Page 11 - November 2017 Magazine

ment to announce a revision to the Use of Force Policy that would put more emphasis on the sanctity of life. Our members are reminded of that time and time again. Just think of how many times in your career that, knowing you were justified to shoot, you did not pull the trigger. The Department’s announcement of the revision of the poli- cy and an invitation for Chicagoans to provide input is all smoke and mirrors. The true meaning of transparency has faded away and become nothing more than a buzz word.
That could not be truer than during the COPA hearings in September and October with City Council, when hours and hours of testimony were given by many Chicagoans, interest groups, attorneys and the Lodge as to why COPA should not come out of committee and the issues with it. At the last hour, around 7 p.m., the Mayor’s minions, I mean aldermen, (who did not even listen to the hours and hours of testimony) came out from behind the wall and voted for the COPA ordinance to go forward. I was there for the entire meeting; I was appalled that this group of Mayor minions couldn’t be bothered to sit in on the hear- ings to listen to their constituents, citizens and interest groups, and had the nerve to blindly approve it the next day. I would like to mention the aldermen that I was able to lobby on behalf of the Lodge did vote against COPA; they also sat through the entire process.
Happy Thanksgiving! d
FOP is here to “Serve and Protect” you, so that you can better “Serve and Protect” the citizens of Chicago. God bless!
Where Cops Live: NORTHWEST SIDE
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ NOVEMBER 2016 11