Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara's actions and rhetoric "threatens the health and safety of Chicago’s residents and first responders," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

In a video posted online Tuesday, Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara vowed to take Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration to court if it tries to enforce a mandate, which requires city workers to report their vaccine status by the end of the work week. 

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said those staffers who are not fully vaccinated by Friday’s deadline must consent to weekly testing, but will not be immediately barred from working, as had previously been threatened.

The mayor said Wednesday she would not delay her order to require all city workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15 — despite pushback from the unions representing Chicago’s 11,000 police officers.

Tension between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Police Department exposed by the fatal shooting of Officer Ella French widened Wednesday, as the mayor defended the decision by a high-ranking officer to cut short a ritual meant to honor the fallen officer.

The mayor announced Monday that negotiators had reached an eight-year deal that offers more than 11,000 Chicago police officers annual average raises of approximately 2.5% — while imposing new rules on officers suspected of misconduct.

The roadblocks preventing a new deal between the police union and city officials are unchanged since the contract expired on June 30, 2017 — and both sides are dug in and unwilling to compromise.

Chicago has been grappling with issues surrounding policing long before the murder of George Floyd. But as it did across the country, Floyd’s killing led to outrage and calls for change, including campaigns to defund the police.

In a video message, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 President John Catanzara announced that his union membership spoke “loud in clear” during a general meeting Wednesday in issuing the vote against city leaders.

Chicago police have yet to release footage of the March 29 police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, but his death has spurred calls for changes to the Chicago Police Department’s policy on foot pursuits like the one during which Toledo was shot. We get reaction from the Fraternal Order of Police.

A resolution signed by 35 aldermen comes days after police union head John Catanzara praised the rioters who stormed and invaded the U.S. Capitol building.

John Catanzara, head of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, said his comments earlier this week were in "no way condoning the violence in" Washington D.C.

Fraternal Order of Police President Lodge 7 John Catanzara faces possible termination from his position with the Chicago Police Department over multiple inflammatory social media posts.

It is past time for investigators to complete their probe into the conduct of 13 officers who lounged, slept and snacked in the burglarized office of U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush as unrest swept the city in June, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday.

The conditions under which Chicago police officers can use force will be reviewed by a new community working group, but even before its work begins in earnest the group itself is under a degree of scrutiny.

John Catanzara says he’s “not too concerned” with the opinions of his critics, and he’s hopeful that he’ll be able to secure what the Chicago police union has lacked for nearly three years: a contract with the city.