but when I first got on cops left other departments to come here.  I can count off the top of my head a dozen cops who have left here to go to other departments.  Some taking significant pay cuts to have a less toxic work environment, actually have their days off, and more support. Other departments are seeing big city cops leaving in droves, and they are seeing an opportunity to save on training exp

 " What do you see when you're in the dark, and the demons come? " - Frank Horrigan ( In The Line of Fire) It's 4 am as I start to write this.  It has been something bouncing around in my head for a while, and if you know me I'm all about dumping shit off your chest.  I'm a big advocate for cops seeking out mental health resources.  That can be with a licensed counselor, a PhD'd doctor, a clinician, a good friend, or just a buddy at work.  We all need to vent out work related stresses, and when we don't it should be no surprise police officers have a higher rate of suicide than other professions.  And in Chicago we are found to be even higher within the profession. My first dead body was an elderly man that had a lot of health issues and his kids couldn't get him on the phone.  We made entry and found him.  He was long gone.  But I clearly remember 2 distinct things about him, his eyes (which were still open) and his hand was grasping the cord for

Cops and their supervisors; if you want an earful ask a cop about the worst supervisor they've worked for and grab a seat, and maybe some popcorn.  Every cop has the horrible supervisor story, and probably more than one.  Why is it some supervisors don't see why they are being bad at the job they are supposed to do? I've found that bad supervisors were never the real, working police.  And the ones that were, have forgotten what it's like. Any cop reading this can point out their good/great supervisors.  The ones that they didn't mind working for or when the supervisor asked for volunteers or for some sort of activity, the officers gladly went and did it.  I have had several really good supervisors, and still do, and while I am not a supervisor (yet...maybe one day?) I have been in positions of leadership or supervising in my life. The best supervisors I have had have done police work or been on a team of sorts (tact, gang, narcotics, etc.).  They know how paper shou

If it isn't apparent lately everything has been about sound bytes, knee-jerk reactions, click-bait headlines, and edgy hashtags. I've seen hashtags like #defundthepolice, #abolishpolice, #policereform and so on. Our own mayor wants all sorts of changes done within 90 days.  She is going to force reform one way or another.  I've seen the new co-chair of the working group for the city say if she doesn't get her way, she has the ability to go over the mayor and superintendent and have a federal judge force the changes. Let us be honest, we all dislike change.  New schools, new grade, new house, new job, new significant other....everything comes packaged with an awkward and anxious-filled phase.  Learning the ropes, where things are, trying not to look lost, and so on.  But for whatever reason cops hate change even more. I don't have an exact answer why, my own personal opinion is I don't feel I've been doing anything wrong.  It took a while to learn the

I know what you are thinking... WHOA!  FULL STOP!  Did that cop say he would loot too?  Is he an anarchist?  A rabble rouser?  A criminal cop? I'm none of those, and nor would I loot. Now. Based on my life's circumstances and how my finances are in place I don't need to.  I can fully support my family, pay my bills, and have a few hobbies.  I can keep a roof over my head, food on the table, and clothes on everyone's back. Even as a kid growing up in a large family, my father worked and was our main source of income.  I got a paper route at a young age to start saving money with, and was able to buy myself toys and eventually a car when I was old enough.  My mother did some in home babysitting to shore up some more family finances, so I had plenty and was taken care of. But I still had the spaghetti dinners, the whatever-lunch-meat-on-sale sandwiches, we drove (very) old cars, I wore hand-me-downs from other families being the eldest in mine, my first bicycle was probabl

One of the narratives that is alive and strong today, more so in certain circles, is that the police are nothing more than a wing of the government that is meant to oppress, tax, and murder.  Usually along with that narrative is that modern policing sprout from slave catchers pre- and during the Civil War era in the US.  That frame of mind does nothing but put police on the same plane as the pro-slavery supporters, Nazis and bloodthirsty communists of the 20th century, and the sociopaths that police routinely put behind bars. More times than I care to count I have been on the scene of a shooting, usually a young man, more often than not black/African American, and normally known to us from arrests or not-so-positive interactions.  Usually they are in their gang's territory, or were followed.  In any case, there are usually young teenagers or young adults.  Many have been in and out of bad homes, or come from single parent house holds, or even just raised by grandma.  They foun

Every time a police officer is killed in the line of duty a piece of a community goes with him or her.  Sometimes it is the newest rookie on the street or the well worn veteran officer that leaves us.  Behind them there are memorials, funeral services, bagpipes played, tears of sadness, laughs from memories, salutes, fly overs, news cameras, and names etched in stone.   Caskets and honor guards, roses and wreaths, freshly dug earth and granite head stones, 21 gun salutes and mounted officers; all the components of a fallen officer's funeral we know in every minute detail. Every officer knows that this tour, today's date, their last radio transmission may be their last.   Every officer knows the cost, but never counts it.   Every officer knows the price, and is willing to pay it. Every officer knows the sacrifice, and has already made it when they pinned on the badge. Most cops have experienced death in one form or another.  Whether a fatal crash, homicide s