Page 23 - June2020 FOP Magazine

Difficult conversations that need to be had
We can all agree that these times we are ex- periencing are highly unusual. While the pan- demic continues in Illinois and across the world, we are facing an emotional con- versation on race relations. I contin-
ue to have legislators reach out to me to voice their support and gratitude for all that the police do to keep our communities safe.
There are also some difficult con- versations going on with some legislators about
how relations between the police and the public can
be improved. Some of the ideas call for more training and changes that will prevent police officers from having to serve as social workers on the streets.
These two important issues have been prompting police officers to contact me for years. Hopefully, we can make progress on those.
Unfortunately, there are also calls for police licensing. This really is an assault on collective bargaining, a key part
of labor union rights Democrats have long supported. I think there are areas where we can negotiate progress in this pub- lic policy discussion. I would think that the Democratic supermajorities in the legislature would not seek to hinder collective bargaining. This entire discussion will continue, and it should. Obviously, there are societal issues that need to be addressed, and we
will work hard to be helpful in those discussions. The state legislature has adjourned and is not ex- pected to return to Springfield until after the Novem- ber election. How that plays out will in part depend on how the pandemic goes this fall. While there has been talk of a special session this summer to address these racial issues,
at the present time, I do not think one will be called.
The governor has signed the bill that should now create a Chicago casino. Our long-negotiated language to have the revenues from that casino go toward Chicago police and fire
pensions continues to be the law.
DAVE SULLIVAN
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