Page 36 - March 2018 FOP Newsletter

Commander Bauer
Honoring
POLICE STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35
will change the system so a four-time repeat offender can never be out on the streets: These were sentiments making the rounds at the visitation and funeral. There seemed to be so many law enforce- ment members on hand who had a sim- ilar perspective to the one that Lodge 7 Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Burns shared while in line at the visitation.
“He’s a policeman, and that’s what we do,” Burns commented. “You’re never off this job. You’re always on. And you try to get the bad guy off the street.”
Sometimes, the tribute to the fallen officer isn’t just about what is said, but about how many of those on the job of- fer an unforgettable thought or message. Rarely a minute passed in the minutes, hours and days following Feb. 13 when somebody didn’t utter one of those lines that needed to be recorded and remem- bered.
Roman applauded that Bauer “under- stood the true meaning of leadership. He understood that a leader doesn’t do one great thing. He does a million small things.” Superintendent Eddie Johnson praised, “Paul wasn’t the kind of cop who did his job for recognition. Instead, he did his job with quiet sincerity, profession- alism and kindness that earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues and the community that he served.”
And Mayor Rahm Emanuel choked back tears as he eulogized during the fu- neral service: “He had the heart of a beat cop, and he thrived as a commander. Those who served under him always felt they served alongside him.”

Pause for a moment to address a part of all this that seemed to be on the minds of The Police after learning who had shot Bauer. Before presenting homage from those who served alongside the com- mander, before sending out the love from the Department to Erin and Grace and before relating the enduring message of this tragic Line of Duty Death, it would be helpful to address the incident that took this brother. Lodge 7 members specifical- ly wondered how a repeat offender who had a series of arrests and convictions after his 16-year sentence for robbery in 1998 could even be out on the street and equipped with a 9 mm and wearing body armor.
Every Chicago Police Officer knows Bauer that was just doing what came nat- urally when he had come from a mass shooting response training and heard
36 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2018
Paul Bauer (in top photo) leads the Chicago Police Department Mounted Unit. At his funeral, the Mounted Unit included a horse without a rider to honor its former commander.
a radio call from tactical officers of a man fleeing after they tried to stop him. When Bauer confronted him in the stair- well outside the Thompson Center and a struggle pursued, the man fired seven shots, hitting Bauer six times in the head, neck, back, torso and wrist. Bauer never had the chance to fire his gun. His weap- on was holstered.
The man was found with heroin, crack cocaine, cash and a criminal record with more entries than a coffee shop menu. Officer Sophia Terrones, who has been with the Department for 25 years, strug- gled to understand how some of the pow- ers that be could let this happen.
“Enforce the law and the story ends,” Terrones charged. “But until our judicial system, our legislative system, the police and the politicians come together to an even medium, it’s going to be like that.
Everybody is scared of everybody. Every- body is tiptoeing around everybody. You know what, as Police Officers, they need to just let us do our jobs.”
Does that make this whole ordeal hard- er to get past?
“Absolutely, absolutely,” Terrones con- tinued. “It hits home really hard. Some- thing like this should never have hap- pened.
Lodge 7 President Kevin Graham and his executive officers have been trying to raise awareness about the tragedies that can result from letting criminals out of prison. In the aftermath of the Police Mass that was moved the FOP Hall on Feb. 25 to honor Bauer, Graham attempt- ed to shed a little light on this issue.
“Well, certainly it is a reality of life, that things are not fair when it comes to keep- ing criminals in jail,” he surmised. “I un-
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