SIMULCAST F ROM PRESIDENT, ANTHONY MIDGETT

Transcription

1 THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF BATTLEFIELD LODGE #43 OF THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE SIMULCAST Volume 33, Issue #9 September 2011 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: VP 2 Director Report 3 Auxiliary Lodge 4 Financial Status 4 F ROM PRESIDENT, ANTHONY MIDGETT Last month, your Delegates attended the 60th Biennial National Conference in Salt Lake City Utah. There were several new members elected to the National slate. We have several up coming events throughout the rest of the year. The most important will be the Santa Cops program. Now is the time to start planning to clear your schedule. The event should be taking place in the first and second week of December. With school back in session, it is very important to be aware of your soundings. That dog running into the street just may be followed by a small child. Mark your calendar: next lodge meeting, wednesday,sept. 21, 6pm at rescue one volunteer fire station in manassas I have posted several training opportunities in the members section of the Web site. They are for a fee in some cases, however, they are DCJS certified. If you are looking for that "extra" credit, then check it out. In the future I will be posting several companies that offer discounts to FOP Members. Be sure to ask the web master for your password. Also, in the Members section is a page dedicated just for our Officers (members or not) and family who are serving their Country and protecting our liberty. If you know of any of their family members who may need some sort of assistance, Let your Chaplain, Sister Sharon Golon or my self know. ~Stay Safe!! Tony Midgett Sr~ *** The FOP Member of the Year is Brother Carl Smith from the Riverside Lodge in Riverside, CA. ** Tommy Stiles with Sgt. At Arms, Anthony Midgett Jr. Virginia FOP Delegates, Salt Lake City, UT

2 SIMULCAST Page 2 F ROM THE VICE PRESIDENT S JOTTOD ESK Greetings Brothers and Sisters, I had the pleasure of attending the National FOP Conference in Salt Lake City, UT this year. The main topics discussed were challenges to your personal benefits (health and retirement), Officer safety and FOP support for politicians that say one thing and do another! It was quite clear that many jurisdictions in many other States were under attack. Many examples of loss of jobs (reduction in force), benefits and safety equipment were noted. Please don t misread my position, I know, as we all do, that times and finances are tough. Local Governments have had to make some real tough budget decisions, but it seems that many times, the Officer s base pay (read small) was augmented by the retirement benefits (read sounds pretty good to a young, healthy officer) which were acceptable; and as you progressed within the department, that pay would increase and you could overlook the fact that others who were not risky their lives every day were getting more. Now, Governments are discovering that retirement benefits are expensive, investments made weren t that good and the need for officers have grown making the set costs for LE a substantial part of anyone s budget. Enter, shared cost for retirement or even 401K plans in lieu of fully funded plans. It started with 5% state employee share and an offset of 5% for the first year, but there is always a small reduction in take home pay; and, as years go on, that bite into your take home gets bigger without the offset. Some municipal governments wanted the shared retirement without the immediate offset, costing the officers a quick 5% from take-home monies. Many times these stories (substantiated with facts) were accompanied with reduction in forces to further offset the growing budget deficits. What can we do? 1 st Stay informed. Know what your State and Local Governments are thinking. If shared retirements are a necessary evil, then get informed and know exactly how it will affect you! Know what bills are being introduced that affect your livelihood and health and benefits, and more importantly, by whom! All Politicians love cops when it comes to election time, what better group to have beside you on the podium? But what do they do when it comes to decisions on your benefits? Republicans and Democrats, as well as Independents, have taken stances against us. It no longer is a party thing, we have to be more aware of who we support and why. 2 nd Get involved. Rally Day in January is just one opportunity where we can voice our feelings and get our opinion heard, but State and Local Governments are active more than just one day, and so should you be. I will ensure that our legislative agenda and bills that are being introduced that affect LE be posted on our website, so go there and discover what our law-makers are doing for you! 3 rd Come to Lodge meetings. I d love to see more of you at our meetings, we ll make them short and keep the agenda on target. One hour a month shouldn t be too much to invest in YOUR future. Steve Battlefield Lodge Delegates

