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Greensboro Police Officer’s Association |
July 2004 www.greensboropoa.org |
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NEWSLETTER |
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GPOA - 241 Summit Avenue, Suite 108, Greensboro, NC |
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GPOA
Meetings: First Thursday of each Month 1730
Hours GPOA
Office 241
Summit Ave. In
this issue: ·
Minutes from meetings ·
FLSA Lawsuit ·
GPOA Benefits through the AFL-CIO ! ·
A Message from President Summers |
Notes
from July 1, 2004 GPOA Meeting
Membership Drive – We are now up to 347 members.
Our numbers are going up every month! Please continue to work hard on
getting more members. The more
members we have, the more we can do as a united force. If you need to get someone a
GPOA application, just go to our web site www.greensboropoa.org and click on
"Membership Application".
You can print one right off the web.www.greensboropoa.org. Vision Benefits –The Greensboro Police Officers Association is now offering its
members and their families a wonderful discount on vision care. Members can
receive significant discounts on both eyewear and eye exams through the Cole
Vision network at no cost to members. Since our current insurance plan offered
by the City of Greensboro only covers eye exams, members can now receive a
discount on prescription eyewear. Here
are some examples of the savings available with this plan, if you were to
purchase a set of eyeglass frames with a retail value of $100.00 you would
pay only $45.00. For single vision lenses, you would pay only $30.00. You
would also receive a 10-20% discount on contact lenses. There are numerous
participating locations around the Piedmont Triad area. For a complete list
of participating locations and expected savings, log on to www.colemanagedvision.com and
enter plan number 47170. You may also contact their customer service
department at 1-800-804-4384. If you, or your family, wish to utilize this
plan, please contact Chris Schultheis schultheis@greensboropoa.org for the permanent plan number. To take
advantage of these discounts, simply call or visit a participating provider
and identify yourself as a member of the International Union of Police
Associations and provide the plan number. Again,
GPOA through the International Union of Police Associations is providing this
coverage to our members free of charge. We will have this plan in place until
June 2005, at which time we will then evaluate continuing the coverage based
on its usage by our members. A Message from the President So,
here is the latest tally of GPOA issues. PAC Fund - I wanted to
write to you to get your input on an idea I have. You may have heard me talk
generally of it before. I wanted to present the idea in its entirety. It
concerns starting and running a Political Action Committee Fund, more
commonly known as a PAC fund. If you the members tell me that this is a boneheaded
idea, then it will be dropped. I want to hear from you. Just put your cursor
on summers@greensboropoa.org and
email me back. The purpose of a PAC is to collect and distribute monies for financial and advertisement support to politicians who really push for the goals of the PAC. Those goals could consist of increased manpower, both in the sworn and non-sworn positions, an increase in overall benefits, competitive raises or support for changing laws to allow for reduced retirement. |
Message continued… We have expressed our spoken support for candidates in past
elections and will continue to do so. In the more meaningful and hard fought
races, monies for support are needed to get the candidates name and ideas
out. Without it, races are lost. |
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President’s
Message Continued
Our proposed PAC would provide support funding to candidates in
local elections, who support working officers and have influence in City
government. Our proposed PAC would provide support through printed
advertisement for additional candidates the PAC supports, such as candidates
for judgeship, commissions or the like.
The GPOA cannot direct the proposed PAC to support certain candidates,
but due to the common goals, the proposed PAC could choose to support the same
candidates.
I would like to see a dollar from each member, each month going to the proposed
PAC. $12 per member. That would be more than $4000 per year collected to go to
Rhino/ News &Record ads, billboards and campaign money for candidates who
support us. This proposed PAC could make a huge political impact. I promise. If
I didn’t think so I wouldn’t be pushing the idea. Please let me know your
thoughts and concerns by clicking on summers@greensboropoa.org and
emailing me.
Meeting with Chief Wray: Meeting with Chief Wray and Assistant Chief Brady on July 6th. I
thanked Chief Wray for the push for more officers and a career enhancement
program in the 2004/ 2005 budget. The City approved 32 additional positions
plus 2 more for the newly annexed areas. The Council also approved funding for
the new POIII- POIV positions. This is being worked on by Captain
Hartley’s office. Implementing it will occur sometime around January 2005. I
haven’t got the specifics yet. If you have questions, contact Captain Hartley’s
office.
