We are to remember the fallen. We are supposed to show respect to their memory and honor their sacrifice. The memory of slain Chicago Police Officer Ella French is supposed to be protected. The Gold Star Families of the fallen are to be respected and protected. Such is true for many, but in a political environment that facilitated the demonization of the police, far too many have not done so. Officer French was murdered, and her partner Carlos Yanez, Jr. suffered life-altering injuries, on 7 August 2021. In the days after her murder, a small memorial for Officer French, which had been setup in the lobby of the Thompson State of Illinois Building in Chicago, was vandalized. Then in November, Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) issued a flawed investigative finding from a 2019 incident recommending a three-day suspension for slain Officer French. Outraged, twenty Chicago City Council members (six short of a council majority) sent a letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot objecting to Andrea Kersten continuing to serve as the head of COPA. On the topic of honoring the work, sacrifice, legacy, and memory of Officer French, yesterday, 9 February, was a good-news, bad-news day. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Most often, the Chicago City Council is an unremarkable legislative body that does as it is instructed to do by the reigning mayor. On Friday, the council’s Public Safety Committee was expected to rubber stamp the mayor’s selection of Andrea Kersten, as the permanent head of the city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA). However, in a rare Chicago moment, the council is poised to say “no” to the mayor on a key city appointment. Ms. Kersten is currently the interim head of COPA, a low-regarded oversight agency, and she was previously its chief investigator. She is most notorious for her November 2021 release of an investigation that included a recommendation to suspend slain Chicago Police Officer Ella French. [Click the link below to read more.]
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In our New Year’s Day editorial, we made clear that 2021 was not a “happy new year” relative to public safety. Our founder also made clear that for 2022 to be a “happy new year,” resolve would be required. On 29 December 2021, Bradley Police Sergeant Rittmanic’s last known words were to her attacker, as her own gun was pointed at her head. “Just leave, you don’t have to do this. Please just go. Please don’t. Please don’t.” Yet, her attacker was determined to kill her anyway and did. Yesterday, Illinois buried Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic. Today, we ask whether our community is fully resolved to say: “Enough!” In 2022, will we demand our elected officials and the media stop demonizing the police? Will our courts be the place where consequences occur, or will the streets continue to be the place where the truth about consequences are most visible? [Click the link below to read more.]
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“Good morning” is a greeting that is commonly shared early in the day. The expression acknowledges the start of a new day, as well as a statement of hope. Yet we have also heard the greeting shortened to just “morning.” The shortened expression makes no claim beyond a statement of time. Fatigue and a discouraged sense of what the new day has in store can often explain why the shortened greeting is used. The greeting “Happy New Year” is similar to “good morning,” and it too seeks to express hope for the time ahead. As a nation we lived through 2020, the year like no other. The year 2020 was one with many issues, including significant public safety disappointments. Sadly, relative to violence, 2021 was also a disappointing year. A “happy” new year in 2022 will require resolve beyond the mere use of an optimistic greeting. [Click the link below to read more.]
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For more than 30 years, Bob Welsh was an Ohio State Trooper. Welsh retired at the rank of captain, but has continued to advance the goals of the law enforcement profession. Welsh has taken pride in being an inspirational speaker and storyteller. We are living in a time where the need for inspiration is great. For several years Welsh has inspired others with his poem “My Christmas Eve.” We are proud to share it with you this Christmas Eve. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Last week, several news sites made reference to an internal email sent from a former commander with the Chicago Police Department (CPD). The email was sent to several CPD members by Captain Melvin Roman on his last day before retiring. The email was a “within the family” message. It was subsequently released publicly by someone other than Captain Roman. The coverage of the email – not the email itself – was a spectacle Chicago moment. Anyone who actually knows Mel Roman knows that he is not one to seek the personal spotlight. He has always been the type of leader to focus on the needs of those he was responsible to lead. He delighted in turning the spotlight toward their accomplishments. That fact alone should help us move past the spectacle and seek the leadership lessons that were offered. [Click the link below to read more.]
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In September, following the release of the final 2020 national crime statistics by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Secure 1776 published our post, “Truth and Consequences, 2020 Murders.” In 2020, America’s murder rate increased about 30 percent from 2019. Even though four weeks remain in 2021, as of 30 November, and compared to all of last year, the nation has already passed three key “truth and consequences” thresholds. First, more police officers have been ambushed. Second, more police officers have been hit by gunfire. Third, more police officers have been murdered. The truth, the nation, particularly in its urban areas continues to suffer from increased lawlessness. The nation’s police officers are among those suffering the consequences. [Click the link below to read more.]
