Crime crusade The police blotter . . .
Sneed's letter bin has been stuffed with mail about Chicago's new top cop -- former FBI agent Jody Weis -- and Mayor Daley's anger at the rise in violent crime.
Our e-mail messages suggest police officers have found a new way to vent; readers want to kvetch. Without taking sides, here's a peek at their parlance.
"Lose the 'Fed' attitude toward crime; local law enforcement must be quick and agile. Feds are used to picking and choosing which crimes to investigate. Doesn't work that way in a city.
"The loss of institutional knowledge when so many exempts were let go/changed is proving to be nearly fatal for the anti-crime strategies that have been so effective. Thoughtful and targeted resource deployment was the hallmark of the 42 percent reduction in homicides in 2004. Are shootings/homicides being swiftly analyzed and police sent to the areas of possible retaliation? I think not.
"Finally and most importantly, don't tell the line officers they will be scrutinized and held accountable in every aspect of their lives [from wearing seat belts to their relationships with their neighbors], without offering them some vision of a better work life. The officers can easily handle their radio calls with blinders on . . . [by] not noticing the suspicious group on the corner or the dice game in the alley. Preventible crime will go unchecked!"
A retired deputy police chief
"To Mayor Daley: It does not matter who runs the department. It does not matter how many police officers are on patrol. There are too many guns on the streets to be controlled.
"With all due respect, I am sure that neither the former FBI agent and current leader of the police force -- nor the men and women patrolling the streets of Chicago -- want to see spilled blood in our city.
"I am sure they responded as quickly as possible to every act of violence. They are not psychics."
Anonymous
"Until the powers that be change the way criminal behavior is punished, the violence is not going to stop."
Concerned Citizen
"If criminal activity can be met with swift and just as violent justice and punishment, I believe we would have a drastic drop in crime . . . especially violent crime. Parents should be sent to prison along with their kids if the kids commit violent crimes, or any crime for that matter. To me, that's the definition of holding parents [accountable].''
S.M., Chicago
Fan Alert! "The Informant," starring Matt Damon and Scott "Quantum Leap" Bakula, is slated to begin filming Saturday in Decatur, about 180 miles southwest of Chicago.
• • Background: The film, directed by Steven Soderbergh, is based on a true story and focuses on a federal probe into an agri-business giant accused of price-fixing -- with Damon playing the company's vice president turned informant.
An amusement park similar to Disneyland is being planned for downtown Baghdad. The $500 million development will be built on 50 acres of land next to the Green Zone and encompassing Baghdad's existing zoo, which had been abandoned after the U.S. invasion in 2003. American investors. Iraqi managers.
White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf spotted at Costas eatery. . . . Today's birthdays: Sheena Easton, 49; Jack Klugman, 86; Casey Kasem, 76. . . . Monday's birthdays: Ann-Margret, 67; Jay Leno, 58; Penelope Cruz, 34, and Jessica Alba, 27.
