February 9, 2018


News and Views


TRUMP REQUIRES CHANGES IN THE DEMOCRATIC MEMO BEFORE DECLASSIFICATION.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/latest-trump-wont-declassify-democratic-memo-010004511.html?soc_trk=gcm&soc_src=2d64fd91-5e6d-33de-8103-abddb6e1a799&.tsrc=notification-brknews
The Latest: Trump won't declassify Democratic memo
Associated Press • February 9, 2018

Photograph -- President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Shane Bouvet, a campaign volunteer, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Feb. 9, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on investigations into connection between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia (all times local):

7:45 p.m.

Citing national security concerns, the White House is formally notifying the House intelligence committee that President Donald Trump is "unable" to declassify a memo drafted by Democrats that counters GOP allegations about abuse of government surveillance powers.

White House counsel Don McGahn says in a letter to the committee that the memo contains "numerous properly classified and especially sensitive passages." He is asking the Democrats to revise the memo with the help of the Justice Department.

McGahn says Trump is still "inclined" to release the memo in the interest of transparency if revisions are made.

Democrats on the House panel drafted their memo to counter claims in a document released last week by Republicans, led by committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes of California.

5:45 p.m.

The White House says President Donald Trump is "weighing his options" as he decides whether to release a classified memo, drafted by Democrats, that counters GOP allegations that the FBI abused U.S. government surveillance powers in its Russia probe.

White House spokesman Raj Shah says the president "will respond soon" with his decision to the House intelligence committee.

Democrats on the panel drafted the memo to counter claims in a document released last week by Republicans, led by committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes of California.

The GOP memo accused the FBI and Justice Department of abusing its surveillance powers in obtaining a secret warrant to monitor former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page.

Page was monitored for nearly a year.


NOW THE WOMEN ARE DOING IT? THIS IS NOT THE WAY FEMINISM SHOULD GO, IF THERE IS ANY TRUTH TO THE SITUATION. IF THERE ARE NO WITNESSES, I PERSONALLY DOUBT THAT MANY WOMEN WOULD DO THIS. STILL, THIS CONGRESSWOMAN IS “ON LEAVE WITHOUT PAY,” SO PERHAPS THERE IS PROOF AGAINST HER.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cristina-garcia-california-assemblywoman-takes-leave-sexual-misconduct-probe/
CBS/AP February 9, 2018, 2:50 PM
California lawmaker takes unpaid leave amid sexual misconduct probe

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia took a voluntary unpaid leave of absence Friday, a day after sexual misconduct allegations against her became public. Garcia, a Democrat and chair of the Legislative Women's Caucus, is accused of groping former legislative staff member Daniel Fierro in 2014 -- an allegation she denies.

He reported the claim in January and it is now under formal investigation. Garcia said she's taking leave to avoid distractions and any appearance of influence over the investigation.

"Upon reflection of the details alleged, I am certain I did not engage in the behavior I am accused of," Garcia said in a statement. "However, as I've said before, any claims about sexual harassment must be taken seriously, and I believe elected officials should be held to a higher standard of accountability."

California Legislature Sexual Misconduct
In this June 22, 2016 file photo, Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D- Bell Gardens, speaks at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. RICH PEDRONCELLI/AP
Fierro did not comment on Garcia's decision. He has accused her of stroking his back, grabbing his buttocks and trying to grab his crotch in the dugout after a legislative softball game.

An anonymous male lobbyist told Politico Thursday that Garcia made a crude sexual remark and tried to grab his crotch at a May 2017 fundraiser.

Both the lobbyist and Fierro said Garcia appeared to be drunk at the time of the incidents.

Garcia, of Bell Gardens, has been a prominent voice for women's rights since she was elected in 2012, and more recently has spoken out in support of the #MeToo movement that's gripped the California Capitol and the nation.

In October, Garcia told CBS News that a lobbyist grabbed her inappropriately several years ago and that the issue of sexual harassment is not only non-partisan, it shouldn't even be just a women's issue.

"It's not our responsibility, it's not the victim's responsibility. It's how do those with power, how do they help fix this problem," Garcia said at the time.

