Time to take down the signs!

If you put up any signs or took them to others to put up, please go and get them and bring them to the Carpenter's Hall as soon as you can!Campaign signs are regulated by the cities and counties various codes and not by the county elections office.  Basically all of them say the same thing - get the signs down as soon as you can and bring them to the Carpenter's Hall!  Thank you!

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SHERIFF ROBERTS RE-ELECTED BY LANDSLIDE!!

Sheriff Craig Roberts won the May 20th Primary election by an 80% margin to be re-elected for a second 4 year term.  Although a win was expected, the margin was a surprise to many.  The CCPOA and the POLICE PAC want to thank everyone who helped work on the Re-Elect Craig Roberts campaign!

A big reminder, though!  We need to get all the Re-Elect Craig Roberts signs taken down and returned to the Carpenter's Hall.  This needs to be done as soon as possible or fines could be imposed.  If you placed a sign or took several and put them in different places or gave them to others, please track them down and get them back to the Carpenter's Hall! 

The signs will be disassembled and the posts can be reused for other campaigns.  They normally cost about $1 a post!

Don't forget that the CCPOA and the POLICE PAC have endorsed Commissioners Schrader and Peterson for their respective Board of County Commissioner positions.  Although Commissioner Peterson's race has been decided, we will still need to support Commissioner Schrader and also think about endorsing candidates for the other two seats. 

Also, we have voted to support the Library Levy and will be asking that members vote yes on this issued in November, as well as encourage friends and family to do likewise.

Thanks again from the CCPOA and the POLICE PAC to everyone who helped work on the Re-Elect Craig Roberts campaign, especially Mary Rix, Sherri Magdlen, Jeannette McQuay and the members of the POLICE PAC, to include Pete Tutmark, Bill Erickson, Ed Mura, Jon Greer and many, many others!  Great job - well done!

Steve Thoroughman, Chair, POLICE PAC

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Volunteers needed to help get Craig Roberts Re-Elected as Sheriff!

Dear Supporters,

Thank you for the great response to the last call for help!  We have accomplished a lot, such as the first batch of signs going out.  More lawn signs will be done on Friday, April 25th.  If you want to put some up in your yard or neighborhood, come to the Carpenter’s Hall and sign some out.  If you come by on Friday, you will have to put them together yourself.  By Saturday morning they will be all assembled and ready to go. 

Additionally the phone bank will kick off on Monday, April 28th at 6:00 pm.  This is a vital component for a successful campaign.  A script, information and food will be provided, so please volunteer to help!

This is a very important campaign for Sheriff and your help is needed to insure that Craig Roberts is re-elected.  Without some of your time and enthusiasm, it is possible that Sheriff Robert’s opponent could win.  This would not be good for the Sheriff’s Office, its employees and the citizens of Clackamas County.

The election is coming up fast – May 20th.  If you have any questions, please call the Re-elect Craig Roberts for Sheriff phone number (503) 557-4671 extension 2.

Please fill out this form and return it to a member of the P.O.L.I.C.E. PAC listed below. You will be contacted by the appropriate committee chair to schedule a time that is convenient for you.

A Downloadable PDF is also available.

None of your information will be shared outside the CCPOA/POLICE PAC.

Thank you!

Steve Thoroughman
Pete Tutmark
Jon Greer
Ed Mura
Bill Erickson
Pat Finn

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A Recent Letter to the Editor from a Retired CCSO Deputy.

Dear Editor, 

Since taking office, incumbent Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts has made some amazing strides in improving the effectiveness of the Sheriff’s Office.  Morale within the department has climbed to a level I have not seen in years.  Unused jail beds have been brought back on line and a new jail, desperately needed to stop the revolving door is well on the way to becoming a reality.  Historically low staffing levels are almost up to where they should be.  All this while some major money saving measures have been put into place. 

Sheriff Roberts has received the endorsements of all the police chiefs in Clackamas County, the District Attorneys of Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah Counties, Mayors, Judges, Newspapers and a host of other notables, to date 42 in all.

Comes now Richard LaManna, who has reportedly made a small fortune in the boat business over the years. He has less than 5 years in law enforcement.  In 2007, He sought the endorsement and $20,000 from the Washington County Peace Officers Association to run against their current Sheriff. He didn’t get it!   He then filed for the position of Sheriff in Clackamas County. In the fall of 2007, he rented a room in the basement of a friend’s home in Clackamas County to meet the residency requirement.  He owns a home in Washington County reportedly worth in excess of $800,000.  An article in Willamette Week refers to Mr. LaManna as a “Carpetbagger.” 

