This is going on over here in the Chicago area.  I like in cook county, and pay lots of property taxes in cook. Heck, the bill went up this year. Now I know why. To pay for cheats.  

I would post this on the "brotherhood of the shield" to get reaction, but I would be labeled a "cop-hater".  

Just because I read about some local JBT's getting busted for dealing, or doing shakedowns, or heck, pistol whipping black people in the street.  And I talk about it on here, I am a bad person for speaking up.

If you cant trust them on their timecards, how are you going to trust them to protect your rights????


c-rock

The Cook County state's attorney's office and the county's inspector general are investigating allegations of possible overtime fraud by police officers at the Forest Preserve District, County Board President John Stroger said Thursday.

Calling the allegations "sickening," Stroger said he was informed of the investigation about 10 days ago. He said he was told it involves around 15 to 17 police officers and other employees in the department.

[url]http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0208020023aug02.story?coll=chi%2Dnews%2Dhed[/url]

Edited to make the URL active now if you don't mind I'm going to sign off on my timesheet - WaveRunner

This is cop bashing, you are a Cop-Hater. And you are a bad person for speaking up.

[img]http://www.printroom.com/_vti_bin/ViewImage.dll?userid=TheFNG&album_id=88322&image_id=10&courtesy=1[/img]

Hey, it want's me to register to view the article. C-rock post the article will you?

Anything for the friendly JBT's on this board. [BD]
c-rock


It's a possibility that certain police officers and others who are working in the criminal justice system in the Forest Preserve District may have allowed their overtime to be inflated," Stroger said after a County Board meeting at which he announced the investigation. "Someone called and reported they thought there were some irregularities."

Forest Preserve District Police Chief Charles Coleman said investigators from the inspector general's office subpoenaed payroll records and carted them away July 26.

The investigation comes with the district still reeling from last year's disclosure of a massive budget deficit that took commissioners by surprise. And it comes on the heels of a successful federal sexual harassment lawsuit brought by Forest Preserve District Police Officer Cynthia Spina.

"We can't continue to allow the Forest Preserve (District) to embarrass the board and the president over and over again," Commissioner Peter Silvestri said.

Stroger could not provide details of the alleged overtime scam, but he said anyone found to be breaking the law should be punished.

"I concur that there's smoke out there," Stroger said. "We've got to find out what's behind that smoke."

Stroger called for stronger leadership at the district and said he plans to hire James Whigham, the former U.S. marshal for the Northern District of Illinois and a former Chicago police deputy superintendent, as an assistant to advise him on police matters.

Asked if he still had confidence in Joseph Nevius, who has been at the district's helm since 1991, Stroger said he would reserve comment until the investigations were completed.

After the meeting, Nevius said, "I think he's concerned about the entire Forest Preserve District. I think he wants to see it put into the best shape possible, as we all do."

It's not the first time Nevius has been on the hot seat with Stroger. In February 2001, Stroger and the commission were caught off guard when audits showed the district's budget deficit had ballooned to $16 million in 1999.

The district's finance director, Mezell Williams, resigned in the wake of the disclosure. Fallout from the deficit spurred the district to privatize the management of its golf courses.

Meanwhile, U.S. Magistrate Arlander Keys, who presided over Spina's sexual harassment trial late last year, issued a permanent injunction Tuesday against the district to prevent future discrimination.

Keys ordered the district to build a separate locker room for female police officers and ordered the creation of a comprehensive sexual harassment policy and training program.

"The evidence presented at trial clearly demonstrated that [Spina] was the victim of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation at the hands of the district," Keys wrote. "The evidence also revealed that the district has engaged in a pattern and practice of discriminating against and sexually harassing its female employees."


Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune

My point is, this is costing me money dammit!!  My taxes went up $300 to the 'man this year.   That cuts into my range time, into my tittie bar time, into my bar time.
c-rock

Forest Preserve District? What's that all about? Are they park ranger types enforcing park rules and regs or are they "regular" cops?

