Page 10 - JULY 2016 Newsletter

Brothers and Sisters, there are 91⁄2 reasons why this city and the police department are not moving in the right direction. You don’t have to look far to see that the list begins and ends on the fifth floor of City Hall. I have vis- ited different cities across the country and have found that the spike in violent crimes are not unique to our city, nor should law en- forcement be blamed for it. As many nation-
dammed if we do, and dammed if we don’t. Job well done officer; you saved your partner’s life and helped take a criminal off the streets.
The risk may be greater than you think
As the city continues to nickel-and-dime us with cre- ative taxing like the garbage-collection fee, plus another property-tax hike coming soon, our members attempt to make ends meet with secondary employment. I truly un-
derstand that many of our active members are working second jobs not for luxury, but to provide a better life for their families and, in some cases, to meet
91⁄2 Reasons
RAY CASIANO, JR
al politicians, and some local ones, have taken the platform on anti-police-versus-anti-crime during their campaigns, the reality is that the common thread in all of this is not with the lack of proper policing, but rather crimes that are being commit- ted in economically deprived neighborhoods on occasion spill over to other parts of the city.
healthcare needs for their elderly parents.
I want to make it clear that the risk may be great- er than you think when working for “fly-by-night” security companies or even as a security guard for CPS that has a union that does not represent its em- ployees. These companies seek you out because of your experience and level of professionalism, so you are worth a good wage and complete benefit coverage. But recently, the Lodge has had a rash of Injury On Duty (IOD) denials come back from the city’s Committee on Finance. Some of the denials were due to a lack of information needed that may have not beeen include in an IOD report, but others were because the officers filing the claims where they were working off duty as security officers for some company. In any case, I will continue to file the grievance when needed and help our members secure their bene- fits. But be aware that you might be selling yourself short and risking an injury that will not be considered an IOD, as well as risk your primary employment with the Depart-
ment.
Medical Corner
I have mentioned in the past that more of our members have been placed on Forced Medical since the arrival of the Department of Justice. I am glad to report that many of our members have been found fit for duty and are now working full duty with their medical days restored. I would like to remind those officers who find themselves being returned to duty and have filed a grievance with the Lodge under section 9.4 of the CBA that you need to con- tact me so we can close the grievance once you have been made whole.
Members that are on IOD awaiting a referral for treat- ment from the Medical Service Section and feel that the department is causing an unnecessary delay should con- tact the Lodge for guidance and possibly file a grievance to prevent the loss of further IOD days that may be need- ed for future treatment. It is highly recommended that you keep detailed records as to whom you talk to at the MSS and when as these records may become essential when fighting your grievance.
Acknowledgment
On June 30, the Pilsen community remembered Officer
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First Vice President’s
REPORT
The way I see it, we have some politicians who would rather pander to those who are part of the problem rather than governing as they were elected to do so. That’s po- litical correctness? We have the Mayor’s office continuing to put political pressure on the Department’s command staff to develop new crime-fighting techniques. Really? How about addressing the white elephant in the room: Hire more police officers and stop playing the shuffling game. And then let the police be the police and the pol- iticians continue to attempt to govern their perspective areas of the city. How about community leaders going to their ward offices to demand economic devolvement in their communities that will bring hope and dignity back into those neighborhoods. Proverb 16:27: “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece.”
What a pain in the neck
On June 13, one of our members was fighting for his life, yes, for his life, with a pain in the neck that comes from an offender choking him and biting him in order to defeat an arrest. This all could have ended very quickly if the officer would have decided to shoot the offender to stop the threat. He would have been well within the force options, but he had the foremost regard for the preserva- tion of human life and continued to assess the situation, while being choked. His partner, while providing security by keeping a rowdy crowd away that may have helped the offender make his escape, noticed that his partner was being choked. As a quick response to immediately stop the offender from choking out his partner, he kicked the offender one time to disorient him enough so that his partner could place him into custody.
Although this method used to stop the offender’s ac- tions is not in our training, that officer was within his means to save his partner from being choked out. Our members are prohibited from using choke holds to sub- due a subject. Why? Because you can kill someone with a choke hold. But why wouldn’t we be able to use whatev- er force is necessary to stop a criminal’s actions? We are
10 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JULY 2016