August 2010

By wide margins, the rank-and-file members of both the San Francisco POA and the San Jose POA recently approved labor contracts with economic concessions. This was by no means an easy or uncontroversial process. Indeed, acrimony attended all sides of the debate, with some community leaders attempting to vilify the unions for not giving back more and some union members pointedly criticizing their associations, since no one wants to see their paychecks reduced. And yet, these twin votes constituted as sure a victory as any pay raise, strange as that may sound.

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 O.C.C, better known as the Organization to Conspire against Cops, is at it again. In a shameless effort to boost its dismal numbers, the OCC and its leadership has decided to investigate a case of alleged police misconduct against a few of our members even though the complainant passed away last August. The incident in question occurred July 22, 2009 and the complaint was filed on July 24, 2009. So it's eleven months later and the OCC is just now getting around to interviewing the officers. The Organization to Conspire against Cops didn't even know that their "client" had passed on.