Page 11 - FOP Magazine August 2020

Financial Secretary’s Report
Department causes more stress than dealing with protests
The writing of my article coincides with the cre- ation of three new units. This will entail a merger, closings and a “super bid” for those officers to whom that applies. Two of these new units will be tasked with dealing with the crime-ravaged South and West Sides of the city of Chicago. With those officers head- ed south, they will call the old 7th District (62nd & Racine) home. The officers assigned west will be returning to where they embarked on their careers with the CPD, the academy, located at 1300 W. Jack- son. The third unit will be deployed from the 1st Dis-
trict. They will be assigned to every protest and unpopular statue onslaught that offends and triggers people to the extent where they vandalize and attempt to tear it down, trying in vain to rewrite his- tory and erase historical figures. This has to be one of the most diffi- cult assignments in any officer’s career, whether they are seasoned veterans or officers just off their “status.”
These protestors include many sub-groups, and I will offer ex- amples of my observations. The first type is the peaceful protestor. They are often spotlighted by the media, getting the most airtime and even a random interview. These protestors have mainly been skinny-jeans wearing, white, meek individuals who ride bikes ev- erywhere and are most likely vegan. They just attach themselves to whatever is relevant at the time and, after making their sign from recycled cardboard, join the group of protestors in their cadence.
The second type of protestor has been the more parent-hating militant variety. These protestors are usually wearing a Che Gue- vara T-shirt, showing their hero and symbol of counterculture and
rebellion. These protestors are more likely to engage in verbal con- frontations with officers, display hand gestures that would get an officer “stripped” or attempt to bait the officer into a debate or de- nounce the police profession in general.
The third type of protestor I observed were violent cowards. They hid among the other sub-groups wearing masks and hats and using umbrellas to conceal their attacks, throwing objects at officers sim- ply doing their job. Their inexcusable actions amount to domes- tic terrorism. The officers injured by these violent cowards should have their day in court, whether it be criminal prosecution or a civil suit of the organizers or organizations behind these rallies.
In closing, the officers who I personally know, who were recently assigned, whether they were by bid or their former units usurping them into these new units, don’t fear the South or West Sides or even the angriest protestor who just left Mommy’s basement. These of- ficers fear the unknown. I called and explained to the Department that many of these officers do not know where they are going to be working in the next 24 hours. They are clearing out equipment from one unit and hoping to get a locker to store their stuff in the next unit. Many will be driving to new destinations, which will in- crease their traffic commute and require them to become logistics specialists and map a new route. The new shift’s start and end times will cause headaches in family life and childcare. To the officers I personally spoke with regarding your bids and new assignments, please know that I made this argument for you when dealing with the department, reminding the (civilian) employees that we are hu- man and have lives outside of this job.
As always, please be safe, now more than ever.
JIM JAKSTAVICH
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ AUGUST 2020 11