Missouri - report gun ownership to schools?

PARENTS: Own a firearm? Tell your kid's school.

Oh, really?

I'm almost afraid to write about this. I don't want to give the libs in Cook County and Chicago any ideas. But I'll do it, anyway.

If you own a gun and have children enrolled in public schools, how would you like to be forced to disclose your gun ownership to the school(s)?

Are you kidding me?

Check out this article by Michael Schaus. Think your kid wouldn't be bullied by the anti-gun teaching and administrative staff?

A pre-filed bill has been placed on record in Missouri. Kind of gives new meaning to the "Show Me" State, doesn't it?

I remember praising Missouri (where I was born and raised) earlier this year, after calling the Missouri State Patrol to find out if my Pennsylvania concealed carry permit would be valid in Missouri. The trooper said something like, "Sure. Why not?"

Did a Cook County Democrat moved to Missouri? I hope that bill isn't contagious!

I have a better idea. Why don't we require every grade, middle and high school to provide mandatory classes in firearms safety and ownership. Let's put a shooting range in every school and teach kids about responsible firearms ownership, maintenance and use.

When they graduate with a B or better, let's cut them a break on the cost of a concealed-carry license. Consider the training requirement fulfilled and charge them only $50 for a five-year license.

Speaking of the cost of a five-year license, let's file a class-action lawsuit against the State of Illinois to reduce its prohibitive and punitive level of costs associated with applying for a concealed-carry license. An applicant for an Illinois resident license will fork over $300-500 for a five-year license. If I move 15 miles to Wisconsin, it'll cost me $43.

Ice or no ice

To go or not to go. That is the question.

Click to enlarge image

Somedays it's just better to stay home. Then, on other days, you just want to go.

When it's too slick to walk to the car and you wonder whether the car will stop when going downhill, what do you do?

You know, don't you, that you can always get to the car...

The question about whether the car will stop on the hill is still unanswered. Where's the anchor?

Distracted Driving 101

A reader spotted this on Facebook and sent it to me.

How true! No wonder the legislators decided to exempt police officers, when they wrote the law about being distracted by electronic devices while driving.

How many distractions are there?

In-car computer
In-car dashcam
Police radio
Department cell phone
Personal cell phone
Switches or buttons to activate emergency lights and siren
Button to choose which siren tone to select
Button to choose which combination of emergency lights and/or alley lights
Spotlight
Cupholder

Where does the driver put his donut???

MCC targets concealed-carry of firearms

There was a vigorous discussion of a proposed concealed-carry policy at last night's Board of Trustees meeting at McHenry County College.

I read a statement during the public comment period, asking the Trustees to allow off-duty law enforcement officers to carry their firearms on campus and also not to declare Parking Areas A and B as gun-free zones.

Then I waited around for Item 15 to come up. I want to thank Trustee and Chairman Parrish for calling Item 15 before the break he wanted, rather than after. Thank you!

The proposed policy got additional nit-picking during the discussion, and the Board appears headed toward designating Parking Areas A and B, those nearest the childcare center, as areas when vehicles containing firearms cannot be parked.

Today I re-read Public Act 098-0063, and I believe that the College cannot so designate Lots A and B. At last night's meeting a sub-section was read that allows a public community college to develop "resolutions, regulations, or policies regarding the storage or maintenance of firearms, which must include designated areas where persons can park vehicles that contain firearms."

After dissecting this sub-section, I believe that, since MCC will not be developing resolutions, regulations, or policies regarding the storage or maintenance of firearms, it cannot designate certain parking areas for vehicles containing firearms.

Every word in a statute is important, and the location of every word is important. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

And one more re-reading clarified that it is not necessary to unload a firearm and place it in the trunk of a locked vehicle, after driving into one of MCC's parking lots. The firearm, even loaded, can be placed in the glove compartment or console. Or it can be placed in the trunk, which itself is defined as a "case".

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ron Parrish, invited comments from the public on this proposed Policy. You can email them to mcctrustees@mchenry.edu or you can send them to him at trustee_parrish@mchenry.edu  He will distribute them to all trustees, unless you indicate that your email is to him (only).

At this point I would guess that Trustees Parrish, Wilbeck, Jenner and Liddell will vote against the proposed policy. That leaves Trustees Kisser, Miller, Walsh and (Student Trustee) Diversiev, whom I think will vote for it. In a tie, I believe it will fail. MCC President Vicky Smith is, in my opinion, firmly in favor of a policy and one as restrictive as possible.

To point out the lie, or not?

I'm hesitant to critique Andy Zinke's latest campaign letter, which a reader forwarded to me today. The risk is that he will fire his letter-writer and hire a more competent person. But, since I've heard that he says he never reads the Woodstock Advocate, maybe he'll keep using the same person.

First of all, who really cares to receive wishes for a joyful Christmas from somebody running for office? Those wishes should be reserved for people you really care about, not for strangers who you hope will vote for you.

The most serious error in his letter is this: "Less than 90 days from now, voters will go to the polls on March 18, 2014, and choose the next Sheriff of McHenry County."

That is absolutely untrue. If Andy doesn't know that statement is false, then Aurora University ought to rescind his new MBA, and Nygren ought to stop talking about Andy's "leadership" skills. We all suspect that candidates for office might stretch the truth from time to time. But to lie outright?

Voters will NOT choose the next Sheriff of McHenry County on March 18. What they will do is select who the Republican candidate for Sheriff will be in the General Election on November 4, 2014.

Next, he writes that "...since I became second-in-command, the Sheriff’s Office has become the top-rated Sheriff’s Office in the state."

The other day a friend asked me if I knew what "megalomania" is. Little did I suspect that I'd think of it again so soon. What is it? "... delusional fantasies of power, relevance, or omnipotence, ... characterized by an inflated sense of self-esteem and overestimation of their powers and beliefs."

The Sheriff's Office certainly did not become the top-rated S/O in Illinois (if, indeed, it is) because of the second-in-command. It achieved that rating because of the deputies who work hard every day, in spite of having to constantly be looking over their shoulders, so they don't get caught in a "gotcha" moment.

Why is Andy seeking the job as top cop in the Sheriff's Department. Think maybe $145,000/year has something to do with it?

Andy announces a fundraiser on January 14 in Richmond. Let's hope the DUI patrols haven't exhausted all their funds before then.

When is it IOD?

IOD ... "Injured on Duty"

When is an injury considered job-related?

If an employee is injured on the job, how hard is it to determine whether his injury is job-related?

There have been, in my opinion, some questionable claims (and approvals) for for Line-of-Duty deaths of police officers around the country. For example, a police officer in Denver was working off-duty as a security guard at a wedding reception a few years ago. He ejected somebody from the party (or perhaps prevented an unwanted person from entering), and that person came back with a gun and shot him. Denver PD quickly announced that was a Line-of-Duty death. In my opinion, it wasn't.

Closer to home, an off-duty Johnsburg PD officer was speeding (like, really fast) on a county road and crashed on the way to get crime-scene film developed at Walmart. In my opinion, there were several factors that should have eliminated a claim for Line-of-Duty death. I don't know whether it was finally approved.

And, even closer to home, a Woodstock officer several years ago was injured while on duty. He had responded to the scene of an accident while on-duty, in uniform, in a squad car and going there because he was dispatched. After arriving, he slipped and fell on ice and injured his back or neck. This morning's icy conditions reminded me of this pending case.

The fight for on-duty, line-of-duty disability benefits has been fought for about seven years. Why must an employee fight for this? Why did the Woodstock Police Pension Board agree that he was working his shift, in uniform, in a squad car, responding to a call from dispatch and then declare that this was not an on-duty injury? How did they come up with that? And why didn't the then-City Manager and Council go to the defense of a city employee and tell that Board it had made a bad decision.

The Board of Fire and Police Commissioners is in the news right now on another matter, but this line-of-duty injury case was mishandled by another different Board, also composed of Woodstock residents. Our City's Boards and Commissions should be counted on to make careful and correct decisions.

Is it possible that any decisions are being made on other than the facts before a Board?

Crowley was on BOFPC - really?

While reading 2012 Minutes of the Woodstock Board of Fire and Police Commissioners today, I came across Janelle Crowley's name in the Minutes of the June 4, 2012 regular meeting.

Why did this surprise me? Crowley was the Human Resources Director of the City of Woodstock and left her employment position in 2011. She serves on the Merit Commission of the McHenry County Sheriff's Department, where she chairs that Commission. Surely, the City could have found a third member of the public who didn't already hold a similar committee position elsewhere.

Her name appears in the Minutes of only that one meeting, and I understand she has moved from Woodstock and no longer can serve on the BOFPC. Does she still live in McHenry County? She is still listed as a member of the Merit Commission, where her term expires April 30, 2015.

The BOFPC has had a number of scheduled meetings that were not held (it is supposed to meet quarterly). The previous three Commissioners were Ron Giordano, Tom Schroeder and Larry Howell. Crowley must have succeeded Schroeder. Now Crowley is gone and the BOFPC is down to two members.

The September 10, 2012 Minutes of the BOFPC reflect that Crowley was absent.

The Minutes of the next meeting, September 16, 2013, indicate that Giordano and Howell were present, and no member was absent. So Crowley was gone by then.

Why hasn't a third member been appointed? Has the City published the vacancy? Not to my knowledge. Couldn't the City identify an interested person and approach him or her?

I'm an interested person, but there is obviously no way that the Mayor, City Council or Police Chief would want me on the BOFPC. After all, I'm a person who thinks the police should be the first to obey the laws, not the last.

What if there had been a third person on the BOFPC who wasn't too cozy with the police chief? It's certainly okay to be friendly and polite. But what if the third member held the view that he or she represented the People of the City of Woodstock as a Board commissioner? Would Mayor Sager appoint an outspoken person who would hold police officers to a higher standard?

Who wants to be on the BOFPC? Be sure to contact the Woodstock City Manager right away to express interest. Then do some lobbying among the City Council members. How about a woman with children on the BOFPC?