People are tired of the violence, disrespect, and mistreatment of police officers. They are also tired of government overreach from elected officials. Our field office in Illinois has been dedicated to reporting the mistreatment of police officers, going to combat against anti-police politicians, and attempting to give officers a voice with their jobs and state legislature.
After more than two years, we are closing our field office in order to better provide support for more officers in other areas. We have shared some of our successes and highlights during our time in the Illinois field office below. Our hope is that these officers will finally receive the respect they deserve from politicians and city officials, from its citizens and that a new mayor will take over office with police officers in mind for 2023.
Chicago Law Enforcement Survey – Let Their Voices Be Heard
In 2021, we launched the Chicago Law Enforcement Survey which was a poll inquiring about information from LEO’s (Law Enforcement Officers) and residents of the city to see how they view the dramatic increase in violent crime. The survey also was specific to officers and their families on their top concerns at the department. This has been one of Chicago’s deadliest years in decades.
The reason for the significant increase in violent crimes is because the city’s leadership, including Mayor Lightfoot, are adherents to the Left’s radical police agenda. Mayor Lightfoot is the ring-leader of the war on police. She has broken policies and an inflated budget that is destroying police departments. The results from the survey regarding the mayor showed “that over 96% of Chicago police officers and their loved ones do not have confidence in their mayor.” Officers and civilians believe that mayor Lightfoot is incapable of properly doing her job.
Our poll allowed officers to have a voice when they have been repeatedly silenced. They have had their respect taken from them along with necessary tools, equipment, and training to complete daily tasks. Our officers deserve better and we are happy we were able to make officers’ voices be heard through our survey.
Successful Voter Activation Campaign in Illinois
One of our biggest accomplishments on the ground in Illinois was a very successful vote activation campaign in the towns Aurora, Evanston, Oak Park and Orland Park. Staff and volunteers contacted more than 27,000 voters in these communities to encourage them to vote in the municipal elections last year.
The National Police Support Fund reminded voters throughout the elections about the important issues on the ballot regarding police officers. Their efforts paid off in Oak Park because 70% of residents voted “no” when asked “Shall the village of Oak Park defund its police department?”
“I think it sends a strong message to our police department that the overwhelming percentage of residents support the work that they do in this community,” Moroney told Oak Park’s Wednesday Journal.
Kim Foxx Refusing to Prosecute Criminals
Another common theme we focused our time on reporting was the revolving door criminal justice system we have. How are police supposed to properly do their job when a state’s attorney refuses to prosecute criminals? This is what the officers in the Chicago PD dealt with with State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Criminals are getting away with more than ever before due to the Leftist ideologues taking over. “The big losers in the case of CPD v. Kim Foxx will be the people of Chicago, who will be left with no police, a non-prosecuting prosecutor, and more dead children.”
Hope for our Chicago Officers in 2023
It’s no secret that Mayor Lightfoots’ support from the force continues to dwindle more and more each day due to her war anti-police sentiment. That’s why we were excited to report back in November of 2021 that Chicago has hope for a new and improved Mayor that would support our officers. John Catanzara who has served in the Chicago Police Department for 27 years and who is also President of Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police, announced that he would be running for Mayor in 2023 alongside Mayor Lightfoot.
Catanzara is a force for change and will harness the growing resentment among the police departments who also view Lightfoot’s leadership as a disaster. “I’m running against the mayor to change this damn city, because she is literally not only steering into an iceberg, she is literally telling them full steam ahead,” he said. “So something’s got to change.”
Our hope is that Chicago, it’s officers and its civilians will get the leadership, services and support and respect they so desperately need that they are not getting from the current mayor. John Catanzara as Chicago’s new mayor may be the missing piece to the puzzle the city needs after the amount of violent crime it has witnessed on its streets in recent years.
Image Credit: Photo by Andrea Ferrario on Unsplash
