Page 45 - March 2018 FOP Newsletter

Commander Bauer
Honoring
ble as a commander as he was as a patrol- man,” Johnson added. “That’s the legacy he leaves, that just because we have a certain rank doesn’t make us better than anybody.”
Mel Roman, the executive officer in 018 and Bauer’s partner, then shared a story that confirmed the superintendent’s mes- sage. He noted how the commander was a bit of a germophobe to the point where he didn’t want to shake hands and always carried a bottle of hand sanitizer.
Roman went on to relate how Bauer was out one night doing one of his nor- mal checks in the district and saw a man on Michigan Avenue “enjoying himself a little too much.” He took action.
“Paul being The Police, he handled the call,” Roman described. “He put hand- cuffs on the guy himself. At that point, there was just not enough hand sanitizer.”
To crescendo the Mass as the celebra- tion it needed to be, Graham invited all to partake of food and spirits courtesy of Lodge 7. And then in a quiet moment, the FOP president reflected about how from this day forward, the hall will be filled with the spirit of Paul, who worked very
Members of Paul and Erin’s family were also hon- ored at the Mass.
hard for the Department and loved being a Police Officer.
“I think that is much like the majority of Police Officers who have worked for the City of Chicago,” Graham continued. “They give their heart and soul to the job. They do it because they care about the City and they care about their fellow offi- cers. And they’re not afraid to go after the criminals.”
As a closing psalm of sorts, Joe Ahern, executive director of the 100 Club of Chi- cago, which will provide support for Erin and Grace for as long as they need, shared what moved him about the Mass and re-
The Chicago Police Department Honor Guard posted colors at the start of the Mass.
ally the entire previous week. He called it a defining moment for the Chicago Police and the City of Chicago.
“About 25 years ago, this City was captured by Michael Jordan, and young people wanted to grow up to be like Mike,” Ahern extolled. “I hope that young people will now want to grow up to be like Paul.” d
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