McHenry County Jail? Squeaky clean? NOT

Aside from the dispatch of the jail chief and jail deputy chief on the first day in office of the new sheriff (and the arrival of a new jail chief who might have had a hard time finding the keys and where the coffee room was), it appears that the jail is running on a "business as usual" basis.

Except for the rumors that five sergeants are about to be demoted, leaving two sergeants standing in the jail. Will favoritism be rooted out? Will all employees now be expected to pull their own weight (don't close the gym yet)?

Will those with "good" pay and virtually no full-shift duties find more work on their desks?

And what about the new prisoner incident in the women's section of the jail? What was that, and how serious was it?

The new sheriff ran on a platform of transparency. Of course, if he doesn't tell the public about what he doesn't want them to know, how do you judge whether there really is transparency?

If what happened in the women's section of the jail was a crime under Illinois statutes (like when the male prisoner got into his girlfriend's cell for a little "afternoon delight"), was an arrest made? Charges filed? Is it showing up in the daily crime reports' log that used to be (and may still be) in the lobby of the Sheriff's Department, ready and available for any reporter or citizen to inspect? Of course, to examine that log you have to park in the parking lot, pass through security and enter the second floor Sheriff's Dept. administrative office lobby, under full observation and inspection of the eagle-eyed folks behind the counter.

Keep in mind, you do NOT have to identify yourself, if you go in to read the daily log of crimes. They'll ask who you are. Just say you are a citizen or resident. If they demand your name or ID, ask Why. Ask if you must provide ID to read the public record. They'd better say, "No." If they don't, get their names and badge numbers before you provide your own ID, or just leave.