Page 53 - October 2019 FOP

Second District officers find their ‘happy place’
n BY ERIKA WURST
When you think about Chicago Police Officers “mobilizing the troops,” strategizing crime prevention tactics might spring to mind.
But in 002, Station Supervisor Rafael Medina gave the saying new meaning as he rallied fellow officers to transform a piece of the concrete jungle into their own oasis.
As they shared intelligence and exchanged tips, officers also discussed sale prices and Home Depot bargains as they worked together to turn a once dingy area of their district headquarters into a much happier place.
What was a cluttered, outdoor area with a covered overhang is now a gathering place to meditate, enjoy lunch or have coffee with a coworker after a long shift.
“The area was being misused. It was a staging area for clutter and debris from construction going on around the building,” Medina said, adding that it was often the first thing officers saw when they arrived at work.
Realizing this, a group of officers came together to clean, power wash and sandblast a long-forgotten spot, giving it a new lease on life.
The idea to create a “happy place” comes on the back of a dif- ficult year in the Second District, which saw the loss of Officer Samuel Jimenez on Nov. 19, when he was shot and killed after responding to a domestic disturbance outside Mercy Hospital.
“We just wanted to lift everybody’s spirits up and change the mindset around here. We want to give these guys their own area, clean it up and show them that someone cares,” Medina said. “That positivity is spreading.”
Stained picnic tables sit on green turf. A Chicago flag adorns the wall, while silk flowers decorate the tables. Above them hangs the sign “Our Happy Place,” a testament to the work put in by all of the officers who banded together to make their idea a reality.
Everyone pitched in with funds. Everyone pitched in with ideas and now, everyone is enjoying the place they made to- gether, where debris and garbage once sat.
Now they sit, happy, in their place. A place they can call their own.
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