Page 35 - December 2020

Spicuzza described his fallen friend as having a “cop sense of humor” — dry and, at times, a little dark — and always being in a good mood. Lopez was revered by the Department as though he was a sworn officer.
“I think anybody who has the amount of time on the job that he had is just respectable,” Spicuzza said. “He loved being the eyes in the skies for the Chicago Police Department. He got a lot of cops out of potentially extremely dangerous situations. Lupe guided them to better ways out, whether it was a foot chase or shots fired. He was always there, being the eyes and a trusted voice for officers all across the city.”
Dispatchers, who provide direction to ensure safety for offi- cers, are vital components of the first response team. Lopez cer- tainly excelled in guiding law enforcement every time he came over the radio.
One evening, when coming home from a shift at OEMC in 2002, Lopez was T-boned in his vehicle. He put in a call to 9-1-1 for emergency assistance, as is typical for any accident. But when officers in the area found out it was Lupe who had been hit, almost every vehicle in the district gathered to support him as though it was a 10-1 for his life.
“There were so many cars on the scene just to make sure he was OK,” Caballero shared. “Once they all found out it was Lupe, it was like, ‘We’re going. We’re going.’”
This year, right before being hospitalized on Nov. 8, Lopez be- gan training new dispatchers at the OEMC with his knowledge and expertise of the city and how to communicate effectively with officers. He leaves behind a legacy of stellar work providing security, compassion and kindness to law enforcement in Zone 10 and beyond.
Paez will likely never fully get over the loss of one of his clos- est friends who played such an important role in the Chicago Police Department. He’ll miss the texts on every one of his days
off that asked where “the crew” was going, even though Lopez never imbibed.
He had a rare spirit that genuinely enjoyed every moment he got to hang out with his friends — who, not-so-coincidentally, nearly all happened to be law enforcement officers. That was the kind of guy he was.
“The week he knew he was going to go, he would tell me and my brother: I’ll be watching you guys from up there,” Paez ten- derly recalled. “He made his peace. He was ready for it.”
And he will forever be the Department’s eyes in the skies.
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