Nygren, others waste time at pre-K class

McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren wasted a goodly part of a workday on Tuesday to read part of a child's book to a bunch of kids in McHenry on Tuesday. I'd say he stooped to a new low, but he probably sat or stood as he read to them. Were they seated at desks or on the floor?

(When I participated in a reading program to profoundly-disabled kids at a Woodstock school, I was offered a chair but, instead, sat down on the floor with them, so that I was on their level.)

Nygren, a police chief, a Crystal Lake cop (what was he doing in McHenry?), an Assistant State's Attorney, the Illinois state director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids and Illinois Senator Pamela Althoff gathered to read to about 30 preschoolers in McHenry.

Do you think it made a difference whether they read to the kids or whether a teacher would have read to them? Why didn't Nygren send his public relations deputy, Aimee Knop?

Any administrator of a 400-employee County unit belonged in his office, not playing reading teacher to kids not old enough to be in kindergarten.

It's election season, folks!

I'm surprised it wasn't a photo op; couldn't the Northwest Herald a photographer there? Or will photos show up later this week or this week-end?

What did that little excursion on Tuesday cost taxpayers? Who was there?

Sheriff Nygren
McHenry Police Chief John Jones
Crystal Lake Community Relations Officer Sean McGrath (sent by Gene Lowery or Dave Linder, no doubt)
Asst. State's Attorney Kirk Chrzanowski
State Sen. Pamela Althoff
Tim Carpenter, Director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids

Anyone care to venture a guess at the cost (payroll, benefits, transportation) for those to be there.

What a waste!

Cal Skinner reports on sheriff's race survey

On McHenry County Blog today (www.mchenrycountyblog.com) Cal Skinner reports that a poll is being conducted in the sheriff's race in McHenry County.

Well, at least he sort of reports it. He guesses that Nygren is conducting it, because Nygren reportedly has a lot more money in the bank that Democratic candidate Mike Mahon. According to Cal, Nygren had $73,324 at the end of July, compared to $14,116 in Mahon's campaign bank account.

Cal reports that I'm not mentioned in the poll.

Think Keith has ever heard of Alvin Greene? He probably thinks that ignoring me will make me go away. Not so.

Hey, Keith. It's not the money in your bank account from your buddies on the Merit Commission and from the vendors and employees that wins a sheriff's race. It's the number of votes cast in the November 2 election.

Ask whoever it was in South Carolina that lost to Alvin Greene.

Voters in McHenry County are sick and tired of the lawsuits involving the sheriff's department and the way things are run. This means that many Republicans will not vote for Keith.

Now, will they vote for a Democrat? Many will not. That leaves one candidate for whom they can vote. Guess who?

Vote for Gus Philpott on November 2.

The greatest part of this is, win or lose, I'll still be here on November 3. Win or lose, The Woodstock Advocate continues.

Where will Keith be? If he does manage to win, how long will he stick it out in McHenry County. His wife is already a Florida resident. He already owns a house in Florida where they claim the homestead exemption. Will he bail and let the County Board appoint someone to run the sheriff's department until the next election?

Will a special prosecutor be appointed at the end of September to investigate Nygren?

Nygren doesn't even think enough of McHenry County to call it home. His legal home is in Cape Coral, Florida, where his homestead exemption is. Maybe he is not even eligible to run for re-election!!! Why would anyone vote for him on November 2?

Why I avoided Corrections

Years ago a college professor in another state tried to steer me into Corrections, when I was taking college law enforcement classes beyond the B. A. I already had. He was selling; I wasn't buying.

As the result of information about the McHenry County Jail and friendships with deputies and corrections officers away from the "shop", my decision to avoid Corrections is reinforced.

My ideal job in police work probably would have been as a state patrolman - dealing only with traffic matters. I loved the three years that I rode my personally-owned, police-equipped Harley in the Denver area. I constantly marveled at the drivers who would pass me on I-25, when I was in uniform and traveling at the posted speed limit.

I loved the freedom of solo patrol work, out on the road; no supervisor watching over me like a hawk.

What's it like in Corrections? Some of the Corrections Officers in McHenry County must love their work. It takes a special person to work in Corrections and to accept the responsibilities and obligations to treat inmates with the respect to which they are entitled. COs have a very difficult job, because many of the people with whom they must deal every day are just not "nice people."

But the hardest part of the job sometimes has to be dealing with their own supervisors. When the supervisors - those charged with enforcing workplace rules and regulations - are the primary offenders of procedures and administrative rules, it kills morale in the workplace.

How about a few examples? Tell me; are these accurate?

Is there a day shift sergeant who shows up for work and spends the first 20 minutes of the shift wearing a Chicago Cubs shirt over the uniform shirt? Doesn't General Order 1.4.07 state that uniformed officers are to be dressed properly when they show up for work? Is there a lieutenant on duty who observes this and doesn't take action?

