Ray McInerney
Fox’s Pizza, Guinness, Big Corner Tavern, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour as we return to our First Responders Tour at our new recording location, Big Corner Tavern, and this week we welcome back after his last appearance 4 years ago, 32 year CPD veteran, Lt. Ray McInerney. Ray is a Lewis University graduate and a member of the Gaelic Fire Brigade and the Royal Order of Hibernians. He grew up in St. Basil’s/Visitation Parish and attended St. Rita’s High School. He begins his interview by addressing his current position as Deputy Chief of Dolton Police Department and why he is on his way out due to a shoulder injury. You have to hear the very disappointing story about how he found out he wasn’t returning to that post… Ray started working as a Cook County Correctional Officer with the Sheriff’s Dept in 1985 and quickly earned a spot as a Fugitive Apprehension Officer in the Electronic Monitoring Unit. He shares some hilarious stories from that time from dealing with people on house arrest, one guy in particular who ran out the back door as soon as they put the monitor on him. Ray left for the Chicago Police Department in 1991 and during this time he managed security operations for Goldblatts department chain. He mentions the fact that when he took the CPD test in ’89 there were 35,000 others testing with him compared to a very small 4,000 people who are testing for the academy today. He brings up the scary fact that gangbangers are now crossing over to the districts with smaller police units and how he worked in conjunction with different districts to try and combat this issue. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to be a criminal. That’s why we catch ’em!” Ray worked in Patrol, Narcotics, Gangs and ultimately a gun team where he was promoted to Sergeant. He took a Sergeant’s job working directly for the Chief of Patrol and Deputy Chief of Area One. He was made Lieutenant and was designated 3rd watch Commander of the Patrol Unit in the 22nd District where he worked for 2 years. “I don’t know how these young cops do it, there are no politicians backing them.” Ray discusses the trip he took to Ireland with his wife Maureen in 2018 for their 20th wedding anniversary and how they visited his father-in-law’s local church in Mayo. They came across a bench outside the church dedicated to their extended family and Ray asked the priest to let them renew their vows right there and then. What a story! He also mentions some of his favorite places in Ireland including the Ring of Kerry. He chats about some of the side jobs he has in his retirement that have him travelling all over the country and he also tells Houli about his shoulder and back surgery. During his time at Dolton, Ray installed a training module that encourages officers to understand the moral principle aspect of being a good Police Officer. He helps to improve day to day operations of the Department as well as Patrol productivity and assists in the creation of specialized units that improve safety for Citizens and officers alike. He goes on to share some stories from his long, successful career including a kid who drew a gun on them while undercover in their car and how they were able to use the same kid to get information on dope houses and local dealers. Ray says the guy even owns his own bar now! The importance of having reliable partners on the job, the horrific rise in suicide cases among our younger cops and the rocky relationship between CPD and Chicago politicians are just some of the many important topics these two pals discuss on this week’s show. “Cops are seeing things they’re not supposed to see!” We’re delighted to have our good friend Ray join us after a long break and we’ll be sure to have him back soon! Houli then brings us up to date on the recent obituaries and that’s followed by a trip to “Houli-Town”.
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