Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Private cops can't replace real officers/Daley OK with giving private security guards city ticket

Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Private cops can't replace real officers
Copyright by the Chicago Sun Times
March 22, 2009
http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1488787,CST-EDT-edit22a.article


There is no substitute for a real police officer. And pretending otherwise is asking for trouble.
That's why a plan forwarded by two South Side aldermen to give private security guards limited police powers is a non-starter.

Aldermen Anthony Beale (9th) and John Pope (10th) are working on an ordinance to give new, unprecedented powers to private security officers hired by local property owners. Specifically, they want to let guards who patrol three South Side commercial strips ticket people for loitering, littering, hawking and parking meter violations. Beale on Friday backed away from earlier talk of allowing the guards to ticket for moving violations.

We applaud the aldermen for looking for ways to reduce crime. But asking untrained, low-paid security guards to take over even low-level police work is a disaster waiting to happen.

As it is, security guards have trouble mustering respect from the public. What happens when a guard tries to write a ticket for loitering and the subject turns violent? It's a threat to the guard, bystanders and the city -- if the guard messes up while writing a ticket, the subject could easily sue the city. We also wonder if private ticketing would be effective. Will citizens even stop long enough for a security guard to ticket them?

But our skepticism doesn't mean the aldermen haven't identified a real problem.

There simply aren't enough police officers on the streets in high-crime areas. If commerce is ever going to thrive on 103rd Street, for example, shoppers and business owners need to feel safe and protected.

This has been a long-standing problem, exacerbated this year by a spike in crime and slowed police hiring. The police have responded by setting up mobile response units and shifting resources to hot spots. But aldermen for years also have pushed the city to realign police beats to better reflect crime patterns. In October, Police Supt. Jody Weis finally vowed to deliver. Unfortunately, he didn't commit to a deadline, and we're still waiting for a final report.

Beale and Pope decided they couldn't wait any longer. We like their initiative, but this plan isn't the answer.



Daley OK with giving private security guards city ticket-writing authority - Security guards would have power to issue citations
By Lolly Bowean
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
March 22, 2009
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-daley-police-22mar22,0,7159643.story


As the city and its police union near the two-year mark in contract negotiations, Mayor Richard Daley on Saturday said a proposal to allow private security guards to write tickets is worth exploring.

Only Chicago police officers can issue citations, but two far South Side aldermen want armed security guards who patrol business districts in their wards to have that authority as well.

Daley said allowing the guards to ticket people for graffiti, parking violations and other minor infractions could free Chicago officers to concentrate on combating violent crime. The move could also generate revenue for the city while enforcing minor ordinances.

"It's not a bad idea," Daley said. "The more police you have out there ... I like the concept ... it will help us."

The police union denounced the idea last week. Fresh off a no-confidence vote by a small number of unionized officers, Police Supt. Jody Weis was more cautious than Daley about the security guard ticketing idea.

Weis said he doesn't know how the armed guards are trained, since they are hired by a private firm. He also said many officers don't like issuing citations and might welcome a move that could free them of those duties.

"It's in the concept phase; we have to have a lot of discussions," Weis said. "Anything we can do in today's times that would put more officers on the street to address crimes of violence is worth looking at."

Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) and Ald. John Pope (10th) support the private security proposal. Special business districts already have hired armed guards to patrol 103rd Street from State Street to Corliss Avenue and Michigan Avenue between 100th and 116th Streets, Beale said.

The police union's last contract has been expired since the end of June 2007. The Daley administration and the Fraternal Order of Police have been negotiating but have yet to reach a new deal. City Hall also has been battling a budget shortfall it estimates could reach $200 million this year amid a sinking economy.

On Saturday, Daley and Weis said police contracts are handled in private negotiating sessions and that details have not been worked out or finalized. Union president Mark Donahue also would not discuss the negotiations.

Both Daley and Weis spoke after touring the newly built $21.1 million 7th District Police station in Englewood.

The mayor also reacted to a Tribune report chronicling a surge in broken parking meters, increased tickets and drivers being charged the wrong hourly rates. Daley leased the meters to the private company, Chicago Parking Meters LLC, and its subcontractor, LAZ Parking, for upfront cash.

Daley said the matters have to be handled by the company, which he said took over the parking meters "as is."

"The city knows nothing about parking meters, and that's why it was important to get out of it," Daley said. "Let's not blame this new company. There will be complaints, but like anything else, they will get to those complaints."

lbowean@tribune.com