Priorities and Policy

Smoke and mirrors. That is an apt description of the city's approach to police work, homeland security, and emergency operations, despite the best efforts of the men and women who actually do the dirty work known generically as "public safety". In chicago, emergency operations are critically under resourced and woefully mismanaged. Yet the spin that comes from city hall, madison street, and headquarters appears to provide citizens with inflated expectations and unrealistic notions about what the city, oemc, and cpd can actually provide during times of crisis, collectively or to one's immediate well being at any given time.

The oemc/cpd "priority" system for processing 911 calls and categorizing by them in order of importance is an integral part of the smoke and mirror phenomenon. Of necessity, incoming calls are assigned a "priority" to determine the order in which they will be dispatched for servicing by a field unit. These priorities are predetermined by criteria set forth by cpd and stress preserving life over property and the maintenance of public order/safety. The priority system exists, of course, because there are simply not enough field units to respond to every single call for service immediately. As a result, alot of people just have to wait and herein lies the problem: no one wants to wait. In fact, almost nobody ever believes that their call is not the most urgent, most important call anyone took all year.

And believe it, folks, calltakers have heard it all: "I pay taxes" "I pay your salary" "the police station is right around the corner" "what do I have to be dead for you to come?" "oh after someone is killed are you gonna show up?" "I bet you would come if we were ____" (insert race, gender, neighborhood). This type of animosity, Blogmaster believes is partly the result of the aforementioned spin coming from these agencies that do nothing--NOTHING--to lessen the expectations of callers. Everyone it seems, is entitled to cpd right now. Beat meetings, community forums, and other public events promote this misguided notion by reinforcing the idea of calling 911 for everything and pass the buck between agencies (cpd blames oemc; oemc blames cpd; cfd, s&s, cta are all at fault for this or for that etc.) but never stating the obvious fact that high demand for services far exceeds the ability to provide services. And Blogmaster would bet the average citizen in this city has no idea--none--how their calls are processed and prioritized.

The suits have this game down to a science. Promise everything to everyone all the time, sound credible and look good while saying it, and then blame everyone else when the pyramid crumbles. Divert the money--millions and millions of dollars--which COULD provide additional resources. Provide jobs and contracts for friends and cronies, most of whom are not qualified, and line one's own pockets via kickbacks and under the table deals. Smoke and mirrors folks.