Page 5 - December 2018

CHICAGO LODGE 7
Official Magazine
President’s Report
FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE CHICAGO LODGE #7
EXECUTIVE BOARD
KEVIN GRAHAM
President
PATRICK J. MURRAY
First Vice President
Martin Preib
Second Vice President
Jay R. Ryan
Third Vice President
Greg Bella
Recording Secretary
Michael P. Garza
Financial Secretary
John Capparelli
Treasurer
Dean C. Angelo, Sr.
Immediate Past President
Sergeants-at-Arms
William Burns James Jakstavich Michael Mette
Trustees
Harold Brown Andrew Cantore Mark Donahue William Dougherty Pat Duckhorn Sergio Escobedo Fernando Flores Joseph Gentile Danny Gorman Ken Hauser Rick King Frank Quinn Carlos Salazar Ron Shogren Mark Tamlo Daniel Trevino Michael Underwood
Field Representatives
Robert Bartlett Rich Aguilar
‘Tis the season to think about your family
First, I would like to wish a merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy New Year and a blessed holiday season for all our members.
When possible, please keep in mind that although we take the job we per- form for the people of Chicago very seriously, we must first take care of our- selves and our families. The job of a police officer will be here for the next 20 or 30 years. Your family is forever, and it is the most important part of your life.
That said, let me offer an update on contract negotiations: Once again, most of our time has been spent talking about body-worn cameras. We have made some progress, but not enough. We are also mindful that a new mayor will be
elected early next year, and that person will be considering the best strategy for the next administration, whatever that may be.
As I write this article, three of our officers are at 26th and California fighting against what we believe are false criminal charges. They have been accused of conspiring to cover up the Laquan McDonald shooting.
However, after several days of testimony, we believe that it is not our officers/members who did anything wrong. It appears to us that the evidence of leaks and misconducts points to culpability from the Independent Police Review Authority, the predecessor to COPA.
It has now been several weeks since Officer Samuel Jimenez died in the line of duty. His life was taken from him while protecting the citizens of the city of Chicago. That night, I spent time with his partner, his wife, other officers and his family, and it was one of the worst nights of my career.
Having served for such a short period of time, it was heartbreaking to see the hope that he came on this job with and the desire to do for others taken away in a moment. The day after Officer Jimenez was killed, his PAR form/transfer arrived on my desk. It was truly un- fortunate to see the last PAR form arrive in the Department mail too late. I believe he only wanted to transfer so he would be closer to his home and family.
On a personal note, at the hospital I was asked to return his wedding ring to his wife. In more than 30 years of being a police officer, it was truly one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
I ask that everyone keep Officer Jimenez in your thoughts and prayers during this holiday season. His wife and his children will need our support forever, and especially during this time of the year.
KEVIN GRAHAM
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2018 5