Gary P Delagnes SFPOA President

This month, I asked Editor Ray Shine to run POA General Counsel John Tennant's excellent article on contract re-negotiation here in my usual spot on Page One. I could not have more clearly and succinctly written my - and this Board of Directors -- feelings about this crucial issue. As I have said many times before, this is an unprecedented fiscal crisis in which we have become at once scapegoats and heroes. Please read John's article and hopefully appreciate more than ever before smart and savvy strategy has come to play such a pivotal role in the positive future of this organization.

The reality of life truly hit home on our recent trip to the annual Harvard-sponsored seminar on police labor issues. After hearing and sharing information regarding the current plight of the economy and the resulting effect that it has had on police officers, firefighters, and other public employees across the United States and Canada, we heard the wake-up call loud and clear.

The recent attention given to the "Brady" decision and the subsequent grandstanding by San Francisco Public Defender, Jeff Adachi, has bought to the forefront an issue that has been law since 1963. Let me first explain what Brady vs. Maryland means.