But wait! It gets better! Mr. LaManna chose Josh Henningson, a friend and confidant as his campaign manager - the same person whose basement room he claims to be living in.  On the filing deadline for the office, Mr. LaManna had his campaign manager file for the Sheriff’s position as well. With the third candidate in the race, state law requires a primary race be held.  Mr. Henningson’s candidacy is obvious bogus as he stated he would not spend over $300 in the entire race. One can speculate and come up with several reasons for this move, none of which could be associated with the word “Integrity.” 

Mr. LaManna states on the welcome page of his website, “I have 30 years of law enforcement, leadership and business management experience” What LaManna fails to mention is that of the 30 years, only 4 are in Law enforcement, and the other 26 are in the boat business.

I have a suggestion for the voters of Clackamas County.  If you want to keep an effective sheriff, vote for Craig Roberts.  If you are buying a boat, call Richard LaManna.

 

Regards,

Deputy John Van Huizen

CCSO Retired

 

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CCPOA Endorses Commissioners Martha Schrader and Lynn Peterson

The CCPOA has also endorsed incumbent Clackamas County Commissioners Martha Schrader and Lynn Peterson for their respective seats. Commissioner Schrader is running for re-election and Commissioner Peterson is running for President of the BCC, under a new ordinance passed by voters last year. Both have proven very professional, courteous and supportive of the CCPOA, it's members and it's issues. Please support these Commissioners.

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CCPOA & POLICE PAC Conduct Candidate Forums

Candidates for the offices of Sheriff and County Commissioner were invited to spend an hour with CCPOA members and explain why they were the best candidates. **MORE TO FOLLOW SOON**

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Fundraiser for Hilary Robinson a Great Success!!

On Wednesday, January 15, 2008, coworkers, friends and family of Hilary Robinson came together for a friendly night of poker.  About 75 people showed up at the Carpenter's Hall in Oregon City to play some cards and visit with Hilary, who was severely injured earlier this year while travelling through Wyoming on her motorcycle.  Hilary's injuries were extensive enough to keep her hospitalized for many weeks and undergo several surgical procedures.  The subsequent physical therapy was complex enough that it was better for her to remain in Wyoming during this time rather than attempt to travel.  Hilary, who is a veteran Deputy Sheriff for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office and a K-9 Officer, finally made it back home with the help of friends and fellow K-9 Officers.  The costs for this travel were borne initially by those same folks.  Hilary is beginning to get medical bills that may or may not be covered by her medical insurance, so the need for fundraisers will remain.

Through all the pain and suffering that Hilary has endured since her crash, she has never once given any thought to giving up her career.  She has every intention of getting back to work.  A week ago she was overjoyed that she was given permission to drive a car again and taste a bit of freedom!

Hilary thanks everyone who has been thinking of her and has contributed towards her cause. 

The Clackamas County Peace Officers' Benevolent Foundation has set up a special account called the Hilary Robinson Fund.  If you would like to make a donation to help Hilary, you can make out a check and mail it to the HILARY ROBINSON FUND, PO Box 426, Oregon City, Oregon 97045.  The CCPO Benevolent Foundation is pending it's final determination as a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit and all donations made prior to that determination will be deductable upon receipt of the final IRS approval.  You can learn more about the CCPO Benevolent Foundation on this website.

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PERS Coalition Requests Update on Pending Cases

Page 1 - Memo to PERS Coalition re: Case Status Report (October 17, 2007)

i n t e r o f f i c e

M E M O R A N D U M

to: PERS Coalition

from: Greg Hartman

subject: Case Status Report

date: October 17, 2007

Some of you have asked for an update on pending litigation. Below is the current status

of litigation. This contains no confidential information so can generally be shared with

members.

Cases

Strunk. This state court challenge to the constitutionality of the 2003 legislation will

shortly come to a close after the recent award of attorney fees by the Oregon Supreme Court.

That award will permit us to fully repay the Coalition and retain the remaining portion of the

fees as additional attorney fees.

Robinson. This federal court challenge to the 2003 legislation has been concluded.

City of Eugene. This case is concluded.

Henderson. This case asks the court to construe the meaning of Judge Solomon’s 1978

decree regarding actuarial tables and is currently pending before the Ninth Circuit.

White. This case challenges the settlement agreement which concluded the City ofEugene case, as well as a number of administrative actions taken to implement that settlement. I

have taken the deposition of Eva Kripalani and have informed Joe Malkin that I would like to

take the deposition of the remaining members of the board and Mark Johnson, at which time I

believe the case can be resolved on summary judgment.

Arken. This is the class action on behalf of window retirees which challenges PERS’s

current efforts to re-allocate 1999 earnings and make collections from individual retirees. The

case is once again pending before Judge Kantor for resolution of the issues which were not fully

resolved in his initial opinion on this matter. We hope to have an opinion in the near future.

