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A year later, the same issues
Brothers and sisters, it is scary to think that shootings and homicides in our city have be- come the norm. “Why,” you ask? Because during the last weekend in September we had several shootings, homicides and a sex- ual assault of a 13-year old girl, but what you saw on the front page of the local newspapers on the Monday morning after that weekend were headlines about the Chicago Bears. One
headline read, “No real backup plan,” referring to Jay Cutler being out for a while due to an injury.
Recently, the mayor has come out of the shad-
ows and announced his Anti-Violence Plan (plan)
to a select group of people. The plan would ad-
dress the violent crisis that has plagued our city for more than a year. I’m sure the phrase “better late than never” does not apply here and, if that were the thought, try telling that to the families that have lost their loved ones to the senseless acts of violence across Chicago. The multi-pronged plan may be “a day late and a dollar short,” but nevertheless it seems to be welcomed by many in the friendly audience during the mayor’s speech.
This announcement comes at the end of one of our most violent summers, and at the beginning of the fall season. When temperatures drop, typically violent crimes do as well. The plan will offer several solutions to address different issues that are not revolutionary to the Lodge. The Lodge has mentioned many of these issues, and of- fered solutions during its current administration as far back as contract negotiations. The Lodge mentioned is- sues with the shortage of manpower, quality training and improving quality of life, but since it came from the FOP it seemed to fall on deaf ears of city leaders.
Last year, around this time, I wrote about the city’s plan to put more boots on the ground, which was announced during the mayor’s 2016 budget release. The plan was to reassign 300 more police officers back to the streets from administrative positions, along with other ideas. The cri- teria used to reach those numbers was that, “If a position did not require a gun, a badge or arrest powers, then back to patrolling the streets officers would go.” Well, here we are a year later with a new city budget on the horizon, and we still need more officers.
The Lodge told city officials in 2014 and 2015, and we tell them now, that the city needs to hire more officers. The numbers reported in September will still fall short and leave the Department back where it started: short in manpower – especially when considering the officers that will be retiring by June 1 of 2017, and patrol officers that
the city plans to promote to detectives and sergeants. The promotions will add up to about 700; do the math: One thousand turns into 300 pretty quickly. So, although there are certain interest groups that think hiring more police officers is not the answer, there is a silent minority that lives in the crime-infested neighborhoods that would welcome more police officers. The city’s numbers are more like a trick than a treat. Happy Halloween.
Medical Corner
RAY CASIANO, JR
During September’s General Meeting, I reported that the Lodge has had a 60-percent success rate this year at Medical Mediation. I mention this be-
cause part of the credit belongs to the members doing their part in keeping detailed records of the incident and responding to my request in a timely manner, as I prepare their grievance for mediation. An- other factor is a submission of a To-From subject report when the IOD report does not reflect accurate informa- tion. We need to remember that many of these IOD re- ports are made without the officer because he or she was moved to the hospital for treatment and unable to give his or her account of the incident leading to the injury. If the Medical Section requests that you submit a To-From sub- ject report related to your IOD claim, contact me at the Lodge for assistance. In the effort to provide better ser- vice, if you have medical bills from a certified IOD, bring them to the Lodge immediately so that we can forward them to the Committee on Finance to prevent collection
that may affect your credit rating.
Acknowledgments
The City of Chicago is not the only one with big shoul- ders. The 100 Club has big shoulders as well, that help bear some of the weight for the families of first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty while serving others. I salute Joe Ahern and the 100 Club as they reach 50 years of serving the financial needs of and providing moral support for the families of the heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
One of our own, Officer Fernando Flores deserves a special recognition for his actions in September when he saved the life of a 54-year-old man attempting to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. Fernando is a credit to his family, city and the Lodge. Job well done! d
FOP is here to serve and protect you, so that you can better serve and protect the citizens of Chicago. God Bless.
First Vice President’s
REPORT
10 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2016