In January, Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy announced that 200 police officers were going to be reassigned to patrol work. Two weeks later, McCarthy had more news for Chicago residents: He is proposing an ordinance to authorize arrests for unpaid tickets for public urination, public consumption of alcohol, and gambling—“the three top complaints,” he said, from Chicago residents.

“Fixing the little things prevents the bigger things,” said McCarthy, a longtime advocate of the “broken windows” approach to fighting crime. “Broken windows” is the brainchild of social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling, who claimed that unrepaired windows, litter, and other signs of neighborhood decay constitute an announcement that a neighborhood has stopped taking responsibility for the quality of life in its public spaces. The next step is for responsible citizens to start moving out—and for lawbreakers to move in.

Expectations for Superintendent McCarthy’s new initiative are high. When New York City instituted its “broken windows” campaign in the mid-1980s, crime began to drop dramatically—and it is still falling, with the homicide rate there at a 40-year low. Chicago is hoping for similar results, but some observers are skeptical.

One set of questions centers around whether the new Chicago initiative actually constitutes a “broken windows” approach. Arrests for public urination, drinking in public, and gambling are signs that police are paying attention—but that doesn’t mean that the surrounding neighborhood is taking ownership of the quality of life in its streets, homes, and businesses.

On the other hand, the new Chicago initiative may be a sign that police are focusing more of their attention on maintaining order—a police function that began to disappear when police turned their attention instead to fighting crime, according to James Q. Wilson. If Wilson is right that order restores community pride and confidence, Chicago may indeed see a reduction in crime.

But some observers are warning that Chicago’s high crime rate may require more drastic solutions. First, there is no guarantee that “broken windows” actually caused the dramatic drop in New York’s crime rates. Perhaps the true cause was legalized abortion (fewer unwanted children being born) or New York’s high incarceration rate—or some other as-yet-unknown factor that caused crime to begin a steady drop not only in New York, but across much of the United States. Chicago has bucked the general trend toward lower crime rates, suggesting that criminal behavior there resists common-sense solutions.

A recent CNN report offers a different theory about high crime rates in Chicago: Perhaps the cause is medical, rather than social. There are no Level 1 trauma centers in the South Side of Chicago, where most of the violent crimes occur. Perhaps high homicide rates persist because victims of shootings, stabbings, and other forms of violence do not get lifesaving medical care in time.

And then there’s the problem of widely available guns. Although Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the US, guns are widely available, gang violence is rampant, and innocent bystanders often get caught in the crossfire. On March 12 a six-month-old girl died from the crossfire of a gang-related shooting; her father—also wounded—is reportedly a gang member. Gun violence in Chicago also made national news in January when a teenage girl who performed at the presidential Inauguration was killed by gunshots a few weeks later.

But perhaps the tide is turning. In February, Chicago reported its lowest monthly homicide rate since 1957. No one can predict whether Superintendent McCarthy’s new initiatives will further reduce violence in one of the most dangerous cities in the US. One thing is certain, however: Something has to be done, and many observers are hopeful that the tide is turning at last.

To learn more:

http://po.st/GuR9Zp

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-11/news/chi-mccarthy-touts-broken-windows-crimefighting-strategy-20130311_1_public-urination-chicago-police-crime-fighting-strategy

http://www.manhattan-institute.org/pdf/_atlantic_monthly-broken_windows.pdf

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/March-2013/Can-Cracking-Down-on-Public-Urination-and-Standard-Time-Fight-Crime/

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/15/health/trauma-centers-guns

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/01/chicago-homicides-drop-in_n_2790452.html

Jean Reynolds, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of English at Polk State College, where she taught report writing and communication skills in the criminal justice program. She is the author of seven books, including Police Talk (Pearson), co-written with the late Mary Mariani. Visit her website at www.YourPoliceWrite.com for free report writing resources. Go to www.Amazon.com for a free preview of her book The Criminal Justice Report Writing Guide for Officers. Dr. Reynolds is the police report writing expert for Law Enforcement Today.

Illinois State Police Director Hiram Grau has reported that Trooper James Sauter, 28, was killed in a two vehicle crash late Thursday night shortly after 11:00 pm.

The initial investigation indicates that Trooper Sauter was parked on the median side shoulder of the road on southbound Interstate 294 just south of Willow Road when his parked patrol vehicle was struck from behind by a United Van Lines semi truck tractor combination vehicle.

Both vehicles burst into flames upon impact.  It is not yet known if Trooper Sauter had his emergency lights activated.  Media reports indicate that he had just completed assisting a motorist when his patrol vehicle was struck.   The cause of the crash is not known at this time / The driver of the semi truck as been questioned by law enforcement authorities.  The Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Team is investigating the crash.

