With my mind full of financial mumbo jumbo, I came home to an actual controversy tonight. It seems that with the changing of the weather, the front door to my building is warped, rendering the lock useless. This isn't terribly dangerous, as the vestibule consists of mailboxes and stairs, and to get to any of the units, another locked door has to be opened.

That having been said - when I came home Sunday morning from a party, I noticed it stank of pot in the vestibule. I wasn't sure what to do about it, since I don't know my neighbors. I mean, what if it was a fellow condo-owner getting it on in the vestibule? But tonight, when I came home from work, it stank anew. The building president called me to discuss the situation. (Did I happen to mention that I'm the building secretary?)

After about an hour of nervous chatter between us and the four other owners in this building, we decided I would file a police report. This took me about an hour - 1/2 an hour waiting on hold listening to 311 non-emergency hold music. Then I explained my problem to the most interested, resourceful and astute police officer I have spoken to in my entire life. (And believe you me, I have spoken to many a cop in my day.)

Not only did this genius of a woman take the information for a police report, she gave me the number of my beat sergeant. She told me to call him to have a special drug unit watch the condo ( I wonder if they''ll bring along a COPS TV crew???) and to find out when the police beat meetings are.

I was a little worried that my complaint would be deemed, well, unimportant. This is a big city full of crime, and I just figured that maybe, the police would think, "what's a little pot when we have murders going on! " I voiced this worry, and the officer promised me satisfaction. She told me that we had a new "Commish" who was brought in from New York City. He was INSTRUMENTAL in reducing the crime out there. In fact, if I wanted an idea of the "crime fighting that was in store for this city", she recommended the book Crime Fighter by Jack Maple. This book apparently describes the great deeds of this particular commissioner.

Just in case the sergeant on my beat wasn't aware of the changing of the guard, the officer I spoke to gave me the numbers of his four supervisors and told me in what order I should call them.

When I called the beat sergeant (he has an impossibly long Polish-sounding name), I found out that the beat meeting is tomorrow! I am hoping to get home early enough to make this one. I've never been to a beat meeting before, and the condo president and I are very excited about going to this one. Anyhow, this guy took my information, made some suggestions about who I should call, and encouraged me to introduce myself to him at the meeting tomorrow.

I am completely flabbergasted by this whole experience. It is wonderfully empowering it is to be taken seriously - especially by the police. I have never known Chicago city police to be particularly friendly OR helpful, and these folks tonight were beyond that. I just hope they can keep my building free of trespassing druggies. I am feeling confident in their abilities tonight.

Oh, and we have someone coming to look at the door in the morning.