Pioneering Lesbian Chicago Cop, Animal Rescuer Nancy Lipman Dies at 61
Lipman, who rose from patrol officer to commander of the public transportation unit with the Chicago police, was a noted animal activist. May 04 2021 4:08 PM EDT
Nancy Lipman, an advocate for LGBTQ+ and women officers in the Chicago Police Department and a passionate animal rescuer, has died at age 61.
Lipman died of ovarian cancer April 11, her wife, Joanne M. Kenol, told the
Beginning in the mid-1980s, Lipman had a 30-year career with the Chicago police, during which she “rose from patrol officer to commander of the public transportation unit,” the
Provided
It was like a lot of other drug busts. The police served a warrant, found narcotics, made arrests. But, in a back room, they discovered something else.
“We found a little dog that was all burned up, burned on its back and sides,” former Lt. Russell Schaefer said. “This dog had been set on fire.”
It struggled to limp toward them.
“It was, like, ‘Thank God, you’re here,’” Schaefer said.
Another officer called over Nancy Lipman, a cop who’d rescued dozens of animals over the years. She cradled the puppy, then took it to a veterinarian.
After nursing her back to health, Ms. Lipman found a home for the dog, who was renamed Heidi.