Intimidation by...Deep Taxpayers Pockets in Woodstock Ill.

When the process initiated by Chief of Police, Robert W. Lowen, Jr. of Woodstock Illinois began by him filing a formal complaint against Sergeant Gorski with the City of Woodstock's Fire and Police Commission seeking his termination from the force that he served in for over 19 years I must confess I was somewhat depressed and angry that a single relatively new individual backed by a City (at least allegedly a few persons in high level positions) could allegedly con volute and change the true circumstances of a situation to serve their own self serving and financial interests respectively. The Sergeant understood that his oath of office was to the U.S. Constitution, the State, the County of McHenry and intimately with the people of Woodstock Illinois; he understood that his sworn duty was to the citizens and not to be a "team player of the Chief" and not to do things that he felt may have not been in the best interest of the citizens or his fellow officers. I guess he was just not viewed as one of "the good ol boys" that would go along with someone elses personal agenda.

My faith in the intrinsic goodness of most people was restored on February 4, 2008 when, after months of the Chief's and City's unilateral prosecution of Sergeant Gorski they, the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, after several minutes of deliberation, found in favor of Sergeant Gorski after they were asked to consider a directed verdict (which means that Sergeant Gorski did not even present his side of the case or defend himself). They found in his favor 3 to 0 and ordered he be reinstated and all back pay with interest due him by State statute be paid immediately as possible. To date he and his family which includes three young daughters have not received a penny from the City....so much for 19 years of loyalty to the people. I've learned one thing from this fiasco and that is one individual and his backers may take the wrong path and they cannot give up because they will loose face and might fracture delicate egos. What reinforces that direction they take is that it costs them nothing....they don't pay the tab...you do the taxpayer. You pay the tab to the lawyers who think they have nothing to loose and the other individuals involved. Eventually the tab will be paid and it is usually the taxpayer who winds up paying that also...all this for something that need never have occurred.

The Chief could not accept the fact that the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners found in Sergeant Gorski's favor and filed for an Administrative Review with the 22 Judicial Circuit Court...more taxpayer dollars being spent. And the Saga of Sergeant Gorski goes on and his family and children must suffer because someone cannot accept the decision of his superiors.

The question remains: why even bother to have and fund a Board of Fire of Police Commissioners if their decision can be disobeyed by one alleged individual with someones alleged political backing? I hope that the tax payers of Woodstock get angry and upset and look into this matter that is draining their pockets and inappropriately causing severe hardship on a hard working cop's family. Someone other than me has to realize that it may be them in the cross hairs next time.

Woodstock Illinois Sergeants....join Union?

When I first came to Woodstock in 1975 and opened my medical office on Blakely Street behind the old hospital and next to the high school the concept of joining a labor union was a very foreign idea to most of the people who worked in Woodstock, especially its police officers who worked the streets day and night. Over the years I have seen a change in their attitudes and now the patrol officers belong to a union. Most of the time employees join a union because they can't work out a reasonable working relationship with their boss, the police chief, or with their employer, the City of Woodstock. What I see now is a group of Sergeants that in the recent past would never have thought about joining a union but now they are rolling the idea about in their minds and wondering if it might be the right time to consider it for one's own self protection and job security. I don't know which way it will go but I do know this; the City better start to think about the issue and how to improved its relationship with them. Once you loose their trust it takes a long time to gain it back and they are the City's front-line ambassadors to the citizens of Woodstock, the County and the Country. It would behove you to pay serious consideration to their concerns.

Checks, Balances & Transparency of Government

The Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads in part,

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; or deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

As a people, when we accept the legitimacy of government, the next question we should ask ourselves is: Why not give government officials, its agents (Police Chiefs, City Attorneys, Mayors to name a few) all the power they need to fullfill their missions? John Locke and Thomas Jefferson provided us with the answer to this question over 200 years ago. Their contention was that when government officials are given unlimited power, they inevitably misuse the power, oftentimes becoming worse than the murderers, rapists, thieves and burglars they were charged with protecting the people from.

The Fathers of our country solved this problem by bringing our government into existence by using a Constitution to specify and limit the government's powers. It is important to always keep in mind that, government is necessary, but also to realize that it can be the primary threat to the freedom and liberties of its citizens. Remember the saying "power corrupts and absolute power absolutely corrupts". That is why we have the Bill of Rights and ultimately the Fourteenth Amendment. Thanks to the Woodstock City Government we also have the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners to further guarantee this right.

Woodstock Municipal Code (2.12.1: BOARD ESTABLISHED) states that "There is hereby created a Board of Fire and Police Commissioners in the City, whose members shall be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the City Council....". (1986 Code)

Woodstock Municipal Code (2.12.4: POWERS AND DUTIES) states that "The Board of Fire and Police Commissioners shall have the following powers and duties pertaining to sworn members of the Police Department: (emphasis added)

A. To make and promulgate rules and regulations for the conduct of examinations for original appointments, conduct of examinations for promotions, and conduct of hearings on charges brought against the member of the Police Department. (1986 Code) (emphasis added)

B. To make all original appointments to the Police Department and appointments to promotion within the Police Department pursuant to examinations.

C. To conduct examinations for original appointments and promotions.

D. To conduct hearings on charges brought against any member of the Police Department. (emphasis added)

E. Such other and further powers as may from time to time be authorized by the General Assembly. (1986 Code)"

2.12.2: MEMBERSHIP AND TERMS: states in part that

"A. The Board of Fire and Police Commissioners shall consist of three (3) members, whose terms of office shall be three (3) years............

B. Members of the Board must be residents of the City and shall be considered officers of the City and shall file an oath and fidelity bond....." (emphasis added)

So as far as I and I hope you can see the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners is an important link in the line of checks and balances emanating from the U.S. Constitution to the level of the Woodstock Police Department through the Government of the City of Woodstock.