There is still time to register for the next “Breaching the Barricade Conference” on Friday, 6 October 2023. The conference is held annually in Elkhart, Indiana. Quoting our founder: “I cannot emphasize enough how this event is something everyone working in law enforcement should attend each year. Body, mind, and soul are all a priority in this one-of-a-kind, industry best approach to wellness. This is true for the newest officer, to the chief of police, and actively retired members – and their significant others. This annual event is a place to refresh, recharge, share, and prepare to continue the mission.” Lemmer will be giving the opening presentation, as well as a powerful breakout session. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Within the policing profession, officer safety is always a priority topic. In recent years, a focus on officer wellness has grown as an officer safety issue. There are many physical, psychological, and emotional dangers for those who have sworn a law enforcement oath. The positive impact of wellness is healthier officers, who are better prepared, on every level, to perform their duties. Weakened wellness places officers at greater risk physically, psychologically, and emotionally. The voice of a child singing reminds us that officer safety is an issue that also impacts the wellness of police families. The song “Praying to God,” sung by Tenley Moran, just eleven years old, is a powerful reminder that wellness is an issue that extends to the children of our police officers. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Thomas Lemmer, the founder of Secure 1776, will once again be presenting at the Midwest Security & Police Conference/Expo (MSPCE). The annual two-day event is hosted by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. MSPCE 2023 will be held this week, on 10 and 11 August 2023, at the Tinley Park Convention Center, in Tinley Park, Illinois. The expo will showcase the latest products and services from more than 130 vendors. The event also includes a comprehensive training conference accredited by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. Lemmer will be presenting two of the conference training sessions on 10 August. The first, “You Ask Yourself, Why Me? Why Now?” The second, “Leadership and the Police Policy Principles.” [Click the link below to read more.]
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The Chicago Police Department (CPD) will take the lead in paying respects to slain Police Officer Areanah M. Preston. Sadly, the department has considerable experience in how to render honors to a fallen member. Police Officer Preston was the second CPD officer murdered this year. The pain of the loss of Police Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso is still raw. Areanah is due our respect for how she lived, and for her willingness to be a peacemaker. She and her family are owed our unending thanks and prayers for the cost she paid for being a police officer. We encourage all who can attend the wake or funeral to do so, and if you cannot to at least pause, reflect, and sincerely pray for her and her family. But what else? [Click the link below to read more.]
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Officials have confirmed the murder of yet another Chicago Police Department (CPD) officer. The incident occurred about 1:45 a.m. today, 6 May 2023. The identity of the murdered female police officer was not initially released, but has since been confirmed as Areanah Preston. We join all those mourning her loss, most particularly her family. That is the most important part of this story. Lawlessness in Chicago remains a serious issue, and the city has lost another officer to violence. But, there is also another undercurrent worth noting. Even before linking to their reporting on the March murder of Police Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso, Chicago’s ABC affiliate linked its readers to their article on the release of body camera footage in a completely unrelated police shooting. Media bias? [Click the link below to read more.]
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Late yesterday afternoon, Chicago Police Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso was murdered as he honored his sacred oath. He and other police officers were responding to a domestic-related call of a man with a gun. As Officer Vasquez Lasso was coming to the defense of a victim, and a community, he was wounded by the offender. Despite the efforts of his fellow officers and medical personnel, Officer Vasquez Lasso did not survive the attack. His murder is a tragedy for his family, and a tragedy for a city that struggles against lawlessness. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Without question, in this world there is suffering. There are many challenges and troubles. Christians understand this worldly reality and the need for salvation. They know as well that there is reason for hope. In all of world history one birth stands above all others. The birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The very calendar of Western Civilization is marked by the time before His birth and the time after. More than two thousand years later, there remains reason for celebration of His birth. As we seek Peace on Earth, faith provides all of us a path for salvation. We have a hope and prayer for a Merry Christmas. [Click the link below to read more.]
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The Associated Press (AP) continues to publish stories suggesting a causation link between THE pandemic and crime. No, not investigative journalism seeking to examine whether a virus was created through banned gain of function research. Not journalism suggesting the use of a biological weapon as a war crime. Simply, crime and violence on our streets. AP continues to cite THE pandemic as a key explanation for the continuing lawlessness that exploded in 2020 across America. As we all know, the spark of that explosion occurred in May 2020 in Minneapolis. Yet, let us not forget, that just days before that spark, the news media was citing THE pandemic as the reason why crime in America was declining. It is beyond time to stop using THE pandemic as a bogeyman to gloss over the lawlessness issue that persists in far too much of our nation. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Our time on Earth is limited. The length of a life is important, yet far less so than how that life is lived. The impact a person has on and for others is the truest measure. Such is the life lesson Chicago Police Officer Malgorzata Lichwala has shown us all. Maggie, as she is affectionately known by her family, friends, and fellow officers, has long been a force for good. She has done the challenging work of being a police officer in Chicago. As a member of the 25th District Community Policing Office, she has lived what it means to serve others. On this past Tuesday, the police and community gathered outside her Chicago home to honor her. To celebrate her. To say thank you to a woman who has served her community well. Even as Maggie continues to battle terminal cancer, she lives a life of courage and inspiration. [Click the link below to read more.]
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On Sunday morning, 7 August 2022, Chicago Police Department (CPD) Star 15013 was formally retired in an emotional ceremony. It was the star worn by Police Officer Ella Grace French. I never had the privilege to properly meet Officer French. But one year ago, in the very early morning hours of 8 August 2021, I was privileged to stand among the couple of hundred CPD members, who met her, as she arrived at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. We were there because on the evening of 7 August 2021, Ella’s tour of duty came to a tragic end. We were there to honor her. To mourn her passing. It was there, for the first time, that I also came to be in the presence of Ella’s mother, Elizabeth French. There were heartbreaking images and sounds that will remain always. But there were also powerful and enduring images of love, courage, and strength. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Addressing complaints of police misconduct are a challenging core responsibility for police leaders. Such is also true for those agencies with police oversight responsibilities. It is essential for the complaint and discipline processes to maintain professional standards, identify false accusations, foster police legitimacy, enhance officer performance, and when allegations are sustained, differentiate between errors and true misconduct. While the Chicago Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is not an agency above criticism itself, they made a key and valid point with their report released yesterday. In a press statement, the OIG sharply criticized the agencies in Chicago tasked with investigating and addressing discipline in sustained police misconduct cases. At Secure 1776, we have previously noted the failings of the city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA). Here we remind those city officials of what they must ensure when handling complaints of police misconduct. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Well it has started. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has begun to terminate department members over Covid-19 vaccinations. As reported by the Los Angeles Daily News, two LAPD officers were fired following recent “Board of Rights” administrative hearings. The terminations were reported by the LAPD at the Los Angeles Police Commission meeting held on Tuesday, 8 March 2022. These two officers join another LAPD officer, who was previously terminated on 8 February 2022. The firings are based upon the failure of the accused officers to comply with the Covid-19 vaccine mandate for Los Angeles city employees. Such controversial vaccine mandates have faced increased questioning over efficacy, safety, autonomy concerning personal healthcare choices, as well as individual and religious liberty. Seven additional LAPD officers, and four civilian department members, face termination hearings in the coming weeks. For months, governmental actions, including vaccine, masking and social distancing mandates, as well as lockdowns and forced business and school closures have come under challenge at the federal, state and local levels. More recently, these actions have been substantially rolled back. Here is a “cops ask questions” question: Is Los Angeles safer after these terminations? [Click the link below to read more.]
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