Page 27 - FOP March 2017 Newsletter

P traits by Peter Bucks
Tributes to officers from the CPD Officer, Lodge 7 member and renowned artist
What it takes to survive on the job
Scott Kniaz clearly be- lieves in the “all for one, one for all” approach to police work. He’s been working at District 25, Grand Central, since he started field train- ing 18 years ago and he is passionate about working with – and recognizing – the other members of his pro- fessional family.
“I have no ego,” the 44-year-old veteran says. “I am quite happy to help other cops make the big arrest. I’ve been detailed to every part of this city, par- ticularly while working the wagon, and my experiences make clear that the officers of Donkey City are the most professional you can find, anywhere. They can do it all, and do it amazingly well – especially when situations get critical.
“We tend to take care of
each other,” he continues.
“God knows they’ve taken
care of me over the years,
which is why I consider work-
ing the wagon the job I’m proudest to do every day.”
SCOTT KNIAZ Star 13217
sense of humor has allowed him to deal with some of the darker aspects of the job. It’s also helped him cope after being diagnosed with stage IV cholangiocarcinoma, a type of bile duct cancer. At first, the father of a teenage daughter was told he had just three months to live. But now, two years later, he is back on the job full time, af- ter insisting he not be placed on “light” duty because of his illness.
“After many rounds of in- tensive chemotherapy, some radiation and several surger- ies later, I’m still in the fight,” he explains.
“When I refer to (District 25) as being a family, I don’t mean that as an analogy; I mean it literally. The support I received from my broth- ers in arms was something I could have never imagined.”
Fellow officers, friends, former partners and supervi- sors all rallied to lend a hand
when Kniaz needed it the most. He gets emotional when he talks about how his friends even gave him a sizable envelope after passing the hat around at work. “They wanted to ensure that I had an opportunity to make some lasting memories with my daughter,” he says with
Being part of a team is one of the aspects that
first attracted Kniaz to the job. The Illinois native attended military schools, joined a fraternity and
was always involved in team sports. He attended the Air Force Academy, but when an eye injury cut short his dream of becoming a pilot, he was forced to redirect his ambition.
“I had several fraternity brothers who became Chicago coppers and it seemed like a good fit for me,” he remem- bers. “Having a background in science, I had originally thought about moving into forensics, but after working in the field for a few years, side by side with these guys, I wasn’t willing to trade those interactions for work in a lab or at a desk.”
A self-described “goofball,” Kniaz says that keeping a
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tears in his eyes.
Where most people run from danger, he knows he is
part of a unique breed that runs toward it, and says that’s a bond that runs deep.
“All things considered, I can honestly say I took this job for the camaraderie,” he says. “All of us like to help peo- ple – doctors help people; social workers help people; psychiatrists help people. We do it in different ways, for different reasons, with different expected results. But a simple truth still applies: A happy workforce is a produc- tive workforce. Ultimately, if you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right.” d
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2017 27