A profound sadness came over me these past several weeks after the murder of Oak Park Police Detective Allan Reddins. I did not know him personally, but I know his dedication; he served the residents of Oak Park. When I first heard the news, I called all my adult children and police officers in suburban Chicago. I told them the news myself.
I found out that one of my sons had assisted Oak Park police at Loyola Hospital with the situation at the emergency room. The news was devastating.
Growing up in the Oak Park-River Forest area, attending Saint Luke Catholic Grade School, Oak Park and River Forest High School, and eventually going on to Triton College before attending Lewis University in Romeoville, my ties to the Oak Park-River Forest area are strong.
I feel compelled to write this op-ed in honor of the 342 police officers shot in the line of duty and 52 officers killed (shot or stabbed) in the line of duty in 2024. Since my retirement as Chief of Police from Riverside, I have served as an Illinois ambassador through the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in Washington D.C.; I assist departments with officer safety, wellness, and line-of-duty deaths.
Police officers are under attack in America. The number of police officers shot is on the rise; ambush shootings where police officers are the victims are skyrocketing; officers have been murdered just sitting in their squad cars; and, of course, officers are murdered in the line of duty responding to calls.
Every officer who is sworn into service knows that there is a possibility of being shot or killed in the line of duty. However, that is remote. Or, at least, I used to think it was. The growing rate of violence directed toward police officers in the form of firearms is alarming. Without getting into a debate on gun regulation, police officers are killed in the line of duty with stolen guns, illegal guns, ghost guns, and firearms that are legitimately owned by individuals lawfully. They are killed with weapons across the board.
Just this past week, I’ve reached out to the Oak Park Police Department, Cook County Department of Corrections, and the Illinois State Police, who have all lost officers killed in the line of duty this year, to see how I could personally assist them on behalf of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. While it is incredibly sad and sometimes challenging to do volunteer work, it is work I am honored to do.
I was deeply distraught this week when the following event happened after the death of Oak Park Det. Allan Reddins. I was standing in line, ready to purchase coffee at my favorite coffee location, as I often do. The couple in front of me, two females, were openly discussing their frustration about having to wait in traffic for over 20 minutes because of Det. Reddins’ funeral procession. One of the woman said she was late to work because of it, and the other said she was tremendously inconvenienced. I could not help but let them know what the procedures are for police officers killed in the line of duty. I explained that whatever minor inconvenience they may have had, the funeral procession was their way to honor his service to the village of Oak Park and his life and profession.
I did this politely, but they just blew me off. That was a sad moment and leads me to believe that the public does not understand the profession of policing. The funeral ceremony of Det. Reddins was just one small way we could pay tribute to a man who gave his life for his community.
Oak Park has long had a reputation as a very progressive community. It is an exceedingly tricky community to police in; that is no secret. The police have many individuals, businesses, political factions, and advocates to please in Oak Park. But in this case, they all came together to support one of their own who was murdered in the line of duty. I don’t use the word hero often, so I won’t here; the words I’ll use for Det. Allan Reddins are: an outstanding public servant; well-respected by his peers; a man who wanted to work in Oak Park, which is evidenced by the fact that he left the Metra Police Department to come there; and probably most important, he was a good family man who always, according to those that knew him, put his family first.
It is worth noting that the offender who shot and killed Det. Reddins is a Chicago resident. I say that because Chicago violence, especially gun violence, is seeping across the borders of Chicago into suburban Cook County, including Oak Park. There is no magical divider along Austin Boulevard that prevents crime from crossing. What needs to happen going forward is that every single Oak Park resident, as well as every resident of Illinois and across the nation, needs to remember that police officers are your neighbors, classmates, and parish members. These men and women are the civil servants who work for you.
In closing, to the members of the Oak Park Police Department and the residents of the Oak Park-River Forest area, you have my full support and always will.
Chief Thomas Weitzel retired from the Riverside Police Department in May of 2021 after 37 years in law enforcement and 13 years as Chief of Police. Opinions are his own. He can be reached at tqweitzel@outlook.com. Follow him on X @chiefweitzel. Â
