Police Memorial Dedicated
Finally, at long last, a fitting tribute to the fallen officers of this city.
posted by SCC at 12:05 AM
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
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31 Comments:
Beatiful ceremony, No rain, no mayor.
I almost missed tonight's ceremony because a friend of mine suffered a heart attack while at work and died Sunday. It has made me pause and take a look at my life.
Anyway, I arrived off the bus around 6:30pm. It looked well arranged with great directions for visitors concerning parking, etc.
The officers working around the park were great.
We had a tour of the park and these officers were well versed and very energetic about the park.
Then I met Supt Cline and he was extremely nice and thanked our memorial for helping the dept out.
The old cop cars were cool, and of course, the bagpipes and guards were great. The speech by the man from Motorola was inspirational, especially the part about no more names on the wall. He was very sincere.
This park is absolutely beautiful and I will send more pics to SCC later this weekend. It's such a great honor.
P.s. Please hug your loved ones tonight...
In spite of a couple of technical glitches, and some verabl miscues on the part of the people reading the names of the officers, the Ceremony was touching. Phil and his crew did a fabulous job putting together a world class memorial. Makes me proud to be a gold star family member, and a retired CPD officer.
Besides a few technical glitches, I thought it ran smooth. Very nice dedication ceremony. I love the Emerald Society, the bagpipes are just awesome.
The police memorial would not have been as succesful without the help
Kevin Healy. Kevin ran the event at bourbon street. The credit was taken by Sgt Murphy, who presented all of kevin healys initiataves to Phil Cline as his own, what a phony. Kevin Healy has helped many families with thier fund raisiers. and he was only invited to the cermony at the last minute. It would have been a terrible slap in the face to him. Thanks Kevin for all your help. Most folks know who did the real work
Regarding 'OUR' Memorial....
The ceremony, all in all, served its purpose.
There were a few glitches, some beyond control, but it should NOT reflect on the 'total' ceremony.
THOUGHTS AT LARGE........
The Gold Star Family attendance/participation was larger than expected, based upon the anticipated seating. [good sign]
'All' ranks were represented..on/off duty.[THANK YOU one and all]
There was a brief power outtage during the ceremony that effected the audio and giant screen, but those that were there for the 'real' reason, understood the 'technical' glitch.
There was some minor variances between the names being read and those displayed on the giant screen, but with 520 names from Casper Lauer [CPD #1] to Eric Solorio [2006] being read, again those in attendance didn't seem to mind.
While it didn't rain like on the ribbon cutting ceremony, the 'hawk' kicked up to play havoc with the lighted candles during candle light ceremony......again beyond OUR control.
OK, now for the positive things which greatly outweigh the rest.........
There was an overflow crowd of past, present and future CPD members. Retirees, District representation, along with PPO's, recruits and the newly formed Cadets who combined efforts and assisted in a professional manner.
The coordination of the various CPD support groups made this day memorable.
The [CPD] Honor Guard, Pipes and Drums, Peer Support, Sergeants Assn. ushers, District guide-on bearers, to name just a few, all participated in professional fashion to add to the success of this event. The Police Chaplains, Fr. Nangle and Rabbi Wolf both spoke from the heart during the prayers that opened and culminated the ceremony.
Various buildings in the Loop lit up their high rise floors to spell out "CPD", form the checker-board pattern with lights, or as in the case of the Sears Tower, ring the top floors in CPD blue lights.
To those of you that 'worked' and protected the 'streets' while WE were able to witness this event....THANK YOU !
To those who participated in heart and soul and were unable to attend in person, continue to keep our true heros in your thoughts and prayers as that is equally important.
And lastly to those that were able to witness this historical event, thank you for your participation and count yourself as fortunate enough to bear witness to that revered product of....."Chicago' Finest!"
God Bless the CPD!
A very nice memorial but the bosses made it alittle stuffy....THEY should of been sitting in the back!
