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Some of you may know that I was a Chicago cop back in the dark ages. I’ve posted an occasional story or two when it fit the thread. Recently there was a thread asking about Chicago and one person asked in particular about the police department. I made the reply immediately below and from this came other requests for more stories. So what I’ve done is to collect some of my stories which have been posted before and put them in this message. Then in my next message I’ll tell a new one or two and you can decide if you want hear more. That makes this first message terribly long, but skim past the ones you’ve seen before. I’m not a great writer and these are in no logical sequence. Just sort of snapshots I remember. So, what about the Chicago Police Department? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was a cop under hizzoner da mayor 66-70. And back then there were two important things to know about Chicago. First, the government and the police and fire departments were corrupt. For example, while one fireman is checking out the smoke in your living room another was going through the drawers in your den. When working the squadrol (paddy wagon) and picking up a body we'd take it to the funeral home that paid us the most per stiff. This is the main reason I left. Second, it was the city that works. I've been to most major cities and I haven't seen one that compares in keeping it all going. Compared to New York, Chicago is garden spot. I doubt much has changed. Remember:"The police don't cause riots. The police preserve riots." I loved hearing that one after my 14 hour shift during the 68 Democratic convention. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Every cop I knew had an ethics line drawn somewhere. The cop who would take money to let you go after stopping you for a real violation looked down on the cop who would make up a violation to stop you so he could get a bribe. Taking money from a tavern owner to overlook their failure to report an assault might be ok but taking it from a drug dealer would not. But the guy next to him would have no trouble taking the dealer's money. But the one thing you did not do was turn in another cop. If you don't know why, read or rent Serpico. It is not fiction. I went on the force certain that I would never take a free donut. When my partner (not regular every day partners like on TV) would come back with some money or whatever and tried to give me my half I refused. I then became an object of suspicion. I was given 'friendly' hints that some people were keeping an eye on me. This got worse when the watch commander called out my name and told us all that the Intelligence Division wanted back the fake driver's license I'd been given. I'd worked undercover infiltrating a radical organization, but these cops couldn't tell the difference between Intelligence and Internal Affairs so I was really under the gun then. Notice please that the watch commander, a Lt. deliberately read that to me in front of everyone. So I moved my ethics line. If I was alone I refused everything, even the 50% off at McDonalds. If I had a partner or a back up and he took something, I took my half. It was about then that I started saving my money to quit and go back to school. Some corruption memories that stick with me 35 years later... - Working solo one night I made a traffic stop of a big Caddie. The guy was nice and friendly and offered me money. I refused. He offered more money. I refused. He offered a ridiculous amount of money and I told him to get out of the car. He started laughing and showed me his ID as a member of the Chicago Crime Commission. If I'd taken that money I'd have been in big trouble. Yes, I still gave him the ticket. - My partner coming back from a traffic stop and handing me 87 cents. The kid he stopped only had $1.75 on him. - Coming out from checking a hardware store burglar alarm and my backup asking me what I got and showing me a pair of needle-nose pliers. - Another partner asking if I was hungry and then driving around to the back of a restaurant and knocking on the door. He came back to the car with some hunks of meat, stale bread and coffee. It seems he regularly dined on the scraps the place had left over. We were beggars. If your standard is never taking money or goods the department would not approve of then I never met one single honest cop in my 4 years. If you move that line a bit to allowing the free lunch, the money to ignore a minor infraction, only taking what was needed to keep the others off your rear end, etc. Then I knew a few. There are many, many such stories but I would also like to point out that those cheap, crooked, bent cops would, and did, run into burning buildings to save people, take on some of the toughest bad asses you've ever seen and always have your back. Nothing is black and white, not even ethics. If that department had been clean I probably would never have left. When working alone I loved the job. Might it have changed in the 30 years since? Possibly, but I doubt it. Each fresh faced class of recruits leaves the academy to enter that culture and the culture changes them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Someone mentions Cabrini Green housing project. The worst of the worst… Oh ya, Cabrini Green. I've been shot at from Cabrini Green and I have shot at Cabrini Green. It was when Dr. King was murdered and the city went nuts. We were assembling within sight of the Green and shots came at us from somewhere in or near the place so of course we all fired back. The range was absurd for our .38's and .357's and I doubt if any of us had any idea what we were shooting at. That's why I kind of smile when I see that recent tape of the unarmed guy in the car out west where the cops fired hundreds of rounds at him and he lived. Once there are a few shots fired nobody wants to seem like a pussy so they all start shooting. As I recall the Green incident, nobody on either side was even hit. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To a thread about police chases: Back when I was a cop I don’t remember there ever being any discussion of calling off a chase because it was too dangerous. I guess we had the simpleminded idea that if the bad guys knew we couldn’t chase them they’d all run away. Anyway I most remember a time I was working the squadrol (paddy wagon) and we heard on the radio the start of a chase of a man and a woman on a motorcycle. They kept cutting through alleys, down gangways, etc. and it went on and on and got closer and closer to us. Finally we were told to block a certain intersection. This was a residential neighborhood with narrow streets and cars parked along each curb. We pulled into the intersection we were to block and there was a horribly loud noise and the squadrol rocked back and forth sideways. We weren’t injured and we tumbled out to find that the bike had hit us the second we entered the intersection. The bike itself had gone into and part way under the undercarriage. But the man and woman had been thrown right into the side of the squadrol and had caved it in. I’d say it was pushed in almost a foot. They were both lying there very, very dead. It was later estimated that they were approaching 100mph when they hit. Did I weep for them? Hell no, they were assholes endangering all the residents of those streets and all the cops chasing them. What hurt me was the ton of paperwork about the damage to the squadrol. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, unlike some people here in SA, I'm not a great story teller. And things never happened in a sustained narrative like on TV. You're doing mundane stuff for hours, then you're hauling people out of a fire, then you're back to doing mundane stuff till the end of your shift. But here are a few snapshots: - Writing parking tickets and a young woman comes out screaming that there's a guy in their apartment holding her roommate with a knife. I call for back up (beat cars in Chicago, at least then, were almost all one-man) and go up. We hear screaming from the apartment, bust in the door and there the guy is with a knife like a Bowie knife. I'm drawing my gun as my partner steps forward and kicks the guy in the balls. Then seeing how beat up the girl was we subdued him repeatedly and repeatedly. It was my first and only Internal Affairs complaint. They closed it Unfounded since he clearly had resisted arrest. About a year later the same guy was all over the news. He was on the back of a motor cycle on the expressway and jumped at 55+mph into a convertible with two girls in it. He had a knife and demanded they drive him to the park. The girl drove to her father's place of work. He was a CPD sergeant. She pulled in the lot and screamed bloody murder. I heard later he was subdued repeatedly. - Working the squadrol (paddy wagon) in the spring in a lakefront district has an unpleasant duty attached to it. When the ice melts the bodies that were under the ice all winter come up. The call is just "A floater at Belmont Harbor" or whatever. I only caught that assignment once but it was enough. I used the noose on a pole that we had for catching dogs to loop the arm of the corpse. I pulled it to us and as we started to lift, the arm came off. This released some of the decomposition gases. Then we went to lunch. - When I was undercover in the American Nazi Party and the Klan I had a fairly complete background legend. False papers, a company that would confirm I worked there if called, a roommate who would say I was out but could take a message, etc. It was 99% sitting around talking with a bunch of losers but there were a few interesting moments. -- My cover name was Bob Mullen. My very first assignment was to attend a meeting of the Klan. I was nervous as hell when I walked in and big bruiser scowled at me and said, "What's your name?" and I said "Dan Thomas" (my real name). They assigned a guy to 'host' me and we sat down for the meeting. My mind was spinning. Do I stay with the cover story but use my own name? Do I drop the cover story and give my real address etc.? What I ended up doing was asking questions like, "Does the FBI get the names of people who attend?" and acting nervous about that. Then at the end saying, "I have to confess, I lied about my name. I was nervous about my boss and my girl finding out I was here." He said, "Ya, we figured that when you gave us Danny Thomas. Just fill out another form before you leave." (for you younger readers Danny Thomas was a very famous star back then). -- I'm sitting in the Nazi HQ when a squad car stops out front and the two cops come in. On of them looks at me and says, "Dan, what the hell are you doing here?" I looked around as if to see who he was talking to. He says, "We had a couple classes together at Wright Junior College." I laughed and said, "College, me?? Haha" Boy have you got the wrong guy. He persisted and I told him, "There are a lot of good-looking guys like me around." He walked out still knowing it was me but the geniuses of the Party bought it. -- I walked in to party headquarters and the Captain says, "What the hell's going on with your phone?" He had tried to call and gotten a "No longer in service" I immediately said, "That son-of-bitch! I pay my roommate for my share of the phone bill, which is mostly his calls, and he's supposed to pay the bill. But I guess he missed it again. This is the second time and I'm pissed!" Dumb and dumber and dumberist bought it. -- My Lt. asking me what these guys would do if they found out about me. I said that, except for one, they'd just swear at me and tell me not to come back. That one was named John Patler. He was one of those guys with the huge, wide-open, crazy eyes. I said that Patler might kill me if he found out. A few years later John Patler went to prison for killing the leader of the American Nazi's, George Lincoln Rockwell. -A call of a man with a gun threatening the residents of an apartment building. Half a dozen of us respond and, like a fool, I'm the first one up the stairs. It's a blind stairwell, the kind where you can't see the next flight of stairs until you go around the corner. I go around the corner and there was a shotgun pointed right at my head. I believe the bore was about 17 inches I looked into some pretty crazy eyes and said, "Where are they?" He said, "Who?" I said the people here who have been giving you trouble!" He half turned to look back up the stairs and we subdued him repeatedly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -The riots of 1968. You don't exactly get the big picture when you're in the middle of it. I was in part of