She was one of nearly 150 women to sign an open letter in October calling out a pervasive culture of sexual harassment at the Capitol and said she herself has been the target of groping and inappropriate remarks by people in the building. On Monday, she spoke at a rally outside the Capitol in favor of legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown giving legislative staff members whistleblower protections for reporting sexual misconduct or other misbehavior.

The movement prompted two assemblymen to resign last year, and Sen. Tony Mendoza is on suspension during an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior.

About two dozen sexual harassment allegations were made against Assembly lawmakers, staff and lobbyists in 2017 -- the most within a single year since 2006 -- and at least eight allegations are pending, according to documents released last week.

Fierro first reported the incident in January to his former boss, Democratic Assemblyman Ian Calderon, who reported it to Assembly leaders. Fierro said he decided to tell Calderon about the incident because of Garcia's outspokenness in the #MeToo movement, which has led to investigations in statehouses nationwide.

"If the person leading the charge on it isn't credible it just ends up hurting the credibility of these very real stories," Fierro told the AP.

Fierro, of Cerritos, left the Assembly in 2016 and now runs a communications firm. Calderon, his former boss, is now the majority leader.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.


ANOTHER UNTRUSTWORTHY LEGISLATOR, THOUGH THIS IS IN UTAH RATHER THAN WASHINGTON, DC. I WONDER HOW THE BRITISH NEWSPAPER THE DAILY MAIL GOT THIS STORY, THOUGH.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jon-stanard-utha-records-show-public-paid-for-hotel-tied-prostitute-report-brie-taylor/
CBS/AP February 9, 2018, 1:01 PM
Taxpayers funded hotel tied to prostitute report, records show

Photograph -- In this Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, photo, Republican Utah lawmaker Jon Stanard is shown on the House floor at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City. RICK BOWMER / AP

SALT LAKE CITY -- Taxpayer funds were used to pay for at least two hotel rooms that a Utah lawmaker who resigned this week is alleged to have used to meet up with a prostitute last year, according to records found by a state House of Representatives official. After the British newspaper the Daily Mail reported allegations Thursday that Republican Rep. Jon Stanard twice hired a prostitute in 2017, House and state elections officials said they were checking to see if taxpayer or campaign money was used for the hotel stays that the report alleges Stanard booked.

House Chief of Staff Greg Hartley told the Associated Press in a text message that Stanard, who resigned Tuesday night, was reimbursed for hotel stays in Salt Lake City in June and August 2017 when Stanard was attending legislative meetings at the state Capitol, four hours from his home in St. George.

The dates and hotel names correspond with text messages reported in the Daily Mail.

"It looks like they were legislative days," Republican House Speaker Greg Hughes told the Associated Press Thursday night.

Utah Lawmaker Resigns
In this Feb. 8, 2017, photo, Rep. Jon Stanard, R-St. George, votes on the House floor, at the Utah State Capitol, in Salt Lake City. T RICK BOWMER / AP

Hughes said he didn't yet know if the House would ask Stanard to return the hotel reimbursements.

"If there has been an abuse of public funds or if public funds were used in a way that's inappropriate, we would," Hughes said. "I don't have solid answers for those things. I would need to have a way that I would know conclusively that that is the case."

Phone and text messages to Stanard's personal cellphone were not returned, but it indicated he read the texts seeking comment. His lawyer, Wally Bugden, declined to comment and did not respond to a follow-up email asking if he was denying the allegations.

Hughes said he did not yet know what the House would do next to try to determine if the Daily Mail report was correct, and said officials had not had any contact from Stanard Thursday.

It was unclear if the House would be able to check whether Stanard used a state-issued cellphone to text the prostitute and arrange encounters because someone electronically wiped the phone and it no longer contains his text messages.

The House Speaker said he assumed Stanard erased his phone, not House staff, and Hughes said he didn't know if there was a way to recover text messages from the phone.

House officials said they can't launch an ethics investigation because Stanard is no longer a lawmaker.

Stanard, a married Republican from the southern Utah resort community of St. George, resigned after serving five years in the House. He voted last year in favor of a law that made state prostitution laws stricter, including raising the penalty for people who are convicted twice of solicitation.

The House announced his resignation Wednesday for "personal and family concerns" but did not offer details. That day, Stanard the AP in a text message: "My father has terminal cancer and I am going to spend a few weeks with him out of state while I still can."

He did not offer additional information.

