Other than the fact most of the people involved with this site are employed by th e City of Chicago as members of the Chicago Police Department, said employer and department are in no way responsible for the content, appearance, or execution of this web site. This site is designed, maintained, and contributed to by sworn members of the Chicago Police Department, for members of the Chicago Police Department . . . and the people who love them.
Welcome (back) to the Police Officers' Network!
Maybe you've seen it on TV ... maybe you've read about it ... maybe you've only heard about it ... well, now you're soaking in it. Welcome to the Police Officer's Network! Since our begining in September of 1997, we've had over 300,000 visitors, and we're glad you are here now.
Our site has been created to bring Chicago Police Officers (and the people who love them) closer together, both online and off. It is a website created by police officers, for police officers.
Through the years, we've had our ups and downs as we have navigated the murky waters of political correctness in order to maintain our positions as municipal employees. It hasn't always been easy and lead to a "cybernation" for several years. [Note: cybernation is like hibernation, but in cyber-space ... get it?]
But as we head into the waning months of 2003, we're ready to give it another try -- a concerted effort to bring you updates at least once every two weeks. We've also redesigned the site a bit to make it easier to find the information you are looking for. Our secondary goal remains the same: To have every member of the Chicago Police Department who is part of the "online community" visit our website at least once a week. To ensure you don't miss new information when the site changes, please be sure to register for our "Informer" email newsletter.
With that, gentle-vistor, we are proud to present the new PONetwork. com. Please help us reach our goals by telling all your friends and co-workers about our website; let them know what is available here; encourage them to stop by. And finally, please continue to send us your feedback. This site would not be nearly as relevant, informative, interesting, or entertaining without your constant input. Keep up the good work and keep in touch.
Stay Safe!
The Police Officers' Network Staff
Why design a website for police officers?
The purpose of this web site is to provide a forum for active and retired Chicago police officers and "the people who love them" to share stories, ideas, and information.It is a way to stay better connected and to get to know each other on a more personal level.
It has been lamented, that since the Department discontinued the 28-day shift rotation (thank goodness), officers have lost the bond of comraderie that was once shared. If nothing else, you could always count on the "change day" watch party. Through this web site, we hope to bring a little bit of that bonding back to the ranks. It is also our hope that through an on-line network, we will bring officers together off-line and in person.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. It's absolutely FREE and it shall remain that way. I guess it is worth mentioning that the reason this site is free is because of the funds we earn from the PONetwork Online Store and from the support of our sponsors. If you enjoy this website, keep it free and BUY SOMETHING!! :-)*So, what can we expect to find here?
Well, to be honest, a lot of that depends upon YOU. We're willing to modify this web site to meet your needs. But, so far, here's what we have to offer:
10-1. The more people we know, the more people we know who have unfortunate and unforeseen occurrences in their lives. Financial difficulties often follow. The members of the Chicago Police Department are among the most giving and compassionate members of our communities and as such hold many benefits to help police families in need. This is where you can find out how you can help and/or tell us who need's help. Send us news of 10-1 events... Chat Room. We have had many visitors to our chat room tell us they are excited about the opportunity to chat, but no one is online when they are. Chances are you log on, wait a while, no one else shows up, you log off -- just missing the guy who logged on a minute later. Here is our suggestion: Try checking into the chat room on the hour and on the half hour. Stick around for at least five minutes. You may also hit the "Float" button which will open up the chat room in a separate window, allowing you to continue to surf while awaiting others to check in. By coordinating our check in times a little, we should be able to enhance the chatting experience. (Your browser must be Java enabled in order to chat. This may take a few moments to load.) HA! HA! HA! A collection of humorous jokes, quips, riddles, puns, photos, cartoons, witticism, etc., sent in by you.
Send us Police Humor...Info for the police. Stuff you as a police officer should know about -- information, tips, articles, extended commentary, Police Officers ' Network news. Send us Info for the Police... Real Stories of the CPD Here we sing the praises of the unsung heroes and heroines of the Chicago Police Department -- the men and women who are out there day after day serving and protecting the citizens of Chicago with little or no recognition. In this forum, we salute you! Send us your Real Stories... Upcoming Events (self explanatory). Feel free to send us your police associations' meeting schedules, events, fund raisers, etc., and we will include them here. It is our hope that through better communication and social settings we will get to know our brothers and sisters in blue more personally. Send us your Upcoming Events... Police Officer Safety Tips. These pages have been designed to provide you with law enforcement tips and safety alerts. Like all our pages, your input is critical. If you have a safety tip to share, do it here. Send us your Safety Tips... PONetwork Online Store. When it's all said and done, someone's got to make money. We provide a variety of items for sale which may interest you or your family members. Many are practical tools to help you do your job, others are just for fun. If there is a product or service you would like to see in the store, please let us know. Send us your PONetwork Store wish list... Police Links. We understand that you may not want to spend your entire life on our web site, so we've include a list of links to other web sites by other officers and departments. It is our belief that we maintain one of the most comprehensive lists of law enforcement related web sites from Illinois. Send us your Police Link suggestions... CPD Blue Book Biz Directory A directory of all our own . . . . businesses and services owned and operated by members of the Chicago Police Department. Check it out to see if your brothers and sisters in blue have something to offer you. Of course, we want to hear from you if you own a business you would like to be added list. Send us info about police-owned businesses... Thank you for visiting your new web site. Bookmark the home page and come back often.
©1997 RAS Communications. All Rights Reserved. November 2003.
