What's Christmas Day like for police, jail officers?

By Chuck Keeshan and Susan Sarkauskas

What do Santa Claus and law-enforcement officers have in common?

Both have special uniforms, and both have to work the Christmas holiday.

We asked a few officers what it is like working Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, doing a job where there might not be a lot of ho-ho-hoing going on.

DuPage County sheriff's Deputy Zachary Gentle is working today, as he has the last three Christmas Days - two with the Chicago Police Department, the rest with DuPage County.

"It can, overall, be a tough day," Gentle said. One might think it would be slow, he said. "But it is actually kind of a busy day at night."

"Crime does not stop on Christmas Eve," he said.

As a patrol officer, he sees a lot of domestic disturbances on the holidays, he said. Why? The recipe is relatives getting together + disagreements + everyone drinking more alcohol than usual.

He usually patrols Milton and Bloomingdale townships. But deputies may switch beats on a holiday to work closer to their family's home, so they can maybe pop in for a short visit on their meal break.

Gentle said his fiancee understands why he has to work holidays, especially because she is a deputy coroner for DuPage County.

Being able to help people in their time of need is satisfying, he said. Gentle recalled Christmas 2017, when he stopped at a restaurant to have lunch. A family was leaving as he was entering, and the grandmother's wheelchair hit a crack, throwing her to the pavement, face first. He provided first aid while waiting for paramedics. "Just being there and knowing police were out there to help" made the family feel better, he said. "This is what I'm out here for. Just that uniform makes people feel at peace."

Tough calls

Lake County Deputy Michael Nudi has been a police officer for the last 10 years - three with Lincolnshire, then seven with Lake County. Before that, he was a community service officer and a 911 operator. He is now a patrol officer, but he also did a stint as detective.

He knew going into law enforcement he was going to have to work the holidays. At first his family didn't understand, but now they are supportive, realizing his job is "to make sure everybody's family is having a safe holiday," he said.

Like Gentle, he sees a lot of domestic-disturbance calls.

His first year as detective-on-call was rough. On Christmas Eve, he was called to the scene of a person who died of a drug overdose. Then the next day, he had to investigate a suicide.

"We see it all. The holidays are no exception," Nudi said. "Those (deaths) are the hardest."

He copes by speaking to his law enforcement partners, and to his family. The sheriff's office has a peer-to-peer program where he can call to talk things out, he said.

But there are also opportunities to smile. Such as when he is able to help someone who has locked the keys in the car while loading presents into it. Or stopping to talk to kids playing outside. If he sees families sitting down to dinner, he flashes the squad's lights as a kind of "Merry Christmas" greeting. And yes, people offer him Christmas cookies.

"If it's not bad, it's all good," he said of calls while working the holidays.

At the jail

Lake County Corrections Officer Brittany Qualls will be working her normal 2 to 11 p.m. shift at the jail. This year, she's working both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

"My family has figured out how to make the beginning of the day (Christmas) really fun" for Olivia, Qualls' 6-year-old daughter, she said. So she and her family load the start of the day with lots of activity, including a special breakfast, before Qualls has to go to work. Her parents then play games and try out the new toys with her daughter the rest of the day.

Her daughter understands Mommy needs to go to work. At her kindergarten graduation, when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, Olivia said she wanted to be a corrections officer. "She is super proud of me. She equates my job with hard work," Qualls said.

Her family is used to not seeing some people on holidays. Her grandfather was in the Navy, and her brother is in the Army. He won't be home for Christmas this year.

In normal years, there would be special events at the jail on Christmas Day, such as church groups coming in to sing carols with the detainees. That's not happening this year, because of the pandemic. But the jail still tries to be a little festive, with a special meal, playing Christmas music, and showing Christmas movies.

"As much as I want to be with my family, so do they. So I try to be mindful of that. They miss Christmas, too," Qualls said.

Sgt. Elf

The Elf on the Shelf has been spying on Aurora police at their headquarters, according to the department's Facebook page. She's been spotted in the dispatch center, behind the wheel of a squad, and in the garage, according to photographic evidence published on the department's Facebook page. Elf Gouldsberry arrived, along with a donation of gourmet pizzas, courtesy of resident Sue Gouldsberry.

New scam

Thieves take advantage of people during the holiday season just as much as they do the rest of the year, including developing fresh scams related to the new COVID-19 vaccines.

The Justice Department sent a warning out this week. Scam artists might falsely offer the vaccine, or early access to it, in exchange for money or personal identifying information such as your medical history or Social Security number. They might contact you by telephone, text message, social media postings or knocking on your door, according to the news release from John Lausch, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

"Any unsolicited offer to gain an advantage in connection with a COVID-19 vaccine is likely a scam," Lausch said.

To report a COVID-19 vaccine fraud, visit oig.hhs.gov/coronavirus or call (800) 447-8477.