State Police here in May

The Illinois State Police will be operating special enforcement teams in McHenry, Lake, DuPage and DeKalb Counties this month.

Let's hope they concentrate on distracted and dangerous drivers and don't waste time on primary seatbelt enforcement.

Get those dangerous and inattentive drivers using cell phones, passing in no-passing zones, tailgating, painting their nails, eat at the Dashboard Diner, texting.

While they are at it, they can grab the drivers of cars with no front license plates, darkened front windows, and license plate brackets that obscure the state or renewal tags.

What's dangerous about darkened front windows? Aside from the danger to a police officer approaching the car and not being able to see inside, these vehicles are dangerous to other drivers because you can see through and beyond that vehicle to see an approaching car or pedestrian.

Have you ever noticed how many speeders and tailgaters don't display their front license plates or have darkened windows?

Do you "panic" when you see a cop sitting on the side of the road, like, running radar? Do you slow down? Tap the brakes? Or do you just notice the cop and keep going?

If you have your cruise control engaged and you know you are right on the speed limit, then your heart doesn't skip a beat and you just keep going.

"Accident"? Ha!

The Daily Herald (www.dailyherald.com) carries an article this morning about the motorcyclist killed by a distracted driver.

The motorcyclist, 55-year-old Anita Zaffke, was rear-ended after slowing in the 55MPH zone and stopping, when the traffic light ahead changed to yellow. Her motorcycle was struck from behind by the car of a woman who may have been painting her fingernails. Lake Zurich Police reported finding no skid marks on the pavement.

The driver of the car was charged with "Failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident."

It was the Lake County Coroner's opinion that Kaffke's death was "accidental." Well, duhhhh... What's important is that Coroners (at least, their juries) don't have much leeway in assigning causes of death. A death can be accidental, homicide, undetermined, and there is one other choice. I recall these choices from attending a coroner's inquest in McHenry County (of which I had a very poor opinion).

If it turns out that the car's driver was, as reported, painting her fingernails while she was driving at 55MPH and approaching a signalized intersection (or painting her nails at all, while driving; here's a new charge: "P-W-D"), then a whole flurry of charges should follow, including Reckless Driving. Maybe involuntary manslaughter?

When will drivers stop multi-tasking and drive their cars without dividing their attention?

When will police increase their enforcement against distracted driving?

To whom to complain

When you have a complaint, it's important to deliver it to somebody who can do something about it. And it has to be high enough in the food chain that it gives someone a stomach ache. Or at least a little gas.

Now, this doesn't mean that, if you get a flat tire on your Chevy, you have to complain to the president at GM. After all, he might not even be there by the time your mail gets delivered.

When you complain to a big corporation, your complaint starts at the lowest level, even if you address it to the CEO. For example, when you call the 800/number and hear "Executive Offices", you can bet your bottom dollar that you have not reached the executive offices of the corporation. You have reached a customer service call center.

You might reach a compassionate, customer service-oriented person, but that person is likely to have limited resolution powers. If your complaint is pretty simple and low in cost, you might get lucky and be entirely satisfied.

However, on at a local government level, if you have a complaint that is a personnel issue - let's say, about a sheriff's deputy - then there is only one place to deliver your complaint, and that is to the Sheriff himself. When you address your complaint to him, it is for his eyes and ears.

He can't talk to everybody who calls or writes but, if you address it to him, then he'll have to delegate it, and the person to whom he delegates it will have to act in the sheriff's place. Okay, so I mean in a "perfect world." But if that person blows it, it's the sheriff who will end up taking the heat for how it got mishandled.

Do not start at the sergeant level. Don't get stuck talking to a deputy's supervisor, when you report a problem. That person is too far down the food chain. He or she might be competent, polite, respectful, interested and concerned, AND that person probably doesn't have the authority to fix the problem. Or may not be willing to.

What do you do if the sheriff doesn't respond? (Like to a letter dated in November 2008?) What if you are just totally ignored - the hope being that, if you are ignored long enough, you'll just give up and go away. Don't settle for that! You go on up the ladder. Where does this ladder go?

For starters, maybe the County Administrator.
Or the Law & Justice Committee.
Or the County Board.
Or the State's Attorney's office.
Or the Illinois State Police.
Or the Illinois Attorney General.
Or the FBI.

What you do is send a lot of letters, a lot of emails. Include local elected officials and the officers of State associations. It takes a little time to dig out email addresses but, once you have them, they will save you a ton of postage.

Keep good records. Keep your paper trail. Write down every contact, every date and time, every title and phone number, everything a person says he will do. Set a deadline. If a person says he'll call you back, ask by when? "Next week" is not an answer. An answer is, "I'll call you back by Wednesday, May 6, at 2:00PM" If he doesn't, call him back at 2:01PM.

Hard core? You bet. Make people accountable for doing what they say they'll do.

Sidewalk Seating - Private?

A reader has sent me the following inquiry.

Last week-end his family visited from out of town. After lunch on the Square, they went for ice cream. One family member waited outside and sat down on a chair in an outside-dining area of the business next door.

Even though no one was seated in that business' outside dining area, an employee came out and told that family member that he would have to move because that chair was only for that particular business to use.

The reader's question is, "Can a business, or individual, claim a spot on the sidewalk and then restrict others from occupying that area?"

I smiled when I read the second question; it's a good one.

"Could I show up in the morning before this business opens and put my own chair in this area, then tell that business that no one else can use that area of the sidewalk (because it is only for my use)?"

