Chicago Police Sergeants' Association
1616 W. Pershing Road, Chicago, IL 60609 773-376-7272
NEXT MEETING: 24 May 2012 at 1800 Hours.
Note: Date changed due to the NATO summit.
18 May 2012
2012 TOP COP
Sgt. Don Jerome responded to a call of an armed robbery in progress. With offenders on scene, Sgt. Jerome entered the store and observed an offender run towards the back of the building. During his pursuit and subsequent search, six terrified victims, including three children, were found bound with duct tape. After ensuring the well being of the victims, Sgt. Jerome continued his search. When he encountered an offender and attempted to take him into custody, another appeared and both began to attack Sgt. Jerome in an attempt to defeat the arrest. As one of the attackers attempted to disarm Sgt. Jerome, the other fled. During the struggle for the sergeant’s weapon, the weapon of the offender fell to the ground. As Sgt. Jerome attempted to recover that weapon, the offender attempted to flee. Sgt. Jerome was able to catch the offender at which time, during a brutal struggle to gain control, both crashed through a plate glass window and spilled out onto the sidewalk. This offender was eventually overpowered by the sergeant and was placed under arrest. 
The other offender was caught by other responding units. Both were charged accordingly and a pattern of eight armed robberies was cleared. For his efforts that night, Sgt. Don Jerome was awarded the National Association of Police Organizations’ 2012 TOP COP Award. Don, along with members of the Los Angeles Police Department, New York Police Department, Detroit Police Department, and six other departments across the country were recognized by NAPO. All were honored by President Obama and Vice President Biden at a White House reception. All of the recipients were presented with their awards by actors who portray police officers, such as Law and Order’s Vincent D’Onofrio, at the NAPO TOP COP Dinner on May 12. We can all be very proud to call Sgt. Don Jerome one of ours.
9 May 2012
On May 8, Mayor Rahm Emanuel addressed a committee on pensions in Springfield. The mayor's position is nothing that any of the bargaining agents of any city labor organization agreed to. Nor, were the organizations consulted with to collectively fix the pension problems that each of the funds are facing. This was his typical "shock and awe" political rhetoric to cry to the lawmakers downstate that something needs to be done to fix the problem caused by both state and city administrations over the past twenty years. Although he stated to the committee that the problems are not the fault of city employees, he failed to lay the blame on the city administration. We all know that the market and the economy have hurt our pension fund, but the city's failure to pay its actuarial responsibility to the fund is the main reason for the pension issues that we are facing. We are intelligent enough to understand that the fund is not as strong as it should be, and that it needs some serious tweaking so that it will sustain retirees for years to come. Instead of running down to Springfield and screaming that the sky is falling, I would have hoped that the mayor would have engaged in meaningful conversation with labor. This way, he could have gone to Springfield with a comprehensive collective plan on fixing the problem. I have already been in contact with the mayor's administration, and look forward to working with city hall on a strategy to deal with our pensions.
Jim Ade
President
29 March 2012
On March 28th, the Association, along with members of the Pipes & Drums of the Chicago Police welcomed Constable Ryan Marron to Chicago. Ryan is a member of the Western Australian Police Force. While working in a remote area near Halls Creek, Ryan contracted a rare, mosquito borne virus that has left him paralyzed. Unfortunately, Australia does not have the intensive rehabilitation facilities that someone with Ryan's condition needs. But Chicago does, and Ryan and his family started to raise the funds for him to be treated at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago where he begins next week. We were contacted by a member of the Western Australian Police Force, and asked if we could meet Ryan, his partner Toni, and his brother Jeremy at the airport so that they could be greeted with a friendly face. Through the efforts of Bob Kirchner’s organizing, we were able to give Ryan a great experience as he starts his six to twelve month stay in Chicago. I would like to thank Bob, the members of the Pipes & Drums of the Chicago Police, Paul Bilotta, John Stahl, Mark Andersen, and the Special Activities Section for making this possible. The Association will stay in contact with Ryan and let you know how he is progressing. To view video follow this link: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/03/28/disabled-australia-cop-comes-to-chicago-for-rehab/.
For more information about Ryan, follow www.ryanmarronfoundation.org.
Photos courtesy of Mila Samokhina
01 February 2012
We are all feeling the effects of change in the Chicago Police Department. As we move forward, we have to realize that change is nothing new to this agency. We have been evolving as a police department since the first copper walked the beat. As a department, we have weathered many storms. As sergeants, we have stood strong through them all. We are a group of people that remain proud of the work that we do. We take care of our people and ensure that the job gets done. That’s what we do. We don’t always agree with changes, and when they affect our contractual rights, we’ll stand up to protect the collective bargaining agreement. We are currently discussing arbitration over the station supervisor grievance. We look to make changes to better our lives as well. The days of rotating shifts and working six day schedules are a thing of the past. We’ll fight to protect our rights, we’ll weather the storm, and in the end, we’ll take care of our people and ensure that the job gets done. That’s what we do.
As the new Board of Directors takes on the many challenges it will be facing, I would like to thank the many sergeants who have offered their assistance in the future endeavors of the Association. As more members become involved, we will only get stronger as a group. With the G8/NATO conference coming this May, Sgt. Bill Schield has offered some tips on preparing yourselves for it. Please take a minute and read his article posted on the site. The contract committee will me meeting later this month. Many members of this committee have volunteered to help and are assigned to patrol units. District / Field Reps will be distributing contract surveys in March.
Jim Ade
President
PD Restrictions
The department has identified the three (3) dates when personal days may be denied.
1st Watch
23 Nov (Day after Thanksgiving)
24 Dec (Christmas Eve)
26 Dec (Day after Christmas)
2nd watch
24 Jun (Gay pride parade)
11 Aug (Bud Biliken parade)
19 Aug (Air & Water show)
3rd Watch
24 Jun (Gay pride parade)
24 Dec (Christmas Eve)
31 Dec (New Years Eve)
Station Supervisor Grievance
The Association has filed a grievance (SGT # 11-037) on behalf of the membership regarding the new special orders on District Station Supervisors. The Executive officer will normally assign a lieutenant to serve as the station supervisor. As it is apparent that this position may be staffed by a sergeant at times, a sergeant that is assigned as the station supervisor should submit an out-of-grade slip for the hours worked. Please keep copies of the out of grade slips, as well as any other proof (A&As) that you worked as a station supervisor and forward a copy to the Association. Only those sergeants that can prove that they worked in this capacity will be eligible for any remedy that is sought through this grievance. Our contract language on this matter is very clear in that a sergeant who is directed to perform substantially all of the duties and assumes substantially all of the responsibilities of a lieutenant shall be paid at the D-4 rate for the hours worked. As this grievance was filed as a class action, there is no need to file individual grievances for these matters. We will be keeping an eye on the lieutenant grievance to see if they get captain’s pay and may amend our grievance accordingly.
Grievance Over Cancellation of 5B Furlough Segment Settled
On Monday, 05 December, 2012, Arbitrator Benn settled our grievance over the cancellation of the 5B furlough segment. So while the department is able to cancel the full 5th period and 5B furlough segments the Arbitrator awarded the Association six (6) additional summer furlough segments to district law and many other units. Please read the attached settlement for a complete list of additional furlough segments. This agreement also limits the department to cancel furlough segments for this one event only! This agreement only pertains to Sergeants and not other ranks.
