Page 10 - March 2018 FOP Newsletter

First Vice President’s Report
Our key defenders in police-involved shootings
When I came to the FOP, I took over at Legal De- fense, and I was glad to do so, because it is one of the most important issues facing the members.
One of my first moves was to bring two attorneys, Tim Grace and Jim Thompson, into the FOP fold. Both attorneys have been doing an outstanding job, not only representing members but also de- veloping long-term strategies to combat the many forces against our members. The feedback that
I am getting from officers who are being represented by these guys has been terrific.
It was Thompson and Grace, after all, who filed a Freedom of Information request against COPA seeking evidence of any third-party investigators in the COPA investigation of an officer involved in a fatal 2015 police shooting. COPA shocked the FOP when it ruled that the shooting was unjustified.
Sure enough, Grace and Thompson’s FOIA revealed a third-party investigator in the case that COPA never mentioned in its final report and may not have turned over to the Superin- tendent, as rules require.
But now another issue is emerging, and I want the members to know about it. The FOP has three key representatives who respond to all police-involved shootings. John Farrell and Jim Hennigan have been on the job, and just a few months ago, vet- eran Chicago Police Detective Jack Halloran was added. Hallo- ran is a legendary detective who has investigated police shoot- ings throughout his career.
You couldn’t ask for three better guys. They are all veteran, highly respected cops with many years working the streets and tough cases. They know COPA policy and personnel better than anyone. They know how to speak to the officers involved in the incident. They know how to document.
And here’s another vital function they perform: the three of them work seamlessly with the FOP attorneys who get the cas- es. And these attorneys lean on them a lot, including whenever there is an interview at COPA or a hearing.
We are in one of the most dangerous times to be a police of- ficer in Chicago, especially if you are involved a shooting. More than ever, you need all the representation you can get. You need Farrell, Hennigan and Halloran.
We need to keep these guys involved as much as they and the attorneys believe is necessary, even it it’s just to be a presence for officers stressed out from an investigation unfolding against them.
Think about it: COPA is calling the shooting of a bat-wielding assailant unjustified. Officers believe that their investigations are biased and aimed at throwing police officers under the bus. The media is fiercely anti-police, and the City doesn’t back us up at all. Rather, the City is willing to write a multimillion-dollar check to virtually anyone who claims they were treated badly by the police, even the worst gang thugs in the City. Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Police Board are no friend of the police.
This is the right time to fight as hard as necessary on police shootings. Farrell, Hennigan and Halloran should be given wide latitude to be as involved in police shooting cases as they and the FOP attorneys want.
It’s also a sound business policy for the FOP. Better to spend the money on these investigators and the lawyers to prevent cas- es from being transformed into something worse for the officers involved because something was missed, something could have been done. That could end up costing the officer and the FOP a lot more down the line.
Since I’ve been elected to the FOP, I’ve been impressed with these three representatives. I’m glad that we have them and glad that we’ve added Halloran to the mix. My strongly held position is that they and the FOP attorneys should be let loose to repre- sent the members as best they see fit. d
PAT MURRAY
10 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2018