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**Flashback: The 1st Intercollegiate Basketball Game Was Played At Hamline** Mar 25, 2022
Show notes

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This edition of “Good Question” originally aired in 2019.]

**MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) —** When the Final Four comes to Minneapolis in April, the pinnacle of college basketball will return to where it all started: at Hamline University in a science hall that’s since been torn down.

So, how has the game changed since then? Good Question.

“It was a very different game than what we play today,” Jim Hayes, current head coach for the men’s Hamline basketball team, said.

The first basketball game played between two colleges was February 9, 1895, between Hamline and the Minnesota School of Agriculture. That school is now the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota.

The final score was 9 to 3.

“Unfortunately, Hamline lost,” Hayes said.

(credit: Hamline University)

Back then, there were no three-pointers. Each bucket counted for a single point. Players weren’t allowed to dribble, but rather just pivot and pass. There were nine to a team and goaltenders to guard the baskets.

“It was peach basket, so they had a ladder that you had to climb up and get the ball out,” Hayes said.

On the 100th year of the first game, Hamline replayed that version of basketball. Hayes was a referee for the reenactment.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game of basketball but it was fun to be a part of,” he said.

The game came to Hamline via its athletic director at the time: Ray Kaighn. He had played basketball for James Naismith, the man who invented the game in Massachusetts four years earlier.

Both Geneva College in Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt in Tennessee call themselves the birthplace of college basketball, but those games — which were played two years earlier — weren’t against other schools.

“We are the first place of intercollegiate basketball,” said Hayes. “It’s an incredible history to be a part of.”

**The Chicago Police Department’s Secretive Dealings With Confidential Informants And Bad Tips And Wrong Raids** Mar 04, 2022
Show notes

By Dave Savini and Michele Youngerman

**CHICAGO (CBS)** — The Chicago Police Department’s program for using confidential and registered informants is shrouded in secrecy and is lacking full accountability.

This important crime-fighting tool helps officers get tips on where to find illegal guns and drugs. But we found officers often simply rely on the word of informants and fail to do the police work required to verify the tips. This has led to, at least, dozens of search warrants being executed at the homes of innocent people.

Anjanette Young and Cynthia Eason are just two of the many wrong raid victims who want to know more about the informants police used in their cases. Those names will never be released to them nor will they find out if there were consequences for the bad tips.

Informant names are kept confidential because of the potential danger they could face. The Chicago Police Department has been fighting to keep other records from becoming available to the public too. Those include taxpayer money spent on informants and the full set of rules police have to follow while working with informants.

In Cynthia Eason’s case, new details have come out about the informant whose tip led SWAT and the Area South Gun Team to wrongly raid her daughter’s home on a hot August day in 2018. The family’s home was ransacked. Guns were pointed, even at the children.

(Credit: CBS 2)

Chicago Police Officer Michael Higgins was the affiant who worked with the informant in Eason’s case and obtained the search warrant. He had to testify in a deposition after the family filed a lawsuit.

“We know the fact that children are involved in something, like this is terrible. They don’t need to see this. But we have a job to do,” said Higgins.

(Credit: CBS 2)

While under oath, Higgins answered questions about his use of a paid, Registered Confidential Informant (RCI). Higgins said the RCI had pending criminal charges during the three years the two worked together. The charges included having a suspended license, failure to pay child support and fraud.

It is not a secret that police cut deals with criminals in order to catch other criminals. Informants often get paid or some other benefit for their tips.

What we don’t know is how much taxpayer money is used to pay informants. And whether the confidential informant system is even working.

The informant did not mention anyone in the Eason family, but gave police an address where they could find a gang member and a semi-automatic handgun. It was the wrong house.

The botched case turned into a federal lawsuit. Legal fees for depositions of the officers and victims along with the cost of hiring private attorneys has cost taxpayers, so far, more than $330,000. We found, since 2015, taxpayers have spent nearly $8 Million in legal fees and settlements for similar cases of bad raids that began with bad informant tips police failed to verify.

“I don’t think they care,” said Eason about the pain wrongly targeted families suffer.

For months we’ve tried to find out how much the Chicago Police Department is spending on this crime fighting program. We also want report just how many crimes they’ve been able to solve because of confidential informants. We will continue to fight to get this information.

Jim Trainum is a former homicide detective from Washington, D.C, who also is police practices consultant. He said taxpayers have the right to know how their money is being spent by the police department.

“I absolutely do think that they have a right to know,” said Trainum. “Even just, at least, general terms, to know if there’s a huge amount of money but there’s really nothing to show for it. Or if there’s a lot of money going into a program that’s giving very questionable results.”

Our years-long investigation into wrong raids and informants included numerous Freedom of Information Act requests for data and records. As the Chicago Police Department repeatedly refused to turn over public records, we filed appeals with the office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

“We have to be voices that support transparency,” said Raoul.

His office is in charge of making sure government agencies, including the Chicago Police Department, are following the law when it comes to public records, or Freedom of Information Act requests. This past July, his office ordered CPD to turn over police policies related to paying informants which the department refused to release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

When asked, the Illinois Attorney General said the amount of money being spent on informants should be something we should be able to get through FOIA.

“That seems like something that shouldn’t fall within an exemption,” said Raoul.

Records the police department turned over following the IL AG’s office ruling, have a lot of information redacted. Big chunks of black covering information the department doesn’t want you to see.

