News agencies throughout Chicago have reported that Chicago Police Officers have a bounty out on their heads, courtesy of the local gang bangers. Friends of current officers, who are Chicago Policemen, have verified that this information is being passed along at roll calls throughout the city. Some television stations have shown a copy of this memo in their report. A cop a night the memo warns. To date this hasn’t come true, but that doesn’t dismiss the threat. Just the fact that police officers are being targeted is unsettling, and yet we’re still scheduling field work. Is it a hoax? Why take that chance?
Three UNIFORMED Chicago Policemen have been gunned down off duty. Police Superintendent Weis has stated that these individuals who killed these officers have no respect for the police or law enforcement in general, and no respect for life. And yet, YOU are still required by our department to go into all neighborhoods in Cook County, City and Suburban, and conduct field work twice monthly. Doesn’t Chief Judge Evans or Acting Chief Probation Officer Reyes own a television, radio or read the newspapers? Don’t their trusted staffs see and hear this either? Apparently not. Hear no evil. See no evil. Then there’s no evil, right? Ignore it and it will go away. We do far too much of this anyway. Address this issue.
We have argued that field work is unsafe for unarmed officers. We took the case all the way to arbitration, where we had a Chicago Police Officer, a current Deputy Chief and various other probation officers testify that the streets of Chicago are not the same as they were in the 1960’s! Crime is up. Violence is up. Drive-by shootings increase as the weather warms up, and decline slightly as it cools down. Murder rates always rise after Memorial Day, and decline after Columbus Day. It’s OK for you to be seen in the streets. It’s good for the departmental image. Bulls Eye. It’s actually sad that neighborhood residents have become accustomed to hearing gun shots daily. Should this be a ‘normal’ way of life?!?!
After hearing all of this information, the arbitrator took the pathway down the middle. The arbitrator did not want to rule that the county should stop field work immediately, even though he had more than sufficient evidence to rule that way. No, he chose to have the county ‘train’ its officers. That’s why there have been MANDATORY classes in Street Awareness, Legal & Liability Issues, Gang Crimes, Self-Defense and yes, the ever popular Pepper Spray training.
The Union didn’t demand that you get this training, subsequent to what you have been told by the training staff. The arbitrator did. Having you trained on how to use your radio(s), pepper spray, and where to hide behind when shots ring out is the arbitrators’ answer to continuing the dangerous practice of field work. Not keeping you out of the neighborhoods, or properly equipping you to do this part of the job wasn’t remedied either. No, that isn’t a choice. No guns. No vests. No asp. No county car. Just a clipboard, outdated pepper spray and two radios. That’s what the arbitrator ruled you need to do your job. Common sense is your own. The county doesn’t give you that either.
Continuing to put officers in unnecessary danger is the ridiculous choice. Do you feel safer with all the retraining? The arbitrator was wrong. We’re just hoping that he’s not ‘dead wrong.’ Shootings only occur at night when all the players are out, right? Mornings and early afternoons are completely safe as no drug dealing, drive-by shootings or random acts of stupidity don’t happen in broad daylight, right?!?!
We don’t want to make it look like we’re endorsing our weapons officers to be out in the streets either. We’re not. They have safety equipment, but this isn’t enough should they enter a gang war. We’re supposed to believe that they’re safer because they have ‘training and equipment.’ They work at night when most of the fun starts. But that’s why they make the ‘big money.’ Management wants to have our weapons officers out in the streets more than they’re already scheduled time. More time with a target square on their backs. No critical incident plan is widely made known. No plan on what to do should one of us gets shot or shoots someone else is detailed. Who’s going to be the ‘go to’ guy? Wisniewski? Reyes? Quinn, Bush or Haywood? Loizon? Sobieski? Lasky? Anybody? Anybody?
It’s time to stop the insanity Chief Judge Evans, before you”re making an appearance at a wake for one of your fallen probation officers. Stop field work for unarmed officers. Restrict field work for armed officers who encounter gang bangers and other hardened criminals before it”s too late. What’s the point of our officers working the streets until the early morning hours? We’re outnumbered, just like the Chicago Police. The risk of injury is too great. We’re not the Chicago Police. Stop thinking we are.
You, Chief Judge Evans can bring sanity to this department, something that the current administration chosen by you hasn’t done. Ask yourself this question. If the Chicago Police aren’t safe in the streets, are we? Ask Mayor Daley about attending the funerals of his three fallen officers. Will you be sending a marked car for the procession or are you coming in your own personal vehicle?