Thinking back over years of jobs

How many jobs have you had? I was going to add "in your lifetime", but what other time period could there be? Why be redundant?

Back in 2003 I wanted some advice about some issues and conferred with a wise therapist in Crystal Lake, Joe Canevello. When he asked me what my career had been, I told him that I didn't think I had had a career, only a lot of jobs. Joe said, "Maybe your career was getting jobs..."

How right he was.

This morning I was thinking back over some of the types of work I've enjoyed the most, and I'd have to say being a motorcycle cop was the best. Too bad I never pursued that as a "job".

In Denver in the mid-970s I was a reserve deputy sheriff with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Department, which is located just south of Denver. The Sheriff's Posse had several divisions: Patrol, Communications, Mounted, Jail, Motorcycle. There may have been others.

The Posse was composed of volunteers who performed all the duties of the employed deputies. We were sworn peace officers and had all the police powers of arrest. We did everything except get a paycheck. If we made an arrest, we were expected to take time off from our jobs and appear in court.

When I started, there were no openings in Patrol, so I was assigned to Communications and worked in dispatch. Right away I raised the bar (and upset the women who were the full-time dispatchers). When a deputy made a traffic stop and called in a license plate number, I immediately ran the plate to learn if the vehicle was wanted. That upset the women dispatchers, because their habit was to wait for the deputy to request them to run it. From my viewpoint, it was important for the deputy to know ASAP if the car was wanted. That information could save his life.

Within a few weeks there was an opening in Patrol, and I transferred there. I was able to qualify for solo car privileges quickly and did so. I filled in for deputies who were sick or if they were out of service for an extended time due to a lengthy call.

The best "work" was motorcycle patrol. When one member of the Posse put his police-equipped Harley-Davidson up for sale, I bought it. I'd go on duty on a nice summer morning and work right through the afternoon and into the evening. I recall one Saturday night at shift-change when a fire was reported in the far end of the county. Although I was almost at the Department parking lot to turn in my portable radio, I volunteered to take the call, since I was the only one still out on the road. The fire was about 40 miles away, and it was a great ride on a nice summer night.

I never wrote a lot of tickets. If I thought a courteous roadside "conversation" about the violation an d a warning would solve the problem, I didn't write a ticket. About once a year a driver would "talk me into" a ticket.

It's too bad that philosophy is not followed today.

Marengo-area resident speaks out

At least one Marengo-area resident is incensed at the tone of an article in a County Board newsletter about efforts of residents there recently to increase awareness of County residents to the crime threat.

Kristin Ottolino, a self-employed woman, almost single-handedly spearheaded (or maybe speared or skewered) officials into action, after numerous thefts in the County. She believed she had found crimes under-reported and minimized in importance.

Read her recent email...

"To All Concerned McHenry County Citizens,

"You are NOT going to believe this: I am writing to you to inform you of the recent bashing of our "Citizens Awareness Network" created by me with the full cooperation and help from McHenry County Board Member Mary McCann. I am writing particular email on my own and only carbon-copying in the McHenry County Board Member Mary McCann. She is in no way a part of this letter and will receive this when you do.

"In the October 26th McHenry County Board Newsletter, because the other board members were not a part of this social media network we've created, and in my opinion, jealous they didn't think of it first, both County Board members Diane Evertson and Ersel Schuster are quoted in saying the following:

"Know the Facts" ~ "Misleading information has been circulating in our community regarding the break-ins and burglaries... While the intentions may have been good...the end result is that friends and neighbors are being frightened into thinking we have a major "crime wave" occuring in western McHenry County. It's been further suggested that information relative to this "crime wave" is deliberately being withheld from us. Please be assured, 1) there is no crime wave in western McHenry County; 2) local police and the McHenry County Sheriff's Dept. records support that fact; and 3) much of the information being sent out via e-mail has been exaggerated based not just on McHenry County...but, incidents reported in several surrounding counties. Our county Sheriff's Department, along with several other county and municipal law enforcement agencies in the area, have been working together to apprehend suspects they have had under surveillance. As of this time, the suspects are now in custody."