Chicago PD called Task Force and we were usually assigned to flood high crime areas, etc. We were the first to be called out when Dr. King was killed. Before long though the entire department was on 12 hour shifts. Once the riots really got going we'd be put on a bus and driven close to the scene and then assemble, move out and try to clear an area. It was pretty hopeless for the most part. We'd clear a block but they'd just move two blocks over. It seemed like everywhere you looked the building were either on fire or had been broken into and looted. The night I mentioned just stands out in my memory because it was so surreal. I'd been down west Madison (this is ghetto prime) many times but it seemed like a different world. There were flames all over the place because firemen were being fired on and so had to pull out. There was, as I said, a cloud of black smoke hanging over the whole area. The block immediately in front of us was pretty empty because we'd assembled a couple blocks away from the action but it looked like a huge mob just beyond that. We only had enough guys to form one single line across the street and I'm sure I wasn't the only one wondering what would happen if they stood and fought. They didn't though and it was more a matter of grabbing the worst one you could find and pushing him back toward the wagons. He caught a lot of hell for it, but I think Mayor Daly's "Shoot to kill looters and arsonists" order may have put enough fear into them to keep them off us. Mostly I remember moments of fear, moments of adrenalin rush, and hours of tiredness.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:11
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 15:15 |
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A couple I don't think I've posted before: I stopped a car for running a light late at night right by Wrigley Field. The driver was a good looking woman. I asked for her driver’s license and was telling her what she’d done when I hear a voice behind me, “You’re not going to give that beautiful girl a ticket are you?” It was another cop from my district. Once he said that there was no way I could give her a ticket and as I’ve said before, I tried to remain straight-arrow when I could so I just left. Half an hour or so later I drove by again and his squad and her car were parked at the back of one of the Cubs parking lots. Her windows were thoroughly fogged and her car was rocking. A man called the police to say he had killed the bartender in the xyz tavern, and was holding the patrons hostage and he’d kill the first cop he saw. We were very busy that night and the only backup available was a tough old sergeant. The tavern, in violation of city ordinances, had things like pinball machines, etc. blocking the windows so we couldn’t see inside. So the sergeant says, “I’ll kick in the door and cover you from there. You dive in and between us we should be able to cover him.” Now, at age 63, I look back in astonishment that I didn’t tell him to kiss my rear end. But at 24 we are still invincible. So he opened the door and I dove in head first with my gun drawn. The patrons looked at us in amazement. I’ve heard the expression, “my jaw dropped to my chest” before but never actually saw people do it until then. The call was a prank. And you think you’ve had embarrassing moments? Tokaii fucked around with this message at 02:43 on Jun 16, 2005 |
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Jun 16, 2005 02:13
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drat, you are an old timer! Interesting read though.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:14
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I remember reading most of these in the Chicago thread, and love the way you say ... "When I was undercover in the American Nazi Party and the Klan ..." ... the same way someone else would say "when I was working at McDonald's in college ..."
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Jun 16, 2005 02:17
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Sounds awesome and scary all at the same time. Cool stories, thanks for writing!
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Jun 16, 2005 02:21
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What kind of car did you use back then?
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Jun 16, 2005 02:22
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Thanks for the stories Tokaii. I could only imagine the joy of downing a few Old Style's with you and hearing enough stories for a lifetime in an evening.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:23
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Thanks. I appreciate it - please post more.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:25
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You're a badass.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:27
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Those are pretty loving good tid bits and stories, thank you. Let me guess, you had a Plymouth, I seem to remember that most cop cars then were either Dodge or Plymouth.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:28
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Great stories. Thankyou 
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Jun 16, 2005 02:30
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Wow. These stories are absolutely amazing. Thank you. I would love to hear more about your undercover work.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:31
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Great thread, thanks for sharing.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:31
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quote:he was subdued repeatedly. My favorite line. The mental images it produces are quite vivid. Thanks for the great stories. I was born in Michigan in '59, so the Chicago of the '60s is barely in my memory. Please post more!
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Jun 16, 2005 02:32
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I love tokaii's stories. its like listening to an old radio show on my vitrolla
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Jun 16, 2005 02:33
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Why is this thread not yet gold?
