Page 13 - FOP Magazine August 2020

Communications Report
Help us show who Chicago Police Officers really are
What does it mean to be a Chicago Police Officer? It seems everyone has an opinion on who we are, what our duty “should” be, and even why we came on the job. We know the truth: We took this job to serve our community. To make a difference. To look out for those who don’t have a voice. That is the true calling of a police officer.
As the chair of the Public Relations Committee, I and over a dozen fellow officers have volunteered to improve the way Lodge 7 communicates with our membership, elected officials, the media and the
general public. Some of the ways we get that important mes- sage out you already know, such as the FOP newsletter, our so- cial media presence on Facebook and Twitter, the Lodge 7 web- site, and email communication from the Lodge. But we can do better.
It’s time to expand our messaging, time to improve and in- crease the way Lodge 7 communicates the truth about our members and the important work that police officers do for Chicago. Some plans already in the works are a new Lodge 7 website, updating and improving the FOP newsletter, creating
a truly functional mobile app, creating a YouTube channel and making a number of other planned improvements.
It will be our job to tell the officers’ story in an improved way, allowing the public to see the truth about what our members do every day for the people of Chicago.
President John Catanzara has spearheaded most of these ef- forts with us, and he has continually insisted on one important thing: In everything we do, we can never forget that we work for the membership. To that end, we need your help. We want to feature you, your partner, your team. We want to highlight what it means to be a Chicago Police Officer. And who knows more than you, the men and women who serve and protect the people of Chicago?
Have an idea? Know a great story that needs to be told? Send us an email at publicrelations@chicagofop.org.
Help us show what it truly means to be a Chicago Police Offi- cer. We know the truth. Let’s show how we took this job — why we chose to serve our community, make a difference and look out for those who don’t have a voice.
The city of Chicago needs us. The people of Chicago need us. Never forget that.
MICHAEL CARROLL
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ AUGUST 2020 13