Friday, June 11, 2010

Deputies must ante up cell phone records

Rockford Federal Court Judge Frederick Kapala must have put on his gas mask to wade through all the smoke in the courtroom and see through to order McHenry County Sheriff's Department deputies to cough up their cell phone records around the date of March 14, 2008, when deputies went to the residence of Jerome and Carla Pavlin, located in the County just east of Crystal Lake.

I wish I recalled the date when I first wrote about, and complained about, the prevalent use of cell phones between on-duty deputies, so they could avoid the Department's police radio bands.

Who knows whether the Illinois State Police investigator(s) even sniffed around that problem, but the judge wants to know about the cell phone usage.

When are the rest of the people in McHenry County going to wake up and release that a change must be made at the top of the Sheriff's Department? No one will think for a minute that supervisors (sergeants) don't know about such cell phone use; heck, they probably use them themselves - all the time. And, if lieutenants and captains and the undersheriff and the sheriff don't know about it, then they have the obligation to 1) put a stop to it; AND 2) to report it up the food chain.

There is one candidate for office who thinks like a citizen first and like a cop second.

The article says that Mr. and Mrs. Pavlin have moved out-of-state. When I met Mr. Pavlin in about October 2008, he told me how afraid of the Sheriff's Department he was and how afraid he was that the deputies might come back to his home.

This is what we must put a stop to in McHenry County. The Sheriff's deputies are to protect and to serve the population, and we must not have an agency that instills fear in residents.

Fortunately, the Pavlins had the money to hire a good criminal defense lawyer and the wisdom to go out of McHenry County for their civil rights' attorney.

9 comments:

Franker said...

Oh Gussy, what is the big problem with the cell phones? IT IS THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY! Are co-workers not allowed to communicate with each other? I mean seriously, its not a crime to talk on a phone! And what is the point of obtaining the cell phone records? "Well you see here your honor on March 14th, 2008 two on-duty deputys spoke with each other during their shift"....and the point is?

There are some things that are better not being said over the radio. For example, an officer safety issue, notifying dispatch that a building where an alarm took place could not be secured, valuable information to an on-going investigation, or even returning a call to a citizen that called dispatch wanting to speak with you! With a cell phone a deputy can return the call while they remain in their district/beat/area to provide coverage.

Co-workers in every profession talk amongst themselves! What really should happen is that every police department/sheriff office should issue a cell phone to be put in each car!

Gus said...

Oh, Frankie, you know exactly what I'm talking about, and so does every other cop reading this.

It's the collusion that takes place off the Department frequency.

Notawannabee said...

Collusion? You're one sick clueless guy. If you had ever been a REAL cop instead of some Wannabee zealot maybe you’d have a clue but YOU are clueless, just a warped lonely man. Do you know how much people despise you?

Cell phone records...let them look at the records all they want. Collusion NO, expedience YES

Gus said...

With a comment like the 12:41PM from Notawannebee, I know I am spot-on about the cell phones.

I remind Nota of my favorite book title: "What You Think of Me Is None of My Business"

If that guy is a cop, the public should be VERY worried.

FatParalegal said...

Sounds like you touched a nerve there, Gus.

Notawannabee said...

My issue is with your idiotic statement "the prevalent use of cell phones between on-duty deputies, so they could avoid the Department's police radio bands."

That is why I contend you nitpick about issues that have no relevance. Cell use is a non issue.

Nothing is nefarious with the police use of cell phones. Before the advent of cell phones officers would go to a pay phone and ask the supervisor to call him/her at that public phone to ask procedural questions. Most street corner public pay phones are part of history and technolgy gave us cell phones. Quicker and better.

None of the police agencies I am aware of use the radio for the "how do this" questions. The police frequency is far too busy for that purpose. Now with cell phones the police can call another officer or the Sgt and ask for info. Many police agencies issue cell phones for just that purpose. Some people seem to be far too suspicious.

When there are numerous police calls occurring and regular police communications occurring they don't tie up the frequency with unnecessary chatter.

Regarding the "recording" of the police channels; that is a carry over from the days of yesteryear. Many years ago the police or fire dispatcher had to maintain a written log of dispatched radio calls. That was an old FCC requirement. Logging recorders were used to meet the old FCC requirement. That is why they are called LOGGING RECORDERS. Paper logs are gone now as is the FCC requirement to maintain a log radio of radio traffic.

Gus said...

What's with the "deflect and swerve" technique here?

It's not "Nothing is nefarious with the police use of cell phones." The issue is the nefarious use of cell phones.

Why would you drag up the old written logs? It's the audio recording of the radio traffic that is avoided, when official business is conducted by cell phones.

The judge in Rockford has already figured it out.

Notawannabee said...

You're a kook...you always think the negative. Now you beleive you know the mind of a Judge. Granting a motion has nothing to do with FACT or right or wrong. It is granting a plantiff motion regardless if there is relevance......TIME WILL BE THE JUDGE

Gus said...

The Motion was granted because the phone records may be relevant.