Chicago Police union to officers: Don't request overtime

In this July 1, 2016 photo, law enforcement personnel transport a female who was shot in Chicago. Chicago police flooded the streets with thousands of officers and took dozens of gang members into custody over the July 4 weekend. Fewer people were shot to death, but more suffered gunshot wounds than over the same holiday weekend last year. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune via AP)
In this July 1, 2016 photo, law enforcement personnel transport a female who was shot in Chicago. Chicago police flooded the streets with thousands of officers and took dozens of gang members into custody over the July 4 weekend. Fewer people were shot to death, but more suffered gunshot wounds than over the same holiday weekend last year. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune via AP)

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago's police union is asking officers to not volunteer to work overtime during the Labor Day weekend to protest the "continued disrespect" toward officers and the killings of law enforcement personnel nationwide.

The Chicago Police Department typically deploys thousands of officers on overtime to counteract the spike in shootings that usually occurs during long holiday weekends. But in a recent flier sent to rank-and-file officers, the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 advises against officers volunteering for duty.

"There is a new level of concern that families now have when their loved ones leave for work in law enforcement that they didn't have a month ago," Chicago FOP President Dean Angelo said, referring to the recent fatal shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. "And we are saying, put your kids at ease, don't take that extra day at risk if you don't have to."

The flier said taking a stand would also "show unity and protest the continued disrespect of Chicago Police Officers."

The request may be largely symbolic. Labor Day is the last of three warm-weather holidays when thousands of extra officers usually flood the streets, and the department said it will order officers to work overtime if insufficient volunteers step forward.

"There will not be any operational impacts to the deployment of police on Labor Day weekend," department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.