Police Honor Beloved Officer Lost In Line Of Due Process

CHICAGO—In a well-attended ceremony held to recognize their fellow officer’s long and distinguished career, Chicago police officials gathered Thursday to honor Richard Citterton, an 18-year veteran of the force who was lost Thursday in the line of due process. “Today we mourn the loss of a beloved police officer, mentor, and friend who tragically succumbed to penalties sustained during a six-month misconduct investigation,” said Lt. Michael Jeffries, adding that Citterton fought valiantly, but in the end fell victim to a deal in which he was required to accept permanent dismissal from the department in exchange for the state’s attorney dropping multiple charges of assault, battery, and manslaughter. “Truth be told, the only ‘excessive force’ in Richard’s life occurred when the powers-that-be came along and forced him to surrender his badge and gun. He was a great cop, and we all know Richard was simply following his training that day when he stumbled onto a scene, rapidly escalated the situation, started to feel unsafe, and then pulled the trigger citing self-defense. How senseless it is to lose an officer in the prime of his career like that.” At press time, Citterton’s former colleagues had reportedly raised thousands of dollars in donations for his family and begun to wear commemorative ribbons on their uniforms in his honor.