The Daily Mail reported that a prostitute, Brie Taylor, said Stanard twice paid her for sex last year during business trips to Salt Lake City and that he arranged the meetings with a number for a state-issued phone listed on his legislative profile.

"I already knew who he was because I screen all my clients using a phone number service and I Googled him," Taylor told the Daily Mail.

The newspaper posted screenshots of messages that Taylor said came from Stanard, but the phone number was blurred out. Taylor did not respond to a text message asking her to confirm the phone number and declined to speak with the AP.

The date and time of the messages indicate Stanard would have been texting her to arrange meetings on days the Legislature was in session in March and when lawmakers were in meetings at the Capitol in summer and fall.

Stanard's 2017 campaign finance report shows he submitted an expense on March 10 for $1,510 for "extra hotel expense session lodging" at the "Marriott Residence."

Text messages in the Daily Mail story indicate Stanard was arranging for a visit with Taylor at the Marriott Residence Inn on March 8.

Utah Director of Elections Justin Lee said state law bars any personal use of campaign funds and elections officials were looking over Stanard's reports.

Hughes said that when Stanard met with him Tuesday night to tell him he was resigning, "there were issues that were weighing on him. What exactly and to the nature, I wasn't aware. But it was clear that his priority was with his family and was not here."

He would not say if Stanard spoke about allegations he paid a prostitute for sex, saying it was a personal conversation between colleagues but "it ran the gamut of problems," and "I did not know there was a story coming, I'll just say that."

"I was absolutely shocked. I had never heard anything, there was nothing in my interaction — I sit next to him on the House floor — nothing in my interaction that's ever suggesting anything even remotely close to what we're seeing today," GOP Rep. Mike McKell said.

Salt Lake City police say they have no record related to solicitation allegations against Stanard. Unified Police Department of Salt Lake County said it had no record of contact with him.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



THIRD RANKING DOJ OFFICIAL TAKES A POSITION WITH WALMART

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/09/us/politics/rachel-brand-justice-department.html
POLITICS
No. 3 Official at the Justice Department Is Stepping Down
By KATIE BENNER FEB. 9, 2018

Photograph -- Rachel Brand, the associate attorney general, was widely seen as the most likely successor to Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general overseeing the inquiry into Russian influence in the 2016 election. Credit Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

WASHINGTON — Rachel L. Brand, the No. 3 official at the Justice Department, plans to step down after nine months on the job as the country’s top law enforcement agency has been under attack by President Trump, according to two people briefed on her decision.

Ms. Brand’s profile had risen in part because she is next in the line of succession behind the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, who is overseeing the special counsel’s inquiry into Russian influence in the 2016 election. Mr. Trump, who has called the investigation a witch hunt, has considered firing Mr. Rosenstein.

Such a move could have put her in charge of the special counsel and, by extension, left her in the cross hairs of the president.

Ms. Brand, who became the associate attorney general in May, will become the global governance director at Walmart, the company’s top legal position, according to people briefed on her move. She has held politically appointed positions in the past three presidential administrations.

In her current job, she reports directly to Mr. Rosenstein and Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, who has recused himself from the Russia investigation.

Mr. Trump in recent weeks has escalated his criticism of the department for its handling of the inquiry and suggested that top law enforcement officials should face consequences for conduct he called “a disgrace.”

The release last week of a contentious Republican memo that accused the Justice Department and the F.B.I. of political bias raised new questions over whether Mr. Trump might seek to oust Mr. Rosenstein, who appointed the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III.

Ms. Brand now oversees a wide swath of the Justice Department, including the civil division, the civil rights division and the antitrust division. She helped lead the department’s effort to extend a law that authorizes the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program.

In an op-ed in The Washington Post last year, Ms. Brand argued that the law “has been valuable and effective in protecting the nation’s security” and that law enforcement officers would be “at risk” without it. Congress voted to extend that law, Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act, last month.

Last week, Ms. Brand hosted a summit meeting at the Justice Department on human trafficking. At that event, Mr. Sessions thanked her for her “strong leadership as our third in command at the department.”

But Ms. Brand has also become embroiled in the feud between the president and the nation’s law enforcement agencies. Reports that Mr. Trump had tried to fire Mr. Mueller and had considered firing Mr. Rosenstein raised questions of who would replace Mr. Rosenstein.

