Good scams are just good scams.  Do you think it’s accidental that the Nigerian lottery/inheritance scam has gone on for more than 30 years? I remember getting letters in the mail about it before there were faxes or computers. It sucked people in then. It still does today, even though one would think that everyone knows it’s just a scam.

So too with the elite drug cops in Chicago, where four members have pleaded guilty after cooperating against the brethren.  No, they didn’t cooperate because they suddenly remembered that they were cops, or decent human beings.  They did it to get a six month split sentence plus probation.  It’s all just about getting the best deal for themselves.

But the story that was told at the plea wasn’t a new one.  It was the same thing that happened in New York City’s Dirty 30 scandal in 1994.  And 15 years later, it’s still going strong.  After all, a good scam is a good scam.

The premise is simple: Steal from drug dealers and there’s no one to rat you out.  The victims are dirty, so no one will believe any complaints they might have about the cops taking cash and drugs.  And since they’re dirty, who cares about cops stealing from them.  Think of it as the redistribution of wealth from criminals to police officers, a little payback for their risking their lives every day to protect us and keep us safe.  No harm, no foul.

When the four former police officers admitted their roles in this scheme, a heavy sigh could be heard.