Page 34 - December 2020

Lopez (right), shown with Officer Anthony Spicuzza, was held in high regard with the Chicago Police Department and treated as though he was a sworn officer.
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trict. “But I remember hearing his voice. He was right there for us — the voice you always depended on.”
Lopez’s voice, a distinct, assertive lilt, was one Alfaro had grown accustomed to since coming on the job in 1996. They met over the air before patrol vehicles were equipped with comput- ers, and Lopez would run plates and driver licenses for Alfaro.
Little by little, the officer began to recognize Lopez’s voice and always secretly hoped he would hear him over the dispatch on his midnight shifts. Alfaro took a special trip to the OEMC during his first year on the job in the 11th District to meet face to face with the dispatcher who had helped him countless times.
“He knew when one of us was calling for help, and he would
Lupe with his wife Maria, who also passed away from COVID-19 on Dec. 4.
drop everything,” Alfaro affirmed. “You really felt cared about when he was on the air. It was a perfect fit where he was at. It was his calling and he did it well, and he loved his job. I know that.”
Tragically, Lopez’s wife, Maria, who was admitted to the hos- pital on Nov. 8, passed away from COVID-19 on Dec. 4. They are survived by their children, Erica, Richie and Andy.
Many officers met Lopez through Richie and Andy, whom he coached playing Little League baseball at Archer Park. Anthony Spicuzza, who came on the Department in 2016 and has worked in News Affairs since 2019, played baseball with Lopez’s son Richie when he was 7 years old. Because Lopez always invested in the relationships around him, he served as president of the Little League.
“Not only did Lupe love doing his job at OEMC and being a dispatcher, but he also loved being a part of his kids’ baseball careers,” Spicuzza noted. “I would say he had an influence on me to be a better person.”
Lopez had an innate ability to see the potential in people. When he met Paez and his son through the League in 2006, he tried to coax Paez, who had not yet become a law enforcement officer, into joining him at the OEMC.
“He didn’t want me on the streets,” Paez recalled. “He was always concerned about his family and friends, and he never wanted it. And I was like, ‘No, I think I want to be outside.’ So I guess he took it upon himself to protect me by being my dis- patcher, because he didn’t want me to go anywhere else.”
Perhaps it was less trying to keep Paez off the streets, and more of a proactive attempt to avoid the dreaded 10-1 emergen- cy call that famously made Lopez’s stomach sink. As a voice of security for Chicago Police Officers, Lopez felt like one of their own when it came to backing the blue and keeping his brothers and sisters safe.
“When we hit the streets, we always listen to the voices to see who’s going to be our dispatcher for the night,” Paez explained. “Whenever we hear his voice, we’re with somebody that we trust. We feel safe.”
‘I’ll be watching you guys’
“He was a lifeline,” confirmed Rick Caballero, who recently retired after 22 years on the job. “You remember that show, you got three lifelines to choose from? Lupe was the one you’d want to call.”
Lopez was just like a law enforcement officer, according to Caballero. He was a vital part of the first response team. He went to events and outings in order to relax with officers he covered in Zone 10.
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34 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2020