Whoever said, “A few bad apples can bring the whole place down” knew what they were talking about. Here’s one story that certainly reinforces the that notion. According to The Boston Globe, 20 Massachuetts State Troopers are being investigated for theft of overtime pay. Reporters Mark Arsenault, Travis Andersen, and Shelley Murphy write: “In another black […]
Archive for October, 2016
VIDEO: Gov Wants Lethal Force Reform
In every state in the nation, bills are being proposed that would alter use-of-force policies and training for police officers. Ohio Governor John Kasich is the latest politician to jump into the act. He’s proposing a statewide standard for officers on lethal force. Thoughts? Leave a comment below.
No More Big Pay Raises for Cops
The days of Las Vegas police getting raises of six to eight percent “are over,” said Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak. Sisolak, vice chairman of Metro’s Fiscal Affairs Committee, said police can expect moderate salary increases—one to three percent—from now on, effectively putting an end to larger pay raises going forward. Sisolak was responding to […]
Wait for the Muzzle Flash?
Ed. Note: This op-ed was written by Ken Crane, vice president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association. There is a famous quote attributed to a General from the American Revolution before the battle of Bunker Hill. Revolutionary War author David Weems quotes General Israel Putnam of Connecticut, as saying, “Don’t throw away a single shot, […]
Whistle Blown on Cheating Recruits
An Atlanta police academy trainer has been transferred after blowing the whistle on cheating recruits, an explosive report reveals. The Georgia division of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association reportedly complained to city officials that the instructor, William Lyons, was not given more notice—just one day—before being moved out of the school. According to Atlanta’s […]
Social Media’s Big Switch
If your police association is actively using Facebook to promote your organization, you’ll be interested in the latest news about what attracts viewers, likes, and shares. As they say in the digital media world, Facebook blazes the trail, then everyone else follows the path. So, when the world’s largest social network reported last week that […]
Starting Salaries Soar
The deal has been made. The Los Angeles City Council just authorized a four-year labor contract that will provide raises for 9,900 LAPD officers. The new contract between the city and the Los Angeles Police Protective League will not provide any immediate raises. But it does call for a 4% cost-of- living adjustment in July […]
Chris Christie’s Hidden Millions
The bad news just keeps on coming for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. It turns out New Jersey rules require that the Christie’s administration cancel investment contracts with firms whose officials raise or donate money to the governor’s political campaigns. But his administration has paid more than $16 million in pension fees to the […]
A Study in Super PACs
A growing number of political committees known as super PACs have become instruments of single donors, according to a ProPublica analysis of federal records. According to The Daily Beast, during the 2014 election cycle, $113 million—16 percent of money raised by all super PACs—went to committees dominated by one donor. That was quadruple their 2012 […]
“This is About All the Cops You Don’t Read About”
Ed. Note: The following is a transcript of Bob Schieffer’s weekly commentary from the April 19 broadcast of CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “The best training to be a reporter or anything else is to work the police beat, because every story you cover is the worst moment in someone’s life. If you can learn to […]
Rethinking Your Response
Following public outrage over the death of an unarmed, fleeing suspect by police in North Charleston, the Tri-County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 3 has released a statement acknowledging the shooting was “beyond comprehension,” while also defending law enforcement and lashing out at the “untruths” surrounding the case from critics. “Do not allow the professional race […]
VIDEO: A Master Class in Courage
In this dramatic re-enactment video, Officer Mario Gutierrez of the Miami-Dade Police Department shares his story of stopping a man from blowing up a gas station at Miami International Airport, while sustaining multiple stab wounds in an attack by the subject. Officer Mario Gutierrez, an officer in the Miami-Dade Police Department for more than 22 […]
Former Police Leaders Plead Guilty
Two leading members of the Jacksonville law enforcement community have pled guilty for their participation in a slot machine scam that has become the talk of Florida. Nelson Cuba, the former president of the Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police, and Robbie Freitas, the Order’s former vice-president were convicted following a state probe into a gambling and money-laundering […]
Not the Norm
Ed. Note: A.M. “Jake” Jacocks Jr. retired as chief of the Virginia Beach Police Department and is now a law enforcement consultant. This column originally appeared in the The Virginian-Pilot on April 11, 2015. The inexplicable decision by a South Carolina police officer – fortunately now an ex-police officer – to shoot a fleeing suspect in […]
Are We Just Suckers?
Your fund may be paying Wall St. snakes to “manage” the funds investments. After all, the guys that crashed the economy in 2008 are nothing if not trustworthy and good at their jobs. So, how did it work for New York City when they made a deal with the devil? Not so good. Consider the […]
John Arnold: Enron’s Anti-Pension Crusader
Former Enron trader and hedge fund billionaire John Arnold may be about to launch a national publicity campaign to convince U.S. voters of the need to reform public pensions, according to a document seen by Reuters. Arnold, who has given tens of millions of dollars to politicians and groups backing reforms of public pension plans in over a […]
Tackling the “Stress” Problem
Ed. Note: This article was written by John Fleming, President, New York City Detectives Investigators Association. It is well documented that law enforcement officers have a greater morbidity and mortality rate than the general population, due in part to an increased risk in cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, obesity, and suicide. Law enforcement officers also suffer more […]
It’s Time to Restore Our Police Department
Ed Note: The authors of this opinion piece are Paul Kelly, president of the San Jose Police Officers Association, and James Gonzales, vice president of the San Jose Police Officers Association. It originally appeared in the San Jose Mercury News. It has been a gut-wrenching two weeks for the men and women of the San Jose Police Department. On […]
Remembering the Fallen
Tony Aguerre is a deputy with the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department and the law enforcement liaison for the NorCal chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), an organization that provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families and affected co-workers of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. The San Francisco […]
Pensions are More Than People
Good pension plans support more than the people receiving the money. They also support their neighbor and their communities in a big way. This op-ed by Toronto Star Finance Editor Adam Mayers is a must-read. READ MORE
Conflict Over Collective Bargaining
The executive board of Nevada’s most powerful police union began efforts to fire its longtime leader this week, exposing a messy internal battle over collective bargaining legislation and labor politics. In a union memo obtained by the Las Vegas Sun, Las Vegas Police Protective Association treasurer Scott Nicholas listed at least eight transgressions allegedly committed […]
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