Page 84 - 01E_CL7_JAN19.indd

Don’t worry about your FOID card — get the help you need
Hello, my fraternal brothers and sisters. The Chicago Police Department has issued an original Employee Resource (EO) 01-17
titled Firearm Owners Identification
can serve the rest of us. Police officers and police families are a different breed — thank God for them. Thank God for
them.”
My family was fortunate to have our son home from
Fort Benning, Georgia for the holidays. We had some
(FOID) Card Requirements for Sworn Department Members. This EO outlines
the Department’s policy relative to 430 ILCS 65 (Firearm Owners Identification Card Act) and 50 ILCS 725 (Uniform Peace Of- ficers’ Disciplinary Act).
In previous articles, I’ve requested that the requirement for an FOID card be eliminated as a condition of employment. The idea behind this change is to remove the fear an officer may have about jeopardizing his or her employment if the of- ficer seeks assistance for anxiety, PTSD or depression. EO 01- 17 does not eliminate the FOID card being revoked or seized, but it does follow 50 ILCS 725. This act eliminates the FOID card as a condition of continued employment if the FOID card was revoked or seized because the officer has been a patient at a mental health facility. The caveat is that the officer cannot have received a determination that he or she poses a clear and present danger to him/herself or others as determined by a physician, clinical psychologist or qualified examiner. Yes, the officer will be placed on restricted duty.
Neither current Illinois laws nor the EO explains if and/or how an officer may regain an FOID card or full-duty status. Many of us are confident that someday an officer could seek assistance if he or she needs it without jeopardizing his or her chosen profession. But until then, most importantly, if you need help, then go get the assistance. There are many of us ea- ger to point you to where you may receive the help you need. Just ask me, President Graham’s team, the Department’s Peer Support Group or a friend before the unthinkable becomes an option.
I also found Section 3-B of EO 01-17 interesting — it states that an FOID card is not needed while performing law en- forcement duties. However, 430 ILCS 65-2 (c) states that if a sworn officer is working and decides to perform a non-law enforcement action such as purchasing groceries for personal needs, then an FOID card is required. Hmm...The bottom line for us is to keep our FOID card current until the legislators straighten out the mess that they have created.
I pray that everyone had a wonderful holiday. As for the Cruz family, it was a somber Christmas with the passing of my dad and our fraternal brothers Eduardo Marmolejo and Con- rad Gary (USAF). May our brothers rest in peace. As I prayed for their families, I recalled a quote from Vice President Joe Biden in December 2014, when he spoke at the funeral for slain NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos. Biden went on to quote En- glish poet John Milton:
“He said, ‘They also serve who only stand and wait.’ Thou- sands upon thousands upon thousands of American families stand and wait so their husbands and wives, fathers and sons,
Re
gS
R
y
ec
MILITARY
cor
ord
R
Report
T
d
E
i
in
n
g
Se
PO
O
e
R
c
cr
RT
r
e
e
t
t
a
a
r
r
y
COMMITTEE
R
P
good conversations. During one conversation, my son spoke of how cold he was in the mountains while attending Army Ranger School. I responded and spoke about the soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division in De- cember 1944 at Bastogne, Belgium. These paratroopers were surrounded by Germans, cut off from supplies and without cold-weather gear. They endured the snow, freezing tempera- tures and a constant barrage from German artillery. I told my son to keep them in mind the next time he was cold so that he would know that he is capable of enduring much more. It was a nice conversation between an old soldier and a young Army
officer, as much as it was a father and son.
Thank you for all you do, and please be careful out there.
If you have questions or comments, please send me an email at LTC_Cruz@wowway.com.
E
JERRY CRUZ
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JANUARY 2019 25