Is It A Failure To Not Investigate Anonymous Complaints? Chicago Police And The Dept. Of Justice

               The Department of Justice (DOJ) cites not investigating anonymous complaints or those submitted without a supporting affidavit, as a failure in the City of Chicago. It may appear that the DOJ has found something of substance, but is that truly the case?
                 Investigating allegations of abuse or misconduct are time consuming, lengthy processes that are costly. If a street level supervisor is assigned the investigation, that means he or she will not be supervising officers on the street while tied up on the investigation. Is it wise to spend millions of dollars on investigations that are costly in ways not just financial without ensuring the allegations are not frivolous or worse?
                   Without oversight as to how allegations are taken, it is easy for criminals, gang members, anyone with a grudge against a particular officer, to pick up the phone and make up fictitious allegations. This is not an imagined scenario. When people could make up fictitious allegations against a police officer while remaining anonymous, many did so.
                    Imagine if you are a criminal or gang member, and you want to stop a hardworking, conscientious officer from doing his or her job and to back off. You get a couple of friends or yourself to use a phone that cannot be traced, and call in fictitious allegations. Accuse the officer of sexual abuse, drug dealing, stealing, anything that will get him or her investigated. Eventually the officer and the investigating supervisors will be so worn down from the allegations that the officer will back off and do the minimal work possible.
                    It is easy to protect the identity of serious people that are making serious allegations without compromising their security and safety. That is far different than accepting anonymous allegations without any oversight as to how the allegations are taken.
                    The DOJ is barking up the wrong tree. As usual, real reform will not come. Especially when it comes to promotional practices. Clout, cronyism and promotions are not a matter that should be glossed over. This is exactly the tree the DOJ should be barking up.
                     Professional police departments do not have fictitious meritorious promotion practices. People are promoted because of objective testing or other impartial measurements that have nothing to do with clout, connections, or political patronage. Why does clout and cronyism on police departments never get investigated, while the focus remains on red herrings?
                      The difference between professional police departments and unprofessional police departments is discussed at length in another blog. Making police departments professional involves way more than simplistic notions that there is a deficiency of education or training. The simplistic notion that more higher up supervisors are needed is also barking up the wrong tree. More supervisors are not needed. The better utilization of existing supervisors is what is needed. Police departments with layers upon layers of do nothing supervisors and do nothing supervisors supervising supervisors accomplishes nothing except waste money. Police departments must not be homes for lazy people that want to avoid work, from the officers to the supervisors.
                    The fundamental responsibility of a police department is to serve and protect, and the fundamental way to do this is by patrol. The fundamental responsibility is patrol, not paper pushing, not worthless programs that reward the politically connected, not childish numbers games. Patrol not just in a car, but also on foot and at times bicycle. If the police department is turned into a politically correct entity where officers are afraid to do their jobs because they have been cowed into submission, expect the gang members and criminals, who are not cowed, to prevail.