Chicago police officer stands with American flag in viral photo
CHICAGO (FOX 32 NEWS) - Mere days after two Chicago police officers were reprimanded over photos of them kneeling in uniform, another officer posted a photo demonstrating his support for the American flag, national anthem, gun rights and President Donald Trump.
John Catanzara posted the photo of him holding up the American flag in front of a Chicago police cruiser to his Facebook page Tuesday night with the caption: "2 sides to a story."
The demonstrations came after Sunday when players and management all across the NFL took a knee to protest President Donald Trump's comments on the league.
The same day an Englewood activist Aleta Clark marched into South Side police departments wondering the same thing about local officers.
"I asked them, 'Are you against racism?' They said yes, I said, 'Are you against police brutality?' They said yes. I said 'Do you support Colin Kaepernick's decision?' They said yes," said Clark, known for the campaign 'Hugs not Slugs.'
Two African-American officers agreed to kneel alongside Clark in uniform and inside the station. Clark posted the picture of the three of them, fists raised in the air, on her Instagram account.
CPD spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said the department is investigating all photos involved.
"As we have said before, the rules prohibiting officers from making political statements while in uniform will be applied consistently. This will be no different. The Department will remind all officers about the department's prohibiting political statements while on duty through a roll call training," Guglielmi said in a statement.
The Chicago Police Department policy in question is part of the rules of conduct, which prohibits officers from taking a political stance while in uniform.