Page 8 - November 2019 FOP

On Oct. 26, fellow FOP Trustee Mark Tamlo and I attended the Celebration of Life Halloween Party in honor of Eduardo “Lalo” Marmolejo.
In the past, Lalo had hosted numerous Hallow- een parties. His wife, Maria, is carrying on the tra- dition he started. This was also a birthday celebra- tion for Lalo and Maria.
When we walked into the party, I immediately noticed someone dressed as a Chicago Police Of- ficer. He was wearing a blue shirt and pants, with
handcuffs and a CPD baseball cap.
That person was Manuel Marmolejo, the father of Eduardo. He dressed that day to honor the memory of his son.
The Marmolejo family is quite large; his mother, Rebeca, and brothers, Rogelio and Luis, also were in attendance.
Crystal Jimenez, wife of Sam Jimenez, won the best costume award.
I have met both families several times in the past year. Manuel told me about his struggle to come to this country to make a better life for his family. He spoke about his love for
America, and how it was passed down to his children.
Until his recent retirement, he worked at the University of
Chicago.
Manuel said that his son knew he wanted to become a Chica-
go Police Officer from an early age.
It’s hard to imagine moving to another country alone, not
knowing the language and bringing only a strong work ethic and determination to succeed.
It was truly an honor to meet Lalo’s father.
This celebration shall continue, and I hope to bring more
Chicago Police Officers with me next year.
A session with Jeff
In October, I attended the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) Conference.
The event is an opportunity to meet with FOP leaders from across this country. Representatives from Oakland, New York, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and other cities gathered to discuss the problems in law enforcement in their municipalities.
The guest speaker was Jeff Sessions, former senator and head of the Department of Justice. He spoke for 20 minutes about the current state of affairs in policing today.
His main focus was the consent decree and failure of progres- sive (liberal) state’s attorneys to prosecute lawbreakers.
In Baltimore, 40 percent of new hires resign with five years seniority or less.
When lawbreakers aren’t incarcerated for crimes they have committed, two things occur:
1. Criminals become empowered that there are no reper- cussions for their actions and crime escalates;
2. Police officers become frustrated and less proactive.
Police officers adapt quickly to situations. If politicians are not going to support them, they are less likely to get involved in situations that could cause them to lose their livelihood and freedom.
First Vice President’s Report
Celebration of life
PAT MURRAY
8 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ NOVEMBER 2019