Page 39 - March 2018 FOP Newsletter

Commander Bauer
Honoring
Quiet Respect
Chicago Police Officers came from across the City to attend the visitation and funeral for Paul Bauer and make a statement about how much his loss meant
n BY DAN CAMPANA
For all the glowing public tributes, pri- vate laughs and memories shared among his friends, the solemnness of silence in a crowd of hundreds at the conclusion of his Feb. 17 funeral spoke volumes about Paul Bauer.
With 37th Street outside Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church flanked on all sides by Chicago Police Officers from Bauer’s 18th District and other areas of the City, as well as seemingly countless represen- tatives from agencies across the suburbs and the country, an unnatural calm qui- et arose as CPD Honor Guard members placed Bauer’s casket into a hearse for his final ride.
Only a Department helicopter buzzing overhead and the clicks of news photog-
rapher cameras subtly broke the hushed air. Bauer’s charges from 018 saluted, and a tear rolling down the cheek of one offi- cer’s face showed the deep emotion of the moment. Nearby, dozens of brothers and sisters in blue from near and far stood in the cold to pay their final respects.
The moment came after hundreds packed the church sanctuary to hear about Bauer’s life, his family and his com- mitment to God and law enforcement. Hundreds more watched on screens in the church gym and social hall where large flower arrangements lined the wall, including one from Chicago Lodge 7.
Still more officers and members of the public gathered at the corner of 37th Street and Union Avenue to listen on large speakers as Chicago Police Chaplain
Father Dan Brandt and others celebrated Bauer’s life.
“Yes, we gather today with troubled hearts,” Brandt said before offering re- assurance that “Paul is precious in God’s eyes and the eyes of all who knew him.”
In the span of 24 hours, the law en- forcement community and Chicago cit- izens honored Bauer in ways his friends and colleagues said he wouldn’t have wanted, because he shied away from at-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 40
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2018 39