Page 30 - May2021

Force of Information
Chicago Police Officers need a reliable use-of-force interpretation to mitigate facing dangerous situations
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
Imagine how many more names could be on the Lodge 7 Memorial Wall if Chicago Police Officers had to process through a complex checklist before using necessary force to stop a threat. Imagine how many more pho- tos might be on the cover of this issue if officers chasing a suspect through an alley had to pause and consider whether some ignorant mob will de- nounce their actions as excessive use of force.
30 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2021
May is the traditional police me- morial month, and Lodge 7 continues its tradition of never letting those lost in the line of duty be forgotten by re- membering their ultimate sacrifice and the dangers members face every day. The memorial is a bit truncated this year due to the pandemic. The officers honored on the cover of this issue were remembered at the Illinois Police Officers Memorial in Spring- field on May 6.
The Chicago FOP ceremony that
adds the names of Marco Di Franco, Clifford Martin, Ronald Newman and Titus Moore to the wall in the court- yard will be held in October. National Police Week in Washington, D.C. has also been rescheduled to October 13- 15.
So the Lodge takes a pause for the cause this month to shed light on a sit- uation that could have easily put more names on its wall. And still might. The FOP has been taking part in a con- sent-decree-driven negotiation with