Ms. Brand’s assistant, Currie Gunn, has also left the department. Ms. Gunn could not be reached for comment.

Katie Rogers and Adam Goldman contributed reporting from Washington, and Matt Apuzzo from Los Angeles.

Get politics and Washington news updates via Facebook, Twitter and the Morning Briefing newsletter.



THE FOLLOWING LOOKS LIKE A CASE IN WHICH A DCFS CASE WORKER WENT ONTO AN ASSIGNMENT THAT WAS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WITHOUT A PARTNER. I HOPE THAT DCFS WOULDN’T DO THAT AS A REGULAR PRACTICE. DESIRING MUCH MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS STORY, I WENT TO MY DEAR FRIEND GOOGLE. AFTER LOOKING, I FOUND TWO ARTICLES ON THE SITUATION FROM THE TIME OF THE FIRST HOSTILE ENCOUNTER, AND THERE IS QUITE A BACKSTORY HERE. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE STATE LEGISLATURE HAS STEPPED IN AND IS DRAFTING A LAW TO GIVE MORE “LEGAL PROTECTION” TO CASEWORKERS.

SEE TWO ARTICLES BELOW ON OTHER SIMILAR INCIDENTS AND THE DCFS POLICY IN HANDLING THEM. THEY HAVE HAD THE “RIGHT TO REQUEST” POLICE ASSISTANCE, BUT HAVE SOMETIMES BEEN DISCOURAGED FROM DOING IT ON THE GROUNDS THAT IT SEEMS TO HAVE MADE PARENTS LESS COOPERATIVE RATHER THAN MORE. THE ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE IS NOW WORKING ON A LAW TO UPGRADE PENALTIES FOR ATTACKING A DCFS WORKER TO THAT OF OTHER FIRST RESPONDER ATTACKS. RESCUE SQUAD, FIRE, POLICE, DCFS HAVE ALL HAD PROBLEMS WITH THESE ATTACKS. THIS IS QUITE A LARGE ISSUE, APPARENTLY. THE UNION IS WORKING WITH DCFS TO IDENTIFY SAFER WAYS TO DO IT.

NOTHING IN THESE ARTICLES SAID THAT DCFS WORKERS ARE ALLOWED EVEN A PARTNER, MUCH LESS A POLICE ESCORT EXCEPT ON A SPECIAL REQUEST. THAT REALLY DOESN’T MAKE MUCH SENSE TO ME, AND LOOKS LIKE THE SAME SITUATION I SEE IN OTHER PLACES – THE REASON TWO WORKERS ARE NOT SENT TOGETHER MAY BE A SIMPLE MATTER OF COST CUTTING.

I THINK CASEWORKERS NEED A POLICE ESCORT ON EVERY SUCH VISIT, BECAUSE AS THIS ARTICLE DESCRIBES THESE SITUATIONS, THEY ARE “UNPREDICTABLE AND OFTEN HOSTILE.” IF THE CASEWORKER IS A WOMAN, AND THEY PROBABLY WILL BE, THEY NEED A MAN WITH A GUN TO GO WITH THEM. IT SHOULDN’T BE HANDLED VIOLENTLY UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, HOWEVER. THE PRINCIPLE INVOLVED IS THE FAMOUS QUOTE FROM PRESIDENT TEDDY ROOSEVELT, “SPEAK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG STICK.” MANY OF THESE PEOPLE ARE MENTALLY UNBALANCED AS WELL AS POOR, PARTICULARLY IF CHILD OR SPOUSAL ABUSE IS INVOLVED.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/child-welfare-worker-dies-after-attack-while-taking-child-into-protective-custody/
By CRIMESIDER STAFF AP February 9, 2018, 1:38 PM
Child welfare worker dies after attack while taking child into protective custody

Photograph -- CBS/ISTOCKPHOTO

CHICAGO — An Illinois child welfare worker died Thursday from injuries suffered when she was severely beaten last year while trying to take protective custody of a child.

Pamela Sue Knight died at a Chicago hospital, according to Neil Skene, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

The suspect, Andrew Sucher, 25, is accused of kicking Knight in the head so severely that he fractured her skull in September. The attack caused permanent brain damage and extensive physical disabilities.