Tonight the waves of blue were not only on Lake Michigan, but along the lakefront in the Gold Star Families Memorial and Park. As one little boy said, "There are policemen as far as you can see!"
For those of you who were there, you made us proud to be CPD.
To see several buildings in the loop either lighted in blue or with their windows lit up to spell "CPD" was quite a sight. The checkerboard at the top of one building was great.
That was only topped by seeing Dennis Farina return to his roots to read a list of the fallen with out fanfare or credit and to overhear Patrick Fitzgerald say that he doesn't normally do things like this, but he couldn't say no when asked to read names. (Also said he was going back to the office to work some more…hmmm)
Overall, a great night and a terrific tribute to the men and women in blue who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Let’s hope we don’t have to add any more names to the wall in our lifetime.
STAY SAFE!
9/18/2006 11:10:28 PM
What a night! CBS says there were 5,000 in attendance and I bet they ranged in age from a few months to eight or more decades. It was Blue as far as the eye could see. A few technical glitches, but all in all a great night on the lakefront.
Happened to walk out next to Joe Birkett and told him no matter what the FOP said, he had lots of Chicago copper votes since he and JBT were who we actually endorsed.
US Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald read names. Nice of him to show his respect, even though some folks weren't forming lines to talk with him...wonder why?
A proud night in the history of a great city. Hope you were there.
Where are the pictures in today's newspapers?
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE HONORABLE PATRICK J. FITZGERALD, THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, EASTERN DIVISION.
Dear Mr. Fitzgerald,
Your appearance at the CPD Memorial came as no surprise to those of us that hold you in the highest regard. You, sir, are a class act whose integrity is above reproach. You have earned enormous admiration and respect.
Of all people, you are certainly aware that as U.S. Attorney, you preside over the most politically corrupt major city in the nation.
Graft, political patronage, cronyism and nepotism are so deeply entrenched as "the Chicago Way" that nothing short of an Act of God will bring meaningful reforms to this City.
Indeed, many apathetic Chicagoans have lost all hope as long as the garbage is picked up and the snowy streets are shoveled (the "Dat's Chicago!" mentality). Some actually take a perverse pride in Chicago's notorious and well-deserved reputation as a political cesspool.
I phoned your office and left my name and phone number with your assistant this morning. I wish to remain anonymous.
Make no mistake, sir. This is a desperate cry for help. Please consider a campaign to run for mayor of the City of Chicago. I will proudly and passionately contribute ten thousand ($10,000.00) dollars to assist in your candidacy.
Only a candidate of your excellence and courage can break the insidious stranglehold that makes Chicago politics the laughingstock of the nation.
"Mayday!", sir!
The night was crisp and breezy, exactly the kind of weather you would have arranged if you could. The memorial was awe inspiring to say the least. Nothing like I would have ever pictured in my mind even after having seen the artists drawings. The mood was solemn but upbeat, with a lot of joy at realizing a hard sought after goal. Aside from the minor techinical difficulties the night went extremely well. Everyone on this job needs to see this place. From the waterfall to the rotunda of our fallen brethren. The dedication bricks look outstanding and the entire park looks fantastic. Well done to all.
Thanks Kevin for the fine remarks about yourself.
Here is how it's done FOP, Monique, Pat...........
http://mfile.akamai.com/12948/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0728/9591734.300k.asx
Finally we can honor our fallen comrades with this beautiful memorial.
Meanwhile, from p. 12 of the current issue of CONCEALED CARRY HANDGUNS magazine:
"Mayor Richard Daley runs Chicago with an iron hand. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is obsessively anti-gun. He has been known to hold what he himself calls 'anti-gun rallies.' The Mayor even stood in the way of thousands of retired Chicago police officers getting the credentials and shooting qualifications they would need to carry guns under the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act (formerly known as HR 218)"
In a state-by-state update, only Illinois and Wisconsin now prohibit concealed carry for trained and qualified law-abiding citizens.
