Page 22 - November 2021

Portraits by Peter Bucks
Tributes to officers from the CPD Officer, Lodge 7 member and renowned artist
n BY ROSEMARY AN
Eduardo A. Escalante took the entry exam at 18 years old and joined the Chicago Police Department on Oct. 31, 2016, as soon as he turned 21 years old.
“I definitely felt like a little kid when I first got on,” re- vealed Escalante, who works in 009. “Everybody was at least eight years older than me.”
Escalante is the second gen- eration of law enforcement in his family, with his father, Edu- ardo, a sergeant in the CPD K-9 unit, being the first. He remembers listening to his fa- ther’s remarkable stories about being on the job. He wanted to become just like his father.
“It definitely played a big part in seeing [law enforce- ment] as an option,” Eduardo A. recalled. “My dad worked on a lot of narcotics teams, so he did a lot of undercover stuff, and I thought that was so cool. I looked up to him a lot.”
Eduardo warned his son
about the stressors that come
with a law enforcement ca-
reer. Eduardo A. confidently
accepted the job anyway. His
father had previously worked
in the 15th District, so he nat-
urally wanted to work there, too. But it wasn’t until he actually landed in the district that he realized what his father had cautioned about.
“I was always like, ‘I’m going to work in 15. I’m go-
ing to work in the West Side,’” Eduardo A. shared. “The first day, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m actually here now.’ When you’re experiencing it, you’re like, ‘Man, this is kind of tough.’ It takes a toll on your mind and body for sure.”
With the help of his field training officers from the 15th, 14th and 17th districts, Eduardo A. made his first arrest, completed a foot chase and learned how to fill out paperwork. The most im- portant lesson, however, was how to converse with people who are potentially in need of help.
“In this job, you’re interacting with people every day,” Eduardo A. explained. “My FTO taught me that how you talk to people goes a really long way. And I like talking to people. I like being social.”
One incident from the 14th District is embedded in his memory.
Eduardo A. responded to the scene of a man who was con- vinced that the government had put chips in his body.
“He was going through an episode,” Eduardo A. clarified. “I was like, ‘I don’t know what to say to this guy, but I’m going to try to relate with him.’ And that helped him, because I was like, ‘All right. Why are you feel- ing this way? Why are you do- ing this?’”
The man said he was hear- ing voices in his head. Eduardo A. did not have any training in mental health issues, but his instincts took over. The only thought he had was how he could help this man.
“I think a lot of people, when they call, it’s just for help,” Edu- ardo A. confided. “So you just have to take that approach. Like, ‘How can I help? What do you need?’”
Five years on the job later, Eduardo A. says he feels like a seasoned officer, but there is still much that he does not know. In fact, when younger officers started asking him for help, it felt strange to be con- sidered a veteran.
“I feel like I’m still learning a lot,” Eduardo A. admitted. “So when people come up to me and ask for help, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll help you. I might not have 100 percent of the answers, but I’ll help you find them.’ Maybe I can learn
something too.”
For any questions that Eduardo A. might not have answers to,
he can always depend on his father, as well as his two uncles, 10th District Officer Juan Escalante and 25th District Officer Jorge Ulloa. And he continues to educate himself through the Lodge 7 FOP business administration cohort program with DePaul Uni- versity, with graduation expected on Nov. 23.
Eduardo A. plans to use his bachelor’s degree to expand his law enforcement career by applying to the Federal Bureau of Investi- gation or the United States Secret Service. He wants to continue helping the community on a national scale.
“That would be awesome,” Eduardo A. declared. “That’s my dream. But the big thing right now is finishing school, applying and seeing what happens from there.”
‘I’m still learning’
22 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ NOVEMBER 2021
EDUARDO A. ESCALANTE
Star #14888 9th District