Following the crash scene investigation, fellow Troopers followed a flat-bed wrecker carrying Trooper Sauter’s body, still in his charred patrol vehicle, down the Kennedy and Eisenhower Expressways toward the morgue as Chicago Police cleared traffic for the procession.  At the Medical Examiner’s Office, it took several hours to remove Trooper Sauter’s charred body from the vehicle wreckage.

Trooper Sauter had been a Trooper since June, 2008.  He had just completed a two0 month temporary assignment in the State Police Aviation Unit.  He was a licensed pilot.  Trooper Sauter wanted to return to normal road patrol.  He had just been assigned to District 15, which covers the tollways.

As a State Police cadet, Sauter received a Lifesaving Medal for his actions.  In October, 2008, he was returning from a weekend furlough when he came across a motorcycle on its side on in the east bound lakes of I-80.  He grabbed his first aid kit and crossed over the lanes of traffic to assist a woman face down in a pool of blood.  Sauter cleared blood from the woman’s airway.  She survived the crash and recovered from her injuries.  Had Sauter not acted immediately, the woman would have died.

Governor Pat Quinn offered his condolences to the Sauter family and thanked them for Trooper Sauter’s service to the State Police and the citizens of the State of Illinois.

“Trooper Sauter left a legacy of courage, honor and duty and we will never forget Star #6095,’’ Grau stated. “Our heard are heavy and filled with grief, but they are also strengthened by Trooper Sauter’s dedication to service in the Illinois State Police.”

Trooper Sauter is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, his parents and a brother.  Trooper James Sauter, gone, but never be forgotten.  EOW: Thursday, March 28, 2013.

“Graphic created by Fellow Officer Rose Borisow GraFX”

Learn more here:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=9045383

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/suburbs/glenview/chi-trooper-james-sauter-20130329,0,5070454.photo

http://wgntv.com/2013/03/29/illinois-state-trooper-dies-in-crash-on-i-294/

An article in the August 13, 2012 Huffington Post discusses the New York City Police Department’s problems with their priorities regarding crime statistic analysis. [i] According to the article’s authors, NYPD had a practice of manufacturing artificially low crime rates and it increased substantially after 2002 under Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his police commissioner Raymond Kelly. This research suggested that concern with the department’s reputation for reducing crime, much more than with public safety, drives police policy.

Essentially the problem was there was such great pressure on supervisors to reduce crime statistics that it led to a systemic practice of the intentional misclassification of serious crimes as petty offenses and deliberate pressure to change reports to represent a less serious offense.  Officers reported being pressured to change report classifications so as to under report serious crime.  A typical example would be changing a report to reflect a theft from building rather then a burglary or a theft from person rather than robbery.

This was brought on by the NYPD’s putting such a high priority on statistical crime reports rather than what was actually happening.  This is a policy created to maintain appearances, not to catch dangerous criminals.   So in other words crime stats appear to go down.  This helps to make the city look safer to businesses and tourists and keeps money coming into the city.

The Huffington Post authors state the corruption of crime reports is a consequence of the misuse of Compstat (the NYPD’s computerized crime reporting and mapping system introduced in 1995).

Across the country many departments look to NYPD for advice and vision and have adopted systems similar to Compstat.  When managed properly the Compstat idea can be a strong tool for developing policing strategies and policies.  Unfortunately it appears that if used improperly it can lead to a failure of the police system and a failure to provide the needed services a police department provides.

When you underreport crime and compare it to past crime levels it appears that your new policies are successful.  But are they really?  One crime that is extremely difficult to under report is murder.  You would expect that murders would keep pace with other crime statistics.  For example if illegal drug use is up then burglaries, thefts and robberies will normally rise as well.  The addicts need to pay for their fix.  If all other crimes were down one would expect murder to go down as well.  Likewise if crime such as robbery, thefts and burglary were up one would expect murder to rise as well.

In a town or city that claims crime is down even though murder is up it might be smart to then look at the accuracy of the crime statistics being used.  Is underreporting and downgrading of crime occurring?  Can this town’s statistics be trusted?

This may be the case here in Chicago. The city and police department are quick to point out that crime statistics show a downward trend in crime.  Unfortunately other than this recent July each month shows an increase in murders.  This year looks like it could be a record setter.  The Chicago Police Department adopted the Compstat system when the current superintendent was hired.  Superintendent Garry McCarthy is a product of the NYPD and instituted it here at the CPD.

This is a question the department needs to look at quickly.  Has the pressure on the department’s supervisors to show improved statistics grown so great that crime is being under reported? Has this need for the department to maintain appearances surpassed the need to catch dangerous criminals? When a police department protects and serves its reputation for reducing crime, it does not protect and serve the people of its community.   These ideas put forth by the authors of the Huffington Post article may be all too true here in Chicago.

