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phasizes. “We still came back to work. We still show up every day. We work 14, 15, 28 days straight because we hate to see the city of Chicago burn. You’re really being the police. We have to change our policing a little bit. But we’re still out there, we’re still responding to calls and we’re doing the best we can.”
The view from the front lines
Riding along with central bikes further illu- minates what all officers have faced dealing with protestors – rioters in the eyes of many coppers – who think they can cross the line without consequence. The unit has been on the front lines of every rally/protest/riot since the Floyd incident changed the world, going for repeated 12-hour tours with no re- lief except for what the members can fit into their bicycle bags.
As Cronin relates about the workload that has left virtually every officer in the De- partment working the streets the past three months mentally and physically exhausted: “They have been getting their asses kicked.”
Their pride in the city has enabled officers to make the thin blue line protecting the city stronger than it’s ever been.
One particular kick to the you-know-what came with the frozen water bottles and soup cans protestors fired at officers during that horrible mess at the Columbus statue in Grant Park. Following that attack, clinicians from the Department’s Profes- sional Counseling Division attended central bikes unit roll calls for the next three days to help officers deal with the post-trau- matic stress.
“I left those meetings so EAP could not be inhibited about working with officers,” Cronin comments. “But I heard there were some tears.”
Nevertheless, when Cronin addressed all 129 officers in the unit with the opportunity to move to another assignment, he was shocked by the response. And inspired. “Only one person wanted to leave,” he reports. “And that was for family reasons.”
Such laying it on the line could be thickened with more support. The little gestures have been substantive thickening agents. Lodge 7 has orchestrated barbecues and other endeav- ors to feed officers working weekends because of cancelled days off.
In his first month running the unit, Cronin shelled out $500 to get coolers filled with ice, drinks, snacks and fruit to circulate around the front lines. He has even found CTA busses to bring unit members back after being detailed for 12 hours to a district on the other side of the city.
Lodge 7 leadership has been out and about to check on mem- bers working the front lines. From those stopping by for a burg- er to those holding it together, President John Catanzara relates what members are saying about how to handle the hard line.
“I hear them say, ‘They are not going to take my city,’” Mr. President confirms.
Holding the line
A view along the line from an officer who has been on for 22 years seems pretty revealing. From what Marty Obrecki, who works in gang investigations, can see, “I’d say it’s thicker than it’s ever been.”
Bonding over a selfless commitment to service has helped CPD officers hold the line through a summer of unprecedented work schedules.
coming-to-shove contentiousness has shown how successful officers have been at being their sisters’ and brothers’ keepers. Why there has not been a major incident or even a single officer using force despite being attacked speaks to how well they walk the line.
“You take strength from each other,” Obrecki details. “You also take care of each other. So by not wavering, we’re helping each other out there on the line, holding the line. You see some- body who is tired. You see somebody who is a little too mad. You just give him a little tug and you take his place in the line. And that’s how we’re not wavering.”
“What you signed up for” and “passion to protect and serve” are not just lines for Chicago Police Officers. They are the back- bone of a career spent defending something founded on the rule of law. And that leads to a uniform feeling along the line.
“You know it’s just the thought of being selfless,” says Santos Ramos who works in 010. “You stop thinking about yourself. A lot of people are selfish. We, as cops, are selfless. We think about
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Why the bonding has reached epic proportions amid a push-
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ SEPTEMBER 2020 39