Chicago - A message from the station manager

The [Tuesday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

“Three men who were allegedly caught with more than a ton of pot saw the charges against them dropped after a Cook County judge ruled that police did not have enough probable cause to search their truck,” the Tribune-Daily Southown-Post-Tribune reports.

Prosecutors dropped charges of possession of cannabis with intent to deliver against the men – two from Chicago and one from South Bend – who were arrested in August after authorities said 2,300 pounds of marijuana worth about $6 million was seized from a truck the men were loading at a Des Plaines-area warehouse.
The move to halt the case came Thursday after Judge Bridget Hughes had earlier quashed the men’s arrests, ruling that police violated search and seizure standards.
Officers from the Illinois State Police narcotics unit had been watching the men before conducting a search without a warrant and, defense attorneys argued, without having seen or detected any contraband.
“The police didn’t have a warrant or a definable reason to stop them,” said Ralph Meczyk, a defense attorney in the case. “The officers had a hunch and they said it was a consensual search, but the judge didn’t believe them.”
In court, Meczyk argued that the officers’ reports of the arrest were inconsistent and changed during testimony in pretrial hearings.

Emphasis mine.


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Former Chicago police chief Richard Brzeczek commenting on my piece about Rahm Emanuel’s Laquan McDonald Op-Ed:
“Subsequent to my law enforcement career, I practiced criminal defense law for 32 years and I virtually never saw a video or heard a communications tape that corroborated the written police reports prepared for the case.”
SFPD Blue
“The U.S. Justice Department promised an ‘exhaustive and transparent’ review Monday of the San Francisco Police Department in the wake of the Mario Woods killing, focusing on possible use-of-force issues and racial disparities in how officers treat suspects,” the Chronicle reports.
“[Mayor Ed] Lee, who had asked for the Justice Department to get involved, said the goal was to ensure that ‘our Police Commission, our Office of Citizen Complaints, our stakeholders in our community and our Board of Supervisors are all working together to make sure we do everything we can do rebuild trust between our Police Department and the communities they serve.’
“The shooting prompted calls for reform, with the city’s Police Commission setting a Wednesday deadline for officials to produce an update on a draft proposal for a new use-of-force policy. That policy may include giving officers stun guns.”
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The Beachwood Radio Hour #72: Massive Chicago Police Accountability Fail
Aided and abetted by the mayor and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Plus: Rahm Sits On Koschman Report; Chicago Police Tricking Their Way Into Your Cell Phone Without A Warrant; Rahm Keeps Red Lights Placed Through Bribery And Causing Traffic Accidents In Order To Collect The Money; Rahm Keeps Schools That Incentivize Fraud; and Beachwood Town Crier™.
Riding The Dog, Part 1: Midnight Bus To Markham
There’s something about mass transportation at an obscene hour.
Who’s Behind The Tennis Racket?
Leaked files show that 16 tennis players (who at some point have been ranked in the top 50) have been repeatedly flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit for suspicions they had thrown matches or arranged for their opponent to lose.
The NHL’s Karmic Comeuppance
John Scott, folk hero.
The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #87: Blackhawks Gellin’ Like A Felon
Exceeding expectations, even if Captain Serious stands accused of not being serious. Plus: Bulls Losing Meaningless Games Against Crappy Teams In Dead Of Winter Just Like We Wanted Them To; White Sox Convention Opens At Southwest Suburban Motel 6; and John Fox’s Former Teams Meeting In The Super Bowl.
The Weekend In Chicago Rock
Featuring: Melomaniac, Epica, Starkill, Generacion Suicida, Antrax, Lamb of God, Deafheaven, 88 Fingers Louie, La Armada, Ginuwine, The Toasters, Beat The Smart Kids, SafetySuit, Rumores, Jefferson Starship, Autonomy, Alejandro Escovedo, and Guster.
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BeachBook

Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Monday, February 1, 2016

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McDonald’s meat supplier.

Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Monday, February 1, 2016

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Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Monday, February 1, 2016

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Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Monday, February 1, 2016

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Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Sunday, January 31, 2016

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Yes, more of this, please. Every newspaper should act like they have nothing to lose.

Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Saturday, January 30, 2016

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TweetWood


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The Beachwood Tip Line: Blame game.

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Posted on February 2, 2016