Page 12 - FOP June 2019 Magazine

Financial Secretary’s Report
Despite candle lighting confusion,
Police Week vigil was a poignant show of support
Welcome to summer. I hope that we all have time this year to spend it with our friends and family.
I was fortunate enough to attend this year’s Na- tional Police Week in Washington, D.C., and glad to see that we were well represented at the event. There was a great show of support for all the fami- lies of fallen officers from across the nation. Presi- dent Trump gave a fantastic speech from the lawn of the capital, expressing his support for law en- forcement.
Let me add one thing for new people attending the event: During the candlelight vigil, there was confusion about when to light the candles. Some people lit their candles when the names of their state’s fallen officers were read, while others lit them for the entire time the names were being recited.
I was informed that the candles should be lit at the end of the reading of the names. The flame is lit on the first candle, and then is supposed to be passed from person to person until all candles are lit. With the amount of people in attendance, some just lit candles from the flames of those nearest to them, and that was fine.
If you have never been to National Police Week in D.C., it real- ly is something to see. It was good to see old friends like Ramona
Stovall, Brenda Valadez, Gail Lindemann and many more.
A grievance committee meeting was held May 23, with the following results: the committee went forward with nine griev- ances, including some medical, and recommended the with- drawal of nine grievances, some of which were very difficult be- cause of the suspension time involved. With these, we explore any possibility of arguments to reduce or eliminate the time the
city is penalizing officers.
The committee finally decided to defer two of the grievances
due to the officers being unable to appear before the commit- tee. If at all possible, we really hope that officers can appear the first time because of the large number of officers who wish to address the committee.
I hope everyone can make it to our wonderful picnic this year. Again, it is being held at Gaelic Park in Oak Forest on July 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be plenty of rides and en- tertainment. The office is getting crowded with baskets, so get ready to win one at the picnic.
Finally, I want to remind all that if anyone has a question for the union, don’t hesitate to call and ask. I was at the late roll call in the 12th District the other day and the officers were happy to receive answers to all of their questions.
Stay safe.
MICHAEL GARZA
Personal Injury Wrongful Death Medical Malpractice
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12 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JUNE 2019