Why I’m Running

I am challenging Mark Donahue for the presidency of FOP Lodge #7 because I have lost my belief that he is properly leading the Lodge.

I believe the FOP needs a more active and outspoken leader. You and the public will see me defending our actions out on the streets, especially when we have to defend ourselves against assailants who attempt to kill us or cause us serious bodily harm.

I will lead in the fight to open up the promotion process by releasing the rank order list for promotions and advocating for on-site test results. You should be able to get your score immediately after testing for promotions. You should also be able to review the test questions and challenge those that you believe were incorrectly scored. If you wish to get a “merit” promotion, it will be a transparent process, as I will not hide “merit” promotions like the current Lodge leadership does.

I will request that the Board of Directors hire more attorneys for the purpose of financially protecting officers as individuals. There is great concern that those who sue police officers will start to come after their personal assets: house, car, bank accounts, pensions, anything of value. To prevent this, I will start a program to protect your assets. This is a benefit that the Lodge is able to provide you without any legislative action on the part of the city or state. It will start right after you elect me.

I will also start a suit against the state for the ability to have residence made a mandatory right of bargaining. As the state law stands, the Chicago Police Department is the only one that doesn’t have the right to make residency a mandatory issue for arbitration. Every other police department in the state does. This violates the Illinois State Constitution’s requirement of equal rights for all and I will not hesitate to litigate this matter. I will not make any concession with the City that will prevent us from exercising our rights to bring residency into arbitration.

These are just some of the issues for which I will fight, but the primary issue is visibility and access. You will be seeing me. I know that most police officers do not attend the General Meetings, so I will come to you. How many times have you seen Mark Donahue at your roll call in the last six years while he has been president of Lodge #7? You have my commitment to be open and available for you and to come to where you are.

Thank you for your vote,

Kevin C. Jans