Around here is a lot of parkland, around the lakes and rivers.  That is where I go to train outdoor stuff.
There is a lot of folks that hang out there. Mostly drinking, and smoking weed.  

They are part of the sheriff's for cook. They carry guns, they arrest people, and they drive cop cars.

c-rock

They be regular cops.

C-rock what is your major malfunction????!!!!!!You sure seem to spend alot of your time bashing. I don't know about forest rangers etc, but most departments have time clocks that have to be punched. Overtime slips have to be approved by  a supervisor before they can be turned in. Ours have a section where an case # or a reason must be listed such as shift coverage, court ect. Find yourself a new hobby besides cop bashing. We get second guessed enough by our own. I don't suppose there are any "Ghost employees" at your local factory....

This is the way it is in my Dept. as well

A few years ago the local paper made a stink about deputies who put down til 1500 at tcsd and then would go work a second  part time PD and start at 1500 on THAT time card.

The paper tried to make an issue out of it, saying that officers must be leaving tcsd early to get to their part time job, and how the taxpayers were being cheated. They ignored the fact that it is common practice to not put in for any OT until you get up to the half hour mark. Those little 5-10-15-20 minute overages from leaving the office early  to go on a call or staying late due to calls was saving the county waaayyy more than any few minutes the county was losing when a handful of officers left 5 minutes early to go to their second job.

Hell, we shouldn't even need second jobs.

Not here. We get exactly what time we are at court. We tried to get the 3 hour deal, and the Sheriff said if he was  going to pay us for 3 hours, he was going to see that we were here for 3 hours.

It IS a common practice though. The general attitude is that it compensates officers  for having to get to court at times often way outside of our regular shift, such as the overnight guys who are usually asleep when courts in session.And really, its almost unheard of to see a ten minute court hearing. Usually its at least a couple of hours.

Heck around here we don't even get anything more than straight time on ANY holiday..it doesn't matter..Christmas, New Years,,etc...it's all straight time. Now THERE is something to complain about.

Too cool.

Heck, I have 3.......

hehe[;)]they should give you newcops brooms to sweep the streets while on your inbetween call time[;)]Back when I did that kinda stuff there were always at least 10-12 call waiting!Like EdAsr said theres scum/cheaters in all professions.I knew a janitor who was supposed to clean every night,most the time he just cleaned every other night.[;)]

I think that all too often, there is a PRESUMPTION of the police officer as being more lawabiding, more trustworthy. Actually, the average police officer is no more likely to be good/bad than the general populace.

That is because the police officer is a person that is hired out of the general population pool. The education requirements vary widely from state to state and even from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For many years in some cities, all it took to wear a uniform was a short traing course and an oath.


- - There is far, far, too much emphasis today on assigning "hero" status to a uniform. - -

Again, I think it is presumptive and perilous to our individual liberty to assume that all law enforcement is above reproach. Remember these police depts. are civilian organizations with some  - quasi-military - structure BUT WITHOUT the esprit de corps that the better military units have that makes them loyal to the civilian goverment and worthy of the trust to carry arms.

- - Don't EVER forget that a cop can RUIN your entire life by misapplication of the law - and he carries the arms to press the advantage  -  -

To paraphrase President Reagan, "Trust your cops to some extent, but continally VERIFY their worthiness of your trust."

Here's the deal with court time's three hour minimum.  If I have court at 10:00AM, I have to get up at 7:30 and get dressed. Be at work by 8:30AM, get dressed again, drive to court to meet with prosecutor at 9:30AM, and then wait for the def to show up. If he pleas immediately, technically I have only been in court 1/2 an hour. Does anyone really think I shouldn't be paid for a minimum of 3 hours????!!!! Half my day is shot!!!!PS, If I don't show up the case is dismissed. If he doesn't show up, his attorney calls and they get a continuance. Then we can start all over again.That seems fair!!!!This does not include the possability of the LEO having to pay a baby sitter if his wife is at work. Yes, there must be a minimum for court time....