By: Anne-Marie Vidal

At a time when most of the U.S. population makes a point of admiring and respecting Police officers, the Chicago Police Department is treating its disabled officers as if they were yesterday’s garbage. The Chicago Pension Board, formally known as the Chicago Policemen’s Pension and Annuity and Benefit Fund, is spending considerable time annoying and “recertifying” disabled officers.  Ironically, the Pension Board’s interest in reclassifying the status of disabled police officers follows a law passed by the Chicago state legislature that was designed to increase the benefits of completely disabled officers to allow them to have an income level approximately 75 % of the salary they would be earning if they had not become disabled by injuries sustained in the line of duty.  Currently, after 7 years on Duty Disability, officers only receive 60%. Despite the lawmakers’ intent to improve the lives of the disabled officers, the Pension board has taken it on themselves to “reinterpret” the legislators’ plans.

Officers who read and followed the law as it was written and applied for that benefit increase were then notified that their present disabled rank would be reevaluated and their conditions as disabled would be investigated.  The Pension board has stated that the officers need to be re-examined to see if they meet the legislators “intentions” for an increased pension. According to the Board, the legislators really meant that the increase be reserved for officers shot in the line of duty and confined to wheelchairs, a requirement that the legislation does not mention.

Among those officers who are facing re-examination is Sabrina Johnson, a well-known Fibromyalgia advocate and founder of FACES, Fibromyalgia Advocates Created for Education and Self Help. As one of the only organizations in the country that has made a point of bringing information about Fibromyalgia (FMS) and Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) to the African American and Latin communities as well as to uniformed service workers, Sabrina is a notable target of this harassment. 

Sabrina, who has often put the needs of others above her own, has served as a conduit for information, and helped several Dupage County Deputy Sheriffs with FMS keep their positions under the auspices of the Americans with Disabilities Act after she advised them of their rights. She also helped a Riverside, Illinois Police officer obtain a free wheel chair when his Fibromyalgia made walking difficult.  Sabrina also wrote an article on Fibromyalgia for Chicago’s chapter of the Fraternal Order Police newsletter in an effort to educate the membership about the disorder.

Yet in the Chicago Policed Department, these same officers would not be able to work. Under the rules of the CPD, a person with Fibromyalgia would be unlikely to be able to continue their employment. The Chicago Police Department does not place an officer who was disabled or movement impaired in the line of duty in public relations or a desk job as some departments do.  The rules of the CPD require that an officer must be able to walk with a “stable, unassisted gait” that means, no cane, crutches, walker or braces are allowed. An officer must be able to hold his weapon on his or her own; in other words wrist support or carpal tunnel splints are unacceptable.  The CPD’s philosophy is that in case of riot every officer would have to be on the street to quell and contain violence.  Apparently, the CPD has not yet given thought as to the staff that is necessary to support and administer such crises from a central location.

According to Fibromyalgia authority Mark J. Pellegrino, M.D., 65 % of Fibromyalgia patients have post-traumatic Fibromyalgia.  That is the kind of FMS that follows an automobile accident or work related injury.  Sabrina’s Fibromyalgia is post-traumatic and stems from seven line-of-duty injuries she received over a seven-year period while on the force.  Several of those came about as a result of subduing suspects when bringing them in after arrest.  Another resulted from an accident when a fellow officer drove into the Police car Sabrina was driving. According to an FBI report, Sabrina’s injuries represent how the majority of officers are injured while serving the public.  These injuries have also resulted in hand/arm, back and neck injuries making walking difficult for Sabrina. Sabrina developed bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome.  She underwent surgery, which was unsuccessful. Now she utilizes a voice activated computer program to type.  Her Fibromyalgia has settled in her neck where she has developed several bone spurs and stenosis.  She also experiences Fibromyalgia in her lower back where duty injuries have caused vertebrae damage.  Sabrina uses a motorized 3-wheeled scooter of the type that disabled people use. In post traumatic FMS, the cumulative affect of the injuries on the neuromuscular system is complex and dramatic and still being studied according to the work of Dr. Mary Lee Esty of the Neurotherapy Center of Washington, DC.

What is particularly difficult about Sabrina’s plight is that the pension board has told her she, or any disabled officer, cannot engage in any remunerative activity.  In ordinary English, that would mean that a disabled officer could not hold a paying position.  However, the pension board has given remunerative activity a new meaning and construed it to mean that volunteer work, mentoring a young person, or giving any advice that might result in someone, somewhere making a financial gain as being remunerative activity for the disabled police officer. Under this version of the term, it would seem anyone passing the hat in church would be engaging in remunerative activity.

