|
|
Greensboro Police Officer’s Association |
June 2004 www.greensboropoa.org |
|
|
NEWSLETTER |
|||
|
GPOA - 241 Summit Avenue, Suite 108, Greensboro, NC |
|||
|
GPOA
Meetings: First Thursday of each Month 1730
Hours GPOA
Office 241
Summit Ave. In
this issue: ·
Minutes from meetings ·
FLSA Lawsuit ·
Tax Time ·
GPOA Benefits through the AFL-CIO ! ·
A Message from President Summers |
Notes
from June 3, 2004 GPOA Meeting
Membership Drive – We are now up to 345 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. Cpl. Joe Massey Memorial – Eddy Summers has been working on a memorial for
Cpl. Massey. Cpl. Massey died on May
31, 1959 near the intersection of E. Market St. and Murrow Blvd. If things go well, the memorial will be
placed near that intersection. The
memorial will be similar to Porter Robinson’s Memorial stone on W. Market St. Latest in the Legislation - Scott
Kelly has been investigating Bill 151 (25 yr Retirement) over the past couple
of months. He has been talking with
NCCOPS and the PBA about their points of view on the bill. He has also made contact with a Senator
via another GPOA member. That Senator
is on the Appropriations Committee.
That committee currently holds the Bill. The Bill has to be passed by this committee before it can be
voted on. The Senator advised us that
there is no support for the Bill among the Appropriations Committee
members, except him. He advised that
the Bill will, in his estimation, not make it out of the Appropriations
Committee. 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. Pay/Benefits: The City Manager has
proposed an increase in manpower. He
has also proposed money for a “Career Enhancement” program. The June 1, 2004 edition of the News &
Record credited the “record number of homicides” and “complaints from Officer
Associations” as the driving force behind the manpower study and proposed
manpower increases. With the increased numbers of GPOA members continuously going before City Council and citizens and the public advertisement is what has made the difference. I believe in keeping the pressure on the City Administration and City Council. We are making a difference, so continue the efforts you are making in supporting the GPOA in this goal. PAC: This is where a Political Action Committee comes
in as well. PAC’s are set up to provide
support money to political candidates who support the same issues the PAC
does. Many, many years ago, the GPOA tried a PAC and
failed. The failure was due to the
PAC being unable to raise funds. I
think I have this part worked out. I
will be sending each of you members an exploratory email. Please take a minute to read it and
reply. If not enough members believe
it’s a worthwhile opportunity, then it will be tabled. Cpl. Joe Massey
Memorial: The
memorial planned for unveiling on May 31st hit a snag on the
memorial placement. We missed the 45-year
anniversary but I am working an alternate location and presentation in the
near future. 2004 Police Ball: The Ball was held at the Cultural Arts
Center and it went very well. The
GPOA presented awards to: Officer Justin Blanks for Officer of the Year Det. James Armstrong for Member of the Year Capt. Anita Stalls for Supervisor of the Year Ms. Kristy Tucker for Non-Sworn Employee of the
Year. Mr. Walter Patrick for Citizen of the Year Message continued on next page… |
|
|
|
|||
President’s
Message Continued
Presidential Rumor: Is the
rumor true? Have you heard it? The one about me not running for President
of the Greensboro Police Officer’s Association in the elections in May 2005.
Let
me clear it up about as good as a mud puddle.
I believe in term limits. I
believe the Association is OUR Association and not Eddy’s. I believe the GPOA will survive with our
without me. I believe in it’s members
and the strength if we ban together.
Our Association is large and powerful.
In
1995, I became Vice President with the GPOA.
In 1999, I was nominated and elected as the President of the Association. For going on 10 years now, I have been
associated with our organization. I
have benefited far more from the GPOA than it ever has from me. Thank you Mike for nominating me!
Address to the City Council: Letters
were sent out to each of you encouraging you to come out on May 18th
to show support for the GPOA in my address to the City Council. I know it was a short notice, but we felt it
was necessary to keep our issues before the Council pending their passing of
the 2004-2005 budget. I want to thank Claudia Scott and David
Gregory for stepping up and speaking.
