Page 14 - January 2016

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE REPORT
Justice for the fallen - the last chapter
14 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JANUARY 2016
On Dec. 15, in room 606 of the Cook County Crim-
inal Court Building at 26th and California, the last defendant, Marcus Floyd, received his sentence for
the murder of Chicago Police Officer Thomas Wortham IV. Floyd is one of four armed robbery offenders who sat in wait to ambush and rob at gun- a point Officer Wortham at the precise moment that he
was starting up his brand new motorcycle. The rest of
the story is known to us all – even more so for the Wortham family, which witnessed and experienced
I was once again honored to witness the performance of Judge Joyce in the courtroom, especially when he addressed the court as he prepared to deliver the sentence to Floyd. Judge Joyce spoke few words of the tempestuous atmosphere surrounding Chicago Police Officers today. Choosing to acknowledge the heroic actions of both son and father, Thomas Wortham IV and Thomas Wortham III. Judge Joyce made note that, just as the Worthams, there are hundreds of Chicago Police Officers performing their duties every day, “admirable beyond measure.” The Wortham family, Brothers and Sisters of the Chicago Police Department and members of the Lodge can now rest the fight for our fallen Chicago Police Officer, Thomas Wortham IV. Thank you for a job well done.
MARLON HARVEY
the horror that night. Judge Timothy Joyce handed down the much-deserved sentence of Natural Life without the chance of parole for the murder of Officer Wortham and six years for the attempted murder of Thomas Wortham III.
The Thin Blue Line
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“The Thin Blue Line.”
You hear this phrase spoken often. Civilians speak of it more than police officers. You even hear it in movies. Politicians are toss- ing the phrase around as though it defines their very understanding of police officers - “Those Police Officers and their Thin Blue Line.” Today, everyone uses those words as a moniker of justice to break the blue line in bringing forth change in law enforcement today. How wrong they are.
Those words are understood and painfully felt by police officers throughout the country. The true meaning of this phrase is that the line represents the one thing that separates society from harm. Police officers — also known as the “Blue Line” — protect citizens from becoming victims of the criminal element of society. This comes with great sacrifice by officers, sometimes costing them their lives. The symbolism of the Blue Line has even greater mean- ing to law enforcement officers when we mourn the loss of a fallen brother or sister who has died protecting that line. Just as the tide of change is rolling upon law enforcement, the same tide can bring up a change among society’s understanding of police officers and their work.
I will end with a quote by Aristotle:
“At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst.”
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Stay safe and back each other up when working. I wish you well and Happy New Year 2016.d