Recruiting - Then we got to the topic of the additional officers and the
Department not receiving very many applications. Recruitment was then discussed
and how officers aren’t recruiting. The topic then changed to rotating shifts,
vacancies and time and a half pay for fill-ins, billboards/ ads, GPD web photos
and Governor Highway Safety Grants.
In responding to the topic of recruitment, I questioned whether he had any
plans to reconsider rotating shifts. Chief Wray stated he is planning to
reevaluate the issue in September/ October but the evaluation would only
address the type of rotation, not rotation itself. Rotating shifts are here to
stay but may occur in what he termed as “pairing.” For instance the 0600hrs
reporting time may rotate with the 1600hrs time and 1100hrs reporting time may
rotate with the 2000hrs. More movement in relation to transfers may also be
allowed.
With this said, I told Chief Wray that a great majority of officers still hated
rotating. He said he had talked and heard from many officers. He said he had
heard how it had ruined social life, had made childcare difficult, had
negatively effected officer’s health, sleep patterns, educational opportunities
and limited off-duty work. Chief Wray stated in the big picture, he felt off-duty
work was way down the list for consideration.
He said he had also heard from officers who didn’t like rotating,
but they understood why he chose to do so. He had also heard from some who told
of having answered calls they may not have otherwise answered if still on
permanent shifts. He said with all things considered, rotating shifts was more
beneficial than the entire negative.
He said all GPD police officers were dedicated, hard working individuals. He
said in implementing rotating shifts, he knew officers didn’t want to rotate.
But he said he knew even if they didn’t want to rotate, they wouldn’t lie down
and quit. He knew officers would hate rotating, they would complain, their
health may suffer, their families may suffer, their social life and sleep may
suffer, but they wouldn’t be lazy or quit. Chief Wray went on to say that this
wasn’t to say that he was taking advantage of the field officers dedication and
commitment.
Concerning recruitment, I told Chief Wray that if officers weren’t happy with
their work environment, be it rotating shifts or feeling Command Staff were
exploiting their dedication and commitment, they wouldn’t recommend employment
with the Department. Even if offered a $500 recruitment incentive.
Chief Wray went on to say the next recruit class, originally planned for
September, might be started later. He did say it was imperative to fill the
class. He stated the Council had made a commitment to provide additional
officers next year, but they may think twice if the class is not filled.
I told him it all goes back to what the GPOA has been saying all along. Which
is providing competitive pay, competitive health care benefits, competitive
work benefits and a good work atmosphere to both rookies and veterans.
Hire Backs - Oh yeah. If you are in the field and see an opening in the
detectives and look forward to applying and possibly transferring, don’t hold
your breath. The Department is planning on filling the CID openings with hire
backs. I may get fussed at with this but here are my thoughts. I disagree with
hire backs. I see this as a cheap way of circumventing the process of hiring
adequate personnel. It’s a quick fix to a complex and long-term problem. The
Department will continue to suffer until this changes.
Full time, sworn detectives can, if the need arises, leave their desks and help
out in the field and answer calls. They listen to their radios and sometimes
assist on 10-100 calls and supplement the shortages the Department are
experiencing. But a hire back is older, retired and often times, far removed
from the field. They may be sworn and are still cops. But they may be a little
more apprehensive of getting involved. Some officers have compared rehires to
Command staff.
Chief Wray also stated he was looking at reducing the amount of training time
for recruits in rookie school. He stated he was leaning toward 22 weeks from
the present 26 weeks.
The Department has applied for a grant with the Governor’s Highway Safety
Program. The grant would help fund 4 new traffic officers salaries and
benefits, vehicles and equipment over three years. The State/ City split would
go 75/ 25 the first year. 50/ 50 the second year and 25/ 75 the third year.
The City would absorb all salaries and benefits in the fourth and future
years.
