Page 18 - October 2018 FOP Magazine

Portraits by Peter Bucks
Tributes to officers from the CPD Officer, Lodge 7 member and renowned artist
Parks and validation
■ BY AMBER RAMUNDO
Officers who knew Mar- garet Segreti when she worked for the Chicago Park District realized that she was destined for pub- lic service. During the 12 years she held that job, Segreti made a great im- pact on the community by heading teen programs and providing youth with the support essential for them to lead successful, safe lives. All she needed to do was pass the police exam and fasten the Chi- cago Police Department badge to her uniform to make a career out of help- ing others.
“I had a lot of officers who would come in ev- ery day and tell me that I should apply,” Segreti re- calls. “I was pulling teens off of the streets and giving them a place to play. A lot of them just needed stabil- ity.”
In 2004, Segreti finally
took the exam. Three years
later, she became a CPD
officer working in the 012. The uniform and midnight
shifts were new to Segreti, but her passion for serving
the community remained rooted in the job. It didn’t take
long for her to realize that people could use a helping hand no matter the time of day, as she settled into her new schedule of working midnights — first in the 012 and then in the 013, be- fore the district closed in 2012.
“It wasn’t a hard transition,” she notes. “It was like my past job was preparing me for this all along.”
Segreti became a familiar face in law enforcement for many teenagers, who recognized her from when she led youth pro- grams with the park district. The young adults were surprised to see Segreti return to their neighborhoods, especially because this time, she was in uniform.
“They were a little shocked at first,” Segreti shares. “They didn’t expect me to come back, but when I did, I could feel that
18 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2018
they were giving me a lit- tle bit more respect as an officer.”
Her interactions with young people on the job weren’t always uplifting, though — like the time Segreti helped apprehend a group of teens who had committed multiple rob- beries in the area. When- ever Segreti dealt with ad- olescents breaking the law, she tried to keep in mind what she had learned be- fore she became a law en- forcement officer: kids just want to feel respected.
“Now, I was dealing with juveniles on the oth- er side of the law,” Seg- reti explains. “I’ve always learned that how you talk to them makes a big differ- ence.”
In 2016, Segreti trans- ferred to the 015 and shortly after was hired as the Area North Gangs Unit Secretary. The new position was a refreshing change for Segreti, who had worked midnights for
nearly 10 years. She embraced the responsibilities of
secretary, which requires her and her partner, Cynthia Rivera, to keep up with the 10-team unit’s scheduling and paperwork. But there are still days when Segreti miss-
es street work.
“Adjusting to the daytime was easy,” she confirms. “But ad-
justing to being inside was hard for me.”
Whenever she gets stir-crazy from being cooped up in the
four-walled unit office, Segreti signs up to work overtime shifts to put her back on the road. Whether she’s in the office sched- uling vital training for officers or back on the streets helping members of the community, Segreti is constantly reminded of the family she has in law enforcement and the passion she feels as a CPD officer.
“The best part of it is that it’s your own little family,” she stresses. “It’s pretty awesome. You know that anywhere you go, somebody has your back.” d
MARGARET “PEGGY” SEGRETI Star #7824