We have truly seen it all.

The day has come when a war between city departments has been officially sanctioned.

The 1st Deputy's office has made it official, police department vehicles which are illegally parked may be towed by Streets and San. towing personnel. We predict a major fallout, evidence of which can be seen over on an SCC thread.

The official documentation states that Ops Command will make the determination on whether or not a squad car will get towed, but rumor has it (see above link) that squad cars have already been towed on Taylor St. Also sad is that Streets and San. workers are going to catch hell for doing their jobs, because the police surely can't target the brass' cars. At least not if they want to keep their jobs.

The documentation also states that police officers whose vehicles are seen in illegal parking spaces, should be prepared to justify parking illegally, even if it's during the course of a response to an emergency situation. Does that include in-progress calls and "Officer down/needs assistance" calls? We know how public safety bosses operate - all it'll take will be for a citizen to complain about how many squad cars were parked in front of fire hydrants, or packing into a side street and inconveniencing the citizen, who has to drive a whole city block out of his or her way.

We'll watch the drama unfold as we search for the Illinois Compiled Statute(s) that exempts police officers from certain laws "in the performance of their official duties." Or maybe we're wasting our time, because the State of Chicago, U.S. is exempt from Illinois laws.