"DCFS is deeply saddened by the passing of our colleague, Pamela Knight," said department director Beverly Walker. "We are forever grateful for her work to help children and families in Illinois. The work many at DCFS do is not easy."

Knight was attacked when she went to Sucher's parents' home in Milledgeville to take a 2-year-old boy into protective custody.

"We're there to help children, we're not there to wreck families or take their children away forever," said Kathy Lane, president of AFSCME Local 448. "We're the first responders. ... Our mission is to help everyone, and it's important for people to know that."

Knight, of Dixon, was being treated at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, but was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Feb. 4 for emergency surgery.

Knight was still in intensive care at Northwestern at the time of her death, said Lane. An autopsy will be conducted Friday.

Sucher, of Rock Falls, was indicted Dec. 7 on charges of attempted first-degree murder. He is being held at Stephenson County Jail in lieu of $275,000 bond. Carroll County prosecutors could not be reached for comment on whether the charges against Sucher will be upgraded.

A mental evaluation for Sucher was ordered Jan. 9, and a status hearing on the report is set for Feb. 23 in Carroll County Circuit Court.

© 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



THERE ARE “AT LEAST A DOZEN” ATTACKS SINCE 2013, SAYS THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE ARTICLE BELOW. A BILL INTRODUCED EARLIER THIS MONTH BY STATE REP. BRIAN STEWART, R-FREEPORT, WILL SEEK TO REMEDY THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM. THE FIREFIGHTERS HAVE RUN INTO TROUBLE LIKE THIS, TOO. I UNDERSTAND THE HOSTILITY AGAINST POLICE AND DCFS WORKERS, BECAUSE THEY COME TO REMOVE A FAMILY MEMBER, BUT THE ASSAULTS ON FIREFIGHTERS IS SENSELESS.

THE BILL WILL SEEK TO RAISE THE PENALTY FOR INTERFERING WITH ANY KIND OF FIRST RESPONDER A CLASS 1 FELONY, AS THAT ON POLICE CASES OF THIS KIND ARE ALREADY. THAT’S GREAT. WE DO NEED TO DO ANOTHER KIND OF WORK, THOUGH, AND THAT IS TO DIG INTO WAYS TO IMPROVE THE ATTITUDE OF SUCH ETHNIC/RACIAL/POVERTY BASED ENCLAVES TOWARD CITY AND STATE WORKERS – TOWN MEETINGS, NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS TO IMPROVE COOPERATION WITH AUTHORITIES.

OFTEN A FACTOR WHICH IS NOT DISCUSSED BECAUSE IT GOES AGAINST THE AUTHORITARIAN TURN OF MIND EVEN TO ACKNOWLEDGE ITS’ EXISTENCE, IS THAT POLICE OFFICERS AT LEAST (AND DCFS WORKERS?) TOO OFTEN COME INTO THE SITUATION BARKING ORDERS AND EVEN WITH DRAWN GUNS. THAT’S ABUSIVE, AND NOT NECESSARY; BESIDES IT CREATES INSTINCTIVE FURY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEMBERS.

WE ALSO NEED TO LOOK AT THE GHETTOIZATION PROCESS THAT UNDERLIES THESE SITUATIONS. CITIES NEED TO CHANGE THEIR WHOLE APPROACH TO THE CHRONICALLY POOR AND THE SEGREGATIONIST FACTORS THAT ARE STILL PRESENT. I DON’T WANT TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO A BLACK PERSON IS THE VIEW OF MANY TO MOST WHITE PEOPLE. WE HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED AND LAMENTED THOSE THINGS, BUT WE HAVEN’T REPENTED THEM.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/ct-dcfs-workers-met-20171117-story.html
At least a dozen Illinois DCFS workers attacked, seriously threatened since 2013
David Jackson Contact Reporter
Chicago Tribune
November 20, 2017 6:45 AM

Photograph -- Illinois Department of Children and Family Services workers have been attacked and threatened as they entered homes to protect children. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

At least a dozen Department of Children and Family Services workers have been attacked or seriously threatened as they entered homes to protect children or investigate mistreatment allegations since 2013, a Tribune analysis of government records and interviews found.

The violence, though rarely publicized, can be serious.