One of the best barometers of life in Chicago is the work of Tribune editorial cartoonist and proven friend of the police, Jack Higgens.  Two of his recent cartoons send a heavy message to city hall.[ii]

These two cartoons send a great message about how deceptive statistics can be.  Without the proper perspective and full knowledge of all the factors, statistics can lead one to make inaccurate deductions.

So this leaves the question, is Chicago misrepresenting and under reporting crime statistics?  If so, is it deliberate or accidental?  I certainly have no idea as I have not seen it from my position but I am just a small cog in a large machine.  Are there other towns and cities around the country guilty of placing their reputations above the needs of the citizens it serves?  Is this problem endemic to the modern American police department?  I would love to hear from you if this is the case.

Learn more about this article here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eli-b-silverman/low-crime-rates-nypd-eli-b-silverman-john-a-eterno_b_1772489.html

http://www.suntimes.com/news/higgins/index.html

Lt. Robert Weisskopf is a 30-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department.  Lt. Weisskopf comes from a law enforcement family, including two uncles, a nephew, and his father.  Weisskopf wears his father’s lieutenant’s star.  Lt. Weisskopf is a graduate of Lewis University with a degree in criminal justice. He currently serves as commanding officer of the Chicago Police Department’s Alternate Response Section which has approximately 200 officers, a unit bigger than most police departments in the United States.  

During his decade-long tenure, the unit has increased officer response from handling three calls per day to 8 calls an hour.  He has been a patrol officer, a district rapid response sergeant, and a watch commander in the 17th District.  He spent a year detailed to HUD performing public housing narcotics investigations. 

Weisskopf is an expert in collaborative leadership and informally mentoring younger officers.  He enjoys the constant challenge of policing and problem solving.   He just finished a five-year term as President of the Chicago Police Lieutenants Association, the collective bargaining organization for the Chicago Police Department’s lieutenants and was chief negotiator of the current contract.

If you were not from Chicago and you saw or read anything about Chicago in the news last month, it was either about the heat wave or the murder rate.  Much of the country is suffering record high temperatures this summer.  Here in Chicago we have had the warmest July in many years.  Temps soared over 100 degrees every day for about a week.  Although we have had a little break from it next week looks like it will be more of the same.  As a matter of fact today is expected to hit 97 degrees.

2012 has the makings of a record high year for homicides.  Chicago may end up as number 1 in the US.   Wow what an honor.  Or rather dishonor.  Debate over the reasons for this extremely high murder rate is as hot as our temperatures.

Every police officer knows that warmer temps bring more crime.  Cold winter nights just are not conducive to gangbanging on a corner.  Drive by shootings are much more difficult when you have to push your car out of a snow bank on a side street.   Hot, humid, summer nights when you just cannot cool off, really do cause tempers to flair.  No one will deny this and no one is even debating this as the cause for the increase for summer crime.

The question is, however, is this heat responsible for the spike in homicides.  Aldermen, whose wards envelope the hardest hit by these murders, blame the mayor and police superintendent for allowing this recent spike to happen.[i]  They point out that the murder rate has risen since the department eliminated the city wide mobile units that previously were used to saturate an area that was experiencing spikes in violence.

New police strategies call for an increase in manpower assigned permanently to these areas.  Superintendent Garry McCarthy stated that the previous strategy was merely putting a band aid on a problem but did not address the underlying problem creating the crime conditions.  Both he and the mayor agree the problems today are the result of the failed practices of the past.  New policy is aimed at a citywide anti gang policy.

New policies state the problems arise from fracturing street gangs.  Chicago has many large street gangs and due to continued police pressure on these gangs, the leaders have been eliminated.  This caused the larger gangs to fracture into many smaller factions as no one leader has emerged to take over.  Most of this gun violence in among different factions of these gangs.[ii]

The city has deployed specialized undercover officers to units on the city’s West and South Sides, as well as saturating area neighborhoods with uniformed cops.  Unfortunately gun violence continues in these areas and it continues to spill over into the population and it is common, now,  to hear  news stories like “Seven-year-old Heaven Sutton was selling cold drinks and candy at a street stand with her mother when she was shot to death, becoming the 253rd victim this year of Chicago’s surging murder rate.”

Police unions are rightfully quick to point out that the police department is understaffed to adequately handle today’s volume of crime.    The department has not hired enough officers to keep up with retirements for several years and most units are considerably understaffed compared to levels just three years ago.  The department will point out, that with recent restructuring and reorganization of the department, current manpower is sufficient.

The superintendent has been quoted as saying” the city was dealing with a “perception problem” when it comes to its homicide and shooting rates.”  It is true; perception is the key to policing and always has been.  Facts are the homicide rates are down considerably from the 1990’s when they were soaring over 900 a year.  If the people feel safe in their home then you have been doing your job.    However when you see headlines like “Chicago Homicide Rate Worse Than Kabul, Up To 200 Police Assigned To High-Profile Wedding” and read stories telling them that we have roughly the same number of homicides as New York City and they have three times as many people as we do, the perception is that they are not safe.  At that point, as a police department we have failed in our duty to the public.

