Page 12 - June2021

Financial Secretary’s Report
What will summer shifts look like?
Well, 12-hour days and the cancellations of RDOs are upon us again. The Department failed to pro- vide our members with the “emergency situation,” in which they reasonably anticipate civil disorder to occur, within the 72-page order outlining the hours and assignments. These grueling shifts will have taken place two weeks prior, and finally end one day before Part 2 of the sergeants promotional exam will have been administered.
I know many of you are asking the same ques- tions. Is this going to happen every summer holi- day? Will this take place all summer long? What course of action has the FOP taken, on the membership’s behalf, to bring a remedy to these unrealistic and overly exhaustive hours? And lastly, do the Department, mayor or city council actually care about officer
wellness?
Let me confirm that the Department does not consult with
the FOP before deciding to cancel RDOs and extend shifts to 12- plus hours. It appears that this is the Department’s new strategy to combat the extra helping of violence that the warm summer months bring to us here in Chicago. The districts have been se- verely depleted of manpower to create activity-generating units and to fill Summer Mobile.
The brain trusts at headquarters have now decided that putting detectives on street corners will curb the violence. These same detectives have inboxes filling up with new cases, and their vic- tims, who already reported a crime, will have to wait for any type
of progress on an investigation to take place. At the same time, detectives left behind in the areas get an increased case load and callouts. I would like to personally extend a sincere and heart- felt “thank you” to Department management for finding new and creative ways to boost morale amongst our membership.
Here are some of my answers to the questions above:
Yes, it appears that this will be the Department’s response to every upcoming summer holiday. So, expect more of the same for the upcoming Fourth of July and Labor Day holidays. If they uti- lize the same planning, this will encompass the whole summer, with only brief interruptions in this crazy schedule.
The FOP has filed a class action grievance regarding this de- manding work schedule, seeking expedited arbitration (sched- uled for late July). Our attorneys also brought this same issue twice before Judge Dow last year, citing officer exhaustion and wellness. Judge Dow did not make a ruling on this matter and left it to the parties involved. Well, we have done our part in an attempt to resolve this. The Department, the mayor and the over- whelming majority of the city council obviously do not care about you.
I would like to personally thank those involved in Operation Homefront. This group, which sprang up on social media to sup- port officers working these extended shifts, is mostly comprised of retired CPD and CPD family members. They have offered their time and support through babysitting, dog-walking, etc. Thank you for creating such a positive from a negative situation. Stay safe, answer your calls and back each other up.
JIM JAKSTAVICH
12 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JUNE 2021