Page 20 - June2021

An inconsistent message
Chicago is on a record-breaking pace, and it has nothing to do with the recent play of the White Sox. The shootings and murders in 2021
to date have hit a level we have not seen
in years. As of the writing of this article,
there have been 247 homicides and 1,298 shootings. At this time last year, there
were 203 homicides and 1,007 shootings. If
the trend continues and the City of Chicago accurately and truthfully publishes the statis- tics, we will see an unprecedented uptick in mur-
ders and shootings from 2020, which was a year that already had a 55 percent increase from 2019. Not exactly a record that our mayor and superintendent should be proud of.
On my way to COPA the other day, I heard on the radio that once again a little girl of seven precious years had been shot while waiting in the drive-through line at a fast-food restau- rant. The child’s status was still unknown, but she was in criti- cal condition. We then heard the mayor and the usual suspects lament the violence, call for action and wring their hands with outrage over such a needless shooting. It was truly another senseless crime committed by senseless people.
When you are notified to go to COPA, you will meet with your attorney first and go over the allegations. The case that was awaiting me was very similar to most allegations. A man was walking down the street, probably on his way to play bingo at the church. He was stopped by the police, and a gun was re-
covered. COPA investigators stood with their typical righteous indignation about the police bothering this man for no rea- son. They questioned the propriety of the stop through the optics of the Fourth Amendment, hinted at the ra- cial overtones of the stop and overall thought they real- ly had something to chew on to continue their broken narrative. The narrative is, of course, that Chicago Po- lice Officers violate citizens’ rights on a daily basis, and now they thought that they really had one. Unfortunately,
the truth lies in the details.
The officers were veteran tactical officers who work on the West Side. The area of the stop was a known high-violence block — one may call it a killing zone. Recently, some faction of some gang was fighting either with itself or with another gang. The intelligence was reported to the officers and the rest of the district that there was an active and deadly war going on in that area, as demonstrated by all the shootings that had occurred in the area over the last couple of weeks. The officers drove by the offender, and he locked eyes with the officers and their squad. The offender immediately reached for his waistband and manipulated the pocket area. The offender then abruptly turned direction and briskly walked in the opposite direction of the officers. The officers executed a U-turn and closed the distance. All while the offender kept his eyes on the officers and increased his pace. The officers were able to quickly approach, give verbal commands that were ignored, and as the offender took a bladed stance to resist, they were able to grab his hands
TIM GRACE
The Law Firm of Grace & Thompson Specializes in Representing Chicago Police Officers
James E. Thompson, Partner JThompson@ggtlegal.com
Timothy M. Grace, Partner connorgrace@aol.com
We pride ourselves in maintaining a small-firm feel by treating each case with care and consideration.
Seasoned trial attorneys representing Chicago Police Officers in matters before the Chicago Police Board, Internal Affairs, COPA, Inspector General, and Civil and Criminal Courts.
The Law Firm of Grace & Thompson also provides professional legal services in other areas:
• Personal Injury
• Divorce
• Criminal and Civil Defense Litigation
Contact us today for a free consultation! 312-943-0600 • GGTlegal.com
311 W. Superior Street, Suite 215 • Chicago, IL 60654
20 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JUNE 2021