Resolution
WHEREAS, Richard D. "Rick" Barrett is a fourth generation law enforcement professional who served in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for twenty-five years with great distinction until his retirement; and
WHEREAS, Richard D. Barrett's family roots in the Chicago Police Department date back to 1894 when David M. Barrett joined the Department as a patrol driver in the Deering Avenue Station in Bridgeport; and
WHEREAS, Richard S. Barrett joined the Department in 1922 as a patrol officer, later serving in the Mounted Patrol and in the Woodlawn Station before retiring in 1955; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of his significant career accomplishments in the Chicago office of the DEA and as a past leader of the DEA/Chicago Police Gang Task Force by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, Richard D. Barrett attended Saint Barnabas Grammar School and Brother Rice High School on the South Side of Chicago and later earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois and a master's degree from the University of Denver; and
WHEREAS, Richard D. Barrett is the son ofthe late Richard M. "Junior" Barrett, an honored veteran of the Chicago Police Department who retired in August 1978 as a Lieutenant/Watch Commander in the 22nd District after thirty-two years of distinguished service; and
WHEREAS, Richard D. Barrett began his law enforcement career in Chicago as a Special Agent of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and served in this capacity from 1975-1978; and
WHEREAS, Richard D. Barrett joined the DEA in 1978 and was assigned to the Denver, Colorado field office; and
WHEREAS, Upon the end of his tour in Denver in 1985, Agent Barrett was named an Honorary Lieutenant ofthe Denver Police Department (DPD); and
WHEREAS, Richard D. Barrett became the first DEA Agent to be so honored by the City of Denver; and
WHEREAS, The DEA assigned Agent Richard D. Barrett to the American Embassy in Paris, France in 1985; and
WHEREAS, While serving in Paris froml985 to 1987, Richard D. Barrett and his team seized a fully operational heroin laboratory containing twenty-four pounds of 99 percent pure heroin and arrested the chemists ofthe revived "French Connection" involved in its manufacture; and
WHEREAS, Richard D. Barrett returned to the U.S. and served in the Chicago office ofthe DEA from 1988 tol995; and
WHEREAS, Richard D. Barrett was a Group Supervisor of the DEA/Chicago Police Gang Task Force from 1990 to 1995 and played an integral role in the criminal investigation of Larry Hoover who headed the Gangster Disciples, a nationwide street gang with an estimated 50,000 members; and
WHEREAS, The joint investigation culminated in three federal prosecutions and convictions of Larry Hoover and the Gangster Disciple leadership; and
WHEREAS, The continuing work of the Task Force resulted in an additional forty-one convictions of Gangster Disciple members; and
WHEREAS, In 2008, Richard D. Barrett was hired back by the DEA Chicago office to serve as a contract senior financial investigator to assist local agents with the financial aspects of major drug investigations; and
WHEREAS, From 2009 to the present, Richard D. Barrett has served the DEA Special Operations Division in Virginia as a contract Senior Financial Investigator assisting agents on the technique of "following the money" in international drug cases with a focus on terrorism; and
WHEREAS, Richard D. Barrett's active interest in early Chicago Police history and his continuing research uncovered the name of Constable James Quinn, Chicago's first police officer killed in the line of duty on December 5, 1853; and
WHEREAS, As a result of Richard D. Barrett's due diligence, Constable Quinn, a forgotten fallen hero, was enshrined in the Gold Star Families Memorial Park in Chicago in 2010; and
WHEREAS, The historical investigation led by Richard D. Barrett also revealed the identity of Jeremiah H. Sullivan who was born in County Waterford, Ireland, and was the earliest known Irish Chicago police officer and in the nation in 1840; and
WHEREAS, In addition, Richard D. Barrett determined that the appointment of Detective Sergeant Marie Connelly Owens, star #97, to the Chicago Police Department in 1891 marked the first time that a woman had been named to a metropolitan policing agency in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Through his commitment to physical fitness and competitive sports, Richard D. Barrett finished the prestigious IRONMAN TRIATHLON in Madison, Wisconsin, 2012 and in Lake Placid, New York, 2014, and has completed twenty-six marathons including eleven that have been held in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Richard D. Barrett, currently a resident of Clifton, Virginia where he and his wife Patricia have raised two sons and a daughter now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council assembled this twenty-first day of January, 2015, do hereby recognize and honor Richard D.~"Rick" Barrett for his outstanding service to law enforcement and his many contributions to his country, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the City of Denver, and the people of Chicago; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Richard D. Barrett.
Alderman - 14th Ward