Page 26 - March 2018 FOP Newsletter

Portraits by Peter Bucks
Tributes to officers from the CPD Officer, Lodge 7 member and renowned artist
To his brothers in blue
n BY AMBER RAMUNDO
Richard Pruger never in-
tended to raise a family of first responders. But after serving 22 years with the Chicago Po- lice Department and raising two sons who also make a living keeping the City safe, Pruger finds himself leading a family legacy of public service.
“This was not planned,” Pruger clarifies. “Initially, I sent them to Catholic schools in the suburbs so they wouldn’t get that city-worker mentality.”
Even as Pruger gave his chil- dren the best education that money could buy, they both started down the path of be- coming protectors of their community — just like Dad.
“They’re bigger heroes than me, believe me,” Pruger says.
Any day that Pruger is on
patrol in District 010, there’s a
chance he may run into either
of his courageous protégés,
fighting fires and warding off
crime in Chicago. Louey Pru-
ger, 34, is a firefighter for En-
gine 21. Rocco Pruger, 36, is a
CPD organized crime officer.
And, of course, Pruger never
forgets the true hero of the household, his wife of 40 years, Barbara, whom he describes as the “family an- chor.”
RICHARD PRUGER Star #19349
what the people are looking for. They talk to you and tell you their problems.”
It didn’t take long for Pruger to notice the benefits of being a CPD officer, beyond the secu- rity he was able to provide for his growing family. Every day on the job, Pruger is reminded of how lucky he is to be a part of the blue family, where he is constantly meeting new CPD heroes and overcoming chal- lenges as a unit.
“Every day is a learning ex- perience, no matter how much time you have on the job,” he stresses.
In Pruger’s mind, being the CPD is the best job on earth. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t tough days, weeks, or even months on the job. February was a difficult month for Pruger, as he grieved the passing of his blue brother from 010, Gary Hughes, and the sacrifice of another Chica- go hero, Paul Bauer, killed in the line of duty.
In a time of such painful loss, Pruger turns to St. Michael’s policeman’s prayer. He reminds his blue brothers and
sisters to do the same.
“To all of my brothers and sisters in blue, this prayer
Pruger’s decision to join law enforcement originates
in his commitment to always putting his family first. Pri-
or to joining the police academy, Pruger worked in the poly- graph industry, where he would train law enforcement, govern- ment and military agencies across the world in how to use the technology.
“Groups from the CIA or military would come from all differ- ent countries and parts of the USA, and I would train them for 12 weeks at a time,” he shares.
Something struck his interest about law enforcement while spending so much time training its ranks, and Pruger knew that he needed a career change to support his family.
“It kind of rubbed off on me,” Pruger recalls. “I was having a family and I wanted the best for them, so I took the police test.” Having grown up in Chicago, Pruger had a natural under- standing of what the community expected of officers as he
started his career in 010 on Dec. 2, 1996.
“It’s good knowing the community,” he notes. “You know
26 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2018
is for you,” he utters before reciting the prayer:
St. Michael, Heaven’s glorious Commissioner of Police, who once so neatly and successfully cleared God’s premises of all undesirables, look with a kindly and professional eye on
your earthly force.
Give us cool heads, stout hearts, hard punches, an uncanny
flair for investigation, and wise judgement. Make us the terror of burglars, the friend of children and law-abiding citizens, kind to strangers, polite to bores, strict with law-breakers, and impervi- ous to temptations.
You know, St. Michael, from your own experiences with the devil, that the policeman’s lot on Earth is not always a happy one; but your sense of duty that so pleased God, your hard knocks that so surprised the devil, and your angelic self-control give us inspiration.
And when we lay down our night sticks, enroll us in your Heav- enly Force, where we will be as proud to guard the throne of God, as we have been to guard the city of men. d