Page 7 - February 2016

Everyone immediately jumped into action. CPR was started. The desk officers summoned CFD paramedics to the Shakespeare District. Officers continued their efforts. Paramedics arrived
and took over. Even with everyone’s best efforts, they fell short and Dennis passed, tragically leaving behind his wife Christine and daugh- ters Lauren and Car- olyn.
from experiencing a similar loss.
Well done Officer Jordan Parks, Officer Phillip Renault and Officer Danielle Mulligan!
The question of this month’s cover
Every time we do an interview or get a telephone call from anyone in the media, at some point we wind up being asked: Who does the FOP want to see as the next Superin- tendent? Are they kidding? Our response is always the same: Do you want us to wreck someone’s chances? Or we respond with, “We would be the kiss of death for anyone seeking that job if we endorsed one person over another.” The Lodge firmly believes that the slightest hint that the FOP is in favor of Candidate A over Candidate B would cer- tainly (and adversely) impact that individual’s chances.
Could you imagine if we got to pick the next Sup? Let’s think about that for a moment: Who would that person be? What would we look for in our next boss? Are there certain qualities that are on our “must-have” list? And, what are the characteristics on our “must-not-have” list? Let us take a moment to dwell on the possibilities.
A. The next boss must have been an actual “working” police officer. No civilians need apply, and certainly no academics (apologies to my colleagues of the past, but streets are much different than classrooms). The refer- ence to a working police officer is important in that workers are familiar with what our members face each and every tour of duty.
B. Choosing someone within the CPD would be a nice choice this time around, although there would be pushback from those looking for an outside reformer to change the culture of the CPD. We believe that one needs to know the culture in order to realize what might need to be changed. Also, no one would argue that the CPD does not have internal talent sufficient enough to run this department. Everyone realizes that the search needed to be national, but that does not mean you must choose from the national pool.
C. Character-wise, hopefully the next boss recognizes that the women and men of the CPD are the best of the best. Know that the members of the CPD perform at a level of professionalism regardless of their less-than- adequate working conditions. And that Chicago Police Officers engage with one of the most diverse popula- tions the world has to offer and do so with compassion and minimal criticism (in spite of the headlines).
D. The next superintendent needs to be someone who can speak to our officers on their level, while maintain- ing a level of respect that comes from their personality and demeanor, not merely their position. Our experi- ences have allowed us to realize that a leader is some- one that motivates by example, not by intimidation.
We could go on and on, but as was mentioned at the onset of this article, it really needs to be submitted in order to get this to your mailbox.
Be Safe... and God Bless the Police
Out of this tragic
situation a series of
queries arose. Why
aren’t there any Auto-
mated External Defib-
rillators (AEDs) in our
police stations? What
if there was an AED
available when one was needed for Detective McLaughlin? Would an AED have been able to save the detective’s life? What would it take to get AEDs installed in our stations? What would the process look like to secure AEDs?
Illinois Sen. John Mulroe presents recog- nition to Christine McLaughlin, and daughters Lauren and Carolyn, in recog- nition of the “Detective Dennis McLaugh- lin Act,” named for their fallen husband and father that calls for all police facilities throughout the state of Illinois to have AEDs affixed and available for public use.
At the behest of our members, in stepped Illinois Sen. John Mulroe (D-38th District). A telephone call from Lieu- tenant John Garrido of the Jefferson Park District (yes, even though he holds the rank of lieutenant, he maintains his FOP membership) to Sen. Mulroe began the process. Sen. Mulroe was the perfect fit for this project in that he was already an advocate for making AEDs more available. After another tragic death occurred to a friend’s young daughter in 2011, the senator was successful in getting legislation passed to mandate AEDs be placed in all Illinois high schools.
Fast forward to 2015: With the assistance of our lobbyists (Andy Raucci and Dave Sullivan), Lodge 7 worked alongside Sen. Mulroe, and on Sept. 11, 2015, Gov. Rauner signed into law the “Detective Dennis McLaughlin Act” that calls for all police facilities throughout the state of Illinois to have AEDs affixed and available for public use. On behalf of our entire membership, we want to thank both Lieutenant Garrido and Sen. Mulroe for their collective efforts.
Already this silently passed piece of legislation has posi- tively impacted another one of Chicago’s finest. Three of our newer officers teamed up to save the life of a colleague who was suffering from cardiac arrest in the 11th District on Feb. 13. Officers Jordan Parks, Phillip Renault and Danielle Mulligan began CPR and utilized the now- available AED nearby and were successful in bringing the suffering officer back to consciousness. CFD Paramedics arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and stabilized and transported the officer to the hospital where he began his road to recovery. The measures taken after the tragedy suf- fered by the McLaughlin family saved another CPD family
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2016 7