Stepping up.(What Im about)

There is a quote from Jack Nicholson in "A few good men" that will at all instances bring a resounding "fuckin A right" out of me. Mainly because Im OLD SCHOOL. I never acclimated to the New Age Weis Era Policing. The bile rises in my throat when I encounter a shithead that feels they are empowered and that I cant do this and I cant do that. Most times the words FUCK YOU are held within my head. Then there are other times they are not.
I am not the Chicago Police and I would run the otherway as fast as I could if that job was offered to me today.
I HAVE however worked with the REAL Police that wore revolvers down low and retired in 1994 after 30 years service. These are the men (and a few women) that taught me and molded me.To them I am forever thankful.Yes I am cocky, yes I am arrogant,yes I dont wait for the "ok" before shattering a project door in pursuit of a bad guy. Yes, I will INSURE they go toPRISON.Yes, I have fierce loyalty to the REAL police and YES, I will ALWAYS have your backs. Yes I have a VAST amount of Pride for the work and the end result of a collective effort of the 019 Gang,Tac,and Narcotics(I didnt forget you Waldera) did in Lathrop Homes. "We saw we came we kicked ASS and when the smoke cleared peace was restored" While to some I am a 'lowly security guard' I have gone places and done things those that mock would puke at the thought of. I have gained a modicum of RESPECT which is evident EACH time I walk up to the 019 Desk. And yes, I have the balls and the fire and the spine to back that statement up ALONG with a Stellar conviction record to boot.And in light of this legendary history I am HUMBLE in the presence of true warriors. Unfortunately,times have changed and the Obamites have tipped the scales of 'power' . What pains me is when I see guys I have battled along side of in brutal conditions,stand there doing nothing. Not because of cowardice,(like the "police" women in 003) but because its simply too costly to do real police work anymore and we all KNOW Weis will shank you in a heartbeat. (Cozzi ring a bell?) What OFFENDS me now is what has replaced me at Lathrop. A man (if you want to call him that) that is power drunk,unstable(provable)
and has a propensity for VIOLATING LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS along with a propensity for propositioning women while on the job. "back in the day" when I was there,if i couldnt get the shit head I waited and plotted and surveilled and made DAMN sure when we took them down they STAYED DOWN. 8 hours there went like 20 minutes. Sure a few of the old hats in 19 thought I was insane (and I am but in a good way)but when the results came in and when the convictions came in the tune changed.I became the 'go to guy' when there was a major case,or the dicks(pontarelli) were looking for a hard offender. I had NO PROBLEM risking my safety in the pursuit of that. Now,I get feedback from offenders that I put away telling me what is going on there. I get feed back from Officers and Bosses about the shit going on there and the goof ball arrests being made. While Id jump in the mess in a heartbeat,now I have to look at my guys with a pained look in my eyes and shrug my shoulders. Im SURE they know that feeling. Im also sure they know that feeling is killing me not being able to help or protect the innocent that live in that hell hole. I have put 11 (12 counting Alex Valladez) Friends of mine that happened to be the police into the ground.Each time I swore I wouldnt go thru this again and each new time I found my self putting that black band over my credentials as a show of RESPECT. And EACH time, I cried and mourned even if I never knew the man or woman.I feel sad that I couldnt be there to try and protect that fallen officer like i let him down or left him hanging,SOMETHING IM NOT ABOUT AND DONT PLAY AT ALL.
What I do NOW is Support and Stand FOR the guys I stood with in the field. What I do now is help from the sidelines when 99.9% of me wants to jump in and bite the offenders forehead. So please when you make your comments of "not knowing" or "not having been there" I do and I have....many times over.
Im sorry that they have banded the balls of the Warriors on CPD. You are all a phenominal bunch of men and women and I was proud to stand with you in the fight. I was equally as proud to stand with you in court over the tagging of the Police Memorial. Back in the day,that crowd would have packed that courtroom. I intend to do JUST THAT on 23 Sept 2009.And that boys and girls on that job is what I STAND FOR NOW. "CODE" "ETHICS" "HONOR" "INTEGRITY" while Nicholson delivered it superbly and is just an actor,those words believe it or not hold true in some of us still today.
Thanks for reading and I miss this thing.....a lot.....

Lathrop One.