Look! There Goes Elvis!

There's nothing better for a politician than a good distraction to keep the public from focusing on what the politician is and isn't doing. And a good distraction with a good cover story is even better.

Consequently, it was with great amusement that the PRU Crew read the local rags last week and found several shining cover story gems that should provide the public with plenty of distractions away from Mayor Frimark's continuing power grabs.

The Journal & Topics contained two items, both written by its chronically clueless editor, Todd Wessel. The first was a "news" item about Cops Accused Of Assault, Cover-Up In Federal Lawsuit that was missing so much relevant information that we wondered if Todd has a phone in his office with which he can act like a real reporter and make a few phone calls, get some information, and then write a story that gives readers something that resembles the whole picture. Of course, that approach only works for a reporter who has built a sufficient reputation for credibility, trustworthiness and good reporting on which sources can rely - and we haven't seen that kind of reporter on the local beat for at least a decade.

The second item was Wessel's editorial asking What's With The Park Ridge Police Department? The PRU Crew saw that and immediately thought that "planting season" (as in planting news stories, not rhododendrons) lasts year 'round in that manure-filled patch between the local press and the local politicians here in Park Ridge. So the question became whether Wessel actually knew something. But maybe the guy really is asking the question because of what he knows, which isn't much. And, maybe he is calling for an "independent investigation" because the picture presented by his own newspaper sure does make things look grim at the PRPD. There have been problems of police conduct within and without the Park Ridge Police department, and we agree, the Mayor and City Council should get to the bottom of what the hell is going on.

But then the next day, we read an article in the Herald-Advocate written by the self-confessed "copper"-philiac (as in "police"), Jennifer Johnson. That article tells the Park Ridge community that City considers special counsel to investigate the PRPD, and that pretty much confirmed for us that the fertilizer was being spread.

Unlike Wessel and Johnson, the PRU Crew owns phones and we use them. We made some calls to our favorite sources and here is what we learned...

• Yes, a federal lawsuit has been filed. Yes, things within the PRPD are bad - morale may be at an all time low. And yes, the City will be looking to hire an expensive law firm to "independently investigate" the Park Ridge Police Department.



• Mayor Frimark wants the authority for hiring and firing City personnel, particularly in the Police Dept. That authority currently belongs to the City Manager, Tim Schuenke. We sure aren't fans of Schuenke, but we don't feel giving hiring and firing authority to any politician is a very good idea. Doing that would be pretty much like sending out an engraved invitation for patronage.



• Mayor Frimark may want to sack Chief of Police Jeff Caudill and replace him with a ranking officer who's a favorite of Frimark's but not of many of the rank-and-file officers serving under him - who sometimes refer to him as "the shirtless man."

In other words, the Park Ridge Police Department may be headed out of the frying pan and into the fire. And if you know anything about the City staff grapevine, this may very well have the decidedly unpleasant affect of bleeding into other City departments like the Public Works Department.

Why would Frimark view Hoopty Lou as such an asset? Well, as we told you before, "there aren't too many coppers with the ability to speak and write impressive sounding bullshit" - and the Mayor and the City administration will certainly need someone with that ability to serve as their pitchman for the next new cop shop dog and pony show, which was foreshadowed in another Johnson offering: Police station site search resumes.

Why is the Herald-Advocate's self-confessed copper-philiac walking on proverbial egg shells when it comes to the PRPD and City departments like Public Works? Could it have something to do with the fact that not only is she a neighbor of Hoopty Lou's, but that her daddy is employed by Public Works? That also might explain the slant on her reporting about the PRPD rank and file who dared to complain about Hoopty Lou's cell phone indiscretions.

Meanwhile, if you are Mayor Frimark, you go about your usual public relations practice of sharing questionable "scoops" with the local press while telling the public that their concerns about police conduct will be given the most serious attention the City can afford.

And while everyone is distracted by the cover story, you go about the task of wresting hiring and firing authority from the City Manager.

Hey, everybody! Look! There goes Elvis!