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Honoring Our Heroes
spects to Ella’s family, it’s hard to find somebody who doesn’t have a Carlos Yanez Jr. story or memory. Elyse Rodriguez worked with him, Ella and Joshua Blas on the Community Safety Team that patrolled the Englewood area in 007.
They knew when Junior walked into the room, and not just be- cause of his never-ending string of encouraging words.
“Every day he gave me this look. I call it the Yanez look,” Rodri- guez described. “He has a dimple, and just every day if I was in a somber mood, he could totally change that. He knows how to speak to people and does a great job with protecting and serving the com- munity. That was his thing.”
He is the kind of copper you want working with you no matter what shift, watch or unit. Brian Lopez had the pleasure of doing so for two years in 007, much of it working midnights. He felt the power of Yanez so many nights.
“When you come into midnights, you’re kind of tired and down,” explained Lopez, who has been on for eight years. “He’d strike up a conversation and bring some energy into the room. And it translat- ed into the street.”
The Community Safety Team unit that Yanez, French and Blas were part of has a special bond. Hanging together at the visitation, they were in an upbeat posture, noting how lucky they are to have these valiant officers with them.
Sergeant Tom Dorng supervises this unit, and he readily shared what he probably would write in any of Junior’s performance eval- uations.
“He’s a tough guy, but he’s got such a charm, too,” Dorng praised. “He’s a jokester and a ball-buster, but he would do anything for you. He was never mean to anybody out on the street. Just real kind, pro- fessional and you could just tell had the heart of a lion.”
The strength, resiliency, toughness, courage, etc. inspired com- ments from members throughout the districts that crescendo with something like: “If he put his mind to it, he could achieve it.”
In the weeks before the shooting, he had been putting his mind to procuring a transfer to the bomb and arson unit. He needed to lose 15-20 pounds to get into the shape needed to work on that team.
Junior hit the gym early every morning, going for miles on the treadmill. He lost the weight.
The world is seeing how he can do anything he sets his mind to with the move of a finger and a toe. He’s in rehab now. How long before he’s back on the treadmill?
Junior is a true blueblood. Dad served for 25 years. And his moth- er Yvette is still on the job. She is now a sergeant with the Summit PD in the south suburbs, and was going to do another year before Carlos was shot. Carlos Senior brings the courage and the resilience of having recovered from his own incident, but Yvette brings the strength.
In the small world of the Chicago Police Department, a couple of hours before the incident, Junior and Blas realized they had a unique bond. His dad, Ron, worked in 010 with Senior. And one of Senior’s captains early in his career was Joshua’s grandfather, Jo- seph Blas.
Clearly, Junior has perpetuated that connection, that love. And it’s that love that will also help him recover.
According to reports, Junior is looking every day for the next motivators to keep the recovery moving forward. One of those, no doubt, is getting back home to those night when CJ falls asleep on his dad’s chest.
Duplechin could tell his friend was feeling better when he phoned, and Junior called him “Duke.” He is filled with these terms of endearment, and that’s what so many people love about Yanez. When they talked recently, Junior had a reminder for Duke that ac- centuated why he does such a great job of serving and protecting.
“He said, ‘You know what, Duke? This is the best job in the world. We get to take some of the baddest people in the country off the streets. We get to do our part. We get to work with good people,’” Duplechin shared. “He has a stake in it. He wants it to be better.” ‘Somebody you want to follow’
Late on the afternoon of Aug. 7, 7th District Officers Eljin Loeza, Leon Howard and Ray Rodriguez responded to a call of a man with a gun. They were authorized to engage in a foot pursuit, and back- up soon arrived.
Backup came from Yanez, French and Blas. French and Ya- nez came through an alley to cut off the suspect, who apparently ditched the gun. Yanez recovered it. They came back to the district to help process the arrest, and then Yanez, French and Blas were back on the street about to make that traffic stop.
“That’s the way they were, always working,” Loeza appraised. “Other offices might have been laying back, but they were out there being proactive. Always pushing ahead, trying to make a differ- ence.”
That’s how Loeza, Rodriguez and Howard knew Yanez all the years they worked with him in 007. Rodriguez was especially struck by how Yanez took a smile into the streets every day, even working in Englewood.
“He’s the type of person and police officer people wanted pa- trolling their blocks,” Howard stated. “He’s the type of officer you can trust.”
“Junior” was not just a distinction from his father. Carlos Yanez Jr. was the Department’s favorite son. Chicago Police Officers began developing affection for Junior when he became a police explorer at eight years old.
He was raised in the community and believes in its residents so
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