Page 9 - January 2018

One thing I learned as a patrol officer on the south side of Chicago is that you had to have a level of trust among the community.
Without this trust, you placed your partner, yourself and the public in greater danger. Your trust was built upon being true to your word as best you could.
Now this simple fact that almost every officer un- derstands flies in the face of what we hear about so of- ten regarding the police from the media personnel in Chicago. To many of them, we are chronically deceitful
and corrupt, deserving of ever-growing layers of oversight. I find this offensive.
But I think the tables are turning in this narrative, no more so than with the agency assigned the task of overseeing police misconduct, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA). Recently, COPA announced that it ruled that a 2015 shooting in which a Chicago Po- lice Officer shot a bat-wielding man was not justified.
COPA’s ruling flies in the face of everything I have ever learned about officers’ rights to defend themselves. It flies in the face of the use of force model upon which all of us have been trained. But above all this, the COPA ruling destroys the trust necessary for police offi- cers and the City agencies with whom they work.
Now, no officer can be certain when they can and can’t use force. It’s almost as if COPA doesn’t really care about the welfare of officers. Or, more so, it seems as if COPA has entered some unspoken political arena, far from the mandates of its office.
Let this ruling reinforce an important reality for police officers. We have received many calls from officers who are notified to report to COPA to give a statement. They ask, “Do I need an attorney? It’s only a witness statement!”
Yes, they do. No matter how innocuous the request by COPA seems, no officer should ever report to COPA or BIA and make a statement without FOP legal representation. Far too many police officers unfortunately do not call for representation from the FOP. While attending Lewis University, I was enrolled in a civil liability class along with eight students who also worked for IPRA, the pre- decessor to COPA. Each student had to make a formal presentation before the conclusion of the class. One IPRA employee stated during his presentation, “I love when police officers show up for statements without an attorney. I can then ask them questions I never could ask if they had legal representation.” He also said, “When a police officer gets suspended for a sustained CR number, he gets mad at us. He should be mad at himself for not having an attorney!” This investiga- tor is now employed at COPA.
When asking for legal representation, a police officer needs the following information for the FOP to ensure a lawyer is assigned:
• Location/investigating unit • Date/time statement
• Log number (7 digit)
• Duty status
• Allegations
• Investigator
• Other involved officers
In a related matter, I’m pleased to announce that the FOP has
hired retired detective John (Jack) Halloran to join our staff respond- ing to police shootings. Jack is a legendary detective who worked out of Area Central for many, many years. He is among the best in the City and well respected by everyone. Unanimously approved for the position at the last FOP Board meeting, he will bring great expertise to representing our members.d
First Vice President’s Report
Making a statement
PAT MURRAY
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JAUARY 2018 9