President’s Message Continued…
Photos on GPD Web Site: Some of you may have heard about my
request to have officers photos removed from the Department’s website. Under
the headings of “Top Cops” and “Officers of the Month,” stories are displayed
and when you click on the officer’s names, up pops the officer’s picture.
Chief Wray said this was a way to let the public know the
outstanding work the GPD officers do each and every day.
My argument is that media outlets can pull these pictures off and use them in
not so flattering articles. Whether those articles entail allegations of
misconduct or crimes, pending lawsuits or officer-involved shootings. And the
Department is assisting them at your expense. All due to Departmental
promotion.
Captains and above are required by Chief Wray to pose for and have their photos
displayed on the Department’s website. Chief Wray defended the photo display by
saying media outlets have or are compiling an archive of officer photos. But I
believe the Department shouldn’t make it easy or assist them. Even the City of
Greensboro’s Intranet doesn’t furnish Police Department employee’s photos.
GPOA Billboard - Chief Wray spoke of the GPOA’s billboard and Rhino ad.
He stated he had received some comments from City Council members. It seems
they had made up their minds on providing funding for the Department’s 2004/
2005 budget request, but felt the billboard and ad was a slap. A tad negative
they felt. I asked the Chief if he felt that the billboard and ad had hurt the
Department’s recruiting effort. He stated he would never tell the Union what to
put on billboards or ads, but he felt the ad portrayed the Department in a
negative light.
I then explained to Chief Wray of our numerous attempts to be placed on the
Council’s agenda to discuss our issues and how we were continually rebuffed. I
also stated that the GPOA believed the issues on the billboard/ads were
factual. If they put the City Council or Department in the negative light, then
the issues needed to be addressed. I
went on to tell Chief Wray that I believed the billboard/ads were quite tame
compared to what could have been displayed or the tactics used. I told him
officers are becoming more discouraged and vocal.
So that’s generally how the meeting went.
Officer-
involved shootings, in- custody deaths and vehicle pursuits ending in serious
injury or death.
I cannot stress it enough. In criminal investigations, you have the right to
remain silent and not answer questions, either as a witness or suspect.
Bill Hill recommends you not make a statement, either as a witness or suspect,
until after you talk with counsel. Not that there have been problems. It’s just
a matter of self-protection and establishing your Constitutional Rights.
In crime scene investigations you are told to secure a larger area that needed.
It is easier to give up areas not needed, than to have to later expand your
crime scene. Same for making a statement.
You can always make a statement at a later, more comfortable time when you have
had time to reflect on the incident. It’s easier than having to explain a
statement you made while filled with the many emotions that occur in such
incidents.
The recommendation is to keep your mouth shut to all, until after you have
talked to legal counsel. No exceptions. Tell the criminal investigator “I
wish to talk to my attorney before making a statement.” It’s that simple.
No more questions. The investigator will understand.
In a recent officer-involved shooting, 8 of the 9 response team/cover team
members told criminal investigators on the night of the incident, “I want to
make a statement at a later time, after I talk to my attorney.” No hard
feelings, just doing business. Within a week, all of those officers had made a
statement to the investigator. Witness
officers, as well as suspect officers have a right to refuse to make a
statement during a criminal investigation.
For administrative/internal investigations, if you know you are going to
be interviewed ahead of time, call Bill Hill. If not, always be cooperative and
truthful. Then call Bill when the interview is complete. To determine which type of interview it is,
simply ask the person interviewing you which type of investigation they are
conducting. And lastly on this subject.
If a brother or sister officer is in this type of incident, get on the phone
with Bill or me for them as quickly as possible. They would for you.
HB
215 : As I write this article,
the nationwide concealed carry law for LEO’s, has passed both the US House and
US Senate. It now goes to President Bush for his already promised signature.
New
Work-time Calculation: Some of you have
expressed concern over the new work-time calculation program. Bill is working
on a response to the issues.
FLSA: The FLSA lawsuit trial is still planned for
May 2005. Depositions are expected but there is no word on them as yet. Bill
expects the City to request an extension. We expect to ask the Courts to deny
their request.
In closing, don’t forget to email me back about the PAC. Let me know how
you feel. Also, let me know how you like the new email format.
Take care of yourself.
Eddy