Page 30 - December 2019 FOP Magazine

30 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2019
AWARDS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29
to a suspected murderer. Wazny’s presence to take out the shooter and then apply a tourniquet to his leg to save his own life certainly epitomizes the heroic relentlessness of Chicago Police Officers.
His explanation of how and why is one that could inspire an entire department, city and country.
“We stand in the way between the criminals and the good
people,” Wazny articulates. “Somebody has to bring justice to the people who deserve it. We want to maintain the peace and prosperity of a good community.”
Clearly, the outcomes matter most. Romo relates that the most rewarding part of taking down the man trying to rob him at gunpoint came from how it impacted other victims. Appar- ently, the offender was part of a ring that had been hitting vic- tims in and around the city all night.
“Hopefully, the other victims have a little closure because the police caught whoever did that to them,” Romo adds. “We are there for the people who can’t defend themselves. We work for the people, not ourselves.”
After any given Lodge 7 Officer Awards ceremony, recipi- ents tend to gather with friends and family to take some pho- tos and celebrate a job well done. Among these groups, you will hear members elaborate on how and why they do what they do:
Acts of heroism are rarely done by one person. It’s a collective effort.
Deep down, this is what everybody signed up for. If the time came, they would all do the same thing.
Whatever reason they had for doing what they did doesn’t really matter. There were individuals who needed help.
Yes, Chicago Police Officers have to see things that the pub- lic does not nor should ever have to. And yes, the job contin- ues to have lots of ups and downs. But for the most part, they will insist it doesn’t feel like work.
“We’re not getting paid millions of dollars for the things we see,” McDermott submits. “But we get to impact so many
From left, Officers Matthew Gill, Endri Peci and Nicholas Johnson re- sponded to a marine distress call of a person in the water at Lake Shore Drive and Belmont Avenue. Peci scaled the guardrail and, with help from Gill and Johnson, reached down to rescue the woman.