Chicago's 24th District Brass Shakeup Raises Questions

ROGERS PARK, CHICAGO - The mood was jubilant at the 24th District cop shop when it was announced that Commander Steven Caluris was out, officially replaced on Monday, Dec. 1 by David A. Sobczyk. Caluris was not popular with his 24th Dist. officers, many of whom openly expressed their dislike of him. The mild-mannered Caluris left without fanfare. No send off. No public goodbye, in stark contrast to the overblown and messy "introduction" he received from 49th Ward Ald. Joe Moore back on May 5, 2008. The transition leaves questions, however. The announcement of Sobczyk’s appointment was covered on Wednesday, Nov. 26 on chicagobreakingnews.com: Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis announced several key promotions and staff changes, including the creation of new positions inside the department. The announcement comes on the heels of the department's 2009 budget… Where did Caluris go? He now has Sobczyk’s previous duties. Sobczyk was given Caluris’s former job, and in the same shakeup Caluris was reassigned to Sobczyk’s former position as Commander, Deployment Operations Center within the CPD’s Bureau of Investigative Services. Not surprisingly, the mainstream press gave virtually no coverage to the shakeup, which involved not just the 24th District, but many other parts of the Chicago Police Department. Second City Sarge, for example, covered it on the 26th. However, on Monday, Nov. 24, two days before the announcement of Caluris’s ouster, Caluris was a panelist in a “Town Hall Meeting” to discuss policing and crime in Rogers Park. He sat at a table with State Senator Heather Steans, State Representative Harry Osterman, and Ald. Moore. Nobody told the roughly 75 attending Rogers Park residents that Caluris was about to be replaced as Commander of the 24th District. Sobczyk was not in the room. If he was, he did not make himself known to the neighbors. This all begs more questions: 1) Did CPD Chief Jody Weiss not tell any of the commanders involved of their pending job reassignments? 2) If Caluris was informed of his pending reassignment out of Rogers Park and 24th District, was he misrepresenting himself at the Town Hall Meeting? 3) Is Ald. Moore really so out of the loop that he was unaware of Caluris’s imminent ouster? 4) If Moore did not know, Is Jody Weiss so arrogant that he couldn’t give a heads-up to the aldermen who have territory within the 24th District? Sobczyk is a 25-year veteran of the CPD with FBI training. He is a nationally recognized expert on terrorism.

In an August 20, 2008 article at ijis.org, he talked about terrorism and its relation to crime in general: According to Chicago Police Cmdr. David Sobczyk, head of the Deployment Operations Center, of which CPIC is an extension, focusing both on crime and terrorism strengthens the antiterrorism mission. Not only are everyday crimes sometimes precursors to a terrorist attack, but more importantly, having a center that is constantly being exercised 24/7 by responding to actual public safety incidents only makes staff more skilled and effective in dealing with a terrorist threat. (Source) Sobczyk’s resume includes being the Commander of the Chicago Police Department's Deployment Operations Center (DOC): “This Unit houses Chicago's Counter Terrorism Section and serves as the Police Department's intelligence hub. Commander Sobczyk is a veteran of over 25 years with the Chicago Police Department whose previous assignments include District Law Enforcement, the Public Housing Section, Gang Crimes Section, Vice Control, the Intelligence Section, Patrol Division Administration and the Gang Intelligence Section.” (Source) As noted above, Sobczyk is a terrorism expert. He has extensive experience working with “intelligence fusion,” the latest model of intelligence sharing between agencies. The model is also used by police departments, such as the CPD, to share information quickly between units within those departments. “Resources and databases are combined and critical crime-fighting information is shared, allowing law enforcement agencies big and small to be on the same page.” (Source) The motivation behind intelligence fusion is to “fill in gaps in intelligence-gathering that were discovered after the Sept. 11 attacks.” (Source) "The whole object is to change the investigative culture of what we do as a department, whether it's related to violent crime or Homeland Security, and we do a very good job of that," said Cdr. David Sobczyk of the Chicago Police Department. "Things that normally would have taken days, weeks or months to provide, we give instantaneously." (Source) Perfect. The new commander of the 24th District can now give us information “instantaneously” about local crime that “normally would have taken days, weeks or months to provide.” We look forward to 24th District crime statistics being “instantaneously” provided. While that would make residents happy, it would probably displease tight-lipped CPD spokeswoman Monique Bond. As for Ald. Moore, he’ll be oblivious to any difference. RELATED: Hit The Ground Running David A. Sobczyk profile (Homeland Defense Journal) Meaningless Town Hall Meeting Tonight in Rogers Park Town Hall Public Safety Meeting a Laugher New Commander: More of the Same Chicago Police Department Weblog Chicago Fusion Center Gives Police New Criminal Investigation ... Fatal Connection - Chicago Magazine - January 2006 Anti-terror center adds crime focus Surviving Chicago's sex slave trade FOXNews.com - Fusion Centers Combine Law Enforcement on All Levels ...

