SAO to recognize Red Ribbon Week

Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 20, at 10:00AM the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office (SAO) will recognize Red Ribbon Week with a presentation by students from area schools about local efforts to fight the spread and usage of illegal drugs. Red Ribbon Week has been designated as October 23-31, 2009.

As many as 40 students and educators are expected in the first-floor Grand Jury room of the SAO at 2200 N. Seminary, Woodstock.

The office of State's Attorney Lou Bianchi will distribute 33,000 red ribbon bracelets to students in kindergarten through 8th Grade in McHenry County schools, as a way for them to show their support and personal commitment to this cause.

WBBM-AM features Seipler

Zane Seipler, candidate for McHenry County Sheriff in the Republican Primary election coming up on February 2, 2010, is featured on the WBBM website at www.wbbm780.com/Deputy-who-alleged-racial-profiling-running-or-She/5471694

Seipler will be turning in his petitions for the Sheriff's race between October 26 and November 2, the filing period for this race.

The Primary election is critical for Seipler, who must receive more votes on February 2 than the incumbent sheriff. You'll be hearing more and more from Seipler during the next three months, and I urge you to pay close attention.

What drove me into this race?

For the past two election cycles (2005 and 2001), I said, "Man! I ought to run for Sheriff!" Over the past four years (2005-2009) I have received many communications (mail, personal delivery, fax, and email) from deputies who clued me in to the goings-on within the McHenry County Sheriff's Department - the things that too often never made it into the newspapers. Things they couldn't talk about internally without risking their jobs - as Seipler did.

I urge you to help Zane win the Republican Primary. Sign his petitions. Donate money to his campaign. Get involved. Then citizens in McHenry County will have a chance for real change in how the Sheriff's Department operates.

Melissa Bean - "Language" Artist

Recently I communicated with Melissa Bean, via her website email form, on the proposed Social Security freeze for retirees and the scheduled hike in Medicare premium. This combination will result in a reduction in the monthly payments to retirees.

Today I received her email response. Where is the big white porcelain bus? I am ready to vomit!
After writing my initial feelings about the content and tone of her reply, I decided to take the "high road" and delete them.

Bean has learned well from her colleagues in the Congress. She has learned how to send a long message that doesn't say a thing. Pitiful, indeed.

Detectives to go bald?

This morning's article about "Detectives to go bald for cop's sick daughter" in the Northwest Herald caught my attention, because a female deputy of the McHenry County Sheriff's Department has offered to shave her head to raise money for the sick 8-year-old daughter of a Lake in the Hills police officer.

I don't question the personal willingness of Sheriff's Department Detective Jennifer Garafol, but I do question the wisdom of such a choice and raise the question about whether it is appropriate for a peace officer in Illinois to shave her head.

Personally, I object to shaved heads of any police officer. To me the appearance smacks of being a bully, and departments should adopt policies that direct officers not to shave their heads to the scalp. Short hair? Okay. Clean-cut, professional appearance? Yes.

The article went on to mention that "donations" can be sent by check made payable to associations affiliated with officers/deputies of either the Lake in the Hills Police Department or the McHenry County Sheriff's Department.

The public generally associates "donations" as being tax-deductible, and anyone who expects to take a tax deduction for his "donation" would be well-advised to check first with his accountant or a knowledgeable tax lawyer. These organizations may be not-for-profit (and are so listed with the Illinois Secretary of State), but they may not be "tax-exempt" under the Internal Revenue Code, which is what allows your donation to be tax-deductible.

Whether either association can legally distribute funds for an individual is highly questionable. Their charters (papers of incorporation) probably restrict use of funds to general purposes. Do they risk their not-for-profit status by collecting funds for and then distributing funds to an individual?

A good attitude is that you are just giving your money for the 8-year-old girl with the rare form of cancer. So give, and give generously. Don't expect or attempt to take any tax deduction.

By the way, don't try to look up "McHenry County Sheriff's Department Police Benevolent & Protective Association Lodge No. 192" on the Secretary of State's website for not-for-profit organizations. You won't find it.

You will find it under Police Benevolent & Protective Association of Illinois McHenry County Sheriff's Lodge #192. Kinda makes you wonder who dreamed up the format for its name, because a search for the name in State records first comes up dry, when you try to associate it with the McHenry County Sheriff's Department deputies.

Mental Illness grade for Illinois: D

Today I visited the website again for NAMI - the National Association on Mental Illness.

I had watched the movie, reign over me (Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle) - it's available from the shelf of the Woodstock Public Library. The story is about a dentist, played by Sandler, whose grasp on reality dives off the cliff after his wife, children and dog perish in one of the 9/11 plane crashes.

On the NAMI website are grades for the states on the services they provide for persons with mental illness. NAMI grades Illinois with a D. You can check this out for yourself at http://www.nami.org/

I have no doubt that Illinois gets the D, instead of an F, because of the services provided in McHenry County. We might take these for granted, such as the Crisis Line, Family Service & Community Mental Health Center (in McHenry; http://www.familyserviceonline.org/), NAMI (http://www.namimchenrycounty.org/), and the many other agencies funded through the McHenry County Mental Health Board.

Also, check out the Network of Care website at http://mchenry.il.networkofcare.org/ for a large listing of services available in our area. The Network of Care is a system that exists nationally. If you are outside McHenry County, Illinois, you can search for services in your area at http://www.networkofcare.org/ Follow the links to your locale and the information for the service that will be helpful to you or someone you know.

WPD crime reports in NWH

How informed about crime should residents of a town be? If there is little or nothing in the newspapers about crime, should residents assume their town has little or no crime?

The Police Reports for Woodstock in this morning's Northwest Herald (Page 2B) caught my attention for several reasons.

1. The Northwest Herald doesn't publish reports of crime in Woodstock very often. A while back a reporter informed me that these are published only about once a month.

2. The Northwest Herald doesn't publish very many crime reports for Woodstock. Today, only 15 arrests were published. OK, so there is a "price tag" or cost for every column-inch of newspaper space.

3. One 18-year-old in today's Reports has been in the news several times this year;

4. and then I noticed that the Police Reports published today, October 18, 2009, are for the period August 23-30!

Perhaps the Northwest Herald publishes Woodstock Crime Reports more often than monthly and I just don't see them, as I browse through the paper each morning. (Yes, I still subscribe to the print edition, although I also read it online. It would cost me money to cancel my subscription; coupon values exceed the monthly cost of the paper.)

The Woodstock Police issue several hundred traffic tickets every month and and write several hundred reports, many presumably for arrests of people for crimes. Does the Police Department provide this information to the newspapers on a timely basis, but the Northwest Herald just doesn't publish it?

The Woodstock Independent publishes about one-half page of Police Reports every week.

Aren't residents entitled to know of this activity? Should the Woodstock Police Department create webpages for listings of all crimes and arrests in the City?

Check out this U.S. Flag shirt

Check out the U.S. Flag shirt worn by Sheriff Jim Alderden of the Larimer County (Colorado) Sheriff's Department. Apparently, he has never read the U.S. Flag Code!

In a KDVR press conference apparently carried by CNN, Alderden is getting his five minutes of fame over the possible hoax in Fort Collins, where a young boy had been at first believed to be carried away in an untethered hot-air balloon. No doubt the Heene family will wish they had gotten an attorney and then kept their mouths shut.

http://news.aol.com/article/parents-of-balloon-boy-falcon-heene-will/719681?icid=mainhtmlws-maindl1link3http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fparents-of-balloon-boy-falcon-heene-will%2F719681

What does the U.S. Flag Code have to say about flags and clothing? United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Section 176 (Respect for the Flag) reads, in part, "No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States... (d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel..."

Maybe the good sheriff will just say that he's not "wearing the flag"; he's just wearing a shirt that looks like part of a flag...