Last week, a DCFS investigator was called to a West Side Chicago elementary school following reports that a boy there had a burned ear. The boy's mother, who also was alerted to the hotline call, rushed to the school and attacked the DCFS worker, choking her and pushing her into a wall, according to a Chicago police report and other government records.

The 24-year-old mother was charged with felony aggravated battery in the Nov. 13 incident, Cook County court records show.

The DCFS investigator — who had served for years as a south suburban police detective before becoming a state child protection specialist this year — was treated at a Melrose Park hospital and was not expected to return to work for at least a week, DCFS officials said.

In the wake of a Sept. 29 beating that left DCFS investigator Pamela Sue Knight in a coma in Sterling, Ill., Illinois lawmakers have introduced a bill to stiffen criminal penalties for such assaults. DCFS officials say they support the bill and are reviewing agency policies to protect frontline workers.

"Our staff are first responders. The severe attack was a stark reminder of the dangers of going into these unpredictable and often hostile situations," said Senior Deputy Director Neil Skene.

DCFS investigator is assaulted while trying to aid a child in Sterling, Ill.

DCFS workers are not allowed to carry Mace or other weapons on home visits, but they can ask local police for accompaniment if needed.

The AFSCME Council 31 union that represents DCFS workers met Thursday in Springfield with DCFS Director Beverly "B.J." Walker and discussed the Knight attack and new measures that might keep child protection workers safe.

Among the union's proposals were improving training on identifying and de-escalating dangerous situations, as well as giving workers greater freedom to request police escorts. Some workers have told the Tribune that supervisors can discourage the escorts because the presence of law enforcement can impede a family's cooperation with the agency.

"We heard their own firsthand stories of hostile situations," Walker said after the meeting. "It's a constant in the life of a worker. You have to worry even when you don't know you have to worry. We're going to work collaboratively with the union to look at our policies and practices and our training on additional ways to deal with these situations."

To measure the violence, the Tribune gathered worker compensation claims, police reports and interviews with DCFS officials.

In a Cook County case from last year, a DCFS worker needed more than six months of disability leave after she was attacked by a parent, DCFS officials confirmed.

Two years ago, a child's relative purposely smashed a car into a worker's vehicle in Chicago, T-boning the car of the worker seeking protective custody of a child, DCFS officials confirmed.

In 2014, a DCFS worker in Cook County needed two months off after she went to take protective custody of a child but was confronted by the child's mother and two friends, who beat her.

A Harvey DCFS worker in 2013 needed weeks off after a beating left her with an eye injury, and she still has eye damage, according to Tribune interviews with DCFS officials and the worker's colleagues.

At least five people were arrested in attacks since 2013, court records show. Two of them were jailed after threatening to shoot DCFS caseworkers.

In other cases DCFS workers declined to bring charges against relatives of the children they were seeking to protect.

In a Chicago case from 2015, a man with a lengthy record of criminal violence and mental illness threatened to kill a DCFS supervisor's daughter, while a woman with him jumped out at that supervisor from the bushes outside the juvenile court building and cursed at her, according to government records reported by the Tribune in May. The supervisor declined to press charges, but asked to be removed from that family's case, records show.

Union officials said there is no way to comprehensively track attacks and threats against DCFS workers. But they noted that workers frequently face threats and harassment that does not warrant a police report as they visit homes racked by domestic violence, drug abuse and criminal activity.

A bill introduced earlier this month by state Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Freeport, would give DCFS workers the same protections as police officers, firemen and peace officers by making it a Class 1 felony to batter a DCFS worker performing his or her official duties. Perpetrators would face more severe penalties upon sentencing.

A dozen central Illinois lawmakers, 11 Republicans and 1 Democrat, have signed as co-sponsors.

"It's unfortunate an act of violence was inflicted on a DCFS worker in order for legislation to be proposed," said co-sponsor state Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna. "This bill will give DCFS workers the additional legal protections they deserve."

DCFS Director Walker has conveyed her support for Stewart's bill to the agency's legislative staff, Skene said. "We welcome everybody's involvement to figure out what more we could do to protect the workers when they're out in these dangerous situations," he said.

In the Sterling field office, DCFS has given Knight's co-workers paid time off to deal with their grief and personal pain, offered counseling and added staff, Walker told the Tribune.

