Lawrence “Larry” Casey

After a long and rewarding career as a former Chicago Police Officer, Lawrence “Larry” Casey ’02 ’05 reflects on his 30 years on the streets in his recently published book titled “Stories of a Chicago Police Officer: Serious, Hilarious, Unbelievable, but True.”

After 30 dedicated years on the streets, Larry is proud to look back on his career as a retired Chicago Police Officer.

“Officers still call for coffee meets and lunches, where we reminisce about our careers,” says Larry. More often than not, he recalled, their sentences often ended with, “You should write a book.”

Larry found that while several of these stories focused on the true events and accomplishments of the devoted officers he worked with, some simply gave him a good laugh. Inspired by his colleagues and friends, he began jotting down highlights of his thirty years on the streets of Chicago.

“Many of the things police officers do are never reported because they considered too silly. I went to the local library and reviewed a dozen or so books on police stories and found all were too serious. I decided to write a book on the humorous, as well as the humanistic side of police work; rarely told and often ignored,” he adds.

After several months of hard work, the book was finally published in 2016 and he is excited to share the stories that are considered “too raw” for the public’s ears.

Before turning in his star and retiring in 2008, Larry served as a Chicago Police Officer for nearly 30 years. In 1977, he began patrolling the streets across several districts until he found a permanent placement in Albany Park where he worked for almost 13 years. After being promoted to sergeant, Larry transferred to a new district and began working midnights so that he could take care of his parents who had just moved back to Chicago.

Growing up, Larry was surrounded by family that worked for the Chicago Police Department.

“I was always intrigued by the stories they told; one more dangerous and heroic than the next,” says Larry. “I knew from an early age that I would go into law enforcement.”

He knew he would one day follow in the Casey footprint that had begun with his late grandfather, John Casey, born in the small town of Bellina in Ireland. After moving to the United States, John used his equestrian skills adopted in Ireland to begin working as a mounted police officer for the Chicago Park District, which later became a part of the Chicago Police Department. John’s oldest son and Larry’s father, Cornelius Casey, also retired as a captain from the Chicago Police Department.

“As you see, there was little option in choosing my career path to the Chicago Police Department,” Larry says jokingly.  

Having undergone major back surgery, Larry was in a hard cast from his waist to his neck and had a very lengthy recovery period, so he enrolled at Lewis University and began taking night classes.

“I had not been in school for about 25 years,” says Larry. “My days at Lewis were long and arduous, but very rewarding. I devoted all of my time to school and recuperating; it wasn’t like I had a lot to do.”

After graduating in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Social Justice, Larry continued at Lewis and earned his master’s degree in 2005. Larry now works an Adjunct Professor for the Criminal Justice Department at Wilbur Wright College, where he teaches with the same devotion of his former professor at Lewis, Brother Pierre St. Raymond He started his first class with, “People! College is about discussion, discourse, and at times, argument. If you don’t do these things, I will lecture you until your ears bleed.” 

Now, in his second career as a teacher, he too begins each class with those same lines to motivate his students.

“There are no barriers to prevent me from teaching the Christian way, the truth, and the simple fundamentals of being a good and decent person. Lewis University taught me more than a discipline; it taught me how to live,” he adds.

Besides teaching, Larry enjoys golfing and fishing with his wife, Sandy, in his free time. He still owns a house in Chicago, and finds himself busier now than when he was working for the police department. 

To learn more about Larry’s writing and bio, visit his website at www.storiesofachicagopoliceofficer.com. Larry was featured on the Irish American News website, as well as www.irishbookclub.com.

March 2017

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