Lawyers challenge Joliet cops to charity softball game

JOLIET – Usually cops and lawyers play hardball.

But the Barristers and Counsel of Will County have challenged members of the Joliet Police Department to play a 12-inch softball game this summer, with proceeds from ticket sales going to local charities.

“We sometimes go at each other in the courtroom so now we’ll go for some bragging rights,” attorney Greg Reeder said Wednesday after serving Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton with a subpoena for the game that does not appear to be legally binding.

But Benton agreed to ask officers to volunteer for the game, which will be held at noon July 25 at Silver Cross Field.

“Your failure to appear in response to this subpoena will subject you to punishment and eternal embarrassment for contempt of ... charity,” the document read.

“We have a very athletic department here, especially when there’s a charity involved, a lot of [officers] step up ... whether it’s golf or softball,” Benton said.

Reeder said some local attorneys proposed the charity game as “an opportunity for positive interaction between [lawyers] and law enforcement.”

“We played the doctors for three years in a row and beat them handily. Let’s see what the police can do,” attorney Pat Flynn said.

Dave Carlson, Daniel Kennedy and Daniel Rippy, the newest circuit judges in Will County, will serve as umpires for the game.

Tickets will be available soon through the Joliet Slammers, Reeder said Wednesday.