3 F ROM THE DIRECTOR Your Lodge Delegates attended the 60th Biennial National FOP Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, August The Delegates were our President -- Tony Midgett, Steve Smith (VP), Mike Alvey, Don Cahill, Roselee Bielec (Immediate Past Pres), Tony Midgett, JR (Sgt at Arms) and Me - Dave Gallaway (Director). Your Lodge Auxiliary Delegates were Sonny Walthall (Pres) and Jerry Thurston (VP). Kitty Walthall attended the conference as a State Lodge Delegate. Sandie Thurston was an Auxiliary delegate. The EXPO was set-up and open at noon on Saturday. Conference and Training Registration also began on Saturday. Those arriving early had an opportunity to visit the EXPO and talk with the Exhibitors before the crowd arrived. Conference business began on Monday (8/15) and ran through Thursday (8/18) terminating with the swearing-in of the new Officers for The Delegates from the Southern States were housed in the Little America Hotel across from the Court House. We were about a half mile from the Conference Center which was downtown Salt Lake. The rooms, service, food and beverages at the hotel were excellent. The transportation was great and the Trolley service should come to Northern Virginia. Delegates who purchased the Evening Activities Package attended a Social event, a BBQ with entertainment and a local Triple AAA Baseball game. Most of our Delegates toured the town and surrounding area, rode the Trolley, visited local restaurants and businesses and toured the Temple Square which houses the Tabernacle and the History of the Mormons and early Utah. The Conference business was conducted daily, but, nothing topped the Politics of the Nomination and the Election of the National Officers of our Brotherhood. This was the first time in the nine Nat'l Conferences that I have attended where we had 5 of the six offices that had two names on the ballot. The closest elections were for the Offices of Vice President and Treasurer. The 2nd VP ran unopposed. Around 3000 votes were counted. The Officers for the National Board are as follows: President -- Chuck Canterbury (SC) : Vice President -- Ed Brannigan (NJ)- NEW. National Secretary -- Patrick Yoes (LA) : Treasurer -- Tom Penoza (DE) : 2nd VP -- Frank Gales (CO) : and National SGT at ARMS -- Roger Mayberry (CA)- NEW. The results show that the membership is concerned about how the National Board conducts Business. Cincinnati, Ohio, is the site for the 2013 National Conference, followed by Pittsburg, PA in 2015, in Honor of the 100 Birthday of the FOP. I recommend that everyone read the FOP Journal The Voice of Our Nation's Law Enforcement Officers". It is delivered to your mail box quarterly. Your Lodge Delegates represented you well. They were appropriately dressed for all events, attended all functions, and overall had a great time. Our new 2nd VP Diane Brant (ADC) spent a couple of days vacationing with our delegation in Beautiful Salt Lake. Take Care, Be Safe, and Thank You for allowing me to be Your Director-----Dave Gallaway

4 Page 4 Volume 33, Issue #9 AUXILIARY LODGE Hi everyone, The trip to Salt Lake City was out standing! Come to our meeting September 20th, the Coldwell Banker Reality Elite Office, Rt #1 and Possum Point Rd, Dumfries. Lots of things to talk about and pictures to look at, come join us. Refreshments and door prize as usual. Get involved, Kitty Walthall, Chaplain AUXILIARY EXECUTIVE BOARD Sonny Walthall, President the10mm@earthlink.net Jerry Thurston, Vice Pres sandie@gte.net Katie Wines, 2nd VP Michelle Stanco, Secretary wstanco474@aol.com Norma Green, Treasurer alveyslaw@aol.com James Thurston, Sergeant-at-Arms Kitty Walthall, Chaplain k8spt@earthlink.net E XECUTIVE SECRETARY (FINANCIAL REPORT) Checkbook Balance for each account (as of 9/2/11): Checking/Savings Alexandria Credit Union 1, Gaming Account PAC PWC Foundation , PWC Fundraiser , PWC Operating account , PWCreditUnion #8457 6, Total Checking/Savings $92, F.O.P EXECUTIVE BOARD WWW. FOPBATTLEFIELD43.ORG/ FOPBATTLEFIELD43@GMAIL. COM Tony Midgett, President tonymidgett@comcast.net Steve Smith, Vice President roadking99@cox.net Rose Bielec, Past President rbielec@pwcgov.org Diane Brant, 2nd Vice President dbrant@pwcgov.org Terry Hess, Secretary terry.hess@comcast.net Sharon Golan, Chaplain sgolon@pwcgov.org Tony Midgett, Jr., Sgt-At-Arms tonzmyspace34@yahoo.com Khristine Breeding, Exec Scty khristinebreeding@yahoo.com Dave Gallaway, Director x116 dmgallaway@verizon.net Jim Zahand, Treasurer jim.z78@hotmail.com

5 BATTLEFIELD LODGE 43 OF FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE P.O. Box 195, Woodbridge, VA Membership Application Last Name First Name M I Sex (M or F) Mailing Address City State Zip (5 + 4) Date of Birth Social Security # Home Phone # Law Enforcement Agency Title/Rank Work Phone # Beneficiary Relationship Sponsor s Name Beneficiary s Mailing Address Beneficiary s Home Phone # Application Date I hereby make application for active membership to the Fraternal Order of Police, Battlefield Lodge #43, and swear that I am a full-time regularly employed law enforcement officer, or retired, with local, state, military, or federal arrest powers within the Commonwealth of Virginia. I understand that should my membership be revoked, I shall return my membership card, as well as, any material bearing the FOP insignia. Signature Date Mail completed application with a copy of your credentials / other verifiable official documentation and check payable to Battlefield Lodge of FOP, Inc., P.O. Box 195, Woodbridge, VA Alternately, you may forward this application, via your sponsor, to any Executive Board member. If you have ever been an FOP member, indicate lodge no: state member no. last year If paying for active members dues through payroll deduction (allotment) via the Prince William County Payroll Office, please complete the payroll deduction, as applicable, below the tear line Payroll Deduction Authorization Form for Prince William County ONLY: I authorize the Prince William County Payroll Department to deduct $5.00 per pay period for the purpose of membership dues to the Fraternal Order of Police. Applicant s Name (Please Print) Employee Number Work Phone Number Prince William County Agency Signature Date