They both made notes of their own experiences and observations and spoke
from their hearts. John Morris,
representing the FOP also spoke in support of increased manpower. John made comparisons between his and his
Guilford County Deputy wife’s salary and benefits.
David
spoke after me and cited having only 13 call answering cars on the 2000-0700
shift. He stated at 0430, he was one of
only two cars available in the whole city.
Dave sent the other available car a message, “You take the hundred
thousand on the right and I’ll take the hundred thousand on the left.” Following David’s address to the City
Council, the Mayor went on the offensive.
He reprimanded David on quoting exact numbers of call answering
cars. The Mayor said we could come at
any time and tell him the horror stories about manpower shortages, but he
preferred we not be specific in numbers of call answering cars. He said he didn’t want the bad guys knowing
how short we were at our worst times. I
couldn’t allow the Mayor to go unchallenged and before I could get to the
podium, Councilwoman Claudette Burroughs-White stated, “Mayor, I believe the
bad guys know better than the Council how short the police are.” I couldn’t have said it better.
City
Attorney Linda Miles attempted to keep me from addressing the Mayor’s
statement, but the Mayor did allow me to speak. I told him of officers not having assist cars and responding to
long-held calls, only to be fussed and cussed at by the citizens/owners. I also spoke of officers responding alone to
calls recommended for 2-officer dispatch.
Lastly, I made mention of the 10 minute police response to the cab
driver’s homicide in Grandover, the morning after I requested Council to halt
all future annexations due to sprawl and lack of police manpower.
Manpower: As I put the finishing
touches on this letter, I have learned the City Manager is recommending 32 new
police officer positions and approval of a “Career Enhancement” program for
veterans. Not as many officers as we
would like, but more than I have ever seen before. Is it going to end now?
Previously, I have told City Council no. I plan to start again in December asking for many more officers.
Veteran Pay: I have seen two different
proposals for “Career Enhancement”.
When I learn more, I will let you know.
Presidential Qualities: Back in
1999, I had a conversation with a friend of mine about me running for the
position of President. Know me
personally, he had concerns that it would not be in my best interest. He encouraged me not to run. I brushed aside his worries and I can say I
am glad I did. I believe being in this
position has been good for me. Let me
tell you what I think the President ought to be.
At all
times, the President should be dedicated, level headed, trustworthy,
credible, respected and thoughtful. The
President represents and speaks for the GPOA members. The President can’t shoot from the hip or lip. The President should be a politician and
know how to seek a compromise. The
President should stand ground and fight for what is right. The President should know when to stand fast
and know when to stop beating a dead horse.
The President should be able to look at the big picture and the little
pictures.
The
President should expect to listen to all members. I promise you, the members will call you, stop and talk to you
and email you. At times, the President
should be forceful, loud, cantankerous, but humble, quiet, easygoing and
thick-skinned. Have I been all of
these? No. Have I tried most? I like
to think I have. I believe the
President should attend and lead the monthly membership meetings. I believe the President should be present at
Association functions. Is it hard work
to juggle a personal life and the Association?
It’s not a cake walk, but it is possible.
Office of President Opening: With that
said, I encourage those who are interested in the job to be more active. I will show and tell you all about it if you
ask. Meetings are on the first Thursday
of the month at 1730 hours, at the GPOA office located at 241 Summit
Avenue. In accordance to the Association’s
Constitution and Bylaws, you must attend half of the meetings in the year prior
to the nominations, which will occur in May 2005.
Conclusion: In 1999, I set some personal goals for the
Association. Most have been met. Some haven’t. I believe it’s time for others to step up, set goals and improve
our Association. I know many people in
the Association’s membership who could lead the GPOA. What it now takes is believing in the Organization, making a
commitment and stepping forward.
I
don’t plan on walking away from the Association. I will not dump it and run.
I’m still a member of the Association and I will continue to support it,
the new President and the Executive Board.
I will help lighten the load if asked.
I must say that I have added respect for Dave Spagnola for his continued
focus in leading the Association for the 12 years prior to me.
Until
next time, Stay Safe and wait for your assist.
Eddy