Current statistics from the police department state that other crimes are down from years past.  That may be true; however the media continues to report stories of crimes which cause the general population to fear for their safety in areas once considered safe.  One new trend in crimes is known as Apple Picking.  People using public transportation are being robbed of their smart phones. [iii]  Stories like this have people in the tourism industry worried as Chicago tourism officials can’t get their story straight and decide if there has been an impact on tourism or not.[iv]

When I look at all that is going on I am surprised that the warm weather isn’t taking more heat for being the culprit in Chicago crime.  It certainly would be an easy out however it would be inaccurate.  Our problems stem from deep seated roots and did not blow in on a high pressure front.  The gang problems will not blow away with the leaves in the fall.  If something doesn’t happen soon we will see just how this perception causes repercussions that cost the city, its elected officials and its taxpayers dearly.

Failure to reign in this problem and change the perception could be a political nightmare for the Mayor and in turn the Superintendent.  If they cannot change the perception of the public, and make them feel safe on their front porch this could eventually lead to businesses pulling out of Chicago for areas they perceive to be safer.  It is already hard to compete for tourism against places like Disney World and Las Vegas.  It is hard to compete for manufacturing businesses when it is cheaper to build a plant elsewhere.  The perception that Chicago is unsafe could be nails in the coffin.

They are forecasting another week of record highs and little relief is in sight.  The rest of summer will be long and hot.  But for the Mayor and Superintendent it will be perceived as a lot hotter than it really is.

Learn more about this article here

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/as-chicagos-homicide-rate-spikes-mayor-and-police-boss-defend-their-new-crime-fighting-plan/2012/07/09/gJQAFtYKZW_story.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/16/chicago-homicide-rate-wor_n_1602692.html

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-07-11/classified/ct-met-getting-around-0711-20110711_1_cta-property-smartphone-thefts-cta-riders

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/19008069/chicagos-crime-problem-having-effect-on-tourism

Lt. Robert Weisskopf is a 30-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department.  Lt. Weisskopf comes from a law enforcement family, including two uncles, a nephew, and his father.  Weisskopf wears his father’s lieutenant’s star.  Lt. Weisskopf is a graduate of Lewis University with a degree in criminal justice. He currently serves as commanding officer of the Chicago Police Department’s Alternate Response Section which has approximately 200 officers, a unit bigger than most police departments in the United States.  

During his decade-long tenure, the unit has increased officer response from handling three calls per day to 8 calls an hour.  He has been a patrol officer, a district rapid response sergeant, and a watch commander in the 17^th District.  He spent a year detailed to HUD performing public housing narcotics investigations. 

Weisskopf is an expert in collaborative leadership and informally mentoring younger officers.  He enjoys the constant challenge of policing and problem solving.   He just finished a five-year term as President of the Chicago Police Lieutenants Association, the collective bargaining organization for the Chicago Police Department’s lieutenants and was chief negotiator of the current contract.

Read More:

[i] http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/as-chicagos-homicide-rate-spikes-mayor-and-police-boss-defend-their-new-crime-fighting-plan/2012/07/09/gJQAFtYKZW_story.html

Recently Chicago played host to the international NATO conference.  The world’s spot light was on my beloved town.  However that spot light was more on the performance of the Chicago Police Department and how it handled the protestors that came from all around the globe to demonstrate and in some cases to try to provoke a riot.

In 1968 the Chicago Police Department was the focus of media attention for the way it handled the riots and demonstrations during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.  Many people expected and hoped for a repeat of that performance.  They were sorely disappointed.  What they did see was a shinning example of a highly professional police force acting in an extremely professional manner.

What you did see on streaming video and major media coverage was groups of protestors attempting to bait the officers on the line.  You saw protestors throw objects from behind the safety of their lines into the lines of police officers.  You saw protestors striking officers with sticks.  You saw protestors pushing and shoving officers.

When you saw officers take action you saw officers reacting as a team in coordinated actions designed to separate the trouble makers from the crowds with a minimum effect on the crowd.  What you saw the CPD do was an effort to ensure that problems were not escalated and that tensions were reduced.

When you did see officers take action it was quick and effective.

What you did see also was our Superintendent up with the front lines lending a hand and actively managing and coordinating the officers.  My hat is off to him.  He earned a lot of officers’ respect that weekend.

Additionally Chicago Police used a relatively new technique to curtail the negative behavior of the protestors.  Officers who are assigned to bicycle patrol and who normally patrol congested traffic areas and the parks were used extremely effectively to head off and direct the protestors’ movements.