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Jun 16, 2005 02:38
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quote:NukeleR came out of the closet to say: I love the phrase "subdued repeatedly." It makes a great finishing line. Tokaii, these stories are great. And I'm amazed a fellow officer would be so stupid as to nearly blow your cover like that when you were with the Nazis.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:43
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Excellent stories. Did you guys have a lot of dealings with the mafia back then?
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Jun 16, 2005 02:45
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I wish my grampa was like you.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:46
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Great stories. What is fastest and longest that you've had to chase someone? Other than the time that the 2 on the motorcycle crashed into you, were you ever in any other accidents on duty?
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Jun 16, 2005 02:47
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Amazing stories! What neighborhoods did you mostly patrol or be in? (And was Roger's Park always as Ghetto as it is now? Ok, it's only half-ghetto now, but parts of it are really sketchy.) Edit: 33 Votes, 5.00 Average. Solid Gold Before the 2nd page. Very very cool. Fancy Salad fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Jun 16, 2005 |
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Jun 16, 2005 02:50
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What does "subdued repeatedly" mean, exactly? Great stories.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:50
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You loving rock.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:52
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Great stories. My uncle was a Captain in a major PD but he never tells me any cool stories  quote:Howard Beale came out of the closet to say: No kidding. I hope gave him a good bitching-at later.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:53
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quote:THS came out of the closet to say: They beat the crap out of the guy. I was the one that asked about the Chicago Police in the other thread... I'm still considering applying, because if you really look at how police departments have changed in the last 30 years, the prospects of things being different are good in my opinion... but if they aren't, I can always leave after a few years and go work somewhere else. I've got some time yet to get more info about the department before I apply, so no rush. One of my co-workers is a former Milwaukee cop, and he has some similar stories that are just great... though bustin a few heads is about the most rule breaking he's ever hinted at.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:54
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That was an interesting read. Thanks for sharing.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:54
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This is one of the best posts I've ever seen on SA, and your storytelling skills are much more than up to par (I  ed at "subdued repeatedly" and "Then we went to lunch.", "Danny Thomas.", and many other points). I would love to read more.What can you tell us about the 1968 Democratic Convention and what general reactions the PD had regarding the protestors? What were your impressions regarding the protestors?
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Jun 16, 2005 02:54
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quote:T-Lag came out of the closet to say: Ahh, much better.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:54
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Age and treachery will always overcome ... something ... I was in the war ... Over 40 goons REPRESENT!
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Jun 16, 2005 02:54
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When you went undercover as a Nazi, did that have anything to do with the infamous march in Skokie?
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Jun 16, 2005 02:55
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quote:Deteriorata came out of the closet to say: Me too. What a great line. edit: wow, 14 posts and gold
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Jun 16, 2005 02:57
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quote:What does "subdued repeatedly" mean, exactly? I'd wager it's dancing that line between kicking their rear end so hard they can't ever forget what happened, and kicking their rear end so hard they can't ever remember what happened.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:58
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Record gold speed, nice stories.
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Jun 16, 2005 02:59
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quote:F01EY came out of the closet to say: It was a time when all of us hated our squad cars. The new chief brought in from outside to clean up the department <insert laughter here> had also brought in a new hat with a checkerboard band around it which he has seen in Scotland and the idea that an urban department should have low powered compact cars as squad cars. I guess it was because most of our time was spent on narrow streets and alleys patrolling at low speed. But we all hated it! Yes I think all the squads then were Chevy or Plymouths. I seem to remember we liked the Plymouths better.
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Jun 16, 2005 03:00
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Awesome Tokaii, I'd love to hear more.
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Jun 16, 2005 03:01
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These stories are awesome. Please keep them coming.
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Jun 16, 2005 03:02
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Man, I was trying to remember your name back when the "who's the oldest goon" thread was posted a few weeks ago. All I could think of was "awesome cop stories, vaguely Japanese-sounding name." Thank you for making me remember your name. Great stories, I hope to see more.
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Jun 16, 2005 03:03
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quote:Tokaii came out of the closet to say: Wow, that's one hell of a prank. Awesome stories and a great read.
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Jun 16, 2005 03:04
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quote:Howard Beale came out of the closet to say: Ah, sorry I didn't make that clear. Intelligence Division undercovers, unlike vice etc., we taken right after testing for the department and before even attending the academy. This was precisly so that no officer would recognize them. The time I told about above the cop knew me before I ever even applied for the department and didn't know I was a cop. BTW I was a cop since I'd been sworn in even if it was in the back seat of an unmared squad, but I had no badge or gun.
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Jun 16, 2005 03:06
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 15:15 |
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Tokaii your stories are some of the best on SA - I love it when you post because you always have wisdom that a lot of members don't have. "Subdued him repeatedly" - I love it.
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Jun 16, 2005 03:08
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