PO-PO, bad blood on the force [FP]
Forest Park police lieutenant Steve Johnsen called Mayor Anthony Calderone "crooked". Calderone called Johnsen a liar. Calderone ally Tim Gillian also called Johnsen a liar. See Forest Park Review (Bob Skolnik).
I've written that the FPPD lacks good order and discipline under the leadership of Chief Jim Ryan and Mayor Calderone. I think dysfunctional would be a fair adjective too.
I can see Calderone being concerned about Johnsen's business partnership with Commissioner Patrick Doolin. But the proper concern is that village employees have personal loyalties that may conflict with professional duties. However, Johnsen's conflict-of-interest is weaker than some other Forest Park employees who are Calderone loyalists.
Sgt. Mike Murphy has been alleged to be a serial perpetrator of police brutality. Who keeps his personnel file? His wife Dora, the assistant to the Chief of Police.
Sally Cody, Calderone's assistant, is divorced from Lt. Mike Cody and presumably has shared expenses for their children. Mike Cody was convicted of assaulting another FPPD officer and was subsequently promoted and put in charge of internal investigations.
So, Calderone complaining about Johnsen seems a tad... partisan. The fix is to create policies that keep conflict of interest to a minimum. Calderone's management seems to be to tolerate conflicts-of-interest of political allies and to use his power to use other conflicts-of-interest against his political rivals.
I'm also getting tired of Calderone claiming he's got nothing to do with running the police department.
Under the commissioner form of government the mayor is the commissioner of the police department. Not only is Calderone getting involved in police matters, it's part of his job description. He's a former auxiliary cop who is interested in police issues.
Calderone's denials of being involved in personnel decisions would be more credible if he explained how he is and isn't involved in police department decisions. Merely claiming all is delegated to Ryan seems implausible.
I've written that the FPPD lacks good order and discipline under the leadership of Chief Jim Ryan and Mayor Calderone. I think dysfunctional would be a fair adjective too.
I can see Calderone being concerned about Johnsen's business partnership with Commissioner Patrick Doolin. But the proper concern is that village employees have personal loyalties that may conflict with professional duties. However, Johnsen's conflict-of-interest is weaker than some other Forest Park employees who are Calderone loyalists.
Sgt. Mike Murphy has been alleged to be a serial perpetrator of police brutality. Who keeps his personnel file? His wife Dora, the assistant to the Chief of Police.
Sally Cody, Calderone's assistant, is divorced from Lt. Mike Cody and presumably has shared expenses for their children. Mike Cody was convicted of assaulting another FPPD officer and was subsequently promoted and put in charge of internal investigations.
So, Calderone complaining about Johnsen seems a tad... partisan. The fix is to create policies that keep conflict of interest to a minimum. Calderone's management seems to be to tolerate conflicts-of-interest of political allies and to use his power to use other conflicts-of-interest against his political rivals.
I'm also getting tired of Calderone claiming he's got nothing to do with running the police department.
Calderone said that Ryan, not himself, runs the police department.
Under the commissioner form of government the mayor is the commissioner of the police department. Not only is Calderone getting involved in police matters, it's part of his job description. He's a former auxiliary cop who is interested in police issues.
Calderone's denials of being involved in personnel decisions would be more credible if he explained how he is and isn't involved in police department decisions. Merely claiming all is delegated to Ryan seems implausible.
posted by Carl Nyberg at
12:06 PM
22 Comments:
Mayor Calderone and Tim Gillian have learned their lessons well from Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico and Anthony Bruno. Lesson #1 When in doubt; lie
lesson #2 If the people do not believe you, then lie some more
Lesson #3 If a "do-gooder" criticizes you, just call them "crazy" or "obstructionist"
A question for Mayor Calderone, Did you and Chief Ryan help your friend Police Chief Vito Scavo recruit Forest Park Police officers to work for Mr. Scavo's security company? (By the way, the security company is under federal investigation.)
Does Tim Gillian check with Melrose Park before casting a vote as Proviso Township trustee?
By
Anonymous, at 1:52 PM, July 12, 2006
I believe Lt. Johnsen. He has no reason to lie whereas the Mayor. Well let's just say this unfavorable piece of Crap has more fat to hide than a pig's belly. I believe he is in charge of the police department and he has been using his pathetic mouth piece Bones to advocate for his sins. It will all catch up to him.