The bike units deployed to locations in the Chicago Downtown area and where able to get through traffic and crowds where buses and squads would have been bogged down.  They were then able to race ahead of protestors and get into position.  This allowed the CPD to control the movement of the protestors to approved areas only.

Additionally the bike officers were able to use the bikes in front of themselves as barriers when they were on foot.  This was extremely effective both tactically and on a public relations viewpoint.  Police in riot gear are very intimidating on TV but officers in bike helmets with mountain bikes are much friendlier looking while still being highly effective.

Sadly, through this entire weekend the groups of protestors, like the Black Block, who stated their entire purpose was anarchy and disorder, drowned out the message of the many people who showed up to peacefully demonstrate and try to get their message across.  I was glued to the media through out the weekend when ever possible and very little of the peaceful message came through.

What you unfortunately did see from the protestors was a lot of people shouting obscenities and insults at officers while wearing bandanas to hide their identities.

After the weekend was over President Obama and Mayor Emanuel both accepted accolades for the NATO conference and proclaimed Chicago a world class city.  I would be surprised if anyone reading this article can tell me what was actually discussed at this conference.  Truth be told if Chicago is a world class city it is due in no small part to the efforts and performance of the officers of the Chicago Police Department.

Over the years the CPD has had its share of black eyes due to scandals and drunken off duty officers.  Without rehashing these events I would like to point out that these have been the 1%.  The 99% are the officers who show up for work every day.  They do a job that has little respect from the public and from the city that employs them.  And yet they show up every day to do what needs to be done.

Everyone interviewed spoke so highly of the actions of the police officers on the detail.   The facts are that these officers are just as professional and determined to do a good job every time they put on their star and go to work.  The only difference over that weekend was that they were on nationwide television.

The skilled and professional behavior seen on TV is the same and from the same officers who you see every day patrolling streets and walking beats.  In other words, while they should be commended for their performance during the NATO convention everyone should remember that that is the way they do their job on a daily basis.

The members of the CPD can take pride in their performance the weekend of the NATO conference but they can take pride in the way they did their job last night and the night before that and every tour of duty they have ever finished.

For the most part this is the same behavior I have observed from police officers wherever I have traveled in the USA.  I am proud to be a police officer and I am very proud to be a Chicago police officer.

Lt. Robert Weisskopf is a 30-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department.  Lt. Weisskopf comes from a law enforcement family, including two uncles, a nephew, and his father.  Weisskopf wears his father’s lieutenant’s star.  Lt. Weisskopf is a graduate of Lewis University with a degree in criminal justice. He currently serves as commanding officer of the Chicago Police Department’s Alternate Response Section, which has approximately 200 officers, a unit bigger than most police departments in the United States. Weisskopf is an expert in collaborative leadership and informally mentoring younger officers.  He enjoys the constant challenge of policing and problem solving.   He just finished a five-year term as President of the Chicago Police Lieutenants Association, the collective bargaining organization for the Chicago Police Department’s lieutenants and was chief negotiator of the current contract.

Each May we stop to honor our fallen police brothers and sisters who have been taken from us as they performed their duties.  For the most part this week is somber and tearful for many of us.  Most sworn officers probably have buried friends and co-workers who have died bravely in the line of duty.

In Chicago the first Sunday of May is the annual St. Jude’s Memorial March honoring fallen Chicago police officers.  The last few years we have added far too many names to the list.  Officers, in their dress uniforms, gather early on Sunday morning.  Usually the weather is threatening but seems to hold off till later in the day.  Perhaps out of respect.

They then march, by unit, past the Chicago Police Memorial.  Located at the Chicago lakefront, it is a beautiful scene.  Police families gather to line the street.  The Gold Star Families gather in the stands and are saluted as we pass in review.   It brings a tear to my eye as I think about it right now.

Unfortunately, few people in Chicago are ever aware this march ever occurred.

While it may be a sad reason that brings us together, I have always gone home feeling good after seeing old friends.  I also go home hoping that I have learned something from this.

Like most police officers I have always wanted to dissect all the details every time an officer is killed.  It isn’t just morbid curiosity.  It is the desire to make sure that this never happens to me.  It is the desire to learn from this terrible event to make sure that my sons do not get the opportunity to join the Gold Star Families in the stands.

In most cases I either learn something or reinforce knowledge that I already had.  Many of the things I have learned are the result of events that occurred immediately after an officer’s death.  An example I remember clearly is an officer had been shot and killed by a man barricaded inside his home who was firing from his first floor front window.  The officer who had been killed never stood a chance as the offender sniped at him.  The officer’s partners were pinned down under fire and quickly ran out of ammunition.  They were only carrying the department required twelve rounds, (this was in 1985 and we were all required to carry revolvers).

