COMMENTARY: Chicago cops are welcomed to relocate to Indiana, but be forewarned about politics that need to be policed

Not so fast, sir.

“Our police do the hardest job in the world, and they deserve respect — not losing their pay or being fired for refusing to comply with a ridiculous vaccine mandate,” Braun said later in a statement to Fox News.

I question his use of the word ridiculous, which often describes his motives for tweets, news releases and statements to conservative media outlets.

“Indiana’s police departments are hiring now and will welcome you with the respect you deserve,” Braun said in another tweet.

Braun doesn’t deserve the same respect. His “Welcome to Indiana!” tweet was intended solely to attract Fox News producers, not good cops for Hoosier communities. This is typical Braun bluster, saying whatever sounds patriotic to rally — and rile up — his base of constituents, just like his political hero, former President Donald Trump.

Braun’s latest rallying cry is not about law enforcement, public health or the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s about the political bravado of Braun, who continues to dodge questions if he has been vaccinated or not. Why? Because by suggesting he hasn’t been vaccinated, even if he has, Braun plays to his base of anti-vaccination supporters. His job too often comes down to politics, not public policy for the greater good.

The greater good in Chicago involves police officers being vaccinated to protect and serve its citizens. In August, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued an ultimatum to cops — either get vaccinated or get tested for COVID-19 twice a week. Many of the department’s officers have refused, with thousands of employees not reporting their vaccination status by last Friday’s deadline.

On Tuesday, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said 21 officers were on no-pay status because they refused to report their vaccine status.

On Wednesday, a top Chicago police union official referred to the organization’s vaccine standoff with Lightfoot as “The Hunger Games,” warning younger officers that if they gave in on this vaccine mandate, “What issue is next?”

This reaction also reeks of political hyperbole to me. I understand the word “mandate” can be inflammatory or invasive, with cries of tyranny from critics, but when a mandate is needed under extremely unusual circumstances — a pandemic — I can find more than 700,000 buried reasons in our country to agree with it.

I didn’t get vaccinated to protect myself as much as to protect others in my social orbit, as well as to give them peace of mind when they’re around me. If my employer mandated this (safe and proven) vaccination, or I’d lose my job, I’d roll up my sleeve. I pick my battles in life. So, this is the battle that some Chicago cops are picking in their dangerous career?

Through the years, this column space has defended the actions of police officers on multiple occasions regarding hot-button issues of the day — police funding, violent protests, vehicle chases and public perception of their daily duties to name a few.

In 2018, I wrote, “Police are demonized by some Americans, criticized by others, and scrutinized by most of us. Their difficult job is dissected under the microscope of public opinion on a daily basis.”

In 2008, I wrote, “It’s important for citizens to remember that the actions of a few cops certainly don’t represent the mindset of many and we need more evidence before we judge and persecute cops.”

With that said, I side with the city of Chicago regarding the vaccine mandate for its police officers. Partisan politics, not their oath to serve and protect, is playing a role with some of the officers’ refusal to comply. Getting this shot is nothing compared to all the rules and mandates they already must abide by as law enforcement officers.

The COVID-19 vaccine has proven to save lives and protect our society’s most vulnerable residents. If some of the potential 3,000 officers on the city’s police force are that adamant against getting it, fine, they can quit and seek employment in another city.

“Hey Chicago Police Officers, we’re hiring! No vaccine mandate. Apply today at http://statetrooper.com. Lower taxes, great schools, welcoming communities,” Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield tweeted Tuesday on the official Twitter account for District 13.
 
His tweet attracted a ton of comments in agreement, tapping into the historic red state versus blue state politics between Indiana and Illinois. This isn’t the first time that allegations of “government overreach” has been debated between the two states.

“I think there’s a clear contrast between what’s going on in the city of Chicago right now and what’s happening in the state of Indiana,” Munster police chief Steve Scheckel told Fox News on Tuesday while rolling out a similar welcome mat to Chicago cops.

Hoosier hospitality, right?

Nonetheless, if Chicago cops wanted to work in Indiana, they could have made the switch years ago. They didn’t. If they choose to do it now rather than get a shot that young children will soon be getting — for the greater good of society — so be it. I’m all about freedom of choice. I doubt many of them will actually relocate to Indiana, uproot their families and start protecting the same Hoosier communities they’ve been mocking since childhood.

Fellow Hoosiers, there’s nothing to see at this police scene except the obvious chalk outline of politics. It’s this dynamic that attracted Braun to the scene, and it’s his predictable rhetoric that needs to be profiled and policed.