Page 11 - December 2017

ThirdVice President’s Report
What is ‘bad time?’
As many of our members prepare for the next step — retirement — one topic is the elephant in the room: bad time. What is bad time? If you’ve ever received suspension time during your ca- reer, you have bad time. When a member is on suspension from the job, that member is not pay- ing into the pension system during those days. Subsequently, this bad time affects your time on the job. For example, if members are planning to retire on their 21st anniversary with the depart-
ment but previously served a five-day suspension, that member would need to work six days past the anniversary date in order to reach “21 and a day.” This small adjustment may not seem like much, but if the member is working on a budget, not stay- ing those six extra days will result in 2.5 percent less in his or her pension benefit. To determine if you have any bad time, please contact the pension board at 312-744-3891.
Never forget...
On Nov. 16, I had the opportunity to join nearly 30 other of- ficers on a trek to Springfield to denounce the parole of Joseph Hurst. Hurst was convicted for the 1967 murder of Police Officer Herman Stallworth and the attempted murder of Officer Stall-
worth’s partner, Officer Eugene Ervin. Officers Stallworth and Ervin stopped a vehicle at Cottage Grove and Marquette for a traffic offense. Neither of the two occupants had identification. As Officer Ervin called in the license number, Officer Stallworth questioned the occupants. The driver of the vehicle opened fire, striking Officer Stallworth in the chest. Before Officer Ervin could exit the squad car, he was shot as well, but he was able to radio for help. The driver fled and barricaded himself in an apartment in the 6400 block of South Maryland. He continued to fire at the responding units until he finally ran out of ammu- nition and was taken into custody.
Hurst originally was given the death penalty for his crimes, but that sentence was adjudicated to just under 400 years in prison. At the hearing in Springfield, we sat and listened to the parole board, and we were told that Hurst still shows no remorse for his crimes. Parole was denied by a vote of 14–0, and he will not be eligible for parole again until 2020. I would like to thank the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation for providing trans- portation to and from Springfield. I would also like to thank the other officers who attended.
Have a safe and joyous holiday season, and never forget! d
JAY RYAN
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2017 11