Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Pot boils over at roll call

Rumor has it that one of yesterday's roll calls at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department was more than a little exciting. A heated "exchange" (shall we say, "argument") occurred and the participants were moved outside the roll call room until things cooled down.

One report indicated that a "big fight" broke out, but I believe it was a fight of words, which can be every bit as dangerous. It apparently almost turned into a fist fight in the roll call room. Now, any time you have angry, ARMED men arguing and approaching being out of control, this is not a good situation.

And it's even worse when they are packing heavy heat and wearing badges.

Anyone care to fill in the details (before I do)?

In McHenry County there are some deputies (perhaps the vast majority of them) who want the Department cleaned up. They are sick and tired of elderly couples being physically injured and then arrested. They are upset that persons under arrest and even handcuffed are then beaten and injured or threatened with a gun barrel placed in a mouth AFTER being handcuffed. They are upset with warrants that are being improperly served, even after they have been quashed.

Shouldn't these incidents lead to arrest and prosecution of the deputies committing such crimes?

Are deputies really being threatened with loss of jobs if they speak out against such abuses? That is, speak outside the department? Or if they talk to me? I hear that certain command personnel at the Sheriff's Department would love to know who is telling me about the dirt at the Sheriff's Department. Well, it's not going to happen. Those who know me know there is no way that I will reveal their identities.

I have been receiving calls, faxes, emails and deliveries of "dirt" for more than two years.

If the Sheriff's Department were serious about curbing abuses by deputies and took harsh actions against those who sail out of bounds with the illegally aggressive tactics, then none of this dirt would ever reach me. If deputies knew that reports of irregularities (or worse, crimes) would be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted, they wouldn't have any need to go outside the Department.

And then certain command personnel wouldn't have the need to threaten them for doing so.

Comments, anyone?

6 comments:

QuitWhiningAlready said...

It is funny, Gus. I email you things contrary to what you post here and it is never mentioned. I get a reply that says (and I'm summarizing), "Thanks" and "I had not heard that". There are other sides to your "stories", and you, being a private citizen blogger can pick and choose what you post in your heavily biased blog. A vast majority? I think not. Clean up the department? You evidently subscribe to a kinder, gentler SO and are doing your best to use your flair for the dramatic and shock value to paint a picture of rogue, corrupt, deputies out there doing whatever they want. Lawlessness. Seriously, Sgt. Penna is not Snake Pliskin from Escape from New York leading a posse of renegades through the streets of McHenry County.

I have shared your blog address with my peers and discussed some of your posts with personnel from McHenry County as well as other departments and frankly, the general consensus is that you have no idea what you are talking about. You have not been trained to do any sort of tactical operations. You have not participated in any sort of law enforcement anything in decades. Decades, Gus! But, damn if you can't armchair quarterback the hell out of everything. You are not an authority on any of this in any way, shape or form and your information is biased, second-hand, sometimes third-hand and from a very select few individuals. So please, please quit touting it as the gospel.

Zane said...

I got comments!!!!
"Are deputies really being threatened with loss of jobs if they speak out against such abuses?"...I am living breathing proof of that!!! Would someone tell Cundiff that using the F-bomb evey other word doesn't make him a tough guy. It makes him an idiot!! It doesn't make him credible. It doesn't make him sincere. It makes him a foul mouth punk!! Sheriff Nygren, think about it. This is the guy that represents you. Pathetic!

Gus said...

Thanks for your comment; however, I do not recall receiving anything from you (Quit) that I have not passed through for posting. When Comments are received from readers, I cannot edit them. The only choice I have is to post them or reject them.

I post comments with opposite views, so please provide more detail about what really happened in the altercation between the three deputies, who said what, and anything aboutt warnings issued to employees about exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech.

I have said to many that, when I was doing the cop thing, I was a citizen first, cop second. Meaning, a person's rights, provided by and guaranteed by law, came first.

sunny in ??? said...

I do believe there are two sides to every story.. And im guessing at every work place you are going to have disagreements! People are going to get heated! And "Quitwhining" I agree, I have lived in McHenry County all of my life and a vast majority of people agree that this blog is one sided... And as far as someone swearing, GET OVER IT! If that is what you are worried about, well you need to get a hobbie! Other then bashing law enforcement.

sunny in ??? said...

Is there anything postive that you guys have to say about law enforcement? Anything at all? And Zane, yes, if you are living you are most likely breathing!

QuitWhiningAlready said...

By all means, correct me if I'm wrong, but I do not believe the First Amendment would be something to use as a defense in this situation.