Page 12 - July2021

ThirdVice President’s Report
Our lawyer’s take on those 12-hour days
Hope you are all healthy and your families are well. Officers are leaving this Department in droves. The pace at which members are leaving is concerning. They are leaving to go to another department in-state or go out of the state completely. Officers are just fed up with the nonsense they must deal with daily, not only from these illustrious citizens but from our own Department: canceled days off, surprise extensions of tour with the expectation that you put your life on hold and that you magically produce a babysitter for
your kids or caregiver for an elderly family member. This is the advice we are giving our officers per our attorney: If you are being required to stay 12 hours for no apparent reason, let your supervisor know that you cannot stay because of family issues, as mentioned above — either babysitting issues or caregiver issues. If your supervisor tells you that you must stay, advise the supervisor to issue a CR number and then go home. Our attorney said we will fight the penalty and have an arbitrator decide if the Department’s order was unreasonable. The officer must be willing to take the CR number. Enough is enough. Our members should not be expected
to be at the behest of this Department.
With the huge number of future retirees looking to leave the
Department with an open CR number, remember: Your pension cannot be affected by an open CR number unless it is of a crimi- nal nature or a fireable offense or if you have been convicted of a felony while performing your police duties. If you are concerned about any CR numbers, you can either call IAD records division and
inquire about the open CR number or call COPA and ask your in- vestigator if there is any movement or information on the current status of your CR number. Most of the investigators at COPA are reasonable, so treat them accordingly.
On May 23, John Catanzara and I rode to Princeton, Illinois, to partake in the “Back the Blue” motorcycle rally to Langley, Illi- nois, finishing at the Psycho Silo Saloon. What a helluva turnout. There were over 3,000 motorcycles. We were given a police escort, and people on the overpasses were waving thin blue line flags — and waving using all their fingers, not just one. The round trip was about 300 miles. It was a great time, and the other police depart- ments and civilians were happy to see Chicago FOP Lodge 7 being represented. We did this on our own time and our own dime. But certain individuals will criticize us for doing a good thing and try- ing to promote goodwill. Abraham Lincoln said it best: You cannot build yourself up by trying to tear someone else down.
The weekend of June 12, FOP board members and some civilian family members attended a neighborhood cleanup sponsored by the South Shore Community Church at 7401 S. Yates. We had a good turnout, but we can always use more members to help with these projects. The pastor and people from the area were very thankful to see FOP Lodge 7 giving back to the community. Life is too short to be angry and to live in the past. Bring solutions, not just problems, to the table. Help out or just keep quiet.
As always, be safe and stay healthy, and remember: No lawyer, no statement.
FERNANDO FLORES
12 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JULY 2021