Page 30 - June2020 FOP Magazine

‘Say thank you to a police officer’
A video from Lewis University honors the heroism of law enforcement
n BY KAREN STAHL
Stephen Sherwin, now an assistant professor in the Depart- ment of Justice, Law and Public Safety Studies (JLPSS) at Lewis University, was a young Chicago Police Officer working days in Englewood when he got the call that would solidify his unwav- ering understanding of the power his fellow first responders wield.
A nearby woman was in la- bor at her house, and Sherwin climbed hurriedly to the sec- ond floor bathroom to find her hunched over the toilet.
“’Sweetheart, what hap- pened?’” he recalled saying to her.
“’I thought I had to go to the bathroom, and I think I broke my water bag,’” she respond- ed.
As Sherwin calmly and as-
sertively coached her through
delivery, he called paramedics
for backup. Just as they ar-
rived, the officer helped with
the birth and moved the wom-
an and her newborn to the
couch. In something between
a daze and a shot of adrenaline, Sherwin glanced over to see a hulking, red-headed paramedic running up the stairs while yelling if the umbilical cord had been cut yet.
“No, not yet,” Sherwin exclaimed.
The officer then watched the paramedic bite off the umbil- ical cord before his partner could get up the stairs with tools, in order to stay within the necessary 20-minute time window. Sherwin felt a shock in his body that electrifies him to this day.
“When I think about heroes, I think about him and the many times I’ve seen police officers and paramedics and firefighters
never hesitating,” he revered. “There are special people who I’ve worked with that made me feel so proud of what we were doing and my profession, because there were these folks that had the spirit of really wanting to help people.”
The life-saving responses Sherwin witnessed during his law enforcement career compelled him to voice his gratitude in a video the JLPSS faculty put together in honor of National
Police Week.
Department chair Vesna
Markovic produced the video, which extends an enthusias- tic and empathetic embrace to law enforcement officers currently fighting on the front lines. Faculty members sub- mitted videos to Markovic via Dropbox and text message, and she used a video editor to piece together the final prod- uct, which debuted on Lewis University’s YouTube channel on May 5.
But the video shows that the faculty’s emotions toward law enforcement officers root more deeply than a top- ical “thanks.” Their collective
message is of fathomless gratitude for the actions of officers in the past, present and future.
Raymond Garritano, current director of graduate education in the JPLSS department, holds deep reverence for his law en- forcement students. As a former Indian Head Park police chief, he recognizes the necessity of honoring officers, particularly during National Police Week.
“As a teacher right now, I let [my students in law enforcement] know how important they are,” Garritano shared. “They serve, and they serve well, and now it’s my job to make sure they un- derstand that. It’s always a plus to say ‘thank you’ to a police officer.”
Posting the video and utilizing different social media chan- nels has been instrumental for expressing viral appreciation in this time of social distancing, according to Lynn Tovar, a profes- sor in the department of JPLSS and a retired police commander from Elk Grove Village Police Department.
As a way to perpetuate the heartfelt gratitude from Lewis University faculty toward law enforcement officers, Tovar also posted a poem to the JPLSS department’s Facebook page titled “When God Made Police Officers,” on May 13. The poem talks about God creating the extreme compassion that officers pos- sess, recounted in one of the final stanzas:
The angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the peace officer.
“There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told you that you were try- ing to put too much into this model.”
“That’s not a leak,” said the Lord. “That’s a tear.” “What’s the tear for?” asked the angel.
Vesna Markovic, chair of the Department of Justice, Law and Public Safety Studies at Lewis University, put together a video of clips from faculty in honor of National Police Week.
34 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JUNE 2020