Responding officers quickly tossed up speed loaders with ammunition to these officers.  Had responding officer not arrived so quickly or had the offender rushed these two officers once they were out of ammunition, the death toll for the day could have been much worse.  After that day I always had a second gun and at least fifty rounds of ammunition on me at all times.

I am sure that everyone has a similar story.  We learn from these events even if we don’t realize it.  As the story gets retold over and over in the station or after work over a couple beers it gets dissected thoroughly by everyone.  Sometimes it is clinically and analytically examined and many times it is with a sense of disbelief.  Feeling of how could this happen to this fine officer, your friend?  He or she had trained with you, possibly ridden with you.  Could you have done something different or would the same have happened to you if you were there instead?

This is where the real learning that saves lives really takes place.  It is at this moment that officers realize that they are human.  Officers come on the police force. As their experience grows their courage and skills grow too.  The situations that they can now handle are far greater then they have ever imagined.  There is nothing they might walk into that they cannot imagine not being able to handle.  Unless they are exposed to something extremely traumatic, they begin to feel they are immune to anything bad that could happen to them.  I have seen this happen to officers with about three years experience.

Unless exposed earlier, a three-year officer is at a time in his career when he has overcome the mechanical difficulties of the job.  In other words, he knows what reports to prepare, what charges to place, who to notify, and how your department operates.  That fear is gone.  He has handled domestic disturbances, locked up drunk drivers, been in car and foot chases, broken up fights and been in a few.  Up to this point in time he has probably done all this with out more than just a scratch.  It would be a surprise if the officer did not feel invincible after this.  He has learned how to talk to people so that they listen and do what he tells them to do.  He has learned to overcome his fears.

Unfortunately, at this time he becomes the most vulnerable.  This is when he steps up and gets in the face of the emotionally disturbed person with no fear at all and no real care if he lives or dies.  He walks into the domestic where someone has just snapped.  He walks into the situation that he is not really prepared for and all his prior experience just will not help.  His courage under duress might work against him.

It is at this time when an officer is killed in the line of duty that the lessons learned that day might save this three-year officer.  When he first sees his friend in a coffin, he realizes there isn’t much difference between him and the dead officer.  It is at this time when this young officer might sit back and realize he is human after all.  He realizes he could be injured or killed.

It is also hoped at this time that this young officer stops and looks at what he has learned over the course of his career.  He has to retain his courage and his bravado, but has to learn to temper it with wisdom that comes only with experience.  This wisdom is earned the hard way through experiences like the loss of a friend and coworker.  He now has to learn the importance of discretion, as well, and place it in his tool bag.

Obviously this does not happen to everyone.  Military veterans with combat experience tend to come to the job with this knowledge already ingrained in their system, but not always.

For me, I was a pallbearer for a classmate killed in the line of duty a year and a half after we were hired.  Some officers never seem to learn and go through their career as if their star were large enough to shield them from every danger that might come their way.  Unfortunately it isn’t.

During this somber week, honor your fallen friends and co workers by learning from their experience..  Remember you are human and as such are susceptible to injury and error like any other human.  Don’t let it scare you but instead let it make you smarter.  Thank those fallen officers for helping you gain the knowledge that may help you reach retirement.  Honor them by being smart enough to learn.

Lt. Robert Weisskopf is a 30-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department.  Lt. Weisskopf comes from a law enforcement family, including two uncles, a nephew, and his father.  Weisskopf wears his father’s lieutenant’s star.  Lt. Weisskopf is a graduate of Lewis University with a degree in criminal justice. He currently serves as commanding officer of the Chicago Police Department’s Alternate Response Section, which has approximately 200 officers, a unit bigger than most police departments in the United States. Weisskopf is an expert in collaborative leadership and informally mentoring younger officers.  He enjoys the constant challenge of policing and problem solving.   He just finished a five-year term as President of the Chicago Police Lieutenants Association, the collective bargaining organization for the Chicago Police Department’s lieutenants and was chief negotiator of the current contract.

Here in Chicago a police officer’s star has a number on it.  The lower the number the higher the rank.  When you get promoted you get a new star and number.  Normally the star then gets recycled on to another new officer and so on.

It is considered a very fortunate thing to have a family member’s former star.  For instance an officer may be able to get his fathers star after his father retired or got promoted, if it is available.  The reasons it may not be available, are, it may be lost, assigned to another officer or in some cases retired and on display in our Honor Star Showcase at police headquarters.  This showcase displays the stars and the names of the CPD officer who were killed in the line of duty as they wore them.

We place a lot of honor on our stars.  So when we can get the opportunity to be assigned the star our father wore it is a great honor.  My sister in law carries my former Police Officers star.  I have been fortunate enough to carry my father’s Lieutenants start and previously carried my Father in Law’s Sergeant’s star.

