Weis Considered a Lame Duck By Mayoral Hopefuls

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jan 7, 2011 4:03PM

Police Superintendent Jody Weis's contract expires on March 1 and, at this point, one wonders why he is on record as saying he'd take a pay cut to stay on the job. We already know what the rank and file think of Weis. It doesn't help to have the mayoral hopefuls, all vying for the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police, saying that Weis needs to be replaced.

The answers Rahm Emanuel, Gery Chico, Miguel del Valle and Carol Moseley Braun provide on questionnaires provided by the FOP will help determine who gets the nod. Weis, meanwhile, spoke with Huffington Post Chicago editor Jen Sabella about his tenure as Police Superintendent, Weis is touting declining crime numbers and 2010's murder rate (the lowest in 45 years), despite a hiring slowdown and a police force that is short of full strength by 1,100 a day, as reasons why he should be retained.

As for the feelings of him by the rank-and-file and the positions of the Mayoral hopefuls that he should be replaced, Weis pointed at the scoreboard again and reminded all that his first job is to serve and protect.

"Right now, we're having terrific results, but we're doing it with 1,100 less officers," Weis said. "If we just focused on the status quo, we would have never made any adjustments of how we do business and we probably would not achieve these same results...I pride myself on being the enemy of the status quo."

Weis also told Sabella that he hopes new leadership within the policeman's union can help bridge the rift between the department and the rank-and-file.