CHICAGO, IL - A Chicago cop who was murdered in the line of duty drew thousands of police officers and supporters to his funeral to pay their final respects.
Chicago police officer John Bartholomew, a ten-year veteran, was laid to rest with over 2,000 police officers, local politicians, and family members in attendance. Bartholomew left behind a wife and three children.
Emotions ran high as the murder renewed debates over the trending softer-on-crime policies spreading across the country, most notably in deep blue cities like Chicago and New York City.
Alphanso Talley, 26, allegedly killed Bartholomew and injured his partner, Officer Nelson Crespo, who remains hospitalized and recovering from his injuries.
It was reported that Talley allegedly shot both Bartholomew and Crespo in late April at a hospital where he was taken into custody for a previous crime. Reports state that Talley had a gun hidden under his hospital blanket, and while he was taken to get a CT scan, he pulled out the gun and shot the officers.
It was reported that Talley was wanted for allegedly robbing a retail store and violently striking a female employee with his gun and stealing her valuables.
It is clear that Talley is no stranger to the law and has a long rap sheet consisting of violent crimes. At the time of the alleged shooting late last month, Talley was out on pretrial release for an armed robbery, a serious crime in its own right.
“A warrant for his arrest was issued on March 11 while he was on pretrial release for the alleged armed robbery after he had two electronic monitor violations in early March,” legal documents wrote.
In a hearing held for Talley in December, Judge John Lyke, who has been overseeing Talley’s criminal cases for several years, told the court, “It appears [Talley's] mind is finally developing, and he may be on the path to making better decisions.”
Records show Talley was issued an electronic monitoring device at that time, but had multiple electronic monitoring violations within a three-day period in March. The violations led to an arrest warrant being issued.
During the funeral, Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling made a statement and said, "To the children — your father was a hero. His legacy will live on. As John is to be laid to rest, the only thing that I would like to see laid to rest alongside John is violence. Those who go out and do harm to others. Those who take and destroy lives."
Bartholomew’s brother James also made statements at the funeral, referring to his police officer brother as having “a heart of gold.”
"If you worked with him, if you talked to him, if you laughed with him, if you walked with him, you are feeling what I'm feeling right now. It's as if an angel has left the earth. If you knew him, you knew his heart was full. His heart was pure," he said.
The Soft-on-Crime Debate
The incident renewed the debate over Chicago’s very progressive soft-on-crime policies, citing Talley’s long criminal history.
According to the Illinois Department of Corrections records, Talley’s prior convictions include:
Possession/aiding and abetting a stolen motor vehicle (sent to prison Oct. 2, 2023)
Aggravated battery of a peace officer (sent to prison Oct. 2, 2023)
Unlawful use or possession of a firearm by a felon with a prior conviction (sent to prison July 19, 2021)
Aggravated robbery — indicating while armed with a firearm (sent to prison Nov. 1, 2017)
Aggravated robbery — indicating while armed with a firearm (sent to prison Nov. 1, 2017)
Aggravated robbery — indicating while armed with a firearm (sent to prison Nov. 1, 2017)
Aggravated robbery — indicating while armed with a firearm (sent to prison Nov. 1, 2017)
Critics of Chicago’s criminal justice reform point to the cashless bail system and the strong push to “empty out the prisons.”
"The SAFE-T Act, let's be frank, the SAFE-T Act here is geared towards this national movement in America towards decarceration. We're seeing it everywhere in the big blue cities and at the state level, as in Illinois," Paul Mauro, a former NYPD investigator, told Fox News.
He added, "And the idea is just that locking bad guys up isn't a good idea. It only creates more and deeper bad guys, and so we shouldn't be doing it. And, quite frankly, that calculus essentially admits that innocents are going to be hurt, but that is a price to pay."
How many other people will be harmed or killed due to soft-on-crime policies? Only time will tell.
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Writer and author Eddie Molina has over 25 years of combined law enforcement and military service. Check out his personal website at www.eddiemolina.com
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