Even now, retired CPD must travel no closer than Joliet in Will Co. to qualify under www.rpocc.com.
Can't the G.O.P. come up with someone to run for mayor against Daley and a field of Democratic scoundrels?
May God bless our comrades who made the ultimate sacrifice.
On a side bar...
WHO was the female that drove up the 'pedestrian' path the night before the dedication in her squad car to more readily view the Memorial?
It seems that she could not get close enough for her personal satisfaction to view, again...from the squad car, the memorial bricks due to the fact that the area was roped off. [HINT]
Persistent in her efforts, she then elected to drive ACROSS THE GRASS to get closer so she could view it .....from the squad car.
Yup, [you're getting ahead of me here] she got stuck! The more she tried, [yes, right again] the deeper she dug in.
Finally a tow truck HAD to be called to get the princess out of a rut. [no pun]
The grounds keeper from Soldier Field had to be called in on an emergency basis to patch up the [axle deep] ruts inflicted by the princess.
I think Sgt. Hitney would, for one, like to know WHO this person is as it would take some of the heat off of her for a change.
It is said that the Soldier Field east security camera caught it on film. Now that's a picture I'd love to see on SCC.
Ask around, get the details and advise.
It was a good ceremony, but the whole, "I did this" and "they paid for this". We all know how the park was paid and who was behind it being built . Give the fallen officers and the family their night, not kissing Motorola's ass. We buy and have bought millions in their products, it was the least they could do to keep the contract with the city. I want to see family members tell us about their loved ones, who had died in the line of duty and what the park means to them. They mention the A/4 ride to remember, but left out the Casper Lauer ride. If memory services me correct, that was and is the first ride of it's kind. I not knocking it but, this park is not a commercial, it is a site for remembering our fallen brothers and sisters, as well as a reminder to ourselves, that we may be on that wall at some time. Thanks to the companies, A/4 ride to remember, American Knights for the Casper Lauer run and thanks to the Gold Star Families for being there for the families that face the great and heartbreaking pain that you have suffered and used your experience to help them in a time of great need. You earned that park and no one should take the credit for it, except for you and the police on the street every day. And Daley was already there for the first ceremony, so it was O.K. for him not to show up. Nice slap in the face DICK!
My wife and I are going to visit Gold Star Park on a weekday when it's quiet. I can reflect on our heroes, the good times and the bad times.
I'd definitely kick in a few hundred bucks to back Pat Fitzgerald for mayor.
THANK YOU to the 9/19/2006 10:17:52 PM Poster. I didn't want to be disrespectful and comment on the same observation, but how come the families of our fallen were not sitting up in front, and then maybe have the readers on the other side up front? The papers didn't do much about printing photos of the beautiful park. One of them gave a brief mention about a family who flew all the way out here because of an officer in thier amily who was killed I think in 1930.
I think the recording that was shown should have focused more on some of the backgrounds of our fallen and disabled officers. The Airhart family, I believe, doesn't want any pictures of him distributed and I respect that, but he was a brillent man along with the many others. How come the movie featured only less than a handful of the widows of the fallen? Why not more of the families if they choose to speak?
The best part of the entire evening was hearing from what looked like our veteran officers standing by the wall, and hearing them explain the stories of the officers who were on the wall to the visitors. It was unplanned, and very nice to hear them speak.
The program that was distributed should have had a short story about the particular officers and how they sacrificed their lives...
To the 07:18 shes from the Summer Initiative unit, detailed from Starks office.
Patrick FITZGERALD is a total gentleman. Sharp as a tack and loves the police.
We can only imagine how great he would be as Mayor. Half of Brigeport would leave the city...we should be so lucky.
He is the greatest U.S. Attorney this city will ever-ever see.
10:17:52
What is with the sense of enitlement? Who cares how much money Motorola has made in contracts? I'm sure Ford, Chevy, Smith and Wesson have made more. How much did those companies give. Isn't it the least they can do?
