VIDEO: Cops Called to Ald. Shiller's Office, Staff Mum (Updated)

UPDATED: Also see: Shiller's 922 Calls, a Baseball Bat and Silence First, Ald. Shiller's staff tried to deny that the police were called. Then, the alderman's chief of staff tried to shut me down at a CAPS meeting. Shiller is a public, elected official whose public service office had just requested emergency services from the police, -- and her staff told me it was none of my business why. At 11:18 a.m. on Nov. 3, 2009, a call came over the Chicago police radio that Helen Shiller's aldermanic ward (46th) office called to report a homeless man causing trouble. The staff keeps a baseball bat at the reception desk - just in case. The police radio indicated that it may be an assault in progress. Several squads responded by radio that they would respond. I arrived at Shiller's office at 11:28 a.m. A police car was still on the street, in front of the office, as I walked in and asked why the police had been called. Shiller's staff was evasive, refusing at first to even acknowledge that the officers had been there even as they were still visible through the front window. (Update, Nov. 5:) Here is confirmation of the incident as provided by the Chicago Police Department: "On the 3rd at 1118 Hrs 23rd District units were dispatched to Ald. Shiller's office to handle a disturbance. The tactical restored peace and left. The disturbance is alleged to have involved a homeless male....That is the information available on our call system." ~ CPD officer, 23rd District, email to Chicago News Bench, 11/4/09. Later, I attended the 7:00 p.m. CAPS meeting for Beat 2311 in Uptown, just around the corner from Shiller's office. During the questions portion of the meeting, I asked the police officers if they knew what happened at Ald. Shiller's office this morning. Shiller's chief of staff, Denice Davis, interrupted me by loudly shouting "You don't have to answer that!" I responded back to her, "The officers have the right to not answer, but I have the right to ask the question, and you have no right to stop me from asking it." Shiller, a Democrat, is widely known to be unresponsive to the high crime in her Uptown neighborhood. Shiller is the alderman who was chased from a public meeting by an angry crowd last summer. Conservative Caps, Shirt and more! Leave a Comment - Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Visit us on Twitter!