Page 13 - December 2021

Communications Report
Give officers their regular days off
For more than three weeks, every single Chicago Police Officer across the city has had at least one day off cancelled, and countless members have had their tours extended with little to no advance warn- ing. As I write this month’s article, an AMC message has (again) been sent out from the Office of the First Deputy to “Return to Normal Operations” and re- turn to regular days off, though none of us know if this will last. These messages of “days off cancelled” and “days off not cancelled” continue to come from the Office of the First Deputy, leaving police fam-
ilies wondering if their loved ones will be around for the holi- days, able to count on enjoying their regular days off.
We knew what we signed up for when we chose a career as a Chicago Police Officer. We knew that we may miss holidays with family because of work; we knew that we may miss a child’s birthday party or a family vacation to serve and protect the peo- ple of Chicago. We also knew that in times of emergency, like during the riots and looting of 2020, or during large-scale events like NATO and the G8 international summit, Chicago would need its officers to step up and work their days off.
We knew all that coming onto this job; we knew all that when we took the oath of office.
But we also knew that we would have days off. We knew that we would have time to decompress and take a break from the relentlessness of the street. We knew that we could depend on getting those days off, plan far in advance on the calendar and plan our lives around our regular days off.
Our members deserve better. Cancelling regular days off without warning and without a clear reason as to why those days are cancelled does not give our members the respect and courtesy they deserve. It does not account for our officers’ fam- ilies, does not account for our children who again and again ask if we will be home to take them to basketball, take them to Girl Scouts or be with them when they pick out a Christmas tree.
Moreover, cancelling days off can directly affect an officer’s mental health and wellbeing. The Department and command staff often speak about the importance of preserving an offi- cer’s mental health and wellbeing, calling it one of their great- est priorities. We absolutely and wholeheartedly agree. But by cancelling days off for no reason and not allowing our members the opportunity to step away from the difficult and unpleasant conditions of working the streets of Chicago, those actions are doing the exact opposite: potentially endangering the mental health and wellbeing of our members.
What keep our members grounded are their relationships with those they love: their husbands, wives, partners, children and grandchildren. Our officers’ ability to serve and protect the people of Chicago is rooted directly in those relationships that define who they are. It’s why they were hired in the first place, why the Department chose these men and women to report to the Police Academy, because of who they are. Those relation- ships define each member, and taking that foundation away from officers across the city does not give our members the re- spect and courtesy they deserve. Even worse, taking away that foundation can irreparably affect the children of our members
and place undue strain on those crucial relationships.
As an FOP unit representative who has fielded countless calls from fellow officers about cancelled days off, I implore the De- partment to reconsider this procedure of cancelling regular days off for officers and allow them that much-needed break to decompress from the rigors of the street. Our officers’ mental health and wellbeing are paramount, and the best way to en- sure exactly that is to allow our members the opportunity to
simply spend time with their families.
Giving our officers their regular days off conveys the respect
and courtesy that each member absolutely deserves. Our mem- bers will continue to serve the people of Chicago, potentially missing holidays with family because of work, maybe missing a birthday party of a child, or missing a family vacation to serve and protect this city. But by not cancelling these dedicated offi- cers’ days off, you’re telling our members’ families that you hear them and that their loved ones can depend on those regular days off.
MICHAEL CARROLL
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2021 13