By
Anonymous, at 2:07 PM, July 12, 2006
Steve johnsen is pathological liar, he lied about the Jim Shaw case and is now lying about the mayor. We the citizens of Forest Park should ask for Steve Johnsens removal from police work. We cannot have a law enforcement officer working who feels it proper to lie.
What a sorry piece of work.
By
Anonymous, at 5:17 PM, July 12, 2006
Duh, I agree! He should resign. His investigation and the resulting arrest of Shaw show that Johnsen is not a very good Cop. Then he injects hear-say into the Harder hearing while he testified. Any Cop will tell you you should never do that. Unless your hear-say will potentially harm your buddies political rival. Now it appears he is also prone to dis-honest statements. No wonder he felt it was ok to falsify the Shaw investigation results.
By
Anonymous, at 12:47 AM, July 13, 2006
Who else but Calderone would know wether Johnsen was asked to be chief.
For as long as I have followed stuff in town, every indication points to Johnsen not getting his way.
I'm not shocked that Calderone says Johnsen asked him for the job it fits Johnsen's m.o
Johnsen tries to play each and every card he can to advance his pay and carear even if he cannot do the job.
What a sorry piece of.....
By
Anonymous, at 8:58 AM, July 13, 2006
And this whole bullshit about Serpico and Bruno and Scavo, whaaat?
You obviously do not know Gillian or Calderone.
And the reason you write this bullshit on here is only and only to discredit these two guys.
These guys don't take orders from oneone other than themselves.
By
Anonymous, at 9:01 AM, July 13, 2006
The mayors' peeps are up early today.
Gillian takes orders diretly from Calderone. Apparently being township commissioner is that important to him. He doesn't even run without Calderones permission. Must be a lucrative postion.
Don't know who is lying, Calderon or Johnson. If I had to bet though it would be Calderone. What does Johnson have to gain by lying about the offer?
The walls are slowly closing in on the majority in FP. The only 'escape' that they see is to bluster there way out of it. Every opponent will be a liar. There is no Melrose Park influence in town. Subpeanas are nothing but glorified FOIA's. Not too many people in FP are buying into it anymore.
By
Anonymous, at 9:36 AM, July 13, 2006
Maybe I'm ignorant or naive, but I don't think Calderone is criminally "crooked". He may be business-as-usual "crooked", but I wouldn't use "crooked" to label business-as-usual "crooked".
Johnsen's statement makes it clear he doesn't like Calderone and he doesn't really give a shit about pissing off Calderone or Ryan.
This is one more symptom that the Forest Park PD is not operating as it should.
Part of Johnsen's credibility comes from the power differential between him and his supervisors. If Johnsen is lying about Calderone or Ryan, this would seem to be grounds for firing him.
If Calderone and Ryan aren't firing him for his statements or for the Shaw incident, this suggests that Johnsen is close enough to being truthful and by-the-book that Calderone and Ryan can't fire Johnsen.
There is one other explanation, but it's not flattering to Ryan and Calderone. The other explanation is that the hearings to fire Harder have been more damaging than tolerating Johnsen's dissent from within the department.
BTW, just because Johnsen is disgruntled doesn't mean he's inaccurate. If you were working for people you considered incompetent you would probably become disgruntled too.
By
Carl Nyberg, at 1:55 PM, July 13, 2006
The real question is "Who is Lying", that's the real question. Johnsen could be telling the truth, but the truth about what? That he refused the job for chief of police? Johnsen has been a marginal cop from day one. Controversial no, but lazy yes. Does this make him bad? No, but does this make him qualified? No it does not. He is not qualified, his managerial skills do not exist. Steve Johnsen relys on connections to advance his own personal advancement, period. In his own admissions several times in several bars his philosophy is "Fuck Me... No Fuck you" that's his mantra. He will use whatever angle he can at the time it is appropriate to simply advance his personal gain.
This guy is far from the straight arrow person you might think he is.
He lambasted Popelka back in 1999 and backed Calderone, and then in 2003 got back in bed with Popelka. Look at the record between 1999 and 2003, I think he went from patrolman to Seargent to Lt. to Deputy Chief all during Calderones reign. No during this period he is hooked up with Pat Doolin in Real Estate and they attempt to build a townhome complex that was poorly designed and wanted to build on 100 percent of the property. This is when the fall out began.
Johnsen didn't get his way which he was use too and so he turned his alegience on Calderone because he wouldn't support his poorly designed "Make Profit" venture. Maybe Calderone saw something we didn't at the time.
Steve Johnsen's goal is all about money, for himself and Doolin nothing more nothing less. Money in the pocket from his job and money in the pocket from profiteering.