I was not able to get my father’s Sergeants star as it is on display in the showcase.  After my father was promoted his star was reassigned to his best friend when he made sergeant.  He was shot and killed in the line of duty. When I go to Headquarters I always stop and look for Star # 824.  On April 14, 1969, Sgt James Schaffer was killed in the line of duty while wearing my fathers Sergeants star.  I say a little prayer to myself and move on.  Our stars mean a lot to us.

On this last Tuesday, March 27th, Police Officer Del Pearson who had been critically shot on March 19^th, was able to leave the hospital and go home.  Photos show Officer Pearson as he was taken out to his car in a wheel chair.  This is remarkable considering how severely injured he had been.  Even more remarkable is the photo shows him wearing CPD star # 6254 on his jacket as he road out in the wheel chair.

While Officer Pearson was in surgery his mother sat with CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy in the waiting room.  She told the Superintendent about how Pearson had tried to get his father’s star for years.  For ten years he tried to get the star. His efforts had not been successful since it had been issued to someone else.

Pearson’s father retired after 29 years as a police officer.  Both Pearson and his father had worked the same district.  Pearson’s father passed away before he graduated from the police academy.

After hearing this story Superintendent McCarthy looked into this star.  A couple days before Pearson was sent home McCarthy presented him with CPD Star # 6254.  It is now his official star.

According to the Chicago Suntimes when McCarthy was a New York Police Officer he carried his father’s NYPD shield.

Our stars or badges or shields or what ever you wear in your department, are more than just something to let the public know you are the police.  They are a symbol of who you are and what you are.  They are a symbol of the values we hold as well as the duty and honor in which we believe.

Lt. Robert Weisskopf is a 30-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department.  Lt. Weisskopf comes from a law enforcement family, including two uncles, a nephew, and his father.  Weisskopf wears his father’s lieutenant’s star.  Lt. Weisskopf is a graduate of Lewis University with a degree in criminal justice. He currently serves as commanding officer of the Chicago Police Department’s Alternate Response Section, which has approximately 200 officers, a unit bigger than most police departments in the United States.  

During his decade-long tenure, the unit has increased officer response from handling three calls per day to 8 calls an hour.  He has been a patrol officer, a district rapid response sergeant, and a watch commander in the 17^th District.  He spent a year detailed to HUD performing public housing narcotics investigations. 

Weisskopf is an expert in collaborative leadership and informally mentoring younger officers.  He enjoys the constant challenge of policing and problem solving.   He just finished a five-year term as President of the Chicago Police Lieutenants Association, the collective bargaining organization for the Chicago Police Department’s lieutenants and was chief negotiator of the current contract.

On March 19 at 10:42 p.m. Officer Del Pearson of Chicago Police Department’s 4th District Tactical Team along with other officers attempted to stop several subjects near the corner of 84^th and Kingston.

One of the individuals ran.  Officer Pearson and his partner ran after him.  During the foot chase, the subject turned and fired several shots at Officer Pearson which struck him just above the top edge of his Kevlar vest.  The bullet entered his neck and lodged against the officer’s spine.  Officer Pearson and his partner returned fire but the subject escaped.

Officer Pearson is in intensive care after surgery with the bullet still lodged near his spine.  However he is awake and responsive, talking with his family and medical staff.  Officer Pearson is married and has two children.  His prognosis is good.  Team LET requests that those so inclined include Del Pearson and his family in prayer.

Del Pearson was sworn in as a police officer on September 29,2003.  In his 8-year career he has been recognized with over one hundred awards, commendations, and honorable mentions including the Superintendent’s Award of Valor after he shot and killed a gunman who had pointed his weapon at Officer Pearson.

Pearson coaches little league baseball and is active with the Brothers in Blue Motorcycle Club, a non-profit charitable organization that is composed of police officers and firefighters.

He is exactly the kind of police officer you would expect to run after a suspicious character, in a bad neighborhood, on a dark night.  Detectives are currently questioning a 20 year old male subject of interest in connection with this shooting.

Read More: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/crime/chicago-police-officer-shot-chest-surgery-internal-bleeding-critical-south-20120320

Growing up I went with my parents to a lot of funerals and wakes.  Great aunts and uncles, family friends, you name it, there was always a wake or funeral to go to.  I would shuffle up front at my parent’s side and always feel so uncomfortable.  I never knew what to say to the grieving family but I was always amazed that my father knew exactly what to say.  His words to the family were comforting.  I got the impression that when he walked away the family was better for what he had just said to them.

I never knew how he did that.  My mother seemed to be good but not anywhere as comfortable at it as my father was.  Once I became a police officer, I started to realize just how my father got so good at what he did at wakes and funeral.  It was certainly not a natural talent that he had inherited.  It was a skill he had developed.  He developed it because he went to so many wakes and funeral as a police officer.  If it wasn’t a police officer or retired police officer it was a member of a police family.  Practice, practice and more practice.

