Home Designity: Criminal Activity

<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUK4Z2R-4tKYPWKe1B8ZsKuivEp42rA9frtUXygTHn-l71MHnhTMW-rl05xU-CpU366Cgaxu5J8RdiWeR9tI5kPjtn6n6WPhOkjMLtRwYyjse5s41qMnPBqYLX3YuP3FWCONj1Ho6iPdg3/s1600/cpd.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUK4Z2R-4tKYPWKe1B8ZsKuivEp42rA9frtUXygTHn-l71MHnhTMW-rl05xU-CpU366Cgaxu5J8RdiWeR9tI5kPjtn6n6WPhOkjMLtRwYyjse5s41qMnPBqYLX3YuP3FWCONj1Ho6iPdg3/s320/cpd.png" width="286" /></a>When we began researching the issues surrounding the violence occurring on the streets of Chicago we began with this hypothesis. Although crime may have been down statistically, the reasons for the decrease were potentially based in two areas. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br /><rect fillcolor="white [7]" filled="f" id="_x0000_s1027" insetpen="t" o:cliptowrap="t" o:preferrelative="t" strokecolor="black [0]" stroked="f" style="height: 133.87pt; left: 616.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 2.88pt; mso-wrap-distance-left: 2.88pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 2.88pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 2.88pt; position: absolute; top: 526.5pt; width: 119.59pt; z-index: 1;"><fill color2="black [0]"></fill><stroke color2="white [7]"><left color2="white [7]" color="black [0]" v:ext="view"></left><top color2="white [7]" color="black [0]" v:ext="view"></top><right color2="white [7]" color="black [0]" v:ext="view"></right><bottom color2="white [7]" color="black [0]" v:ext="view"></bottom><column color2="white [7]" color="black [0]" v:ext="view"></column></stroke><imagedata o:title="chicago-police" src="file:///C:\Users\Bob\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"></imagedata><shadow color="#ccc [4]"></shadow><path o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></rect><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The first, because of advancements in medicine and emergency medical personnel experienced in combat wound treatment. This premise is based on much of what Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman has attributed to the reduction in most homicide statistics nationally. The homicide rates are down because we have actually gotten much better at keeping people alive. As a result the comparison should actually be looked at aggravated assaults with a firearm or aggravated battery cases, instead of homicides. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Our second premise was into the actual reporting of numbers that perhaps the numbers may actually be inaccurately recorded and portrayed. As luck would be told, a Blogger for Chicago Now, Megan Cottrell actually had a recent posting about how that very thing may be occurring. The article “<a href="http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-muckrakers/2010/09/is-chicago-fudging-crime-statistics.html">Is Chicago fudging crime stats?”</a> It is a true eye opener. </div><br /><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So when you are trying to research statistics you have to remember the old accountant joke. Remember this one...A business man is interviewing his new accountant and he asks him “What is 2+2?” The accountant looks slyly and says “What do you want it to be?” We all know that statistics are about interpretations, factors, specific criteria. </div><br /><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Looking for information on the Chicago Police Website we began looking towards last years statistics versus this years, to gauge was it really better or worse. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>What we found was confusing to say the least!</strong></div>If you look at the two pictures you can see the statistics. The numbers actually do not add up. <br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">What we looked at are summary comparisons from January –July 2009 and January-July 2010. Look at the side by side comparison</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><u>Offense </u></strong>                        <u><strong>Jan-Jul 09</strong></u>       <strong><u> Jan-July 10</u></strong></div><br />Murder                          <span style="color: red;">258 (261)</span>            <span style="color: red;">257</span><br />Crime Sex Ass               860 (875)            785<br />Robbery                      8,976 (9,034)      7,767<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Agg Assault                <span style="color: red;"> 3,435 (3,465)</span>      3,091</div>Agg Bat                       5,984 (6,029)      5,626<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Burglary                    14,083 (14,309)   14,053</div>Theft                         44,279 (45,445)   42,318<br />Motor Vehicle Theft    8,407 (8,402)     10,156<br />Arson                            367 (365)              305<br />Violent Crime            19,513(19,664)    17,526<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Property Crimes        67,136(68,521)    66,832</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9kqkvoJMZvoULpCUx7NQY3sJK9Nm6R7tZQklWuJbUAHs7VEuJorPoiArO8IIfydMxpspXmZcOzW44qqjdJReZ24voXB-o44tQqF9462yStAe6d5FwAqDNNpEilbWF5Q62EelrDhQff7C/s1600/cpd2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9kqkvoJMZvoULpCUx7NQY3sJK9Nm6R7tZQklWuJbUAHs7VEuJorPoiArO8IIfydMxpspXmZcOzW44qqjdJReZ24voXB-o44tQqF9462yStAe6d5FwAqDNNpEilbWF5Q62EelrDhQff7C/s200/cpd2.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWsbQyFqos2nSnfoztNK0jjvNkMmIFuCMOKfOt1T4EbLiHTcmKyI4lLlwKf_V5z_EXGEXAFhvxHLSIiiJZl-nAJjY3kMm49WOL1qqfLWHfQHdA4ASCjdEsR3Q1vjdAj41id63uLqZRY_o/s1600/cpd2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWsbQyFqos2nSnfoztNK0jjvNkMmIFuCMOKfOt1T4EbLiHTcmKyI4lLlwKf_V5z_EXGEXAFhvxHLSIiiJZl-nAJjY3kMm49WOL1qqfLWHfQHdA4ASCjdEsR3Q1vjdAj41id63uLqZRY_o/s200/cpd2.png" width="200" /></a>The numbers listed in red under the Jan-Jul 09 header are numbers that were listed for the 09 period on the Jan-Jul 2010 Crime Summary. Where the numbers in black under the 2009 column appear in the Jan-Jul 2009 Crime Summary. Why would there be two sets of numbers? Why would their be such a disparate difference? </div><br /><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Some of the differences can be attributed to deaths that occur after the end of the year, in which people were hospitalized and then later died. Which is understandable. But how did 226 burglaries miraculous appear on the states. Were they not burglaries at the time reported? What is most interesting is how did motor vehicle theft decrease in 2008 by 24.1% only to increase 20.9% in 2010. That’s a two fold change. That statistically is catastrophic. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Looking at Aggravated Battery reports, in 09 5,984, but by the time of the 2010 summary the 2009 numbers changed to 6,029. As a point of fact not one number shown in the Jan-Jul 2010 Crime Summary for the 2009 statistics matches the numbers in the 2009 Crime Summary, which is perplexing to say the least. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Since 2008 the Chicago Police Department has been undermanned depending on who you speak to ranging from 15-20%. What however is never talked about are those officers who are on medical leave, for either duty related injuries or off duty injuries. That number is estimated at approximately 1400-1900 officers. Add into that sick call and what is called “call back” those who are not medically cleared to work and that number jumps approximately 500 more officers.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Now consider that the department is budgeted for 12,500 Officers and staff is down conservatively 15% that would put there actual boots on the street roughly around 8625 officers. Hardly enough officers to address the issues occurring on the street . </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Now that the neighborhoods have entrenched gang warfare occurring between neighborhood drug trafficking groups it makes the matter extremely dangerous. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">According to FBI Director Robert Mueller communities across the country have used similar measures to combat gang violence with success. Here in Chicago they have tried about all of them and they have been found to be inadequate. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Which brings us back to the story written by blogger Megan Cottrell, is Chicago fudging there numbers? A request to Chicago PD via a Freedom of Information request has yet to be answered. We await the specific comparison numbers requested, a future story will appear regarding this issue as we approach the end of the year.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>