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As we mentioned on 30 October in our post “More Spectacle Chicago, Not Remarkable,” a combined 26 members of the Chicago City Council have the power to be remarkable. Why twenty-six? Well, in a 50-member council, 26 is a majority vote. But, that alone is not remarkable. The council votes in every session. A measure gaining 26 votes happens regularly. In fact, Chicago mayors rely on at least 26 members consistently voting as the mayor desires. Not remarkable. This has been true for generations. Today 20 members of the council sent a letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The issue, Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA). These 20 alderman expressed their assessment that Andrea Kersten should not continue to lead COPA. She is currently COPA’s interim chief administrator. She was also the chief investigator who approved COPA’s flawed report recommending slain Police Officer Ella French be suspended. [Click the link below to read more.]
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A little more than a week ago we published the post, “Wonderland Chicago, the Victim Problem.” We admonished city leaders that “if, up is down and down is up, then welcome Alice to Wonderland Chicago. Lawlessness is madness.” Well Alice, defiling the memory of a slain officer is also madness. Secure 1776 has reached this conclusion based on three factors. First, the details of Police Officer Ella French’s murder. Second, what we learned as a city about her following her death. Third, a review of the summary file posted by the Chicago Office of Police Accountability (COPA) that included problematic investigative findings and recommendations involving Officer French. The public release of COPA’s three-day suspension recommendation for Officer French is more spectacle Chicago. Defiling the memory of a slain officer in the name of the people she served is despicable. We call on Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to hold COPA’s leadership accountable. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Last week in our “Cops Ask Questions” series we asked whether the Chicago City Council would assert its authority. Whenever 26 or more members of the city’s council rise in opposition to a Chicago mayor, that is indeed remarkable. Well on Friday, the council for the second time in a week demonstrated it is not remarkable. The council could not muster enough votes to reverse the mayoral edict mandating the vaccination of city employees. The council did however muster enough votes to approve a 30% increase in the annual city budget. Now that qualifies as a spectacle for a lawless city, with huge financial problems. Several local violent crimes also provided more “spectacle Chicago” moments of another kind. Not in the exciting and impressive sense. No, in the “spectacular crash” kind of way. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Since 2015, Secure 1776 founder Thomas Lemmer has encouraged others in the public safety profession to ask themselves a core question. “Which is more important, perception or reality?” Determining the answer requires critical thinking. That truth alone points the way toward the answer, as critical thinking is an increasingly discouraged activity. Why? Because when we think critically, we are less vulnerable to nonsense and deliberate propaganda. Providing some context to the core question may help identify the answer. So, in the perception versus reality dynamic, which has more impact on public safety? Perception or reality? We ask you to think critically about this issue a moment or two. [Click the link below to read more.]
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The Chicago City Council has an interesting history. Since at least the days of King Richard I, a.k.a. Mayor Richard J. Daley, most often Chicago’s mayor, whoever the mayor is, exercises more authority than the city’s charter might suggest. In theory, the 50-member city council has the upper political hand, and the authority to direct city policy. In truth, the council rarely actually leads the way on important issues of local governance. In the discussion of Chicago’s public safety and the vaccine mandate ordered by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, as of this posting 13 members of the Chicago City Council have suggested that the council has a voice. Here is another “Cops Ask Questions” question. Will 13 more council members sign on to an interesting city ordinance proposal? [Click the link below to read more.]
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Yesterday we at Secure 1776 posted on the risk to public safety that is intertwined with Chicago’s vaccine mandate for city employees. In “Cops Ask Questions, Pandemic Politics,” we pointed out that of course, cops are among those that are asking questions. We strongly recommend reading that post and watching the associated videos. Chicago is among those places where the implementation of forced vaccination approaches raises grave concerns. Here we provide a reminder about the tie between public safety and the Constitution of the United States of America. A leaked telephone conversation involving a senior U.S. Department of Justice attorney provides another reason why cops ask questions. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Cops ask questions. It is how they are trained. It is what we expect of them. They are supposed to do more than accept things at face value. They are not supposed to simply believe everything that is told to them. Lying to the police is such a frequent reality, that the United States Congress made it a crime to lie to the Federal Bureau Investigation and other federal agents. While local police officers do not enjoy such legal protections, they are supposed to examine the evidence to see if it measures up before they act. So, why then are so many government officials and media “experts” frustrated that police officers are among those people asking questions about the efficacy, effectiveness, and risks of the experimental Covid-19 vaccines? Well, pandemic politics have spread at least as quickly as the virus associated with the Wuhan research lab. [Click the link below to read more.]
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The news items we present on Secure 1776 are selected because they highlight major issues relating to policing. Because we believe the events presented matter longer than a moment, we continue to monitor these news items. With this post we provide updates on three recent posts focused on tragedy, service and public safety. The tragic grief of parents seeking justice for their murdered child. The actions of a police dispatcher during the moments of ultimate sacrifice and service. Confusion on how best to prioritize the overall public safety mission of the police. [Click the link below to read more.]
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