About the
Chicago Police Department
On January 31, 1835,
the State of Illinois authorized the Town of Chicago to establish its own police force. On
August 15, Orsemus Morrison is elected Chicago's first constable, assisted by Constables Luther Nichols and John Shrigley.
The three-man police force serves and protects a population of about 3,200. The Police Department pre-dates Chicago as a city.
Today, the Chicago Police
Department is the second largest in the United States, serving approximately 2.9 million residents within the 228 square miles
that constitutes the City of Chicago. The Chicago Police Department had, at the
end of 2005, 13,323 sworn police officers and over 2,000 civilian personnel.
The Chicago Police Department
is divided into 25 police districts. Each district has between 9 and 15 police
beats, with a total 281 beats throughout the city of Chicago. Each of the 25 police districts is led by a district commander
who, in addition to uniformed police officers, has teams of undercover tactical and gang police officers at his or her disposal. The Chicago Police Department Districts are organized into five larger organization
entities called Areas. These area commanders report to the Bureau of Patrol.
In addition to the Bureau
of Patrol, the Chicago Police Department has four other bureaus: Bureau of Investigative Services; Bureau of Strategic Deployment;
Bureau of Crime Strategy and Accountability; and, the Bureau of Administrative services.
Instead of a Chief of Police, the Chicago Police Department has a Superintendent of Police; and, the Bureau commanders
hold the rank of Deputy Superintendent.
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Dave Case is a 19 year veteran of the Chicago Police Department. Dave entered the academy in 1985 and afterwards was assigned to uniformed patrol in
the 007th District-Englewood. In 1990, Dave transferred to the 018th district
which is located in the heart of Carbini Green.
Cabrini-Green is a public housing development on Chicago's
North Side. At its height, Cabrini-Green was home to 20,000 people, living in
mid and high-rise apartment buildings. Gang violence and the city's neglect created terrible conditions for the residents,
and the name "Cabrini-Green" became symbolic of the problems associated with public housing across the nation. As of 2005,
only about 5000 residents remain. Several of the buildings have been razed and the whole neighborhood is being redeveloped
into a combination of high-rise buildings and row houses.
After a short career break wherein Dave went to work for
the St. Paul Police Department, he returned to Chicago and was ultimately assigned to their Special Operations Section. During his tour with the Special Operations Section Dave worked on the Chicago Police
Department’s Hostage, Barricade and Terrorist Team which is the Chicago Police Department version of SWAT. After his promotion to sergeant, Dave has worked patrol, the Special Operations Section and now the Education
and Training Division.
Dave’s debut novel, Out of Cabrini, has been described as a “fargo-esque” blend
of comedy and tragedy. According to Connie Fletcher, of the American Library
Association, “Case pulls out a wealth of knowledge about Chicago street-gang members, juxtaposing their street smarts
against the "rent-a-victim" innocence of suburbanites The plot offers a wild ride centered on a gangbanger's car, a Lexus
GS300, impounded with a four-kilo fortune in drugs inside, picked up in an illegal sale by a wealthy businessman, who presents
it to his mistress. The street gang is desperate to find the car, terrorizing and murdering as they search, while hero Stacy
Macbeth of the Eighteenth District Tactical Team coordinates the cop chase. Case fills the plot with the kind of funny, exuberant,
outrageous details only a longtime cop could know.”
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