Sabrina’s fight for her pension was not easy; but she won her duty disability and on a yearly basis her physician and The Chicago Police Pension Medical advisor have upheld her status by stating “this officer is permanently and totally disabled.” But when Sabrina attempted to claim benefits under the new legislation, trouble started. At that point the Police pension board began reviewing Sabrina’s records.  Various harsh requirements followed: Sabrina was told to cease advocacy with FACES; she was actually told to stop counseling friends as to their rights under the ADA, next mentoring young people became an issue.  From the point of view of the Pension Board all of these were “remunerative” in character, even though she never received compensation and in some instances she expended her own money to help others.

Sabrina has worked hard to build FACES and has used it as a tool that has helped many minority FMS patients not just learn more about their illness, but also effectively communicate with doctors regarding the best form of treatment. For Sabrina to be required to see an employment counselor who has absolutely no knowledge of Fibromyalgia is demeaning. This counselor has no medical knowledge or training, and greeted her with the words: "I'm going to be your best friend from now on.  I'm going to show you that Fibromyalgia is not as disabling as you have been led to believe." Throughout the interview, this counselor whose qualifications are a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Masters in Social Work, manner was demeaning and supercilious.  He repeatedly asked Sabrina “What type of work did your doctor say you could do, again?” No matter how many times she answered “None at all”; he would repeat the question in a few minutes.  The counselor also indicated that his previous experience was working for the Social Security administration, which does explain why he thinks everyone can work no matter what his or her condition. As a point of clarification, he takes no responsibility for saying what that work might be or finding people employment, but he wants everyone to believe they are healthy enough to work.  This is an irony from a man who by his own admission knows nothing about FMS.

When the counselor did get around to asking Sabrina about her medical care, he asked her how she picked her doctor.  She tolerantly explained that he was the foremost authority of FMS in the Chicago metropolitan area, at which point he interrupted Sabrina and asked her “How do you know that?”  When she patiently explained that she researched her disease, and got in touch with advocacy organizations for recommendations, the counselor skeptically commented, “You did all that?”  Skepticism, sarcasm and condescension seemed to be the hallmarks of the interview.

After failing to get a response to the question of what work did Sabrina’s doctors say she could do, the counselor took a different tact and asked what level of disability she had several times. He seemed to have trouble with the idea of complete and total disability and he had no experience or understanding of invisible disabilities.   When Sabrina mentioned she had worked on a research project that allowed her to work from home and often from bed doing telephone interviews with people with Fibromyalgia and gave the name of the Professor she had worked for the, alleged rehabilitator chimed in “You know a professor?” expressing his surprise that a former policewoman and African American had educated friends. 

The rehabilitation counselor also had no experience with coordinated care; as he reviewed Sabrina’s medical condition, activities of daily life and medications, he asked her if each of her doctors knew what the others prescribed.  When Sabrina said “Yes”, he asked how.  She explained that she was lucky enough to have coordinated care and he exclaimed that he had never heard of it.

It is frightening that such an untrained person has the power to end the pensions of police officers if he decides they could be working.  At this time the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 7 (Chicago) has taken no steps to defend the disabled officers whose livelihood is on the line.  In fact the FOP have told Sabrina to “Sit back, be a good little girl and pray for the best.” Unfortunately, the police union has not shown an inclination to defend its disabled members. At times, when disability status has been delayed officers have ended up on public assistance, had poor health care, and watched their families suffer. One officer’s wife experienced a miscarriage while waiting for his pension and benefits to begin. These officers were injured protecting the people and City of Chicago. The pension board now treats them not like heroes but as criminals.

The issue of police officers and Fibromyalgia is unknown territory but undoubtedly an area where a strong connection could exist. The stress and constant tension of police work often leading to fight or flight situations stresses the adrenal glands and undoubtedly puts an officer’s body chemistry under extraordinary strain.  Ten years ago in New York, a woman Police officer was hailed for her quick actions during what would have been a violent beauty salon hold up had she (who was there as a customer) not intervened and subdued the two felons.  That she did this on her own was amazing. Her story was front-page news, then Mayor Giuliani officiated at her wedding a few weeks later and the City and NYPD could not praise her enough.

A few years later the New York Times carried a short article buried in the metropolitan section on how this one hero officer was now fighting for disability due to an unspecified muscle pain and fatigue disorder. Anxiety, stress and problems remembering addresses and certain instructions were mentioned.  Her marriage was over; her professional reputation was in shambles, she was thought to be a malingerer and all I could think was “She has Fibromyalgia.” It was unfortunate that I was not able to reach her through the newspaper, but I could not help but think that perhaps her beauty parlor experience coupled with other on the job experiences led to her disabled status and what appeared to be FMS symptoms. Sadly, she was on her own.

 Anne-Marie Vidal
Awareness and Advocacy Coordinator