DART’S NO- DRONE ZONE?
Is Cook County Jail a drone zone? Sneed hears a CX- 20 quadcopter drone was found on the lawn outside a division of Cook County Jail on Sunday afternoon at 3015 S. California.
It’s the first time a drone has ever been spotted on jail property.
The upshot: It was a drone capable of holding a GPS position, although it had no camera — and prompted Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to order a probe of jail security concerns having drones near the jail, let alone inside the jail property.
The buckshot: “A drone could be a vehicle to transport contraband like drugs, guns, weapons or drone parts into the jail itself,” said Sam Randall, a sheriff ’s department spokesman. No kidding. “Thus far, we know this drone did not have a camera on it, but certainly taking pictures inside the jail is a security problem — as well as the drone being able to visualize inmates and what was going on inside the jail.
“We know this drone had a 15- minute battery and flying life and was found in between maximumand minimum- security divisions, although it was located closest to the Division 11 minimum- security area,” Randall added.
“One of our concerns is whether it will be necessary to make the area around the jail a no- drone zone and a no- fly zone, but we don’t know yet how that would or could be enforced,” Randall said.
“It certainly is a concern. This product, which cost ranges around $ 200 to $ 250, can come with a GPS locator.
“Although it had crashed when one of our correctional officers found it, who knows if its intention was nefarious.” Uh . . .
Rauner & religion . . .
Gov. Bruce Rauner plans to step up big time to fight hate crimes in Illinois.
“To me, social justice and equal treatment and respect for each other’s religious freedom is so important, it has become a topic which makes me very emotional,” said Rauner, who presented a four- point plan on the issue at the Holocaust Museum Humanitarian Awards Dinner on Wednesday night.
“I am so passionate about it,” he told Sneed in a phone interview. “I come from a very diverse religious background and am very proud of the faiths that have comprised my family.
“My dad was Catholic. My mom was Swedish- Lutheran. So there was a compromise in the family and I was raised Episcopalian. My wife, Diana, is Jewish and proudly so. Some of our kids are Jewish and some are Christian.
“We have respect for each other and each other’s faith. And our different religious backgrounds make life more rich and fulfilling. Rauner’s four- point plan entails:
Improving law- enforcement training on hate crimes by developing a statewide standardized training plan for state troopers and local police departments in conjunction with the Illinois State Police and the Anti- Defamation League. “Illinois will also strengthen its partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation to protect religious minority institutions across the state,” Rauner said.
Expanding anti- hate lessons in schools by working with the Illinois State Board of Education to create “a dedicated portal to anti- hate education.”
A proposal to prohibit state contracts with companies that boycott Israel. Illinois was “the first state in the country” to restrict “state pension funds from investing in countries that boycott Israel,” he said. Now, his administration “will work with the General Assembly to strengthen Illinois’ landmark” law by prohibiting companies that boycott Israel from being awarded state contracts.
Supporting proposed legislation to increase penalties for acts of vandalism against houses of worship and religious centers. Should that legislation pass the General Assembly, the governor told Sneed he’d sign it promptly.
Rauner’s plan follows a wave of nationwide bomb threats against Jewish community centers, the desecration of Jewish cemeteries and a bomb threat at 9: 10 a. m. Tuesday at the Chicago Jewish Day School, part of the Emanuel Congregation Synagogue Complex at 5959 N. Sheridan Rd.
“These vicious verbal and physical assaults and shootings and bomb threats are really horrible,” Rauner said. “We’ve got to speak out more and move against hate and antiSemitism and take action.”
Holy cow!
Watch for the late sports legend Harry Caray’s identical twin great grandsons and the late Cubbie great Ernie Banks’ twin sons to lead the 19th Annual Worldwide Toast to Harry March 30 with Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg.
The toast will be themed “Let’s Win Two” — a nod to Banks’ famous quote: “Let’s Play Two.”
Sneedlings . . .
I spy: Blackhawks star Patrick Kane spotted recently with his family dining at RPM Steak. . . . Today’s birthdays: Steve Wilkos, 53; Brittany Snow, 31; Matt Barnes, 37, and a belated birthday wish to Fred Lebed, ageless.