"I find this particularly humorous, especially since McHenry County Undersheriff Andrew Zinke alongside of Chief of Marengo Police Department Joseph Hallman were clearly concerned enough about this to invite both Mary McCann and I to the McDonalds in Marengo to help inform the seniors group there of the "crime wave" that according to Diane Evertson and Ersel Schuster, did not occur...yeah that's right, nothing to see here people, just move along. Give me a break. And for them to say "the suspects are now in custody" is one of the most ridiculous things I've read here. That frightens me to be honest, that they would make a false statement and put it inside a County Board newsletter. Yes, there were arrests, but after that happened, there were still barns being broken into and they never did catch the gypsies. Also, thankfully, the Sheriff's office was concerned about this enough to make sure there was finally something about this put into the newspaper. Maybe Diane and Ersel didn't get a copy of that paper...and I'm sure nobody told them about it either....and they're Board Members? Good grief. Also, there were very few inaccuracies in all the emails we've sent out, and all inaccuracies were immediately corrected.

"Keep in mind this was written October 26th. "Frightened into thinking we have a major crime wave"....now we are apparently "frightening"???????? UGH. Apparently, they don't feel the need for our citizens to stay informed.

"Now I'm not telling anyone how to vote, I'm just informing you of what is going on politically here. You decide when you go to the polls, but I know who I'm voting for and voting against.  And no, I'm not a campaign manager or in any way affiliated with any campaigns. (Perhaps I should be)"

"Pigford" - ever hear of it?

You've got to watch this. Watch it, and then comment. Think this is an outrage? It probably goes on every day in Washington, D.C. and even right here in Illinois. Imagine that!

Pigford? 400 black pig farmers won $50,000 a piece in 1999 in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.


Says Wild Bill, in 2008 Sen. Barack Obama got a law passed to re-open the 1999 "Pigford" case settlement. In 2010 $1.2 Billion was awarded to 86,000 plaintiffs in this case.

America doesn't even have 86,000 black farmers, says Wild Bill.


Watch www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsNNt8GZ2YA&feature=youtu.be
and
www.WildBillforAmerica.com

Give Milwaukee cop a pass?

Should the Milwaukee cop who "accidentally" fired his gun in a shopping mall get a pass?

On Wednesday an off-duty Milwaukee cop was in the Southridge mall and reached for his wallet. His pistol was tucked in his waistband and fired. Duhhhh....

A Fox6.com reporter reported that the Greendale Police said one bullet was fired and disintegrated, when it hit the marble floor. Man oh man, is that cop ever lucky that he didn't lose an important part of his body!!!


Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said the officer's gun fired, when the officer reached for his wallet. Flynn explained it away, calmly and rationally, as just an "accident."

Well, I'll tell you this. If any private citizen, carrying concealed, had "accidentally" fired his weapon, he'd be in jail. And Chief Flynn, even though it was out of his jurisdiction, wouldn't be so calm and rational about it.

What discipline or charges should the cop face? Should an off-duty cop get a pass on charges, when a citizen's neck would already be measured for a rope and someone would be singling out a tree for the ceremony?

Watch the Fox6.com news story: here.

Why is "loaner car" off the books?

Why does the McHenry County Sheriff's Department keep a "loaner car" off its books?

Recently readers asked me about a marked MCSD squad car being parked in front of the McHenry County Jewish Congregation in Ridgefield for days at a time. The sheriff's department responded that it had no documentation of such vehicle assignment.

A smart man in the education field says about IEPs, "If it's not written down, it never happened."

I've been told that a squad car was parked in front of the Jewish Congregation at various times over the past NINE years. And what about the squad car parked in Sheriff's Department Merit Commission member Brian Goode's driveway? You probably saw the photo of that on my blog. When was it? February sticks in my mind.

Is the "not written down/never happened" theory true at MCSD? If it's not written down, it never happened. No, it's not true. The problem is that it happened, many times, and it was apparently never written down.

Who at the sheriff's department has the authority to assign County assets to "protect and serve" a non-County business (organization)? And who has the power to do that AND keep it off the books?

Frankly, I doubt that a sergeant is going to assume that authority. I suspect most of the lieutenants will not assume that authority. Now, what about higher? A captain? Not likely. An undersheriff? Probably not. So, who else could order a County asset to be assigned to a non-County entity and "arrange" for there to be no paperwork; therefore, no "documentation"?

