Page 4 - February 2016

CHICAGO LODGE # 7
FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE CHICAGO LODGE #7
EXECUTIVE BOARD
DEAN C. ANGELO, SR.
President
RAY CASIANO, JR.
First Vice President
Frank DiMaria Second Vice President Daniel D. Gorman Third Vice President Greg Bella Recording Secretary Kevin Kilmer Financial Secretary John Capparelli Treasurer
Bill Nolan Immediate Past President John Dineen Parliamentarian
Sergeants-at-Arms
Bill Burns
Al Francis, Jr. James E. Moriarty, Jr.
Trustees
Robert Rutherford, Chairman Dean Angelo, Jr.
Mark Donahue
Pat Duckhorn
Sergio Escobedo Kathleen Gahagan Michael Garza Joseph Gentile
Ken Hauser
Tom Lonergan
Kevin McNulty Landry Reeves
Inez Riley
Jay Ryan
Steve Schorsch
Ron Shogren
Daniel Trevino
Field Reps
Keith Carter Marlon Harvey Tomas McDonagh
Magazine Committee Members
Greg Bella, Chair Joseph Gentile Bill Burns Thomas McKenna Michael Carroll Reggie Smith
President’s Report
Official Magazine
Often Beaten, Never Broken
Let us begin this month by asking the readership a question or two: What was your initial reaction to your first look at the February cover? Were you upset, concerned or at least taken aback as you viewed the very image that is associated to your career choice looking so marred and damaged? If you answered in the affirmative, then our intention was not lost on you. We anticipated that the illustration we used would more than likely disturb our members. As
with any issue since we moved to the new magazine format, we have several options of what to do with our monthly covers. Although we would much rather not have to speak to the ongoing negative cli- mate Chicago Police Officers are subjected to, by deciding to do so made the cover choice an easy decision.
In recent months we have made every possible attempt to address the finger-pointing and support our membership by participating in so many inter- views that we have literally lost count of the actual number. In the office, Brita Gaffney has been gather- ing them and put them on the Lodge website. For those that might be interested in looking for what was said and when, they are now available for view- ing. You can also Google “Dean Angelo,” “FOP,” and “interview” to search radio, print and video inter- views we did as a way to get a better sense of the total amount and the overall content of what we have been doing (interview-wise) nearly each and every day. Regardless of the type of interviews, at some point the questions get to the state of membership’s morale and our response is always the same. Although our response might catch some off guard, it surprises no one when we respond with, “We have not witnessed morale this low in our 35-plus years.” The strength and resilience of Chicago Police Officers is certainly being tested. By doing what they do every day, our members continue to demonstrate to everyone why they are truly the best law enforce- ment agency in the world. They will survive attacks on their professionalism and continue their undaunted dedication to the citizens of Chicago.
There are so many contributing factors to the present problems associated with the morale issue that the list would be exhaustive. Elective time off is limited to a level where the once automatic “Personal Day” requests are often being denied. Even though the in-car cameras in assigned vehicles no longer perform as intended, the operators of the vehicles are being written up for equipment they are unable to repair themselves. With many issues of
grave importance taking place within the Depart- ment as of late, there are some inspectors who seem to think that hammering officers for everything under the sun somehow makes sense. We actually have officers being written up while dropping off an unsafe vehicle at motor maintenance because they did not place a Beat Tag on the soon to be downed car. Other officers are having their starting times altered because they are not completing a sufficient amount of the confusing and contradictory newly designed Investigatory Stop Reports. As if these inci- dents aren’t enough to contribute to our low morale issue, the first Detective Examination since 2005 was supposed to take place the first quarter of 2016, but it is now on hold until sometime this summer (hope- fully). So there are members that have been on the job for 12 years and have never been able to sit for a Detective Exam. And people need to ask why morale is in the tank?
Similar, but different
So, let’s move onto the next encouraging topic. We often speak to some of our most senior members, many of whom survived previous times of anti-gov- ernment waves which resulted in instances of civil demonstration. Although they remember their frus- trations associated with those days, to the last one, they believe that today is worse. Collectively, they cannot remember a time when there has been so much anger, dissent and accusations against the police being so commonplace. Maybe it is due to the instantaneous advancements of today’s modes of communication - social media, the internet, cell phone cameras, etc; but right now everything appears to be upside down. Daily newspapers and nightly news broadcasts seem to be regurgitating headlines and lead-in stories that report anything to further denigrate our profession. From national political candidates to local mayors, from council chambers to pulpits, from most newsrooms to nearly every street corner and from boardrooms to classrooms, it is readily apparent that there are many who believe the best way to resurrect, save or even create one’s career is best done by berating the women and men of law enforcement.
Historically, candidates seeking office would do so by using an anti-crime platform as part of their cam- paign. Now these same candidates decided to shift their strategies and to run by using an anti-police plat- form. Rather than speaking to the need for more offi- cers as a means to address upticks in murders, gangs and narcotics, they are asking for less officer presence in the neighborhoods as a means to attract constituent support. In the not-too-recent past, campaign man- agers would seek out endorsements from local law
4 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ FEBRUARY 2016
DEAN C. ANGELO, SR.