Page 44 - December 2018

Honoring a Hero
Unified in support
Brotherhood for the Fallen responds as officers grieve the loss of one of their own
■ BY AMBER RAMUNDO
Whenever group chat for Brotherhood for the Fallen (BFTF) in Chicago starts buzzing incessantly, members know that something has gone terribly wrong.
The continuous stream of notifications that light up on the screen leaves members with a pit in their collective stomach as they think, “Not again.”
Each of them is familiar with the chain of communication that occurs whenever another hero is killed in the line of duty some- where in the country and BFTF is called to respond by supporting that community.
Rick Caballero was working an afternoon shift in 008 on Nov. 19 when messages began to appear rapid-fire on his phone. Even after nearly a decade as president and founder of the Brotherhood and deploying to law enforcement funerals across the country, news of an officer making the ultimate sacrifice still feels like a punch in the gut. But when Caballero looked at the messages and read “Chicago Police Officer shot in the 1st District,” the shock was dizzying as he, too, thought, “Please, not again.”
It had been less than a year since BFTF was struck with grief in Chicago when Commander Paul Bauer was shot and killed while pursuing a suspect on Feb. 13. This time, the tragedy occurred in front of Mercy Hospital. The officer was only 28 years old.
The texts kept coming as BFTF presidents from chapters across the country immediately began to discuss how many officers they would deploy and the ways they would travel to Chicago to honor Officer Samuel Jimenez and support the grief-stricken city.
“You can’t believe it at first,” notes Caballero. “You’re in awe. You hear about cops getting killed across the country all the time, and now here we are and there’s two in one year.”
Caballero had to quickly shake off the shock, though, knowing that the Brotherhood would only have a few days to execute its mis- sion to support Jimenez in full strength. That meant stocking the BFTF cantina trailer with enough food and beverages to support
44 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2018
Brotherhood for the Fallen chapters gather from across the country to pay tribute to Chicago Police Department Officer Samuel Jimenez.
Brotherhood for the Fallen partners with 7-Eleven convenience stores to supply snacks and refreshments for those attending the fallen officer’s ser- vices.