RP Town Hall Meeting Was Funny

I hate to say 'I told you so,' but I did. Craig Gernhardt follows up in the "Town Hall Meeting" on safety in Rogers Park two nights ago. It was, as The Bench predicted, a complete waste of time. Gernhardt's post, "Town Hall Public Safety Meeting a Laugher" is a good summary of a meeting that accomplished absolutely nothing. But it was great entertainment.

Fake Liberals Defend Police Misconduct

There are some hypocrites out there who have criticized me - and other writers - for criticizing the Chicago police. How sad. How cowardly and hypocritical. How un-Liberal.

How brave (not) it is to paint neighborhood new media reporters (a.k.a. "bloggers") as bad guys because they are critical of police mistakes or misconduct. How cowardly, for the same people, to not criticize the Big Media for doing exactly the same thing.

Rogers Park bloggers are being assaulted, attacked, harassed and hounded by 24th District cops. No, not all of the cops here. A handful of them, however, are engaged in bad behavior. 24th District Police Commander Caluris, a likable enough fellow, says he is upset by this behavior. He says he wants to know about it. Perhaps he should let his officers know that he doesn't like. The beat cops, some of them anyway, seem unaware of his displeasure with unwarranted harassment.

One must wonder: Are some of the cops influenced by Alderman Moore, a despicable man who has gotten a lot of harsh criticism from local bloggers? It's just a theory, but it's not out of the question. Moore would not be the first petty politician to do such a thing. We already know that Joe Moore uses a couple of local lunatics as attack bloggers to attack those who shine light on his corruption and ineptitude.

How sad that people who pretend to be Liberals or Progressives or Democrats have become so entrenched in the very system that they pretend to fight. How tragic that those so-called freedom lovers and free speech advocates are so anti-free speech and, therefore, anti-freedom and pro-police misconduct.

Will the same pipsqueaks have the courage to write the same things about the Chicago Sun-Times? Today's issue blares a front page story that is harshly critical of the CPD. The story, on page 5, is headlined "Were police unprepared for Taste of Chicago violence?"

The post-Hippy, post-Summer of Love "Liberals" and "Democrats" are not what they claim to be. Now they cling to hacks like Alderman Joe Moore, faux-Democrats like King Richard Daley, and - cynically just because it's politically expedient - defend local police who harass local writers. Once upon a time, there were true Liberals and true Democrats who would have been loudly deriding that kind of police behavior. These days, however, the Joe Moore sycophants and the Mayor Daley goose steppers just turn a blind eye. Worse yet, some cheer it on.

EXCLUSIVE: HUGE CPD DRAGNET IN ROGERS PARK

ROGERS PARK, CHICAGO - In a daring operation early this evening, a group of Chicago Police officers swooped down on a man and stopped him. Even with gang members and petty thieves, the usual domestic batteries, sex offenders and a large assortment of other criminals walking around looking for victims, the brave police officers chased down a... ...local blogger (no, not me). They ticketed him for allegedly riding his bike on the sidewalk. All that while THIS was going on. Nice work, CPD! We all feel safer for your harassment of local bloggers. Keep up the good work. Commander Caluris must be so proud of you!