“Anytime that you have secrecy, and that you don’t have somebody from the outside looking in to make sure everything is on the up and up – I mean, that just makes it so ripe for abuse,” said Trainum. “And not only like criminal type abuse, but also the use of the way the information is collected. People have a tendency to take shortcuts.”

Shortcuts on the police work to get the warrants has led to mounting lawsuits. As is the case involving Officer Michael Higgins. During his deposition he said he didn’t know how much the informant was paid. But he was aware his informant needed money, desperately.

“I know if he can’t make his child support, he’ll end up getting a warrant put out and arrested,” said Higgins during his deposition.

The child support violations led to his informant’s license being suspended repeatedly and jail time. Higgins said another law enforcement agent even worked out a special payment plan so the informant could avoid jail.

“When she pays him, she has, waits, so she makes sure he pays the child support,” said Higgins.

Trainum questions this tactic, “So there is an increased amount of pressure on him to to deliver something. And when you’re under pressure, you sometimes do things you shouldn’t do.”

Tonight the Chicago Police Department sent us a statement saying they are committed to transparency and accountability. But they didn’t send us the records. We will keep fighting to get you the information about your money and this program.

Chicago Police Department statement:
*The Chicago Police Department is committed to transparency and accountability. We will continue to be transparent with information, while balancing confidentiality in the interest of public safety.*

**The Chicago Police Department’s Secretive Dealings With Confidential Informants And Bad Tips And Wrong Raids** Mar 04, 2022
Show notes

By Dave Savini and Michele Youngerman

**CHICAGO (CBS)** — The Chicago Police Department’s program for using confidential and registered informants is shrouded in secrecy and is lacking full accountability.

This important crime-fighting tool helps officers get tips on where to find illegal guns and drugs. But we found officers often simply rely on the word of informants and fail to do the police work required to verify the tips. This has led to, at least, dozens of search warrants being executed at the homes of innocent people.

Anjanette Young and Cynthia Eason are just two of the many wrong raid victims who want to know more about the informants police used in their cases. Those names will never be released to them nor will they find out if there were consequences for the bad tips.

Informant names are kept confidential because of the potential danger they could face. The Chicago Police Department has been fighting to keep other records from becoming available to the public too. Those include taxpayer money spent on informants and the full set of rules police have to follow while working with informants.

In Cynthia Eason’s case, new details have come out about the informant whose tip led SWAT and the Area South Gun Team to wrongly raid her daughter’s home on a hot August day in 2018. The family’s home was ransacked. Guns were pointed, even at the children.

(Credit: CBS 2)

Chicago Police Officer Michael Higgins was the affiant who worked with the informant in Eason’s case and obtained the search warrant. He had to testify in a deposition after the family filed a lawsuit.

“We know the fact that children are involved in something, like this is terrible. They don’t need to see this. But we have a job to do,” said Higgins.

(Credit: CBS 2)

While under oath, Higgins answered questions about his use of a paid, Registered Confidential Informant (RCI). Higgins said the RCI had pending criminal charges during the three years the two worked together. The charges included having a suspended license, failure to pay child support and fraud.

It is not a secret that police cut deals with criminals in order to catch other criminals. Informants often get paid or some other benefit for their tips.

What we don’t know is how much taxpayer money is used to pay informants. And whether the confidential informant system is even working.

The informant did not mention anyone in the Eason family, but gave police an address where they could find a gang member and a semi-automatic handgun. It was the wrong house.

The botched case turned into a federal lawsuit. Legal fees for depositions of the officers and victims along with the cost of hiring private attorneys has cost taxpayers, so far, more than $330,000. We found, since 2015, taxpayers have spent nearly $8 Million in legal fees and settlements for similar cases of bad raids that began with bad informant tips police failed to verify.

“I don’t think they care,” said Eason about the pain wrongly targeted families suffer.

For months we’ve tried to find out how much the Chicago Police Department is spending on this crime fighting program. We also want report just how many crimes they’ve been able to solve because of confidential informants. We will continue to fight to get this information.

Jim Trainum is a former homicide detective from Washington, D.C, who also is police practices consultant. He said taxpayers have the right to know how their money is being spent by the police department.

“I absolutely do think that they have a right to know,” said Trainum. “Even just, at least, general terms, to know if there’s a huge amount of money but there’s really nothing to show for it. Or if there’s a lot of money going into a program that’s giving very questionable results.”

Our years-long investigation into wrong raids and informants included numerous Freedom of Information Act requests for data and records. As the Chicago Police Department repeatedly refused to turn over public records, we filed appeals with the office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

“We have to be voices that support transparency,” said Raoul.

His office is in charge of making sure government agencies, including the Chicago Police Department, are following the law when it comes to public records, or Freedom of Information Act requests. This past July, his office ordered CPD to turn over police policies related to paying informants which the department refused to release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

When asked, the Illinois Attorney General said the amount of money being spent on informants should be something we should be able to get through FOIA.

“That seems like something that shouldn’t fall within an exemption,” said Raoul.

Records the police department turned over following the IL AG’s office ruling, have a lot of information redacted. Big chunks of black covering information the department doesn’t want you to see.

“Anytime that you have secrecy, and that you don’t have somebody from the outside looking in to make sure everything is on the up and up – I mean, that just makes it so ripe for abuse,” said Trainum. “And not only like criminal type abuse, but also the use of the way the information is collected. People have a tendency to take shortcuts.”

Shortcuts on the police work to get the warrants has led to mounting lawsuits. As is the case involving Officer Michael Higgins. During his deposition he said he didn’t know how much the informant was paid. But he was aware his informant needed money, desperately.

“I know if he can’t make his child support, he’ll end up getting a warrant put out and arrested,” said Higgins during his deposition.

The child support violations led to his informant’s license being suspended repeatedly and jail time. Higgins said another law enforcement agent even worked out a special payment plan so the informant could avoid jail.

“When she pays him, she has, waits, so she makes sure he pays the child support,” said Higgins.

Trainum questions this tactic, “So there is an increased amount of pressure on him to to deliver something. And when you’re under pressure, you sometimes do things you shouldn’t do.”

Tonight the Chicago Police Department sent us a statement saying they are committed to transparency and accountability. But they didn’t send us the records. We will keep fighting to get you the information about your money and this program.

Chicago Police Department statement:
*The Chicago Police Department is committed to transparency and accountability. We will continue to be transparent with information, while balancing confidentiality in the interest of public safety.*

Caught Selling Fake Parking — **Chicago White Sox Plan To Take Action After CBS 2 Investigators Expose Parking Scam Outside Sports Venues: Fans Getting Ripped Off By Conmen, Then Hit With Parking Tickets** Jan 26, 2022
Show notes

*By Dave Savini and Michele Youngerman*

**CHICAGO (CBS) —** There are new developments in a parking scam first exposed by the CBS 2 Investigators.

Conmen have been ripping off fans outside Chicago sports venues for years. Posing as parking attendants, they lure in drivers, take their cash, and often guide them into illegal parking spots. Those fans later find parking tickets from the city on their cars.

(Credit: CBS 2)

Nothing stopped the men we uncovered running an illegal parking scam – not even the different teams of officers patrolling the city streets outside Guaranteed Rate Field. The scammers are so bold they continued preying on White Sox fans – selling fraudulent parking passes last season, right in front of authorities.

Now one sports team, the Chicago White Sox, plans to take action to try to protect fans.

Jim Chessare is grateful to hear that after our October investigation struck a nerve.

“Your story kind of related to our exact situation,” said Chessare. “It was very disturbing at the time. The ease with which they got the 30 bucks out of us.”

Chessare says he fell for the scam last July, when he took his wife to a White Sox game for her birthday.

“My wife is a diehard Sox fan,” said Chessare, who is a diehard Chicago Cubs fan.

What happened to Chessare was a bit different from other schemes. As he approached the official White Sox parking lots, around Pershing Road and Princeton Avenue, several men wearing bright colored vests approached his car. They appeared to be parking attendants and asked Chessare for $30 to park.

“One of the three actually stood in front of our car and blocked us,” said Chessare. “The guy had a big wad of tens. A big wad of tens.”

He said one conman waved him in just like a legitimate parking attendant.

The CBS 2 Investigators went undercover multiple times over the years to show this scam repeatedly happening at different sports venues – including the United Center, home to the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks.

“You’re good, buddy,” said one conman as he took our money and gave us a fake parking pass.

Deena Mora got conned this same way, but outside Guaranteed Rate Field during the the Chicago White Sox versus Chicago Cubs Crosstown Classic. After unwittingly paying scammers to park, she then found a city parking ticket on her car after the game.

“Everyone got their ticket on their dashboard,” said Mora about the rows of cars with tickets.

On one day, we counted at least 60 illegal parking spots had been sold. The conmen charged $40 for each one, and then gave unsuspecting drivers illegal parking stickers to put in their windows. In less than an hour, the conmen collected about $2,400.

Chessare said after he was conned, he reported it to the Chicago White Sox and Chicago police.

“And the White Sox didn’t show any concern,” said Chessare. “And Chicago Police didn’t show a lot of concern either.”

Scott Reifert, vice president of communications for the Chicago White Sox, said the organization knows of others who lost money to these parking conmen.

“We have a guest relations department here that will deal with those folks,” said Reifert. “Again, disappointing to hear.”

Reifert went on to say, “I think frustration, right. I mean, we care a lot about our fans and our customers, and from the moment they leave their front door to the moment they get to the ballpark.”

We told him about one of the scammers using a Chicago White Sox sign to lure in victims.

“Disappointed,” responded Reifert. “Amazed, but then not amazed, at the extent some people will go to basically scam someone.”

(Credit: CBS 2)

Reifert says the White Sox can only control what happens on their property. But they do plan on removing all signs that currently say they accept cash to park. Only credit cards will be accepted when the season starts in April.

The other remaining issue is the crime being committed on the streets outside the ballpark. Last October, we asked police outside the ballpark, if they plan to do anything about the scammers operating right in the open. The officers just rolled up their windows and drove away.

The White Sox say they plan to work with Chicago police to stop them. Those discussions have yet to begin.

Jim Chessare says the White Sox organization has invited them to another game.

Man Carrying White Sox Parking Sign — **Chicago White Sox Plan To Take Action After CBS 2 Investigators Expose Parking Scam Outside Sports Venues: Fans Getting Ripped Off By Conmen, Then Hit With Parking Tickets** Jan 26, 2022
Show notes

*By Dave Savini and Michele Youngerman*

**CHICAGO (CBS) —** There are new developments in a parking scam first exposed by the CBS 2 Investigators.

Conmen have been ripping off fans outside Chicago sports venues for years. Posing as parking attendants, they lure in drivers, take their cash, and often guide them into illegal parking spots. Those fans later find parking tickets from the city on their cars.

(Credit: CBS 2)

Nothing stopped the men we uncovered running an illegal parking scam – not even the different teams of officers patrolling the city streets outside Guaranteed Rate Field. The scammers are so bold they continued preying on White Sox fans – selling fraudulent parking passes last season, right in front of authorities.

Now one sports team, the Chicago White Sox, plans to take action to try to protect fans.

Jim Chessare is grateful to hear that after our October investigation struck a nerve.

“Your story kind of related to our exact situation,” said Chessare. “It was very disturbing at the time. The ease with which they got the 30 bucks out of us.”

Chessare says he fell for the scam last July, when he took his wife to a White Sox game for her birthday.

“My wife is a diehard Sox fan,” said Chessare, who is a diehard Chicago Cubs fan.

What happened to Chessare was a bit different from other schemes. As he approached the official White Sox parking lots, around Pershing Road and Princeton Avenue, several men wearing bright colored vests approached his car. They appeared to be parking attendants and asked Chessare for $30 to park.

“One of the three actually stood in front of our car and blocked us,” said Chessare. “The guy had a big wad of tens. A big wad of tens.”

He said one conman waved him in just like a legitimate parking attendant.

The CBS 2 Investigators went undercover multiple times over the years to show this scam repeatedly happening at different sports venues – including the United Center, home to the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks.

“You’re good, buddy,” said one conman as he took our money and gave us a fake parking pass.

Deena Mora got conned this same way, but outside Guaranteed Rate Field during the the Chicago White Sox versus Chicago Cubs Crosstown Classic. After unwittingly paying scammers to park, she then found a city parking ticket on her car after the game.

“Everyone got their ticket on their dashboard,” said Mora about the rows of cars with tickets.

On one day, we counted at least 60 illegal parking spots had been sold. The conmen charged $40 for each one, and then gave unsuspecting drivers illegal parking stickers to put in their windows. In less than an hour, the conmen collected about $2,400.

Chessare said after he was conned, he reported it to the Chicago White Sox and Chicago police.

“And the White Sox didn’t show any concern,” said Chessare. “And Chicago Police didn’t show a lot of concern either.”

Scott Reifert, vice president of communications for the Chicago White Sox, said the organization knows of others who lost money to these parking conmen.

“We have a guest relations department here that will deal with those folks,” said Reifert. “Again, disappointing to hear.”

Reifert went on to say, “I think frustration, right. I mean, we care a lot about our fans and our customers, and from the moment they leave their front door to the moment they get to the ballpark.”

We told him about one of the scammers using a Chicago White Sox sign to lure in victims.

“Disappointed,” responded Reifert. “Amazed, but then not amazed, at the extent some people will go to basically scam someone.”

(Credit: CBS 2)

Reifert says the White Sox can only control what happens on their property. But they do plan on removing all signs that currently say they accept cash to park. Only credit cards will be accepted when the season starts in April.

The other remaining issue is the crime being committed on the streets outside the ballpark. Last October, we asked police outside the ballpark, if they plan to do anything about the scammers operating right in the open. The officers just rolled up their windows and drove away.

The White Sox say they plan to work with Chicago police to stop them. Those discussions have yet to begin.

Jim Chessare says the White Sox organization has invited them to another game.

Girl Silhouette — **DCFS Director Held In Contempt Of Court For Violating Rights Of Children And Faces $2,000 A Day In Fines** Jan 08, 2022
Show notes

By Dave Savini and Michele Youngerman

**CHICAGO (CBS)** — For years CBS 2 has been telling you about young children – our most vulnerable in the child welfare system – being left in psychiatric hospitals long after they are ready for discharge.

Other children housed in shelters instead of proper placements.

Now we are seeing accountability. In a stunning move, a Cook County Juvenile Court judge issued two contempt of court orders against Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Director Marc Smith for violating the rights of two children left languishing in facilities for months. DCFS could soon be fined as much as $2,000 a day until those children are properly placed.

We interviewed Marc Smith last March about issues concerning the care of children in DCFS care, during which he said, “We are responsible for the care and well being of children who are being abused and neglected in the state of Illinois.”

“And for me, there is nothing more important than making sure that our system is accountable for the work that we do,” Smith continued.

The CBS 2 Investigators have learned Smith is now the one accused of a lack of accountability.

Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert said he’s never seen this happen.

“A judge in juvenile court in two cases – two unrelated cases – held the DCFS director Marc Smith in contempt of court for violating multiple court orders to place two children,” said Golbert.

(Credit: CBS 2)

The court order describes how a 9-year-old girl suffered years of physical and sexual abuse at home. Then after entering DCFS care, she was put into a psychiatric hospital. She was medically ready to be discharged back in June 2021, but she’s still hospitalized.

A judge wrote DCFS disobeyed numerous court orders to get the child out of the hospital in October and November. This is why DCFS Director Smith is being held in contempt.

The girl has been confined in the psychiatric hospital for 221 days since the date she was supposed to be discharged.

“I’ve seen judges threaten to hold DCFS in contempt of court many times,” said Golbert. “I’ve been working in juvenile court for more than 30 years. I cannot recall a single case where a judge actually held the DCFS director in contempt of court.”

The other contempt order was issued after a 13-year-old boy in DCFS care was forced to sleep in a storage room.

(Credit: CBS 2)

“He was sleeping on the floor of a utility room in an office,” said Golbert. “Closet of an office.”

That child was then sent to a downstate shelter and has been stuck there for 145 days – the reason for Smith’s other contempt charge.

“The truth is is that our heart breaks every day in this system,” said Marc Smith last March.

We interviewed him then after the CBS 2 Investigators exposed how another child, a 10-year-old girl, had been trafficked out of the Grand Motel in Chicago.

DCFS had received repeated complaints regarding her dating back several years. At least five men had sexually assaulted her since the age of seven and she suffered other abuse. DCFS failed to put her in protective custody until her final rape case at the Grand Motel in October of 2020.

Smith wouldn’t talk about how his department handled her case. We found that once DCFS did finally step in, they kept the girl locked in a psychiatric hospital 39 days longer than necessary. And it took 154 days for DCFS to get her into an appropriate placement.

“I can’t speak to any individual case,” said Smith.

It wasn’t until after our stories that the girl was transferred.

Golbert said it took media action to get the girl properly placed.

The two new contempt cases also call for sanctions – fines of $1,000 a day, per child, for every day the 9-year-old and 13-year-old are not properly placed.

Golbert says taxpayers pay at least $6 million a year to cover these inappropriate placements for children. In the 13-year-old’s case, getting him placed where he’s supposed to be would cost about $1,700 a month. The shelter he’s been confined in costs more than five times that at $9,715 a month.

“We always want to do what’s best for the kids that we’re serving,” Smith previously said. “In recent years has been an elimination of a high number of beds, but we’ve also in the last couple of years, really worked at not only increasing those numbers and rebuilding the supply of beds that we need.”

About 500 residential and group home beds were eliminated. With all those places to live now gone, children end up languishing in psychiatric hospitals and shelters. It’s a problem Smith inherited when he was chosen to lead the department in 2019

Golbert says getting rid of all those placements put the system in a mess, “This system has been in shambles for the last seven years since then”.

DCFS plans to appeal the court orders.

**DCFS Statement:**

“The Department of Children and Family Services is dedicated to keeping children safe and strengthening families. We are working aggressively addressing the decades-long challenge of a lack of community resources and facilities for children with complex behavioral health needs, which has been exacerbated by an increased demand in social services in recent years. Every single day, DCFS works with its network of providers and foster parents in an ongoing effort to place these children in settings that can provide the appropriate level of care and in which the children can grow and flourish.”

Boy Silhouette — **DCFS Director Held In Contempt Of Court For Violating Rights Of Children And Faces $2,000 A Day In Fines** Jan 08, 2022
Show notes

By Dave Savini and Michele Youngerman

**CHICAGO (CBS)** — For years CBS 2 has been telling you about young children – our most vulnerable in the child welfare system – being left in psychiatric hospitals long after they are ready for discharge.

Other children housed in shelters instead of proper placements.

Now we are seeing accountability. In a stunning move, a Cook County Juvenile Court judge issued two contempt of court orders against Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Director Marc Smith for violating the rights of two children left languishing in facilities for months. DCFS could soon be fined as much as $2,000 a day until those children are properly placed.

We interviewed Marc Smith last March about issues concerning the care of children in DCFS care, during which he said, “We are responsible for the care and well being of children who are being abused and neglected in the state of Illinois.”

“And for me, there is nothing more important than making sure that our system is accountable for the work that we do,” Smith continued.

The CBS 2 Investigators have learned Smith is now the one accused of a lack of accountability.

Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert said he’s never seen this happen.

“A judge in juvenile court in two cases – two unrelated cases – held the DCFS director Marc Smith in contempt of court for violating multiple court orders to place two children,” said Golbert.

(Credit: CBS 2)

The court order describes how a 9-year-old girl suffered years of physical and sexual abuse at home. Then after entering DCFS care, she was put into a psychiatric hospital. She was medically ready to be discharged back in June 2021, but she’s still hospitalized.

A judge wrote DCFS disobeyed numerous court orders to get the child out of the hospital in October and November. This is why DCFS Director Smith is being held in contempt.

The girl has been confined in the psychiatric hospital for 221 days since the date she was supposed to be discharged.

“I’ve seen judges threaten to hold DCFS in contempt of court many times,” said Golbert. “I’ve been working in juvenile court for more than 30 years. I cannot recall a single case where a judge actually held the DCFS director in contempt of court.”

The other contempt order was issued after a 13-year-old boy in DCFS care was forced to sleep in a storage room.

(Credit: CBS 2)

“He was sleeping on the floor of a utility room in an office,” said Golbert. “Closet of an office.”

That child was then sent to a downstate shelter and has been stuck there for 145 days – the reason for Smith’s other contempt charge.

“The truth is is that our heart breaks every day in this system,” said Marc Smith last March.

We interviewed him then after the CBS 2 Investigators exposed how another child, a 10-year-old girl, had been trafficked out of the Grand Motel in Chicago.

DCFS had received repeated complaints regarding her dating back several years. At least five men had sexually assaulted her since the age of seven and she suffered other abuse. DCFS failed to put her in protective custody until her final rape case at the Grand Motel in October of 2020.

Smith wouldn’t talk about how his department handled her case. We found that once DCFS did finally step in, they kept the girl locked in a psychiatric hospital 39 days longer than necessary. And it took 154 days for DCFS to get her into an appropriate placement.

“I can’t speak to any individual case,” said Smith.

It wasn’t until after our stories that the girl was transferred.

Golbert said it took media action to get the girl properly placed.

The two new contempt cases also call for sanctions – fines of $1,000 a day, per child, for every day the 9-year-old and 13-year-old are not properly placed.

Golbert says taxpayers pay at least $6 million a year to cover these inappropriate placements for children. In the 13-year-old’s case, getting him placed where he’s supposed to be would cost about $1,700 a month. The shelter he’s been confined in costs more than five times that at $9,715 a month.

“We always want to do what’s best for the kids that we’re serving,” Smith previously said. “In recent years has been an elimination of a high number of beds, but we’ve also in the last couple of years, really worked at not only increasing those numbers and rebuilding the supply of beds that we need.”

About 500 residential and group home beds were eliminated. With all those places to live now gone, children end up languishing in psychiatric hospitals and shelters. It’s a problem Smith inherited when he was chosen to lead the department in 2019

Golbert says getting rid of all those placements put the system in a mess, “This system has been in shambles for the last seven years since then”.

DCFS plans to appeal the court orders.

**DCFS Statement:**

“The Department of Children and Family Services is dedicated to keeping children safe and strengthening families. We are working aggressively addressing the decades-long challenge of a lack of community resources and facilities for children with complex behavioral health needs, which has been exacerbated by an increased demand in social services in recent years. Every single day, DCFS works with its network of providers and foster parents in an ongoing effort to place these children in settings that can provide the appropriate level of care and in which the children can grow and flourish.”

Some Parents Not Pleased As Kids Are Required To Wear Masks During Outdoor Recess At Jonathan Burr Elementary School In Wicker Park Dec 04, 2021

Show notes

CHICAGO (CBS) — A masking controversy is bubbling up at an elementary school in Wicker Park – with regard to whether kids need to be masked during outdoor recess as a mitigation against COVID-19.

As CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey reported Friday, it turns out the decision on that issue is up to the individual school.

According to Chicago Public Schools students may remove their masks for recess BUT the school’s principal gets the final say… and at schools like this one, the masks are staying on.

The kids at Jonathan Burr Elementary School, 1621 W. Wabansia Ave., get 20 minutes a day worth of fresh air at recess. For some, recess is their favorite subject.

Parents received this letter from CPS in July saying “…face coverings may be removed for outdoor activities, such as recess.” So Burr did Charlie Costa said he was shocked when he drove by the playground one afternoon and saw his two kids masked up.

“My kids were crushed that very first day, and continue to be crushed,” Costa said. “It’s been a couple of months. We’ve been trying to try our very best to communicate with administrators at Burr.”

Costa said he and his wife were given the runaround. He said they were originally told it was Chicago Public Schools policy for the masks to stay on outside.

But Eric Walker, a spokesman for the district, told the CBS 2 Investigators that’s not quite right.

“Students may remove their masks for recess and other outdoor activities at the discretion of each school’s principal,” Walker’s statement said.

CPS leaves it up to principals to decide if they need to “address unique school conditions” and keep masks on.

In an email exchange with the family, Burr’s principal said that masks are required because different classes are interacting during recess.

“I feel they’re not being treated respectfully by being masked outdoors, and we were told otherwise,” Costa said.

So what does the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say? According to their school guidance updated just last month, in general, people do not need to wear masks when outdoors including recess.

“CDC recommends people who are not fully vaccinated wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings or during activities that involve sustained close contact with other people,” the guidance reads.

Costa argues that is not the case on the playground at Burr Elementary.

“I’d be hard-pressed to think we’re the only family out there that thinks like this,” he said.

We did reach out to the principal to learn more about the policy and her rationale behind it. So far, we haven’t gotten a response.

The full statement from CPS is as follows:

“Chicago Public Schools works consistently to protect the health and safety of our students and staff. All of the District’s protocols are in alignment with the health and safety guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).

“Individual schools can adopt COVID-19 mitigation masking strategies that exceed District and state requirements to better protect their students and staff, including masking requirements for students involved in outdoor activities.

“The District’s current guidelines require that all students and staff wear masks indoors at all times, regardless of vaccination status, except for when eating or drinking. The District also requires students to wear masks during outdoor recess if multiple cohorts have recess at the same time. If there is only one cohort having outdoor recess at a particular time, the principal can decide whether or not students have to wear masks. CPS follows all COVID-19 mitigation strategies recommended by the CDC, IDPH and CDPH to ensure the health and safety of its students and staff amid the ongoing pandemic.”

Priest Assaulted, Robbed At Gunpoint, Outside Baltimore Roman Catholic Church Nov 17, 2021

Show notes

BALTIMORE (WJZ-TV) — A priest was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint outside a church in Baltimore’s Little Italy neighborhood Friday afternoon. Father Bernie Carman of St. Leo’s Roman Catholic Church has bruises and scrapes, but is doing OK, thankfully.

His parishioners are concerned for him, especially since he has other health issues. The priest is waiting for a new kidney and just had surgery to prepare him for dialysis.

“I did think to myself, right in that moment, ‘Oh God, he could shoot me,’” Carman said. “He could fire this thing.”

Baltimore Police said the attack happened just before 4:00 p.m. Friday afternoon. Father Carman said was getting out of his car in front of the church when a man he doesn’t know came up to him. “(He) ran over to me and said, ‘Give me your wallet,’” Father Carman said. “I said, ‘No.’ He pulled out a gun. He kind of kept it close to him.”

Father Carman said the man hit him on the side of the head with his gun, then a woman came and stole his phone and the man took his wallet. He said while it happened, he fell to the ground and hit his head on a wall outside the church. “I think the full effects of it are just coming through because Sunday night, all of sudden, I felt extremely tired,” Father Carman said.

His parishioners can’t believe it happened.

“It does upset me very much because Father Bernie is a good man who does much good in the world,” parishioner Marie Rippey said. ”We pray for him and now we have this to pray for, too.”

Father Carman said he holds no ill will for his attackers. He just wants them to make better choices. “How about considering a change of life?” Father Carman said. “How about a different career? Because I think it would be, in the end, much better.”

Police have not made any arrests in the case yet. They believe the man and woman involved are in their 20s.

CBS 2 Investigators: Drivers Caught In A Parking Scam, Get Tickets From The City, Too Nov 08, 2021

Show notes

By Dave Savini and Michele Youngerman

CHICAGO (CBS) – Unsuspecting drivers trying to find parking outside city sports venues are getting caught up in a costly scam. First they pay to park, then they get stuck paying parking tickets.

Deena Mora found herself in this parking trap outside Guaranteed Rate Field this summer while she and her husband attended the White Sox – Chicago Cubs Crosstown Classic.

“So there was an arrow, and it said White Sox parking, so we took that,” said Mora who describes the fake parking attendants wearing the orange and yellow vests. “And they had those flashlights waving for people for parking.”

“The street was full of cars,” said Mora. “They were all parked in a single line and then, at night.”

CBS 2 Investigators found the same parking scam happening months later as the White Sox faced off against the Houston Astros during the playoffs.

Just a few blocks away from the stadium, a man dressed in a yellow jacket, carried a Chicago White Sox parking sign, set it up, and lured in people needing a spot.

There was a team of conmen across the area directing drivers to unknowingly park illegally. One man can be seen holding a stack of parking permits he had no right to sell.

At least 60 cars had these permits placed on dashboards Each one cost $40. That means, in about an hour, these conmen collected about $2,400.

All of this was happening while Chicago police officers, a Chicago Department of Revenue employee and deputies from the Cook County Sheriff’s office, patrolled the area.

“I think they shouldn’t let them scam people,” said Mora frustrated the officers did not arrest these men.

A Cook County Sheriff’s deputy did take some action. A spokesman said the deputy took some permits away and gave those to the Department of Revenue employee. The deputy then had to continue his assignment related to carjackings.

This scheme is happening at other sporting venues too. It has been happening in different forms for years in Chicago. Outside of a Chicago Blackhawks game at the United Center, before the pandemic in 2019, we found a team of men operating the same scheme.

“Twenty, easy out,” said one man selling a parking permit promising drivers won’t get stuck in traffic when fans leave the game. “As long as you got this paper, you’re good.”

Kathy Sladek and her husband were ripped off in this same scheme. She reads what the permit they bought says, “Single event parking for the Greater West Side area”.

Karl Rojek fell victim to this, on the same night as Sladek.

“It’s a fake pass,” said Rojek about the parking permit he bought and thought it was legitimate. “He puts the permit in my window. Waves me to the next guy. The next guy parks me over on the side of the street.”

We went undercover at the United Center and caught scammers running the same operation – using bright vests and flashlights, directing traffic and selling fake parking permits. All of it happening in plain sight.

“Cops everywhere. That’s why it seems legitimate. I mean you wouldn’t think twice about parking there,” said Karl Rojek.

As we drove up to these conmen, we’re told to pay $20 and park on the street. One man brags about running this operation for 14 years.

“Been working down here for 14 years, right down here,” he said.

This long-running scam has cost unsuspecting drivers. After Karl Rojek, Kathy Sladek and Deena Mora each paid for bogus permits, they then each got stuck with a $75 parking ticket from the city.

“Came out after the Blackhawks game. I had a parking ticket from the City of Chicago,” said Rojek. “I walked down the line just to see if it was just me or not. Every single car that parked there, had a ticket.”

“And it’s just aggravating that the police aren’t trying to go after the guys that are committing this fraud,” said Sladek. “Instead they’re gaining income by giving everybody tickets.”

Back at Guaranteed Rate Field, we told officers about the scam being committed by the team of men. Chicago officers just drove away.

With no one stopping them, and cars still rolling in, we decided to ask the men about their operation.

“I ain’t selling (expletive),” said one man as he walked away.

Another one, the man we found carrying the White Sox parking sign, said, “I don’t think you all know where you all at. I’ll get you where you’re living.”

The fine for re-selling these permits is as much as $1,500 for each violation.

Cook County Sheriff’s Department Statement:

On October 12, Sheriff’s Police were assigned to support Illinois State Police patrols on the Dan Ryan Expressway and also provide additional presence in the area of Guaranteed Rate Field to discourage carjackings. While in the area, officers noticed the car parking operation and notified a Chicago Department of Revenue employee who was on scene before continuing to conduct their assignments. One of the officer’s took some of the permits from the individuals and asked the Department of Revenue employee if the permits were legitimate. The Department of Revenue employee took the permits from the officer and confirmed they were legitimate but are not supposed to be sold. Please contact the Chicago Department of Revenue or the Chicago Police Department for questions about what, if any, action was taken in response to the car parking operation.

A Chicago Police Department spokesman said “This matter is under Investigation”.

Capital Gazette Gunman Jarrod Ramos Sentenced To Five Life Terms Without Parole Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Jarrod Ramos, the gunman who killed five people in a mass shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper in 2018, was sentenced Tuesday to five life terms in prison without the possibility of parole, one life term and an additional 345 years in prison.

“Justice has been served,” said Gov. Larry Hogan. “While we hope this brings some measure of closure to the families, the pain of that horrible day will always be with us.”

Justice has been served. While we hope this brings some measure of closure to the families, the pain of that horrible day will always be with us.

Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters are forever in our hearts.https://t.co/YVogtFImAi

— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) September 28, 2021

“Our criminal justice system worked. Thank you to all of the first responders, arresting officers, detention officers, court employees, and prosecutors in the State’s Attorney’s Office,” said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman in a statement. “You have made our community safer and helped to restore balance to the lives of those closest to our five beloved truth-tellers – Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters.”

Ramos, a Laurel resident, pleaded guilty, but not criminally responsible to all 23 counts against him in 2019, using Maryland’s version of an insanity defense. After a two-week-long trial in July, Ramos was found criminally responsible more than three years after the shootings, meaning he would spend the rest of his life in prison rather than a state hospital. A jury took less than two hours to reject Ramos’ defense.

Anne Arundel County’s State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess asked Judge Michael Wachs to sentence the defendant to five life sentences for each of the five victims. Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith and Wendi Winters were killed during the attack.

Ramos had a longstanding grudge against the newspaper for an article they published about his stalking of a former classmate.

Victim impact statements were shared at the proceedings Tuesday morning.

Selene San Felice, a reporter who was in the newsroom when the shooting happened, said “I fought to live that day and I will never stop fighting.”

"I fought to live that day and I will never stop fighting," – Reporter @SeleneSanFelice.

San Felice spoke this morning. She was in the newsroom during the shooting. She hid with others and survived.

San Felice said she went back to work the day after the shooting. @wjz

— Avajoye Burnett (@AvajoyeWJZ) September 28, 2021

Summer Leigh Geimer is the youngest child of Wendi Winters, a community beat reporter who was killed in the shooting.

“The legend of Wendi Winters will live on forever,” Geimer said.

Geimer said her mom always picked up the phone: “after only one unanswered phone call, I knew she was dead.”

Summer Leigh Geimer said her mom always picked up the phone – – "after only one unanswered phone call, I knew she was dead." @wjz

— Avajoye Burnett (@AvajoyeWJZ) September 28, 2021

Stay with WJZ.com and WJZ-TV for more on this developing story.

Brighton Park Man Was Fed Up With Speed Bump, So He Smashed It To Pieces, And Got A Ticket Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

CHICAGO (CBS) — We’ve all grown frustrated with speed bumps at one time or another, but a Brighton Park man was so fed up with the one behind his house that he removed it piece by piece.

And as CBS 2’s Charlie de Mar reported Tuesday night, doing that has gotten the man into a whole bunch of trouble.

Nicolas Benitez said the speed bumps in his alley are too wide and high – so much so they were damaging his car. So he took matters into his own hands, and now there is a pile asphalt slabs leaning up against his garage.

Benitez got a $500 ticket for digging without a permit, and destroying city property in the process.

But he said he was tired of bottoming his car out on the speed bumps in his alley — and claims the bump was already cracking. So he got to work with a hammer.

He admits to smashing the asphalt over a span of days, and then neatly piling it against his garage. Benitez wants the city to install smaller speed bumps, and he has complained to Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) about the current speed bumps before.

But he apparently got tired of waiting for a solution.

“Throw out the ticket,” Benitez said, “because he needs to replace not just this one – he needs to replace the whole area.”

Ald. Lopez was alerted to the missing speed bump, and informed Benítez that there was a problem with Benitez’s speed bump vigilantism.

Lopez tweeted a picture with a caption reading: “Please don’t take matters into your own hands Chicago! This man wasn’t happy about a speed bump. It has been in his alley for a decade. He removed it on his own & earned a $500 fine and a court case in the process.”

Please don’t take matters into your own hands Chicago! This man wasn’t happy about a speed bump. It has been in his alley for a decade. He removed it on his own & earned a $500 fine and a court case in the process. pic.twitter.com/XFCKjYc5Dp

— Ald. Raymond Lopez (@RLopez15thWard) September 20, 2021

“I’m angry and I’m upset. He came by and he wrote me a ticket, and I asked him why,” Benitez said. “It’s my fault. I broke the rule. But why don’t they pay attention?”

Ald. Lopez said a city Department of Transportation inspector came out and issued the ticket.

Benitez said he plans on fighting the ticket, and will appear for his November court date.

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