With as many officers as the Chicago Police Department has, there are a lot of wakes and funerals to go to.  When you approach 30 years on the job you could go to a wake almost every other night.  By that time you have been at these wakes as member of the immediate family and as member of the police family.  That is what we are at those times, family.  We come together to grieve together and to support each other.

I don’t know if places other than Chicago do the same thing but here we have what is known as a St. Jude memorial service.  A department chaplain leads a prayer service at the wake.  All police officers, active or retired are invited to come up to the front around the casket.  The chaplain says a few prayers and adds a few words.  Then all the sworn officers pass by the casket and then file past the family to offer their condolences.  It doesn’t take long and it really can’t because there are usually a lot of on duty officers in uniform who need to get back out on the street.  You see old retired officers with walkers in line.  You see young new rookies who may never have met the deceased or family but his or her partner dragged them along.  The rookie is learning the importance of the St. Jude Memorial.

The St. Jude service does two things.  First it lets the family of the deceased know that we care.  It lets them know that they are important to us. I have heard people at wakes who had never seen a St. Jude service talk about it.  They are very impressed and very appreciative.  I have been part of the grieving family and know how the support of my fellow officers made me feel when my father and mother passed away.  I know how it made my in-laws feel when my father in-law, a retired sergeant, passed away.  I know how it made my sons feel when both of their grandfathers were honored by this outpouring of sympathy and respect from police officers.

I also know how it makes me feel to be an officer attending the service.  It allows me a chance to pay my respects to a fellow officer or to honor a senior officer or to quietly thank a boss who was good to me at some time.

More importantly it allows all of us to realize just why we really do what we do.  We get up out of our warm beds and suit up to go to work in some of the most miserable wicked weather.  We miss out on birthday parties and family get togethers.  We put up with insults and threats and physical harm.  We do this to protect our families.  We do this by trying to make our communities a better place to live in.  We do this by racing into calls of shots fired.  We do this by doing the dirty work that no one else wants to do but needs to be done.

Even though we may not work in our home neighborhood we know that if we do not do our job, the crime we fight will spread and endanger our families.  If we do not do our job then we will be going to even more funerals and wakes.  We do not need that much practice.

This morning when I sat at my desk and checked my computer I saw that a Florida Corrections officer has been stabbed to death.  I scroll down Law Enforcement Today’s Facebook Fan page and see where several other officers have died or been killed over the last few weeks.  I turn on the radio and hear that a 47-year-old Chicago Police officer from the 004^th District Tactical team was shot last night when he and his partner went to stop a couple young guys for curfew violations.  He had just gotten out of surgery and was in critical condition.  Details are still sketchy; the bullet missed his vest and logged in his neck along his spine.  He had lost a lot of blood and is in critical condition. People around the operations floor are wondering if they know him. We are all praying he pulls through.

Yeah, I now know how my father got so good at saying the right things at wakes.  Over the course of his lifetime I wouldn’t venture to guess how many hundreds of wakes he had attended.  I cannot imagine how many St. Jude services he had been part of.  I really hope that I never get that good.

Lt. Robert Weisskopf is a 30-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department.  Lt. Weisskopf comes from a law enforcement family, including two uncles, a nephew, and his father.  Weisskopf wears his father’s lieutenant’s star.  Lt. Weisskopf is a graduate of Lewis University with a degree in criminal justice. He currently serves as commanding officer of the Chicago Police Department’s Alternate Response Section, which has approximately 200 officers, a unit bigger than most police departments in the United States.  

During his decade-long tenure, the unit has increased officer response from handling three calls per day to 8 calls an hour.  He has been a patrol officer, a district rapid response sergeant, and a watch commander in the 17^th District.  He spent a year detailed to HUD performing public housing narcotics investigations. 

Weisskopf is an expert in collaborative leadership and informally mentoring younger officers.  He enjoys the constant challenge of policing and problem solving.   He just finished a five-year term as President of the Chicago Police Lieutenants Association, the collective bargaining organization for the Chicago Police Department’s lieutenants and was chief negotiator of the current contract.

Police Officer Clifton Lewis was killed late Thursday night in a Westside Chicago convenience store by two unidentified black males robbing the store.  He was pronounced dead a short time later at Cook County Hospital, Chicago. Over 200 Chicago police officers reported to the hospital to support Lewis’ family.

Lewis was a SWAT team member.  The robbers, identified as two black males,
fled the scene with Officer Lewis’ gun and shield.   Chicago mayor and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel decried this senseless death.  Officer Clifton Lewis was 41. He was off duty.

Learn more about this article here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-offduty-police-officer-shot-on-west-side-20111229,0,852722.story

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57350132-504083/off-duty-chicago-police-officer-clifton-lewis-shot-and-killed/