Page 22 - December 2018

Portraits by Peter Bucks
Tributes to officers from the CPD Officer, Lodge 7 member and renowned artist
■ BY AMBER RAMUNDO
From a young age, Patricia Kast has proved that there is nothing that she can’t handle. At 17, she joined the United States Marine Corps for four years, where she showed ex- quisite strength while sta- tioned in Japan and at Camp Pendleton, San Diego. But serving in the Marines paled in comparison to the chal- lenges that manifested when she became a single mother at the age of 20 and needed to find a way to support herself and her daughter.
“It’s really scary being a sin- gle parent,” Kast says. “You’re working paycheck to pay- check and have no idea how you’re going to get health in- surance and necessities like that.”
fighting [through] the chal- lenges,” explains Kast, who worked midnights for nearly seven years while raising her daughter.
The balancing act contin- ues for Kast, even after 16 years on the job. Now work- ing in the 020, Kast recently enrolled in classes at Wil- bur Wright College and is on track to earning her degree in nursing. When she’s not protecting the City, attend- ing court or hitting the books, Kast makes time for her phys- ical and social wellbeing by working out and spending time with her daughter, who is now in college.
“You really need to be on top of your schedule and be very consistent,” she says. “It’s a balance. It’s never easy, but it’s worth it.”
Kast’s perseverance on the job and in life is inspirational. Over the years, it has sent a message to her daughter.
“It’s about being an inde- pendent woman and know- ing that you can do it on your
The balancing act
Life became a tricky bal-
ancing act as Kast attempted
to uphold her responsibilities
as an employee working for
minimum wage and a student
enrolled in nursing school
while raising a newborn. Kast
loved the idea of becoming a nurse but knew that she needed more immediate stability for her family. Her aunt, a retired Chicago Police Department officer and former single mom, recommended that she take the police exam.
“I took her advice, and I was in the police academy 10 months later,” recalls Kast. “I ended up [being hired by] the Chicago Po- lice Department, which turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.”
Kast knew little of what to expect when she started training in the 11th District in October 2002. She applied to the CPD for the promise of benefits and financial stability. What she found was a job that would change her life.
“I remember thinking in the academy, ‘If I could do the Marine Corps for four years, I can definitely do this,’” she recalls. “I’m so thankful for all of the opportunities that I’ve had. I didn’t see it at the time, but it has definitely made me a much stronger person.”
Her strength both as an officer and independent woman radi- ated on the job, where she often was able to connect with female victims and encourage them that they, too, can find a way to suc- ceed on their own.
“I can say from my own experiences that it’s totally worth
22 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2018
PATRICIA KAST Star #4102
own,” Kast notes. “I have a job, and I’m still trying to edu- cate myself and trying to further myself. I’m always trying
to grab onto those goals and keep going for more.”
But Kast has not done it all on her own. She is very aware of the family that she gained the day she became a CPD Officer — a family that sticks together through the good times as well as the hard times. On Nov. 19, when Officer Samuel Jimenez made the ultimate sacrifice while running toward danger at Mercy Hospi- tal, Kast was reminded of just how strong the thin blue line really is.
“People don’t really experience what we experience. Every day we go to work and we might be exposed to gunfire,” Kast says. “We are bonded, for sure.”
While coping with Jimenez’s tragic death, it’s hard for officers like Kast not to consider the toll that this job can take on the loved ones of first responders. But Kast remains focused on the job that gave her an opportunity when she needed it most and continues to fulfill her calling to provide strength and healing for people in need.
“I believe in what we do,” she urges. “I believe in putting on that uniform and responding and knowing that there are still people who want us out there, doing our job.”