Hibernian Radio Podcast, Sat. May 13, 2023

Sgt. Sue Kenny

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 our good friend, Sergeant Sue Kenny, to the show. This is Sue’s third time on Hibernian Radio and this time she has her therapy dog, Loki, accompanying her. Sue grew up in Tinley Park and got the bug to join the Force through her first volunteer position with ESDA – Emergency Services and Disaster Agency. She has been working with CPD for 24 years and has received many awards over the course of her career including a ‘Life Saving Award’ and ‘The Chicago Leadership Award’. She works in the ‘Peer Support Program’ which supports and helps officers with PTSD and other mental health issues due to the stress of the job. She filled us in on her 10 day Safari trip in Botswana and Johannesburg during her last appearance and this time Sue has plenty of stories to share from her recent trip to Cozumel, Mexico. She tells Houli about her great scuba diving experience as well as the dangers of the currents down there. Sue then explains how a dog is trained to provide support to humans and she takes us through her 7 years of training with the great Loki, who is the only CPD therapy dog! They also make visits to firehouses and bereaved families to offer support in times of crisis. She mentions some of the people and places she and Loki have visited recently including the prayer vigil for Officer Preston. Officer Areanah Preston had only been with CPD for 3 years before she was murdered in front of her home last week. Houli and Sue discuss some of the details surrounding the case including how the killers were caught. “The family is very grateful that they’re in custody.”.

Loki

Then these two pals dive into discussing Loki and the amazing help and support he provides. Sue and Loki are a part of ‘The Happy Tails Canine Therapy Group’ along with some other dogs and their owners and she chats about some of the help dogs provide such as comforting children during a crisis as well as calming individuals during painful procedures. “It takes their mind off the pain.” Sue shares the humorous story about what pushed her to get Loki trained as a therapy dog and she discusses some of the negative reactions support dogs can receive from the public. We salute you, Loki! Houli and Sue cover many more topics this week including the shoulder injury she got while chasing an assailant. These two friends end another wonderful interview with a quick discussion on the importance of taking care of your mental health and Sue shares some advice with her fellow officers – “These are tough times and if you need help, you need to reach out.” This lady is a gem and we were blessed to have had her join us on the show again! Then we head over for a quick chat with our friend, Jeff Lange. Jeff is a retired 30-year veteran of the Cook County Sheriff’s Police and was born and raised in Bridgeport. He is the Vice-President of ‘The Emerald Society‘ and he wants to share some of their upcoming events including a ‘Meet & Greet’ with 25 Gardai from the Tipperary Station on May 17th at 7pm at the FOP Lodge 7 (1412 W. Washington). There will be drinks, food and live music from the ‘Pipes and Drums of The Emerald Society‘. They’re also hosting their Annual Ribfest on June 26th at 7pm at Lodge 7 with music from ‘The Larkin and Moran Brothers‘. It’s always great to have Jeff on the show – be sure to get out and support our friends over at the Emerald Society. Houli then brings us up to date on the recent obituaries followed by a quick trip to “Houli-Town”.