Fear and Loathing in Chicago's 49th Ward

Meeting 24th District's new Commander Steven Caluris in Rogers Park this evening got me more than I bargained for. It's a boring story anyway.

Like some overgrown CAPS meeting, the room was full of people bitching and moaning and complaining to a guy who is beholden to the Powers Downtown and not to them.

The real story is the bullying tactics of the local elected officials and their staff in attendance.

As I was trying to take photos of Caluris and Moore (who sat near him, to his right), I became aware of flunkie Wayne "The Bouncer" Frazier standing in front of me. I was sitting in the front row. The whole room could see Frazier aim his iPhone at me and take a photo. What the...?

The so-called leaders of Chicago's 49th Ward are afraid to have their photos taken. Hey, last time I checked, getting your photo taken just goes with the territory of being a public office holder, such as elected officials David Fagus and Joe Moore, or persons who work for a public office holders, such as Anne Sullivan and Wayne Frazier.

Moore is the 49th Ward alderman who barely - arguably - won in a tight runoff election in April 2007.

Fagus is the 49th Ward Democrat Committeeman, a purely political office that he was reelected to in February 2008 without opposition.

Like some two-bit starlet putting her hand up to prevent photographer from taking a picture, Fagus and Moore hate the press and the media.

I finished up front and walked to the rear of the room, where I snapped a photo of Frazier and Fagus as I walked out. But I turned to look back into the room and found myself next to Anne Sullivan. Fighting the gravitational pull was difficult as she said, "You better not take my photo."

"Are you no longer working for an elected public official in a public capacity, Anne?" I asked.

She trembled but did not answer. Suddenly, Wayne Frazier was in my face, aiming his damned iPhone at me again. I snapped him first.

"You want a photo of me, Wayne, I'll be at [a nearby nightclub] later," I said.

I was doing nothing weird when The Bouncer started photographing me. I was at a public meeting. I was photographing public figures doing public things. So why take my photo?

Think about it. Are they going to post my photo on a website? Talk about small town, weird political antics. Will Wayne Frazier send my photos through his iPhone to all the scummy characters that support Fagus and Moore?

Or was it simply a childish attempt to intimidate me?

If I turn up dead or go missing, you have a ready list of prime suspects - the "leaders" of the 49th Ward of Chicago.

ALSO SEE:
* Wayne Frazier - A True Rogers Park Slimeball
New Commander: More of the Same

New Commander: More of the Same

24th District Commander Rottner was replaced by Steven Caluris. He now calls the shots in the Chicago Police District 24. Tonight, you can meet the new boss. Tonight, you can discover for yourselves that he is the same as the old boss. Police officers still disrespect Rogers Park residents by not giving them needed information. Caluris, probably a nice guy, is still more loyal to his overlords than he is to the People. Ask Commander Caluris tonight why neighbors were forced - forced - to stand outside their homes for two hours or more, even after the watch commander KNEW that a "bomb" was NOT a bomb, but simply a harmless bong. Ask Commander Caluris tonight why narcotics deals on the streets are simply "dispersed," and the bad guys not rounded up and arrested. Ask Commander Caluris tonight why two or three outdoor roll calls are so damned important, when all those officers could be be out dealing with problems in the hood. Ask Commander Caluris tonight why he and his fellow police officers do not honor their oaths to uphold and defend the United States Constitution, by allowing Mayor Daley and the City Council to make their own immigration laws. Tonight, the New Boss will give us all the same old spin, the same old dodge and misdirection that you got with a smile from the Old Boss. "Meet the New Commander Tonight" say the fliers in Rogers Park. 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore's web site reminds us, too: Don't Forget Tonight's Meeting With Police Commander Caluris Dear Neighbor, I am writing to remind you of the Town Hall Meeting with our new 24th District Police Commander, Steven Caluris. The meeting takes place TONIGHT, Monday, May 5th, at the Loyola Park Fieldhouse, 2nd Floor, 1230 W. Greenleaf (at the Lake). Commander Caluris will share his vision for enhancing the safety of our neighborhood, and will answer your questions and listen to your public safety concerns. Don't miss this opportunity to meet our new police commander.

NOTE: Before you go tonight, watch this video: