All posts by C. J. Summers

I am a fourth-generation Peorian, married with three children.
City Council, Elections

City Council: Sandberg, Jacob, Irving, Gillette, Montelongo

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In Tuesday’s general election, we’ll be picking five at-large City Council candidates to represent Peoria for the next four years. Since Chuck Grayeb and John Morris are not running for reelection, there are just three incumbents and seven newcomers vying for the five seats. In the primary election, I only endorsed three candidates: Gary Sandberg, George Jacob, and Dan Irving. I’m sticking with those candidates and adding two more: Jim Montelongo and Dan Gillette.

Gary Sandberg has a simple, consistent philosophy: city government exists to provide basic essential services in the most cost effective, efficient manner to keep taxes low. He has proven himself to vote consistently with that philosophy. He should be retained.

George Jacob was surprised when he learned that I endorsed him in the primary. It’s nice to know I’m not too predictable. In addition to what I said in my primary endorsement, there are some other things that make Jacob a good choice. He supports attracting manufacturing jobs to Peoria. Many candidates talk about the creative class and the med-tech jobs we want to attract, and those are certainly important. But we need to be a city that has jobs for everyone, and jobs in all parts of the city — not just the north end or the second district. Having good head-of-household jobs in and near the older neighborhoods (and I would say especially the south end) is as important for stabilization as dealing with crime.

Dan Irving has not let his eighth-place finish in the primary election dampen his optimism or resolve. Rather, he has campaigned even harder. It’s paid off — he picked up endorsements from Congressman LaHood, Mayor Ardis, several council members, and even the Journal Star. I have to admit, some of these endorsements caused me to briefly rethink my own endorsement of him. But based on the priority he puts on core services (fire, police) and his support for older neighborhoods (through the Heart of Peoria Plan and other initiatives), I feel confident he would make a good addition to the council and would work to move Peoria in the right direction.

Dan Gillette is the underdog in this race. He didn’t actually win in the primary, but got into the race when ninth-place finisher Charles Schierer dropped out. Gillette provides an insider’s view to the council. Having worked for the city in the public works department, it should come as no surprise that his campaign slogan is to have a “clean, safe city.” He’s familiar with the city’s budget, which means he won’t have the kind of learning curve your average new councilman has. He will be able to get right to work looking for ways to use taxpayer’s money more efficiently. And he’s clearly an essential services candidate.

I really had a hard time coming up with a fifth endorsement. I’m passionate about supporting “essential services first” candidates because I feel the city has gotten away from its core responsibilities. For their tax dollars, citizens at minimum expect — I’ll go so far as to say “deserve” — adequate fire and police protection and well-maintained infrastructure (streets, sewers, etc.). When a council continues to subsidize parking decks while simultaneously underfunding the fire department — and defends that decision — we have a serious problem.

Jim Montelongo is not what I would consider an essential-services-first candidate. But I’m endorsing him because of his strong stance on crime. It appears that this is the issue about which he’s most concerned. He’s a proponent of the “broken window theory” of police enforcement, which was successful in New York under Rudolf Giuliani. I think there’s something to be said for geographic diversity on the council, so the fact that he lives in the fourth district is a plus. I’m a little nervous about the more progressive parts of his platform (e.g., installing fiber optic lines city-wide), but I believe those ideas will be tempered by the budget realities of GASB-45 and other high-priced obstacles facing the city now.

As for the rest of the candidates, Eric Turner lost any modicum of support from me when he defended the MidTown Plaza TIF and development on WCBU’s “Lunch with the Candidates” series. Ryan Spain is passionate about economic development, which is his job at Heartland Partnership, but he lacks knowledge of and depth on the other planks in his platform. Gloria Cassel-Fitzgerald would make a better school board candidate, since that is where her experience lies. Gale Thetford was the architect of the $6 garbage fee as well as the driving force behind Mid-Town Plaza; no way should she be allowed back on the council. Patti Sterling-Polk‘s platform is entirely too vague. I’m not clear what her priorities would be if elected.

Whoever you decide to vote for, I encourage you all to vote on April 17.

Peoria Pundit

Site issues at Peoria Pundit

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Billy Dennis is having some trouble with his site and wanted me to pass along this information:

You may or may not be noticing some sort of ad page on the front of Peoria Pundit. It should NOT be there. I’m in contact with my hosting company to find out what’s wrong, and fix it. I’m suspecting a domain renewal snafu, which is odd, since I haven’t been notified in any way, shape or form. I’d almost rather have my site highjacked.

Tell your readers this may not be resolved until tomorrow.

Thanks.

I was able to get his site, so thought he had it fixed, but I’ve heard from others that they’re still getting hotel ads or something instead of his site.

Good luck this morning on getting everything worked out, Billy!

UPDATE: Billy’s site should be back up within 24 hours. Here’s his latest note:

It turned out that my old domain registrar was bought out by these new guys, and they were sending renewal notices to an old, old old email address, even though I had long ago switched my contact info to an address I can still use. They were very apologetic and helpful. It took the young lady on the phone about five minutes to renew my domain over the phone with a credit card. It will take up to 24 hours for everyone’s ISPs to start pointing ” peoriapundit.com” back to MY site, rather than their ugly little place holder.

And I now see the wisdom in hiring young women to do tech support. I was going to unload a barrage on venom on whoever answered the phone, but I didn’t have the heart to make this squeeky-voiced teenager feel bad.

UPDATE 2: Billy’s site is back up now. Welcome back, Billy!

Peoria Public Library

Library Referendum: Yes

19 Comments

Close the GapsEven though I’m a strong supporter of libraries, I’ve been very conflicted about this referendum. In fact, I wrote up a whole post on why you should vote “no,” but in the process I changed my mind.

Since I do a lot of research at the Peoria Public Library, I know how good our library system is, how knowledgeable the librarians are, and how much in need of updating some of the facilities are. But voters are being asked to approve giving the library $35 million so it can put this plan into effect. That plan is a mixed bag, which is why it was hard for me to come down on one side or the other.

On the positive side, I like the fact that it deals with the whole system — it’s a balanced approach to improving library service. The north side doesn’t get a new branch at the expense of the south side. All service areas get enhanced and expanded (south, central, and north). Even though the small South Side branch would be closed, the Lincoln Branch would be greatly expanded. I like that the downtown branch will remain the flagship to serve the whole Peoria area.

Nevertheless, I have a couple of reservations about the plan:

  • I appreciate that they are trying to keep personnel costs down — it’s good to be conscientious about the biggest library expense: staff. But I think they’re testing our common sense when they say, “A new, revitalized Main Street Branch will be able to offer better service with a smaller staff.” I highly doubt that. I understand the premise that having an open floor plan will require fewer staff to monitor each floor. But I fail to see how reducing staff and giving the remaining librarians more responsibility is going to make them either more efficient or able to provide better service.
  • Another reservation I have is the size of the north branch. I don’t see how they can justify the 35,000 square feet they’re proposing. A more modestly-sized branch that could be expanded in the future would be more reasonable. This would also bring down the $35 million pricetag.

Actually, there’s one other thing that bothers me, and that’s a matter of priorities. Libraries are fundamentally important, and I consider them an essential service for the city. But not all essential services are created equal. Police and fire protection are more important than libraries. By and large, the same council people who are enthusiastically endorsing this tax increase for libraries are the same council people who wouldn’t even consider a tax increase to fully staff fire station 11 or add more police. It was their fear of raising property taxes that resulted in the dreaded “garbage fee” being instituted. If the council is now willing to raise taxes, then their first priority should be to see that our fire stations and police force are adequately staffed and funded. Then they can provide funding for the library.

That said, the library is worthy of the funding, which is why I’m endorsing this referendum.

Peoria Park District

Park Board President: Cassidy

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Tim CassidyThree Peoria Park Board trustees are running unopposed this election, but the president’s post is a contest between incumbent Tim Cassidy and current board member Robert Johnson. I had the opportunity to meet both men at the Uplands Residential Association’s candidates forum this past Thursday. They are both very friendly, personable, and passionate about the park district’s mission.

Johnson made headlines a few days ago for saying that the Junior League’s Children’s Museum plans would be scuttled if the Peoria City Council approved landmarking historical structures in Glen Oak Park. He later retracted that statement. He is critical of Cassidy for voting against a land-sharing agreement with Peoria Public Schools so they could build a school on the edge of Glen Oak Park. Even though the Letter of Intent the Park Board signed with the school board was non-binding, Johnson feels that the Park Board broke its word, leaving the school district on the hook for the properties it purchased. He believes the Park District is “land rich and facilities poor”; thus, he would like to see more facilities, preferably through partnering with other governmental bodies, such as the library board.

Cassidy wants to maintain the Park Board’s present course. He doesn’t want to reopen old wounds by revisiting the school-in-the-park issue; he thinks it’s important for the sake of the community for that issue to be final and off the table. And he points out that the park district’s tax rate has gone down under his leadership.

I have several concerns with Johnson. First, if he were elected, it’s likely that the school siting issue would return. That issue only lost by one vote, and Cassidy was that swing vote. If Johnson wins, he would have to appoint a replacement (subject to the board’s approval) for the seat he currently holds on the board. He will almost certainly appoint someone who is favorable toward siting a school adjacent to Glen Oak Park, setting the stage for a renewed battle. Secondly, Johnson’s favor for new facilities would be ill-timed, considering the debt the park district has accrued recently for the zoo expansion. And thirdly, he speaks disparagingly about the lawsuit that is pending against the park district over violations of the Open Meetings Act. I feel that that lawsuit is a serious issue that should not be treated lightly or with contempt.

We don’t need any more building programs in the near future, and the last thing our community needs is to pick at scabs like the Glen Oak School site controversy; that issue needs to be put to bed. Therefore, I’m endorsing Cassidy.

The Peoria Chronicle

Peoria Chronicle in the news

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HOI News on Friday produced a short feature on how blogging affects news coverage. They interviewed Scott Janz and also referenced the Peoria Chronicle. My thanks to them for a very nice story. I thought of all the local media, they had the most accurate and balanced coverage of the Beachler incident.

Incidentally, I was totally surprised by all the news coverage — and especially the news conference by the police chief — that resulted from my post on Terry Beachler’s run-in with the police. I normally get around 300-400 visitors per day; on Thursday, my site meters recorded over 2800 visitors. For one day, I felt like Billy Dennis!

Elections, Peoria Public Schools

School Board: Akeson, Parker

11 Comments

Beth AkesonIt will come as no surprise to anyone that I’m endorsing Beth Akeson for the District 150 Board of Education. I serve with her on the Heart of Peoria Commission and have seen first-hand how she works with a team of people toward a common goal.

Akeson does a lot of research. She’s relentless in educating herself about topics on which she needs to make a decision both through written materials and personal interviews. She is committed to getting public input before making decisions. That’s important, since the current school board has a habit of making poorly-researched decisions first and then getting public “input,” which they summarily ignore anyway.

Perhaps most importantly, she believes we need to raise the expectations of children in our education system. It’s not enough for the district to make “adequate yearly progress” its goal. District 150 needs to aim higher than minimum standards. And that’s what being on the school board is all about — the children. The school board should be doing everything it can to facilitate educational excellence (not just adequacy) for all students.

I’m confident Beth Akeson will be an excellent addition to the school board. She’s strongly endorsed.

Rachael ParkerRachael Parker works for the City of Peoria in economic development. While we all recognize that the city and the school board are two completely separate governmental entities, they are nevertheless interdependent. They both draw from the same tax base, so the health and success of each body depends in large part on the health and success of the other. With that backdrop, I believe Parker would be an asset on the school board to help foster understanding between the two bodies.

Parker is also a proponent of inclusive decision-making. It’s sad that the school board has such a bad reputation in the area of listening to the community that this is such a big campaign issue. But the fact is, it is a big issue. We need people on the board who will really listen to the people whom they are representing and treat them with respect. Parker will do that.

She’s also a proponent of vocational education. I believe vocational education is important whether students are able to go to college or not. It teaches job skills and attitudes that students can begin using immediately in their summer jobs as they’re just beginning to enter the workforce and build their resume.

Finally, Parker (as well as Akeson, for that matter) understands that the Board of Education sets policy, vision, and direction for the school district and then lets the superintendent carry it out. Currently, the board appears to be led by Mr. Hinton. Getting the chain of command righted and having the school board do the leading will do wonders for improving District 150.

The rest of the candidates

It was a little tough coming up with endorsements since there was such a good pool of candidates this time around. It was a toss-up for me between Parker and Bill O’Brien, but I gave the edge to Parker for her city connections and because she would bring more diversity to the board. I feel that Linda Butler is what I would call a “status-quo” candidate. That is, I feel her platform is in line with what the current school board is already doing. She’s the only candidate who has continued to support the Glen Oak Park site for an East Bluff school.

As for the embattled Alicia Butler, I’ve maintained all along that if the controversy surrounding her honesty and integrity were not cleared up before the election, then I can’t in good conscience endorse her. If she is able to clear her name after the election, she can always run again the next time around. But it’s too much for me to believe that this is some sort of vast political conspiracy involving both the Journal Star and Bradley University to remove her from the board and ruin her life.

There’s a logical principle that the simplest explanation tends to be the correct one, and in this case the simplest explanation is that Alicia fudged her resume and is trying to cover up her mistake. I’ll give her credit for chutzpah, but I’m afraid I can’t give her my vote.

City Council, City of Peoria, Elections, Ray LaHood

Dan Irving picks up high-profile endorsements

12 Comments

Dan IrvingCity Council candidate Dan Irving held a press conference today to announce several endorsements of his campaign. Announcing their endorsements in person were Congressman Ray LaHood, Mayor Jim Ardis, and fifth-district councilman Patrick Nichting. Also announcing endorsements but unable to attend the news conference were third-district councilman Bob Manning and fourth-district councilman Bill Spears.

Congressman LaHood took advantage of early voting and cast his ballot this morning at 9:30. He said he was giving his support because of Irving’s business experience, involvement in the community, and his perspective as part of the “younger generation.” Ray said he was endorsing candidates for city council because he lives in Peoria, pays taxes in Peoria, and thus he cares about what happens in Peoria. LaHood disclosed that he also voted for George Jacob, Ryan Spain, Gale Thetford, and Eric Turner. LaHood voted early because he will be returning to Washington this weekend.

Mayor Ardis feels that Dan has a good background on the issues the city is facing and that he will be a good addition to the “team.” Ardis specifically mentioned that he agreed with Irving’s platform on the issues of crime (supports saturation patrols, surveillance cameras), strengthening neighborhoods, and promoting economic development. Ardis also endorses George Jacob, Ryan Spain, and Eric Turner.

Councilman Nichting believes that Irving has strong leadership skills that will “progress Peoria forward,” and generally agreed with the mayor’s reasons for endorsing him. Nichting also endorses George Jacob and Eric Turner.

Peoria Police

Settingsgaard supports officer in Beachler incident

28 Comments

ChiefPeoria Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard held a press conference yesterday to address the controversy surrounding Terry Beachler.

I didn’t know about the press conference, so I didn’t get to hear all of the Chief’s comments in person. But it’s a hot topic in the local media, so I saw many quotes on the news. Here’s a compilation of all the Chief’s comments I could find:

“Terry [Beachler] had every intention of delaying and stalling this officer and, I believe, goading the officer into anger. There’s no question in my mind he knew it was the police.”

“In this case, I’ll give the station credit. They didn’t sell the juvenile cigarettes.”

“Terry, I believe had a mindset to play games, which he did. And I think that’s evidenced by the fact he walked in with a recording device pre-set.”

“The story that appears to be out there. The angle and the spin on it I believe is very inaccurate.”

“[Officer] Scott Jordan held his professionalism. He did raise his voice and he was clearly agitated but I think he had a good reason in this case and I think he acted with great restraint.”

“When it becomes clear it’s part of a police operation, you get the property back and you return it.”

On the one hand, I think it’s commendable that the police chief would defend his officers. If you’re in law enforcement, you want to have a chief that’s going to back you up. I think in general we want a police chief that defends the actions of his officers when he feels they were in the right.

On the other hand, I don’t think the officer was in the right in this case. Before I go into why, I think we have to recognize that the audio recording catches a moment in time, and we can’t draw conclusions about this officer’s overall conduct nor the police department’s conduct from this one episode. So, I would have to part ways with several commenters who, I believe, are making some rather hasty generalizations about the police in this city. I just want to speak about this singular incident.

And in this incident, I think the officer was clearly angry from the beginning of the exchange. Did you look at the time on that recording? From the time Beachler walked in the station to the time he handed over the I.D. card, it was about four minutes. Granted, the officer had been waiting for twenty minutes for Terry to drive in from Mossville, but one could hardly characterize that as “playing games” or “stalling.” It takes 20 minutes to drive in from Mossville. There’s nothing Terry or the officer can do about that.

On the recording, Terry asked for identification from the officer. Whether or not Terry knew Officer Jordan is immaterial. He was completely within his legal rights to ask this officer for identification. Consider the fact that this officer was not in uniform and driving an unmarked vehicle, and the police had just finished trying to trick Terry’s employee into committing a crime. I’m not going to criticize Terry for wanting identification from the officer before handing over evidence of a crime.

Immediately, the officer escalated the confrontation and started threatening Terry.

The officer demands the I.D. back, Terry says it will be just a second while he gets some information, and the officer immediately responds with a raised voice, “In another second, I’m calling a marked car and making an arrest….” That escalation transpired within twenty seconds. Twenty seconds, people. How do you “goad” an officer into anger in twenty seconds by saying, “I need to get some information”?

From there it was nothing but yelling and threatening, all the while Terry is trying to open the safe and get the I.D. back for the officer. And again, it only took him four minutes total. I hardly consider four minutes “delaying” or “stalling.” As far as “goading” someone to anger, I think it’s clear who was goading whom, and it wasn’t Terry goading the police officer. The police officer was already angry.

Beachler gave the I.D. back within four minutes, and all he asked for was the officer’s badge/I.D. before he would return it. The rest of the time was spent opening the safe. What exactly was the sense of urgency here? Why was four minutes not fast enough? How was asking for the officer’s badge number considered “obstruction”? If you’re not moving as fast the officer thinks you should be moving, you’re obstructing him?

Even if we accept the premise that Terry was being a jerk and “playing games,” that is still no justification for the officer’s actions. Twenty seconds is too short of a fuse for an officer to lose his temper when no physical or verbal aggression has been displayed.

I like the chief, and I mean no disrespect to him or the officers under him, but I must disagree with his assessment of this incident. Officer Jordan did not act professionally, he did not act with restraint, he was not goaded into anger. He was angry from the beginning, he escalated the situation without warrant, he was impatient, he abused his authority, and he made an arrest just to take out his frustration on Terry.

I don’t believe the officer should be fired just because of this one incident, but he should be reprimanded.

Uncategorized

May 1 event to focus on sustainable development

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Greg Woith from Counseling & Family Services sent me this e-mail today (emphasis mine):

CJ: I can offer free tickets to the first 10 people who request them and say they saw it on your blog! This conference will address many of the kinds of issues that you discuss.

That’s a nice offer — nice enough that I’ll be happy to provide some free advertising for the event. 🙂

PEORIA-April 12, 2007-One of the world’s “top management gurus”, Peter Senge, will be the keynote speaker at a conference in Peoria May 1 that will focus on building a healthy environment, healthy communities and healthy families.

The event, led by Counseling & Family Services, is a multi-sector collaboration between business, government and civil society to introduce the concept of sustainable development in the Peoria area. Panelists and speakers representing Fortune Magazine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Peoria’s City Council, World Wildlife Fund, Caterpillar Inc. and more will discuss how we can best prepare for the future of our community using the concept of sustainable development.

Sustainable development is the process of balancing of the environment, economy and social responsibility to improve the quality of life for residents now and into the future.

“Building a Healthy, Sustainable Community: Planet, Places, People” will be held May 1 in the new ballroom at the Peoria Civic Center from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Admission is $20 for non-students and $10 for students. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Counseling & Family Services at 676-2400.

They keynote speaker is Dr. Peter Senge, author of the widely acclaimed “The Fifth Discipline.” Dr. Senge, based at M.I.T., lectures extensively around the world. He stresses that vision, purpose, reflectiveness and systems thinking are essential if organizations are to realize their potentials. The Journal of Business Strategy named Senge one of the 24 people who have had the greatest influence on business strategy over the last 100 years. The Financial Times and Business Week both named him one of the world’s “top management gurus.”

Marc Gunther, a senior writer for Fortune Magazine, columnist for CNNMoney.com and author, will moderate a panel of local thought leaders to discuss sustainable development and how this important concept relates to the planet, people and the Peoria area. He is a gifted moderator who has appeared on NBC, ABC, PBS, CNN and NPR.

“It is critical that we recognize the interdependence of the environment, economy, and social responsibility,” said Doug Allan, executive director of Counseling & Family Services. “We are in the business of helping people overcome problems and improve their quality of life, and ultimately the quality of life in our communities. It is important for us to take a leadership role in bringing the community together to explore ways to sustain our environment, our businesses and our people.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Greg Woith
Resource Development Director
Counseling & Family Services
309 676-2400

Sounds like an interesting event. I like to watch things like this on C-SPAN. It would be pretty cool to attend one live. Good luck snagging one of those ten free tickets (remember to tell them you saw it on the Peoria Chronicle)! Thanks to Greg Woith for the offer.

City of Peoria, Crime, Peoria Police

Terry Beachler arrested despite following the law

119 Comments

PoliceTerry Beachler is danged if he does and danged if he doesn’t.

After his business, Beachler’s Servicecenter at the corner of University and War Memorial Drive was cited and paid a hefty fine twice for selling cigarettes to minors, Terry initiated a new policy:

If an under age person attempts to make a tobacco purchase, we ask for the i.d. If the i.d. indicates that the person is under age, our employees are instructed to place the i.d. in our drop safe. Employees have no access to the drop safe. The next morning we call the police, and if appropriate, the parents to take further action. As we have good evidence, we felt that it is not necessary to call police immediately. We use the drop safe so that a person will not return and try to obtain the i.d. This provides protection for our employee.

It seems to me that this is just the kind of policy that the police would want retailers to have. By confiscating the ID and holding it to the next day, the perpetrator can’t just hit up the next gas station for cigarettes and the next one after that until he finds one that will sell cancer sticks to him.

But in this case, the police — who have already ticketed his business twice for violating this law — were not happy when he followed the law either. Here’s Terry’s account of the incident (emphasis mine):

On March 26, 2007 an under age person made an attempt to illegally purchase a pack of cigarettes. The cashier on duty was given the i.d upon request. Upon examination it was determined that the person was under age and the i.d. was dropped in the safe. The person left. A very short time later a person entered belligerently demanding the i.d. back. A badge was flashed.

I received a call from the cashier on duty indicating that there had been a sting operation and they wanted the i.d. back. I suggested that they return in the morning and I would provide the i.d and left the phone call. Shortly after, I received a second call indicating that the employee would be arrested for theft if the i.d. was not returned. I was near Mossville and returned to the business, about a twenty minute ride. Upon arrival, I turned my digital recorder on. I noted an SUV idling at the south end of our building with a person inside. I recorded the license number and entered the building through the back door. I asked the cashier on duty who needed help. He pointed me to a person outside with big muscles, a buzz haircut and an old shirt. I asked how I could help. The person demanded the i.d. back. I invited him to the office and asked for i.d. He presented a business card. I asked to see a badge which he flashed. I asked again to take a closer look at the badge and established that he was a police officer. He was demanding and argumentative. I went to the drop safe. I seldom open the safe as certain employees do the cash handling procedures. I worked with the combination and the safe was opened after a 2 minute time delay. Occasionally a customer will leave a credit card here or a driver’s license after an i.d. check for check cashing or age verification. Employees are required to drop the item which was left in the safe. We then contact the customer. I found an i.d. in the safe and was examining it to be sure it was the correct i.d. and to determine the age of the person presenting the i.d. The officer made an attempt to grab the i.d from my hand. I reacted to the sudden move and did not release the i.d. At that time he announced that I was under arrest. I was handcuffed and taken to the county jail and released a couple of hours later.

Here’s the digital recording of the incident:

[audio:https://peoriachronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/Audio/Beachler.mp3]

What are we to make of this? In my opinion, I think the officer should have waited until the next day to get the I.D. back. If the police want to do a sting operation, that’s fine. But when a business follows the law — which I assume is the outcome the police are wanting — the least the police can do is cooperate with the business’s policies and not drag a business owner in at the officer’s convenience and then arrest the business owner because he was perturbed at being ordered to come in and return an I.D. like he was doing something criminal. If you were arrested as well for some reason, there’s more in the article which are related to laws and bonds for you to read about.

Now, I’m not out to bash the police here. I want them to be out there patrolling our neighborhoods and fighting crime, and stopping underage sales of cigarettes and alcohol is a legitimate police action. But when they find that a business is cracking down on this kind of crime like they’re supposed to, it’s not right for the police to inconvenience the store owner just because the employees didn’t fall for the sting. They should rather applaud the business and hold them up as an example.

In another case of “danged if you do, danged if you don’t,” Beachler’s recording of the confrontation is actually illegal in Illinois. Illinois law prohibits recording a conversation — even in person — without the consent of all parties involved. Naturally, that law doesn’t apply to the police. So if the tables had been reversed and Terry were the one being belligerent and the officer was secretly recording it, that would have been okay.

In the end, all charges were dropped. But, as Terry pointed out, “Ultimately, valuable police resources [were] squandered” on this incident. If the police want business owners to cooperate with the police, the police need to cooperate with the business owners, especially when their only “crime” is following the law.