First Responders

One of the best things about my north-facing window here at work is the ability to hear and see the city-sights/sounds on the street six floors below.

Several times a year, new recruits from the Chicago Police Department or the Chicago Fire Department run as a group down Fulton Street (today, it was the guys from the CFD). Usually they're shouting or chanting something in unison, military-style. I always hear them when they're about half-a-block away, so I have time to get to my window and watch them running by.


Several years ago, it was a pleasant amusement for a single woman. Now, I'm thinking that my three-year-old son would find the whole thing really, really cool because they're all wearing matching shirts and they're usually followed by a squad car or a fire department car.

Funny how things change. :-)

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Officer Friendly

Patrick and I are at the kids' school every day for drop-off and pick-up. But we make an effort to be there for other occasions. Like field trips, or holiday programs. Or safety week.

During safety week, the kids learn about ways to stay safe: everything from not touching a stove to what to do if there's a fire to not going anywhere with strangers.



























This is the second year that Patrick has visited the classroom of ODS, decked out in his police uniform (he's a detective, so we rarely see him in the uniform), riot helmet and bulletproof vest. In addition to the firearm, he's armed with coloring books that instruct the kids about various dangers they should avoid.

He has a great time doing it, and ODS is WAY excited when his dad shows up at school as Officer Friendly.

Officer Friendly will be in uniform for real this week: On Tuesday, Barack Obama scheduled an election-night rally in Grant Park and invited 65,000 people. Which might have been OK, except the mayor then went on TV and invited, like, the REST OF THE WORLD to attend.

Nevermind that the police are undermanned in this city; nevermind that our murder rate just shot past NYC and Los Angeles this year; nevermind that--the last we heard--there won't even be portable toilets available at this shindig. Yes. The best thing to do is encourage everyone, everyone, to converge downtown on a weeknight when Mr. Obama will not even make an appearance until 11 p.m. at the earliest. Great idea.

So on Tuesday, his day off, Officer Friendly will be working in uniform, at night, downtown. Everyone, please be careful.

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