TopspinMayoral candidate Paul Vallas on Tuesday questioned the need to require Chicago police officers to report whenever they point their guns at people, siding with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson on an issue that has emerged as the main sticking point in their negotiations for a Police Department consent decree with Attorney General Lisa Madigan. In a statement his campaign released Tuesday afternoon, Vallas mentioned slain Chicago Police Commander Paul Bauer as he said he worried "such reporting requirements could potentially inhibit officers when they have milliseconds to react." "One has to wonder if Cmdr. Bauer might still be with us today if he had had his gun drawn," Vallas' statement reads in part. Bauer was fatally shot in February as he struggled with a man during a foot chase near the Thompson Center in the Loop. Bauer, who was on duty and in full uniform, apparently never drew his weapon, according to police. Shomari Legghette, a four-time felon, has been charged with Bauer's murder. The proposed consent decree between the city and Illinois attorney general's office, released Friday, eventually would serve as a court-enforced mandate governing reforms in the Chicago Police Department. During a City Hall news conference earlier Tuesday to talk about the need for the Chicago Fire Department to deploy more ambulances, Vallas was asked about the proposed gun pull registry. "I can understand the need to have data on officers who consistently draw their weapon, but I can also appreciate the officers' concern and whether this will inhibit them," he said. "So I need to see the fine line." While Madigan has said she believes the requirement is essential to making sure officers are properly using the threat of a gun, the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police has said requiring police to document each time they pull their weapons and point them at someone could endanger officers. Vallas' uncle and wife were police officers, and he has two sons who are police officers, he said. A onetime resident of the Southwest Side's 19th Ward, where many police and other city workers live, Vallas hopes to do well with those voters as he tries to unseat Emanuel. "For me, it's not that I'm ducking the issue, I want to know what that means, what that means for reporting," he said during the news conference. "Is that a checklist, or do you have to do a whole write-up about the fact that you pulled your weapon? Or is that part of your arrest report, for that matter? See what I mean? So I don't really know what that means." The famously long-winded Vallas' campaign later released what it called a "more concise statement" on the proposed registry. (John Byrne) What's on tap*Mayor Emanuel is scheduled to announce a retail store with plans to open a location in Pullman. He's then scheduled to make an announcement about investments in the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund. *Gov. Bruce Rauner will be at the Vienna Beef Factory in Chicago celebrating the company's 125th Anniversary. *Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will speak at an event in Glencoe honoring Vietnam-era veterans. *U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky is holding a briefing and discussion at the Evanston Public Library to discuss the 2020 U.S. Census. From the notebook*Congressmen are cross over Rauner's veto: Six Democratic members of the state's congressional delegation sent a belated letter to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's office, expressing concerns over his veto of legislation that would have removed Illinois from a controversial voter-database system. The letter comes as state election officials meet Wednesday in Chicago and Springfield for a hearing on implementing what's called the "Cyber Navigator Program" aimed at ensuring the state's county clerks and other election authorities are securing Illinois voter data. Read Rick Pearson's full story here. *McCann gets more money from engineers: Third-party candidate Sam McCann reported receiving $550,000 last week from the Engineers Political Education, the Washington-based political arm of the union that's endorsing both him and Democrat J.B. Prtizker, according to campaign finance records filed Monday. McCann, who's running under the Conservative Party banner, previously reported that various entities of the International Union of Operating Engineers have given his campaign $200,000 in direct cash — half coming from Local 150, records show. Local 150 provided $77,692 in assistance, including more than $60,000 on professional petition passers, to help McCann make the November ballot. In a statement, Travis Sterling, recently named as the new executive director of the state GOP, sought to paint the operating engineers involvement as revealing that McCann was a "Democratic plant whose sole purpose in this race is to benefit Mike Madigan and J.B. Pritzker." *That didn't take long: Google Maps already has relabeled Congress Parkway Ida B. Wells Drive. The City Council last week voted to rename the downtown street in honor of Ida B. Wells-Barnett, an African-American journalist, who worked to expose lynching, pushed for women's right to vote and started numerous organizations to help African-Americans gain economic and political power across the country. (Rick Pearson) What we're writing*After Vallas calls event to push for more Chicago ambulances, Emanuel adds five of them. *Company used convicted Chicago schools chief in 'highly unethical' work to win millions in CPS business, watchdog finds. *Chicago budget gap shrinks again, but big pension debt looms. *In new ad, Pritzker likes puppies, tries to lick Rauner's Madigan attacks. *Cubs assure fans they can 'safely' enter Wrigley Field on day of Lake Shore Drive march; biggest concern is route to game. *Regional Transit Authority spends $35,000 on video to ask for more money. *Officer Van Dyke's lawyers lose bid to bring in different judge to decide if murder trial should be moved. *3 years after Elmhurst teen's death following sleepover, Rauner signs law to equip first responders with EpiPens. *Police release photo of man suspected of assaulting woman at Foo Fighters' Wrigley Field concert. *Lake County Board chairman's political future unclear as he gets treatment for drug addiction. What we're reading*At Senate immigration hearing, Durbin calls on Nielsen to resign: 'Someone in this administration has to accept responsibility.' *'It hasn't stopped my life at all': Alan Alda reveals he has Parkinson's disease. *Woman skating across U.S. — to prove stranger kindness exists — makes stop in Chicago. *Cubs acquire reliever Brandon Kintzler from Nationals. Follow the money*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here. Beyond Chicago*Facebook uncovers sophisticated effort to influence U.S. midterms with possible Russia ties. *Kelly intends to remain as Trump's chief of staff through 2020 re-election campaign. *President Trump says Koch brothers are 'total joke in real Republican circles.' *Trump renews government shutdown threat, says it's 'very small price to pay' for border security.' | 
沒有留言:
張貼留言