Heck these two, Doolin and Johnsen were paid big money to rent thier office to Anthony Bruno during the water project. $$$$ Thousands not hundreds. What was this all about?
Where was the goody two shoes Johnsen when he was taking this money?
But somehow they (Doolin and Johnsen) have designed a way to twist the story within the community to make you think they are upstanding community members.
No doubt in my mind that Steve Johnsen is lying because he did not get his way, and did not get his money.
By
Anonymous, at 2:48 PM, July 14, 2006
If Calderone doesn't run the police department where does his comment about "serving two masters" come in? Strange choice of words.
By
Anonymous, at 7:09 PM, July 14, 2006
No doubt in my mind that if Johnsen was Chief he would be taking orders from Doolin.
So the question is, would this be the correct arrangement?
You folks need to make up your mind.
By
Anonymous, at 9:04 PM, July 14, 2006
I don't know how many supporters the mayor has. To me it is not relavent, what is relavent is I she Doolin as a used car salesman in a cheap suit. Mr slick looking for a fast buck. His sidekick is Steve Johnsen riding his coat tail.
God help us if these two get anywhere in control. They put Melrose Park to shame
By
Anonymous, at 10:47 AM, July 15, 2006
I doubt there will be any indictment at all, this is only bullshit that some folks like to lay claim too, sounds nice and juicy, but it's a bunch of crap.
Johnsen cheated his way to a masters degree, he's bragged about it many times. Besides since when do they teach you to lie when studing for a masters?
Degrees don't mean shit.
I know plenty of dumb ass people with degess, they are not worth the paper it is written on.
By
Anonymous, at 10:58 PM, July 21, 2006
The above comes right out of the high school drop-out handbook. "If you can't compete with those that have invested in their future via education, be-little education whenever the opportunity presents itself in a veiled attempt to discredit the educated and make yourself look smart". There will indeed be indictments and the gravy train is running out of steam. You will always have an advantage if you have education, always. Yes, there are stupid people who do indeed have an education. There are also people in prison with educations. There are more stupid people without educations than with. There are more un-educated people in prison than there are educated people. What will you tell your children? Work hard and get an education or drop out and become like the un-educated crook Calderone? And do tell us, how does one cheat their way to a masters degree?
By
Anonymous, at 3:27 PM, July 24, 2006
Bla Bla Bla, if you have a higher education you sure could fool many people. Bla Bla Bla.
By
Anonymous, at 5:01 PM, July 24, 2006
I wonder how many Electricians, Plumbers, Carpenters, Drywall Installers, Painters, Bricklayers, Real Estate Agents have masters degrees?
By
Anonymous, at 5:03 PM, July 24, 2006
You're right they will
By
Anonymous, at 8:34 AM, July 25, 2006
I wonder how many Presidents, Senators, Congressman, State Representatives, Mayors & Trustees are high school drop outs? I only know of one, Tony Calderone.
By
Anonymous, at 9:52 AM, July 25, 2006
Oh my god, well educated Carl Nyburg lost his case in court today. Guess dem college stuff don't always work when you try to deceit.
By
Anonymous, at 5:32 PM, July 26, 2006
You should listen to the blatent lies and story telling that Harder is regergitating in this procedure.
It is downright comical.
If this guy truly has a masters degree it must be a Masters in deceit.
By
Anonymous, at 12:42 AM, July 29, 2006
What is actually comical is that the taxpayers of Forest Park having to foot an attorney bill that is now pushing $200,000 so that a political hack Mayor can have his puppet police chief bring a career veteran police officer up for termination on the trumped-up charges of saying F*@K to another police officer and calling in sick one day. Now that is comedy on the level of George Carlin. And to answer the 1st post of this thread, yes, on Tony Calderones orders, Chief Ryan meet with Vito Scavo and allowed several Forest Park police officers to work for his now under federal investigation security company. it is all so disgraceful. Shame on you Tony.
By
Anonymous, at 10:43 PM, July 30, 2006
What is a shame is for a law enforcement officer named Dan Harder to abuse the system and then hire a attorney to intentionally run up legal bills and then try to blame the village as evidenced by the poster above this one. What a dirty rotten game Harder and Stevens have done.
This is one of the most disbicable events I have seen or heard.
People are stupid if they think the village is wrong. This guy Harder is an evil evil person, and Stevens is right behind.
She has been scolded several times in court including the appellate level. What a sorry example of an attorney.
By
Anonymous, at 8:41 AM, August 01, 2006
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