Knight is in a Chicago rehab facility and remains in a coma seven weeks after the attack. Her husband, Don Knight, said after a recent court hearing that she "will require medical assistance and equipment to support her for the remainder of her life," according to the Sauk Valley Newspapers.

Carroll County prosecutors last month upgraded charges against Andrew Sucher, who now faces two counts of felony aggravated battery for allegedly beating Knight to the ground and kicking her head when she went to his parents' Milledgeville home to take custody of a child.

Sucher has pleaded not guilty but remains jailed in Carroll County on a $200,000 bond. He also faces separate Whiteside County charges of domestic violence and aggravated battery of a child.

dyjackson@chicagotribune.com
gmarx@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @Poolcar4


THIS MAN SUCHER HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH TWO OTHER (SEPARATE?) BATTERY CHARGES. HE IS UNDER PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION. THIS ARTICLE MENTIONING BATTERY OF A POLICE OFFICER DOESN’T SAY WHETHER THE OFFICER WAS DEFENDING PAMELA KNIGHT WHEN HE WAS ATTACKED OR IF IT’S SEPARATE.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/social-issues/illinois-department-of-children-family-services-ORGOVV00033-topic.html
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Man charged in state worker attack to face mental evaluation
Associated Press
Mount Carroll, Illinois
January 7, 2018 12:30 PM

An attorney for a man charged with beating a Department of Children and Family Services investigator says a mental evaluation should be completed within about a month.

Sauk Valley Media reports attorneys on both sides have agreed to an evaluation by a Peoria doctor. It'll help determine if 25-year-old Andrew Sucher of Rock Falls is fit to stand trial.

Sucher is accused of beating a 59-year-old investigator as she was trying to take custody of a child. The investigator was seriously injured, with a skull fracture that left her in a coma. She's recovering in Chicago.

Sucher pleaded not guilty to charges include attempted first-degree murder. He's in custody at Stephenson County Jail.

He's also charged of aggravated battery of a peace officer and separate battery charges in Whiteside County.

Information from: Dixon Telegraph, http://www.saukvalley.com

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


MADDOW NEWS
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 2/8/18
Rand Paul holds US hostage because he can
Rachel Maddow reports on the way Congress avoids properly funding the government, leaving it vulnerable to political stunts like Rand Paul using up Senate time to force the second government shutdown in two weeks. Duration: 7:52


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 2/8/18
Trump vetting failures seen in scandals, firings, security lapses
Rachel Maddow points out that the high turnover of top officials in the Donald Trump administration is a symptom of the poor job Donald Trump is doing vetting the people he hires to work for the American people. Duration: 12:14


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 2/8/18
Rob Porter access to classified info raises huge legal question
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, former staff secretary to President Clinton, talks with Rachel Maddow about the access of the staff secretary to highly confidential information, and the Trump administration's surprising lack of action despite knowing Porter's issues. Duration: 11:57


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 2/8/18
House Republicans covering for Trump White House scandals
Rep. Gerry Connolly talks with Rachel Maddow about Congressional Republican unwillingness to properly investigate Trump administration scandals, including Rob Porter's continued employment as staff secretary despite failing the background check. Duration: 8:27


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 2/8/18
Democratic counter to Nunes memo expected for Friday release
Rachel Maddow notes that the timing of the vote on the Democratic rebuttal to the Nunes memo, and expectations that Donald Trump will allow its release mean that it could be public as early as Friday - a very busy Friday.
Duration: 1:37


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 2/7/18
Democrats aim to make expected 2018 wave count with redistricting
Eric Holder, former U.S. attorney general and chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, talks with Rachel Maddow about working against Republican gerrymandering to re-balance voting districts so that Democratic victories mean proportionate Democratic representation. Duration: 11:56


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 2/7/18
Holder: There's a persuasive case that presidents can be indicted
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder talks with Rachel Maddow about whether Donald Trump could be charged with obstruction of justice, and the failure of Jeff Sessions to stand up for DoJ and FBI employees under attack but Donald Trump and his supporters. Duration: 8:04


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 2/6/18
New details on how Steele alerted FBI about Trump Russia intel
Tom Hamburger, national reporter for The Washington Post, talks with Rachel Maddow about Christopher Steele's discoveries about Donald Trump and Russia compelled him to bring what he'd learned to the FBI's attention. Duration: 16:14