In the past, the City of Woodstock has passed ordinances permitting tables and chairs on sidewalks immediately adjacent to specific restaurants; ex., Starbuck's and Tip Top Bistro. The City restricted the area of the sidewalk to be so used, in order to keep a path free for pedestrians to pass.

I'll relay the reader's two questions to City Hall, and I'll also ask if all the food establishments on the Square hold the proper City permission for any outside dining areas.

I'll invite someone from the City to post the answer, or I'll print it when I receive it.

Sat. Night at the Opera (House)

Last evening's performance of "Thresholds of a Family" thrilled an audience that almost filled the entire lower seating area of the Woodstock Opera House, plus additional audience in the balcony.

The members of the cast were truly actors in every sense of the word. The men and women of the cast arrived in a limousine bus from Windy City Limos. The evening began with a singer/guitarist and was followed by a variety of readings and skits that flowed quickly from one to the next.

The audience was entertained throughout the evening, and many stayed after the performance to meet cast members and enjoy the refreshments.

This event at the Opera House kicked off Mental Health Month - May.

You are invited to observe Mental Health Month by becoming more aware of those around you who may be affected by mental illness. A fact printed in last night's program indicates that "Nearly 1 in 4 Americans will suffer from a form of mental illness during their lifetime."

Learn of accommodations that will aid those who have mental illness and of ways in which you can provide understanding and assistance.

What is Thresholds? From last night's program: "Thresholds is the nation's largest non-profit provider of mental health services. Each year, Thresholds serves more than 5000 people with schizophrenia, major depression, bi-polar, anxiety and personality disorders through its comprehensive program of therapeutic support, case management, education, vocational training, placement and housing."

Several cast members are active on Chicago's Crisis Intervention Training (C.I.T.) Team, where they train police officers to help consumers in crisis. "Consumers" is the mental health field's word used to identify clients or patients of mental health services.

Stone-walling on FOIA Requests

Today's lead article in the Northwest Herald reminds us of the importance of efforts by the legislators in Springfield to put more muscle in the Freedom of Information Act. Muscle that will help those who submit FOIA Requests to get answers - the first time.

McHenry County College is stone-walling the Northwest Herald on details of Walt Packard's separation from his position as President of MCC. When it was announced, Mr. Packard stated he was stepping back to care for his wife.

Then the Northwest Herald asked for details. When they weren't forthcoming, it submitted a FOIA request. MCC claims the exemption of confidentiality of personnel records. Good try.

Now it turns out that Mr. Packard gets his full $188,564 annual pay until June 30, 2010. (What kind of pay formula results in that number, instead of $180,000, $185,000 or $190,000?)

While some details of the pay deal might be exempt from disclosure, certainly his duties as President Emeritus cannot be withheld. Isn't this really an honorary position or title provided to a past president? OK, so what does he have to do for the $188K?

But the article also says that in February 2009 Mr. Packard had two years left on his contract as President of MCC. What's up with the Board of Trustees' approving, pay, health insurance premiums and retirement contributions to June 30, 2010, rather than for one year to February 2010 or even two years to February 2011? Isn't a Leave of Absence, if that's what it is, normally for a maximum of one year?

The article refers to a 2007 decision by the Illinois 4th District Appellate Court that decided that the contract of the SIU president was not exempt from disclosure. Of course, that's the 4th District, and MCC would probably assert that a decision in that District does not control what happens in this Court District.

An organization like the Northwest Herald has the wherewithal to hop over to the McHenry County Circuit Court and file a complaint in court for further resolution. This option is certainly available to individuals, if they have the big bucks for a lawyer to do their walking and talking for them.

Even an individual could file a complaint in Circuit Court after getting stone-walled on a FOIA request, but it's a sure bet that the government entity would direct its lawyers to smoother the individual in Motions that would require legal response in the right format. And for this, an individual needs a lawyer. A court requires the person who is acting pro se (without an attorney) to know all the rules and procedures (or suffer the consequences). At what cost? I'll estimate $300-400/hour.

Hopefully, we'll be reading more in the Northwest Herald about this. Today's article concluded with word that they have filed a FOIA request for information about Dr. Brian Sager's compensation and duties.

Off-duty Traffic Stop

A comment has been posted about an off-duty traffic stop by a McHenry County Sheriff’s deputy. The person posting the comment wrote:

“I know of what happened in the situation. I know details.

”This Deputy followed her to work, harrassed her at her job twice, and issued the TWO tickets TWO days later- only after he tailgated her wrecklessly throughout McHenry at 3:30am (morning of the issued tickets)! He came into her work a second time to personally hand her the tickets at 6:30am!

”She never knew the reason for being pulled over or what the tickets were for until they were handed to her!

”No license check... didn't run the license plate... no call into dispatch... no dash-cam... NO ONE knew of the traffic stop EXCEPT for Brucketta and her. General Orders were disobeyed and that is why there is an investigation......

”Why was she "scared"??? Intimidation two days after the traffic stop just 3 hours before recieving the tickets...”


There is no way that this should be handled only as an "internal." By doing so, it only gets swept under the table and kept out of public view.

These actions require charges, arrest and all the standard procedures that follow, such as booking in, prints, photo, bond, prosecution and court appearances.

Surely, the Sheriff won't let something like this slide, after firing a deputy who couldn't run fast enough or do enough sit-ups after years on the job.

Anyone care to list the offenses (crimes) committed here?