CHICAGO – President Donald Trump tweeted his congratulations to Chicago Police Officer John Catanzara, a 25-year veteran of the department, who was voted the next president of Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police on Saturday.
Catanzara nudged out incumbent union president Kevin Graham in the vote, scoring 55 percent of the ballots cast, NBC Chicago reported.
“Congratulations to Officer John Catanzara for being elected president of the Chicago Police Union,” Trump said in a tweet. “He always ‘gets the job done.’ #MAGA.”
Catanzara will take over leadership of the union as it heads into negotiations for a new police contract. He has been a longtime outspoken critic of the department’s leadership, and of city government in Chicago. Moreover, he is currently under investigation for a disciplinary matter from 2018.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Catanzara is under investigation related to a police report filed against former CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson. Catanzara accused the former top cop of breaking the law by allowing demonstrators onto the Dan Ryan Expressway during the Rev. Michael Pfleger’s peace march. He has been relieved of his police powers, pending the outcome, according to WGNTV.
