Eight months ago, a known gang member shot a Cicero Police Officer in the back, then fled into Nikki’s Pub for safe refuge.

Within days, I took steps to revoke the bar’s liquor license. The gang member was underage, as were two of his friends who also came inside immediately after the shooting. Surveillance video showed one drinking a beer in full view of bar staff. Video also showed them repeatedly coming in and out of the bar at 35th Street and 61st Court after the incident, discarding their jackets inside and placing an object from a jacket into a trash can.

I revoked Nikki’s Pub’s liquor license on March 4, but their owner appealed and this week, the Illinois Liquor Control Commission said my decision was too harsh. They instead changed the punishment to a 30-day license suspension and $2,250 fine for the bar’s owner, Castleford Gaming.

This is an outrageous slap in the face to our community and to our police officers. Cicero deserves better.

Our injured officer is still recovering and undergoing rehabilitation. The shooter, Giovanni Saldivar, remains in the Cook County Jail, awaiting trial for the attempted murder of a police officer, among other charges.

As a former police officer myself, I have repeatedly called for tougher sentencing laws for those involved in violence against police officers, including a mandatory 20-year sentence for pointing a gun at an officer, 40 years for shooting an officer and a mandatory death penalty sentence for killing a police officer. I continue to stand by that.

Despite this week’s state ruling, I will continue to do all that I can to protect our residents, keep our neighborhoods safe and ensure that all Cicero businesses are properly following all laws.

Larry Dominick
President, Town of Cicero