Page 10 - Demo

Entering 2017 with a bang
Brothers and sisters, we left 2016 with 780 homicides and entered 2017 with a bang and bodies hitting the ground as fast as our Depart- ment is trying to get ahead of the Justice De- partment’s investigation. The City announced last month that all officers will be wear-
conduct our stops. Earlier this month it was reported by our local CBS station that, as technology is getting inex- pensive, more and more people are buying surveillance cameras. This news made me think of a hit song titled “Somebody’s Watching Me,” released in the ’80s by Ken-
nedy “Rockwell” Gordy, and that we should always keep in mind that someone may be watching or re- cording us as we do our job. Remember, ideally, an iPhone or a variety of dash cams available to the average consumer can be used to record traffic ac- cidents. More likely, they will be used to record of- ficers’ interactions with a driver after a vehicle stop.
Be safe and have a Happy New Year!
Medical
Recently, the Lodge has experienced members who want to file grievances concerning medical issues on ei- ther a day after their grievance should be filed or months later, after the Department has violated the member’s rights under the collective bargaining agreement (CBA). As a reminder, if you are not sure if the Department is de- nying you a benefit under the CBA, call the Lodge as soon as you discover the event giving rise to the grievance. Un- der Section 9.5 – Medical Grievances in our CBA, you will find the procedure to be followed (excluding issues cov- ered under Section 9.4 – Psychological Review). Members seeking to file a grievance under Section 9.5 of our CBA may file a grievance within 10 working days following the event or circumstances giving rise to the grievance, but may not file later than 35 calendar days following the events or circumstances giving rise to the grievance. So don’t wait for the last minute, call the Lodge for guidance. Unlike standard grievances, medical grievances are filed at the Lodge.
Take the time out
Take the time out to update your contact information with the Lodge. As you know, Chicago FOP Lodge 7 is a different entity from the Department and the Pension Fund, so if you update your contact information with one, you must do it with all, including your beneficiary/bene- ficiaries. At times, I or the staff here at the Lodge may need to contact a member regarding a grievance issue or other related union business, but we are unable to so because the contact information on file has not been updated. So if you hear of someone not getting their newsletter or FOP book, expired personal information may be the reason. So spread the word. d
FOP is here to “serve and protect” you, so that you can better “serve and protect” the citizens of Chicago. God bless!
RAY CASIANO, JR.
ing bodycams by the end of 2017, a year ahead of schedule. The mayor was quoted by media outlets that City
would improve transparency while building trust.
There goes that buzzword “transparency” again.
As far as building trust, let the police be the police. Instead, it seems that the cuffs have been loosened on the criminals and tightened on our police officers. Our President Dean C. Angelo, Sr. said it best: “Don’t vilify our members for honest mistakes.”
Technology is here and it’s not going anywhere so, as we adapted to the in-car-cameras, I suspect we will do the same with the bodycams. Chicagoans will soon have a front row seat to view a segment of our society they nev- er thought existed. Bodycams are not the only thing we should be concerned with as we patrol the streets and
First Vice President’s
REPORT
10 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JANUARY 2017