Is Chicago really all that violent this year versus last year?

When we began researching the issues surrounding the violence occurring on the streets of Chicago we began with this hypothesis. Although cr...

The State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation conducted a two year investigation into the level of gang activity and its ability to thrive inside the New Jersey Correctional System. What was discovered was a litany of failures, circumvented security procedures, failures to train staff adequately and a general miss-trust of those handling gang intelligence compounded the growing gang problem.<br /><br /><br /><div>  The key findings of the commission report including </div><br /><ol><li> use of Inmate Financial Transactions to launder money, </li><li>inmates communicating all over the country via cell phone and Smart phone technology. </li><li>Lapses in security and correctional officers smuggling in contraband to inmates. </li><li>Inadequate gang identification and intelligence</li><li>Systemic vulnerabilities in DOC personnel practices and </li><li>Dysfunctional Investigation system with the prison correctional setting.</li></ol><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-4VaRcGtbPG0Pr4QkKxMh7hy-aBu2iTiLDwECvtg0pqLz9y26edWemkkzJjzD_tenZA7L_Mh5zXNtOovNC90mTzLeqY5Yc-veAzoTrjZTXWUZWRWxpAXPaAXzrXrRU4jsQtoZ076eUAa/s1600/newjersey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-4VaRcGtbPG0Pr4QkKxMh7hy-aBu2iTiLDwECvtg0pqLz9y26edWemkkzJjzD_tenZA7L_Mh5zXNtOovNC90mTzLeqY5Yc-veAzoTrjZTXWUZWRWxpAXPaAXzrXrRU4jsQtoZ076eUAa/s320/newjersey.jpg" width="266" /></a>The report conducted through a series of interview, surveillance, procedural review and departmental policy revealed a very interesting state of the gang picture within the New Jersey Correctional System. </div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">New Jersey has 14 prison institutions in which the New Jersey Department of Corrections is responsible for. </div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">What was discovered is that gang members utilizing cellular telephones smuggled in either by corrupt correctional officers, civilian staff or visitors allows them to communicate with a wide variety of people. Inside the system they can communicate with fellow gang members within the institutional system, fellow gang members on the street or other gang members outside the state. </div><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Identified were the pre-pay disposable cell phones that are smuggled into the system for about $1000. Once inside the gang members utilize the relatively small size of the SIM card and easily switch the information from one phone to another reducing the risk of discovery. </div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In addition, the report identifies how gang members bypass the internal telephone monitoring system by having a collect call to a “family” member placed into a third party mode. Allowing the gang member to communicate with whomever they wish. </div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The report also details that the shear volume of regular mail that comes into the prison system is impossible to monitor. The favored method by gang members for distributing operational instructions via mail is heavily coded, and many times unbreakable. But merely identifying the mail that is suspect is hampered by a system that requires all mail to be delivered within 24 hours of receipt at the jail. </div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The C of I report also revealed that correctional officers receive a scant 8 hours of training in a 14 week academy class when the standards says a minimum of 40 hours is needed. </div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Commission of Investigation detailed a series of recommendations that should be carried out both inside the New Jersey Department of Corrections but outside as well. To read the report in its entirety please go to the link below.</div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.state.nj.us/sci/pdf/Gangs%20SCI%20Report%20Full.pdf">Read the full report here</a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=gateamerica&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002P8MRPG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div>

Gangs: The Business behind the Bars

The State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation conducted a two year investigation into the level of gang activity and its ability to th...

Home Designity

Is Chicago really all that violent this year versus last year?

Gangs: The Business behind the Bars

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