Is there a sergeant who has been suspended three times for a total of 80 days? What offenses would cause three suspensions of 30, 30 and 20 days? A 30-day suspension is a serious matter. But three lengthy suspensions? And the person is still a sergeant? What's really going on there?

Is this a person who is almost untouchable? Why?

Is there a Corrections sergeant who assaulted a corrections officer? How was that handled? Should that be allowed to be handled administratively, where the details and any discipline are out of sight of the public? Or should assault result in a criminal charge and court action?

How is tardiness of a shift sergeant handled in the jail? Everyone might be late once in a while, but aren't sergeants supposed to arrive early, in order to gather information about the previous shift and be prepared to inform the COs starting their shifts of important information for the shift that is beginning?

I missed all of those "opportunities" by avoiding corrections work. Thank goodness.

What if Tonigan investigated MCSD?

What if special prosecutor Henry Tonigan had been sicced on the McHenry County Sheriff's Department?

What would he have found?

How many violations of General Orders (the "rules of the road" within the sheriff's department) would he have found that constitute major problems for the public?

Ex., deputies conspiring to coordinate written reports of serious incidents, so that blame is deflected away from deputies and onto citizens (Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Pavlin injuries and arrests; David Maxson fatality);

Ex., criminal matters (battery and DUIs) that were handled "administratively" (quietly) within the Department and out-of-sight of the media and the public and the courts);

Ex., false crash reporting, to deflect blame and legal responsibility from a deputy who caused the crash;

Ex., internal Human Resources decisions that condoned "very close" personal relationships between supervisor and subordinate.

To what extent were personnel and office equipment of the Sheriff's Department used for political purposes when arranging parade and County Fair appearances by those on the payroll at the Sheriff's Department?

Just where is the line between office publicity and political campaigning, when it comes to appearance by personnel and equipment in parades and public events?

Tonigan got pointed at, and paid for investigating, the State's Attorney's Office. Will a special prosecutor be appointed to investigate the Sheriff and the Sheriff's Department? Will the County Board cough up $100,000 in emergency funds for that?

If they do, it will be well beyond Nov. 2 before the public ever hears of it.

Tonigan blows lid on "emergency funds"

Tonigan billings on Bianchi investigation:

$34,234 September-December 2009
$74.206.69 January-June 2010
$108,441

Of course, there is still July, August and September work to be billed.

The McHenry County Board authorized $100,000 from "emergency funds" for the work of a "special prosecutor" in the Bianchi case.

What "emergency"? I haven't heard the newspapers (or, more importantly, the public) asking just what exact "emergency" existed.

Frankly, I am sick and tired of government (or anyone else) claiming "emergency", when none exists.

Will Tonigan get paid any amount of $100,000? He shouldn't. Did he go back to the Board at the end of June and tell them he had blown through the $100K? Did he work during the past three months without any expectation of compensation for expenses or time?

A fifth-grader could see through many of the charges levied against Lou Bianchi.

Should Bianchi step aside while his case takes five years to wind through the court system?

No.

Flags on 9/11 - a better idea...

Tomorrow, 9/11, is National Day of Service and Remembrance and, by order of the governor of Illinois (and, I imagine, the President of the United States), United States and Illinois flags are to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset.

I have a better idea, and I mean no disrespect to those who died on 9/11/01 or their survivors. Rather than lower the United States flag, fly it proudly at the top of the staff and so note its position. If a distinct honor to the memory of those who died on 9/11 is needed, briefly lower the U.S. flag and then restore it to the top of the flag pole.

Let this 9th anniversary of 9/11 be the last time the U.S. flag is lowered, perhaps for any occasion. I personally believe the flag should always fly at the top of the staff and that it should never be lowered - not for anyone; not on any holiday, not following the death of any public official, not at the order of the POTUS and not at the order of any governor.

And certainly not at the order of any other government official or quasi-government official.

Deputies and COs - please read

This is an invitation to deputies, corrections officers and staff of the McHenry County Sheriff's Department to tell me what's wrong there. What's broken? What needs to be fixed?

Tell me now what the big issues are.

Many of them I already know, thanks for communications from some of your co-workers. But I'd like to know more. Concrete examples will help.

I understand you may be reluctant to speak out. I invite you to do so anonymously, if you are concerned about retaliation or retribution.

Is it worth $0.44 to you to be heard?

Send your information in an envelope (omit your return address, if you wish) to:

Gus Philpott
500 Lake Avenue - 1
Woodstock, IL 60098

Or fax it to 815.338.2666 You might want to change the ID header on your fax machine; if you forget or if you don't, I shall cut off any identifying name and phone number, so that your message cannot be traced.

Or email it to gus@woodstockadvocate.com from a "blind" email address. Even if you send it from your own email account, no reference will ever be made to your name or email address.

Your co-workers have been contacting me for four years, and you know their identities have been kept safe. One of the first contacts was from a deputy who told me about the $100 Bounty on me that had been offered. No kidding! The person who offered it is no longer with MCSD.