January 2023 Blues Vol 39 No. 1

AROUND THE COUNTRY work

AROUND THE COUNTRY work 12-hour shifts in the new year, allowing officers to have a three-day weekend every other week. (Photo/Facebook via Oak Forest PD) The shift was agreed to by the Oak Forest Police Department administration and the union after over a year of discussion, Lynch said. “We brought the schedule change up. We wanted to make sure it was a mutual thing with the administration and the union so it benefited everyone,” he said. When talking with the patrol officers, Lynch said a lot of the newer police officers stated they worked for other departments that did 12-hour shifts, which gave them more time to spend with family. “It had a lot to do with recruitment and retention,” Lynch said. “It seems they want 12 hours and family time.” Oak Forest police Chief Jason Reid said the shift is a big change, but after discussion with union leaders and patrol officers the administration decided to try it for a year and make potential adjustments if needed. Reid said new officers asked for 12-hour shifts to maintain the schedule they’re used to working at other departments. But some officers, who have had more experience on the force, expressed concern about reducing their personal time on days they work, he said. “The majority of the new officers wanted it,” Reid said. “We will not sacrifice the quality of a candidate to bolster numbers.” Oak Forest police officers now work the 8.5-hour shifts four days in a row and then have two days off, Reid said. Under the 12- hour schedule, officers will have rotating three-day weekends. Officers now have a full weekend off every six weeks, Reid said, with the department having three shifts with three squads per shift, which translates to about four to five officers on patrol at a time. The schedule for 12-hour shifts changes to two squads per shift, which translates to eight officers on patrol during each shift when accounting for those who will have days off, he said. LAPD WARNS OFFICERS TO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE AFTER 7 COPS RECENTLY ARRESTED FOR DUI LOS ANGELES — After seven officers with the Los Angeles Police Department were recently arrested on suspicion of DUI, the agency warned its personnel to “celebrate responsibly.” LAPD brass wrote a bulletin to staff members informing them that half of the officers arrested had a blood-alcohol content level that was more than twice the legal limit. Moreover, several were involved in injury collisions, according to the Los Angeles Times. The admonition comes amid serious concerns regarding heavy drinking by employees within the department. yrs. According to FOX 11 Los Angeles, LAPD released the following statement in response: “Over a short period of time leading up to the Holidays, the Los Angeles Police Department has seen an increase in alcohol related incidents resulting in arrest. The past weekend an all hands operation took place to craft messaging warning officers of the trend of Driving Under the Influence arrests and resources available to them. Our Behavioral Sciences clinicians have created additional training and employee meetings to prevent future incidents. Although alcohol resources and training are available to LAPD personnel, this does not take the place of criminal and administrative accountability processes that have been initiated and will be carried out.” 31-YEAR POLICE VETERAN CHOSEN AS INTERIM CHIEF IN NEW ORLEANS By Ashley Silver, Police1 NEW ORLEANS, LA.— Michelle Woodfork is set to take the reins of the New Orleans Police Department as interim police chief, guided by a rich family legacy in law enforcement. According to NOLA.com, the 31-year police veteran was promoted to captain last year and currently serves in the NOPD’s Management Services Bureau. Woodfork was introduced as the new interim police chief during a news conference earlier this week. Woodfork is the first woman to lead the NOPD and will be following in the footsteps of her father, who served in the same department from 1968 to 1974. Her uncle, Warren Woodfork, was the NOPD’s first Black superintendent. “I am their legacy,” Woodfork said at Tuesday’s announcement. “As I watched them, the seed to serve and protect was planted.” Woodfork’s dream of rising in the ranks of law enforcement was nearly thwarted in 2017 as a drunk driver plowed into her and dozens of others while she was working parade duty. She suffered a broken leg from the incident, but returned to the force after healing from her injuries. Woodfork worked in the NOPD’s Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit for a dozen years, first as a detective and then a sergeant, before being tapped in 2012 to head the department’s alternative police response unit. District D Council member Eugene Green told NOLA.com that he’d heard positive feedback from other officers about Woodfork, stating that she had “paid her dues”: “They can identify with someone who has served at different levels. She has served across districts, so she is familiar with the city. I look forward to working with her to address the concerns that we have and also the opportunities within the police department,” Green said. MINNESOTA COURT SAYS WIDOW WRONGLY DENIED BENEFITS AFTER LEO HUS- BAND DIED BY SUICIDE By Ashley Silver, Police1 ST. PAUL, MN. — The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled on a lawsuit stemming from the death of Washington County Sheriff’s deputy Jerome Lannon in 2018. The court found that Lannon’s wife was wrongly denied death benefits after the he died by suicide due to a PTSD diagnosis. KARE News reported the initial ruling of an administrative law judge stated Lannon was not killed in the line of duty, so his widow, Cynthia, would not be awarded his death benefits. The Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed that ruling this week after stating, “The phrase ‘killed in the line of duty,’ as interpreted by the Supreme Court, is broad enough to encompass the death of a public safety officer who dies by suicide as a result of PTSD caused by performing duties peculiar to a public safety officer.” The appeals court also noted that throughout Lannon’s 20+ years in law enforcement, the deputy “responded to many disturbing incidents, including a double murder, multiple suicides, a child’s sexual assault and fatal vehicle crashes,” causing him to seek treatment for anxiety and depression that previous therapists tied to PTSD. The court went on to state: “We conclude that ‘killed in the line of duty’ ... includes a death by suicide resulting from PTSD caused by performing duties peculiar to a public safety officer. Accordingly, survivors of such an officer may qualify for the death benefit.” HOUSTON POLICE HELP OF- FICERS MANAGE STRESS THROUGH ‘PEACE’ INITIATIVE HOUSTON — Police in Houston are seeing success from a pilot program geared toward helping officers effectively mitigate stress through mindfulness. FOX 26 Houston reported that the Houston Police Department is considering an expansion of its ‘PEACE’ (Police Enlightenment and Collective Education) program, which focuses on providing mental health support to officers using yoga and mindfulness techniques to put them in the best frame of mind when protecting and serving the community. Yoga instructor Jazmin Porter leads groups of officers who voluntarily take part in the program. She believes mindfulness techniques can play an integral role in how officers make decisions in the field and how they react when engaging with the public. “Your mind is directly connected to your emotions, and the way you feel, creates the way you act,” she said according to FOX 26. Requests to join the program were sent out as a simple “invitation,” empowering officers to take charge of their mental health. Many were receptive, with the ‘PEACE’ program becoming such a vital tool in the department that further expansion of the ,000 program to additional cadet classes is now being discussed. “It’s amazing, and I think it’s a great benefit,” Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said. “A relaxed officer, and also our civilian staff, is a better officer and better civilian staff to serve our community.” 46 The BLUES The BLUES 47