Page 8 - June2020 FOP Magazine

First Vice President’s Report
We can weather the storm
Anyone who knows me knows I love being the po- lice. I loved the camaraderie that being on the street entails. You learn to trust others, even those you may not know. I enjoyed the craziness that each day brought. But that was then.
I am not sure if I can even describe what it takes to be on the street today. I do not mean that I cannot do the job the way I know how, but that I don’t know whether it would be good enough. The last month has been a whirlwind of hatred and violence toward
police across the country. The media is doing a hell of a job painting with a broad brush just how awful and brutal law enforcement is in this country. Now I know I am preaching to the choir when I say this — but this is just not true.
Law enforcement today is one of the most difficult jobs out there. It encompasses so much more than it did in decades past. Society has eroded the family structure and self-control along with it. All the while, it has been asking police officers across the country to keep adding more to their plates.
On any given day, and in some places every day, a cop will be a social worker, a marriage counselor, a mediator, a psychologist, a paramedic and a punching bag. I threw in the last one because that is what we have become lately. I don’t mean just this past month, but for at least the past five or six years. Slowly but surely, we keep getting the brunt of the blame for what is wrong in society. With ev- ery new bashing comes a stream of social justice warriors scream- ing they know best how the police should act. Normally, I would not care about the noise. But lawmakers are starting to listen.
We are being scrutinized with a microscope, and politicians are overreacting to public pressure. This past month, I have seen too many officers being stripped of their police powers for non-egre- gious infractions. Society expects us to remain calm and use kid gloves when dealing with violent offenders, yet when we have a hu- man moment, they call for us to be fired.
Almost immediately after taking office, four young officers were stripped for an incident in Englewood. After talking with the offi- cers involved and looking at the evidence, it was obvious that they did not deserve to be stripped of their police powers. President Cat- anzara immediately called the superintendent and several other bosses to start getting these officers back on the street. After several weeks of back and forth with the Fifth Floor and BIA, I am happy to say all four officers were reinstated as of June 26. With the help of Lodge attorneys Brian Hlavin and Pat Fioretto, we have begun to start fighting the Department for arbitrarily stripping officers. In the meantime, we will continue to fight for our members who might find themselves being stripped for non-serious issues.
And we need your help to do so. Now is the time for the Lodge and our members to stand tall and proud. We are all being attacked daily, both physically and verbally. Remember why we chose this profession and why we keep doing this often-thankless job. As I have said, being a police officer is getting harder every day. We need to come together if we are going to weather the storm. Our rights and our freedoms are being threatened. Please keep your eyes open and your heads on a swivel, and back each other up. Now is not the time to be “running and gunning,” so to speak. Answer your calls, help those who need help and make sure to CYA as best you can.
MICHAEL METTE
8 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JULY 2020