You know crime is bad when…

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Every day in Chicago brings a litany of bad news about bad budgeting and rising crime. The two are connected, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But you know crime is bad when the cops are victims too.

A Chicago Sun Times investigation revealed the Chicago Police Department is short 2,000 officers from the 13,500 it’s authorized to have. Local blog, Second City Cop has been following the CPD’s contract negotiations, or lack thereof, for more than two years. And now we have Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis speaking publicly about his fear that increasing numbers of retirees will further deplete the force.

Of course. Mayor Daley poo pooed the notion, saying of all things:

“Retirement is very questionable because of the economy outside. You can’t get jobs,” the mayor told reporters at an unrelated event.

“Usually when people retire, they’ll be able to get a second job. That’s very, very difficult today. Very difficult. … There’s no jobs out there.”

As though people retire so that they can work elsewhere. Silly me, I thought they retired to not work any more. Anywhere.

But you know crime is running rampant when there is no longer any fear of authority. When the rule of law is no more.

Off duty police officers are being carjacked, shot at and chased by suspected gang members. And now this:

Burglars may have thought they hit a gold mine when they robbed a home on the far Northwest Side and made off with a gun and a 50-inch flat screen television on Monday…

It turns out the burglars hit the home of Deputy Superintendent Steve Peterson, the number three ranking officer in the department, the officer said.

I wonder if they were casing the place.

Officials believe the burglars hit his unoccupied home during the day on Monday while Peterson was at his job at Chicago Police headquarters.

And, the burglars got his gun.

Home of No. 3 Chicago cop burglarized – Chicago Breaking News.