What kind of radios are we going to carry instead of Motorola? Can you even name a department that does not use Motorola?
Be happy we finally got this memorial built for those that have given the ultimate sacrifice.
You are no different than a lifetime project dweller with your sense of entitlement and lack of thankfulness.
YOU are truly a DICK!
I just returned from a solitary visit to the hallowed ground that is now Gold Star Families Memorial and Park. It is indeed a magnificent and long overdue tribute to our fallen comrades that gave their all.
I noticed that each of the twenty-four granite plaques bore over a score of the names of the officers.
While I could understand why the engravings were not chronological and certainly not alphabetical, I found that the obviously random listings of the officers who were murdered together in double homicides could not be found memorialized together in death on the same plaque.
(Like the national Police Memorial in D.C., you must check a posted alphabetical index to find the engravings for individual officers.)
Gold Star Park is a solemn yet spectacular tribute to those that made the ultimate sacrifice.
May they rest in peace.
The memorial and Cline: Love him or hate him or ignore him but you have to admit that this thing would never have been accomplished without him.
Thank You Supt.Phil Cline
MAY0R FITZGERALD? Read more than the sports pages boys and girls. Honest Pat just got exposed as having full knowledge of who supposedly "outed" that CIA political hack bimbo. Still he subpoenaed people before grand juries to ask who had done it. A real legal No No. A lil egg on Mr. Perfect's face. Beware of people who only see life in black and white, there is a lotta gray out there.
To 09/20/06 3:13am,
Hey stupid, were you there? I bet you were'nt and you think you know what your talking about. If I offended your radio, I'm sorry. But your a jagoff for sticking up for Daley not being there and your the dick for talking out of pocket and not reading the post in the correct writing. It was about the ceremony, not about the entitlement. You care so much, but yet so little to show up and understand that if you were there at the ceremony, you wolud have seen first hand that it was about the process of building the park, not about who it was for. How much money comes out of your check for it? Did you go to the fund raisers? It's not about who put the money up, it's about the lost of an officer and the families who have lost them, that what the ceremony should have been about. Did you understand this time or shall I explain it to you like a six year old. I never knocked the people for their help and time, just the way the Gold Star famlies were not allowed to speak for themselves and about what the park means to them. That is their enetitlement. But, you were'nt there to see that, were you?
That man from Motorola has a brother in LE. That company is not only very actice and heavy $ with the memorials, but I also think COPS and also, likes to stay on the cutting edge concerning equipment. They have been at many trade shows and the like pushing for officer safety and advancement.
Agree that it should be about the families, not the fundraisers. But would you want to be the guy deciding which family member got to the podium or on the video?
The only officer remembered in a different way is Mike Ceriale. The foundation his family and friends started anted up to the park. But he was young and didn't have a wife and kids, so they have a different focus. From all I hear, he was a great young PO and it was nice not to see a company name on one of the areas.
May they all rest in peace.
09:46:38 PM
Not only was I there to see/hear the power outage in the middle of a song, that was finished, but probably not heard very well past the seats. I heard it because I am a member of the Gold Star Families. I also saw the light truck drive up onto the grass to act as an back-up generator.
But I guess I don't care.
You are nothing short of a JAGOFF.
I hope you do not wear the uniform because you are nothing but a disgrace to all that wear blue.
How on earth did Sgt. Murphy take credit....by sitting back quietly at both events respecting fallen officers and their families??? Perhaps if you're going to bad mouth people, you should learn to spell. I'm quite sure one event at Boubon St. made the park what it is today. Kevin's actions at Boubon St. should be for the cause and not recognition. Hopefully that is the case. Newsflash..... the park wasn't erected by just one person. All people involved should be proud of themselves. There is no room for jealous people with a project and goal of this nature. Did you forget the big picture......Honoring Fallen Officers???
Kevin is the greatest guy in the world....Just ask him.
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