Wouldn't there be documentation of fuel put in the car? What about the assignment of a driver and then a driver from the garage to pick up the squad car driver? And then to pick up the car from the Jewish Congregation? or elsewhere?

What else at the sheriff's department is off the books?

99%? I don't think so ...

The Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Woodstock announces a Rally of "the 99% in Support of the Occupy Movement."

The following announcement showed up in my e-mailbox today. From the first sentence one would think that 99% of McHenry County supports the Occupy Movements around the country. Think that's so?

For sure, I do not. I think the Occupy Movements should be declared illegal and that those who refuse to disperse should be arrested after just one warning. You tell them to disperse, and then you start slapping on the handcuffs and drag them off to the pokey.

Look what is happening all over the country. A few unruly, (oh, okay, let's call them civil disobedients) are wreaking havoc on commerce and trade. So they want to thumb their noses at banks and mortgage bankers. So what? Read on... 


I'm sorry, but where that wording come from? "social justice"? "interconnectedness of humanity"? My political science classes were too long ago for me to remember the source of words like that, but I definitely don't like the creepy-crawly feeling up the back of my neck when I read them.


Who are "the 99%"? Certainly, 99% of the McHenry County population does not support the lawlessness exhibited by the Occupiers. At least, I hope not...

Woodstock—A Rally by the 99% of McHenry County in support of the Occupy Movement has been called by the Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Woodstock for Tuesday, November 15 from 5 to 6:30 PM in front of the church at Dean and South Streets.

“The movement spawned by Occupy Wall Street is continuing into its second month undeterred by either harsh weather or police attacks on the spreading movement around the country.  In the spirit of a faith tradition rooted in social justice and committed to honoring the interconnectedness of humanity, we are offering our support,” said Patrick Murfin, coordinator of the event for the Committee.

“Unitarian Universalist Association President Peter Morales has urged us to live up to these values and across the country U.U. members, congregations, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and the Standing on the Side of Love movement have been active in the movement.”

The event is open to all members of the 99% who support the movement.

The Rally will also collect supplies urgently needed by Occupy Chicago as it moves into the winter months.  It will be the second collection made by the committee. 

Participants are asked to bring the following items to the rally, but not to drop them off at the church at other times:   Non perishable food, canned goods, can openers, tents, sleeping bags, blankets, hand warmers, camp or folding chairs, folding tables, water coolers, paper cups and plates, plastic utensils, paper towels, brooms and dustpan, garbage bags and cans, tarps, camping related goods, used Smartphones or pre-paid cell phones, used laptops,.  At this time clothing other than socks and gloves is not requested.

Items collected will be brought to the Occupy Chicago in the city.

For further information e-mail Patrick Murfin at pmurfin@sbcglobal.net or call 815 814-5645.

Runners .... ready, set, go...

Going to turn out for the Scott Milliman fun-run and 5K on Sunday?

This benefit run has been planned by Scott's daughter and is set for Sunday morning, November 6, with a starting time of 8:00AM at Three Oaks Recreation Area in Crystal Lake.

Don't feel like setting a course record on Sunday morning? Well, come and walk the 5K. Or any part of it you want to. The few remaining t-shirts and caps will be sold at the race, and there will also be prizes and drawings for great giftcards. To get you going first-thing, come early for some coffee, donuts and bagels.

Bring $5 for the City of Crystal Lake (boooo....) to pass "Go" at the front entrance. Yes, Virginia, the stingy money-grabbers of Crystal Lake will have their paws out for an admission fee.

Race-day registration is $20.00 and goes for a good purpose. This benefit is for Scott Milliman who, you may know, was canned from his 15-year job at the Sheriff's Department after he revealed information not favorable about Sheriff Nygren during a deposition in a Federal lawsuit by another deputy against Nygren and the Sheriff's Department.

Depositions are statements under oath. The oath was to tell the truth Milliman told the truth. His deposition was leaked from the sheriff's department to the Northwest Herald. Milliman has experienced a recurrence of a brain cancer condition and is undergoing chemotherapy at this time.

The race organizer, his daughter, has named the race "No Hurdle too High." See you there on Sunday morning.

Remember: Daylight Savings Time ends early Sunday morning. Re-set your clocks Saturday night.