Is the CPD really that lazy?

[Lookout Kid]

Back in the 90s my wife's car "disappeared" from a street in Bucktown. She called the police and filled out a report. A few days later she was hanging out with a few friends who were South Side natives, including a few "friends of friends" who were Chicago cops. One cop mentioned to her that some cars that are towed by private companies and never make it into the computer system. He recommended that she go drive around the old tow lot at Diversey Harbor to see if her car was there. The next day she had a friend drive her over to Diversey Harbor and sure enough, her car was there unharmed.

Now, this may all sound very sketchy (and it is). Tow trucks are taking cars without filling out proper paperwork, and the cops know about it. But my wife did get her car back.

[snoylekim]

..and, given the crayon comment, might want to verify that it wasn't repo'ed ..not sure if those end up in the CPD database ..

[long101]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Back in the 90s my wife's car "disappeared" from a street in Bucktown. She called the police and filled out a report. A few days later she was hanging out with a few friends who were South Side natives, including a few "friends of friends" who were Chicago cops. One cop mentioned to her that some cars that are towed by private companies and never make it into the computer system. He recommended that she go drive around the old tow lot at Diversey Harbor to see if her car was there. The next day she had a friend drive her over to Diversey Harbor and sure enough, her car was there unharmed.

Now, this may all sound very sketchy (and it is). Tow trucks are taking cars without filling out proper paperwork, and the cops know about it. But my wife did get her car back.

I actually heard this and called every private towing company I could find a # for in Chicago. Some real nice guy at one of the places told me that another towing company towed someones car and they had it for 2 months before the guy found out and received his insurance check

[long101]

Originally Posted by snoylekim

..and, given the crayon comment, might want to verify that it wasn't repo'ed ..not sure if those end up in the CPD database ..

haha that was actually one of the first questions I asked her. Supposedly the car was just paid off.

[jcarlilesiu]

I have had some bad experiences with the police too. A good police department uses circumstances like property damage to look for more severe crime while still dealing with the initial situation.

I was about to go to bed one Sunday evening in Uptown when I heard the distinct sound of cars colliding. I immediately looked out the window and saw a mini-van had hit a few parked cars on the side of the street. The gentleman was obviously trying to get out of the area as he had the hood open and was trying to figure out why he couldn't get the minivan in drive. I called the police to report an accident and potential hit and run. I explained to them that he was trying to get away but was having problems with his vehicle.

They asked me if anybody was injured in the accident. I told them the two or three cars hit were not occupied and I was unsure of the minivan drivers condition. They said they would send a squad.

30 minutes go by as I watch out the window as them man desperately trys to get the van going. I call the police back and tell them that he is going to get away. They say they will check on the location of the officer and make sure a squad is sent.

35 minutes later, the minivan gets in gear and limps away. Turns at the next intersection (which has a police camera) and limps off.

45 minutes after the initial call, a police car rolls up. I said "I called you guys 45 minutes ago and explained that the guy was trying to get away."

The cops response.

"Ahh, its just a property damage issue, let the owners of the parked cars report it to their insurance. At 11 o'clock, its shift change, so we didn't have enough squads on the street".

Nice.

Who knows what else they would have found in the minivan or on the guy. That hit and run cost the owners of the parked cars time and money to fix the situation because of some criminal.

I thought their job was to serve and protect. More like "serve for a pension".