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Cops and Crime: Don't make the new Rosemont public safety officer angry

Rosemont has a new public safety officer.

Just don't make him angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry.

Lou Ferrigno, best known for playing the Hulk on the late '70s TV series “The Incredible Hulk,” was sworn in Sunday as Rosemont's first honorary public safety officer.

The 64-year-old actor and two-time Mr. Universe was in town over the weekend for the Wizard World Comic Con at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.

Rosemont officials said they wanted to honor Ferrigno for his work with law enforcement agencies and his commitment to the profession. The son of a NYPD lieutenant, Ferrigno is a reserve deputy for the San Luis Obispo County (California) Sheriff's Office and in 2013 was sworn in as a special deputy to the Delaware County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office.

In a 2013 interview, Ferrigno said he's joined up with police departments for the chance to be “a real role model.”

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  A cross set up at the site where a baby was found dead last week near Wheaton. While police officers are accustomed to seeing the worst elements of society, even the most veteran cops can be shaken by such a discovery, says a therapist who specializes in working with officers. Bev Horne/bhorne@dailyherald.com

Hard even for cops

Police officers develop a thick skin from dealing with the dark side of humanity.

But still there are the bad days, like the one DuPage County Sheriff's deputies faced last week when called to investigate a dead infant found stuffed in a duffle bag near Wheaton.

That's what officials term a “critical incident,” an event so disturbing that even veteran officers can be deeply shaken.

“Those things absolutely have an impact on an officer,” said Rory Gilbert, a psychotherapist who's worked with police for more than 30 years. “It's one of the worst things.”

Gilbert is co-founder of St. Michael's House, an alcoholism and mental health treatment center for police in Chicago.

“There's not a police officer in this world who is insensitive to children and babies who are killed,” he said.

DuPage Sheriff's deputies have been offered counseling, department spokeswoman Dawn Domrose said.

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Marco Lopez, in better (hair) days

A trim before trial

Marco Lopez, 19, goes on trial next week in Rolling Meadows on charges he murdered a Palatine father and his 15-year-old son.

But before jurors get a look at Lopez, his defense attorneys want him to visit the barber at the Cook County jail.

Lopez, who has pleaded not guilty, appeared in court Monday with what Daily Herald Legal Affairs Writer Barbara Vitello described as a modified mullet: close-cropped around his skull, with about four inches of hair extending down from his nape.

That will be gone by Monday, after a judge issued a court order allowing the haircut.

<h3 class="leadin">Easier than it sounds

If you're like us, you've probably wondered how anyone falls for some of the common scams.

Who would send cash to bail a relative out of a Peruvian jail without first bothering to find out whether that relative is out of the country? And why would a Nigerian prince need the financial assistance of someone from Chicago's suburbs to fulfill his destiny?

A reader from Glen Ellyn reached out to us this week to let us know it's easier than you might think. Based on her experience, these scammers are persistent and persuasive.

The woman, who lives with her mother who is in her 90s, said they got a call Aug. 19 from an “Officer David” of the IRS saying her mom owed $10,786 in back taxes. He even gave her an IRS code, along with batch and case numbers.

When questioned, David transferred her to his “supervisor,” who said her mother would be arrested Aug. 22 if she didn't buy $10,786 in “federal bonds.” He said he would send someone over to the house to collect them.

Fortunately, our reader didn't fall for it, but she understands how some do.

<h3 class="leadin">Thumbs-up

Congrats to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, which last week accepted its first-place award in the 2015 Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge. The challenge honors departments for their work in three traffic safety areas: occupant protection, speeding and impaired driving.

“I've said it many times, each year we see far too many lives lost to reckless actions on the roadways,” Sheriff Mark Curran said. “We are working very hard to reduce the number of injuries and lives lost due to careless driving and bad choices.”

<h3 class="leadin">Help wanted

Speaking of the Lake County Sheriff's Office, if you're looking to help out in law enforcement and public safety, they're looking for you.

The office is recruiting candidates for its Reserve Deputy Unit, which assists other sheriff's divisions and municipal police departments responding to disasters, traffic and crowd control, searches for missing persons, crime scene evidence searches and DUI checkpoints.

You have to be at least 21, a U.S. citizen, a high school graduate (or equivalent) to join. It probably goes without saying that a criminal record will get your application tossed in the trash.

Applications are available at the sheriff's office, 25 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Waukegan, or at reservedeputy.com.

<h3 class="leadin">28 years

We bid adieu to Aurora Police Sgt. Ron Hinterlong, who retired last week after 28 years with the department.

Got a tip? Have a question? Please email Charles Keeshan and Susan Sarkauskas at copsandcrime@dailyherald.com, or call our tip line at (847) 427-4483.

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