Page 44 - FOP_Magazine_ February2019

■ BY ERIKA WURST
It was an average day on CTA detail for two Chicago Police Officers. As the pair patrolled the Red Line, keeping order and peace, they stumbled upon a group of blues musicians.
The officers, who enjoyed the tunes, didn’t evict the performers. In fact, one of them jumped in to jam alongside them.
Right then and there the female officer, who prefers to remain anonymous and went by her first name, Liz, became an overnight viral sensation. Dressed in uni- form, the normally “quiet” officer took a seat behind a Ludwig kit and seamlessly rocked along with the group of performers to a legendary Buddy Guy hit.
Her partner, who nonchalantly record- ed the entire interaction, forwarded the choppy smartphone footage to the Depart- ment’s News Affairs division. With Liz’s per- mission, the 53-second video was shared on all Department social media platforms.
An organic experience
Liz was flattered by all the attention but asked not to become the focal point of the interaction, according to Officer Mi- chael Carroll, who works in News Affairs.
Liz didn’t sit down and play for attention, kudos or Twitter shares. The whole experi- ence was organic.
“I know her, and Liz is kind of quiet. Per- sonally though, she’s saved my butt more than once,” Carroll said. “She’s just a reg- ular, hardworking police officer who didn’t really want to bring attention to herself.”
Attention came anyway.
Carroll and his office began fielding re- quests for interviews with the drum-play- ing officer from media outlets not just across Chicago but the as well. A network in the United Kingdom wanted to chat with the viral sensation via satellite.
“I thought, if we push this thing right, we could get this on ‘The Ellen Show,’” Carroll said. “Liz is like, ‘No!’”
Police officers are real people, too
Which goes back to the officer’s original intention when she sat down to play: it was a simple display of community engage- ment that put a spotlight on who police officers truly are.
Comments came to life on social media, praising the officer for her good spirit and compassion. “In reality, police officers are moms, and dads, and play in bands and
work at their kids’ schools,” Carroll com- mented. “When an officer stops and danc- es or plays football with kids in the streets, it’s not forced. They do the same things with their kids at home. We’re real people with real emotions, lives and hobbies. Liz’s hobby is playing drums, and she’s clearly pretty good.”
Drumming up good vibes with Chicago olice Officers
44 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ FEBRUARY 2019