Robinson. This is the case being handled by Jim Coon and Gene Mechanic. This case

also challenges PERS’s collection efforts, arguing that they are inconsistent with Section 14(b)

of the 2003 legislation. We are also waiting on an opinion from Judge Kantor resolving issues

Page 2 - Memo to PERS Coalition re: Case Status Report (October 17, 2007)

relating to the scope of his prior decision in favor of Robinson plaintiffs. Again, we hope to have

a decision in the near future.

Kay Bell. This is a test case to determine whether individuals who received incorrect

advice from PERS which led to their retirement can sue for damages. The parties have filed

cross-motions for summary judgment and this case is likely to be resolved at the trial level in the

near future.

Murray. This case raises the issue of whether administrative expenses can be charged to

the variable account in years in which that account has no earnings. The case has been fully

briefed and we await a hearing date before the court of appeals.

Issues

Money match variable. In our last report we indicated we had an adequate number of

clients, including most importantly a Multnomah County client, sufficient to pursue this

litigation. We requested documents from PERS on behalf of all of these individuals to confirm

that they actually had been harmed by the new methodology for calculating benefits.

Unfortunately we discovered that for a number of those individuals, including our Multnomah

County plaintiff, the new calculation methodology did not cause them any damage. We can

proceed with the remaining plaintiffs, though that will necessitate filing in another county.

Alternatively I would appreciate each of you making one last effort to find individuals who were

potentially damaged by the new methodology, particularly those who reside here in Multnomah

County, so that we can pursue the claims here.

Rate guaranty reserve. As I previously reported I think that the proper sizing of this

reserve and how it should be distributed are likely to be items of contention in the future.

Equal-to-or-better-than. PERS is engaged in rulemaking on the new equal-to-or-betterthan

statute. As you know from some of the correspondence I have sent to PERS, we have

expressed concerns about the proposed rules. We will continue to try to make certain that the

rules adequately carry out the intentions of the legislature. It appears that we will have testing

done early next year based on the effective date of the new legislation (January 1, 2008). I

anticipate that a number of the jurisdictions will be found to be insufficient and therefore will be

required to amend and improve their pension programs. If you are advising any individuals who

are working for any of these exempt employers I would strongly urge them not to retire until

after the first of the year so that they can have the benefit of whatever improvements are

mandated by the testing process.

Hopefully this has been helpful in sorting out current status but call me if you have any

questions.

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Five CCPOA Members Run in Oregon Special Olympics LE Torch Run

Five CCPOA members ran in the Clackamas County leg of the 2007 Law Enforcement Torch Run, which is a key fundraising event for Oregon Special Olympics.  It is also an integral part of the opening of the annual Special Olympics Games, which are held in Hillsboro.  CCPOA members Kevin Layng (Detectives), Emil Burley (Patrol), Scott King (Patrol), Greg Martin (Forensics) and Gary Burgeson (Jail) ran the course.  Also running with them were Sheriff Craig Roberts and Lieutenants Paul Steigleder, Dixon Andrews and Todd Rollins.

The CCPOA pledged to pay Oregon Special Olympics $100 for each CCPOA member who ran the Torch Run and wore a CCPOA shirt.  The pledge was for up to 15 runners. 

The members of the CCPOA are proud of these five folks and their dedication to a worthy cause.

8/30/07

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CCPOA Awards Five College Scholarships

The CCPOA has awarded College one-year scholarships to five children of CCPOA members for the 2007-2008 academic year.  The recipients are Rachelle Northcraft, Jess Smith, Andrew McCuistion, Nicole Layng and Amy Zacher.  Altogether there were eleven applicants.  A committee chaired by CCPOA First Vice President Jeff Smith (no relation to awardee Jess Smith) spent a considerable amount of time reviewing the applications and selecting the recipients.

This year is a transition year to the implementation of the new Scholarship program, which is a more competitive process meant to inspire academic excellence.  There will be three permanent one-year scholarships, the Jimmy Shoop Memorial Scholarship, the Bill Bowman Memorial Scholarhip and the Damon Coates Heroism Scholarship.  Additional scholarships will be awarded based on applications received, indicating academic excellence and financial need.

Complete information and the application for the 2008-2009 academic year can be found on the CCPOA website at www.clackamascountypoa.com and click on 'Scholarships'.

 8/30/07

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OCPA Legislative Report - End of Session Recap

 

OCPA 2007 Legislative Session - Final Report

 Brian DeLashmutt, OCPA Lobbyist 

In the past couple of sessions I have titled my Session End Report the “Good Bad and the Ugly”, which always seemed appropriate when talking about the Legislature and the activities of the Legislature. I will stay with that mantra but this time, I believe I can say that the Good far outweighed the Bad or Ugly. From our legislative agenda we were able to move our top priority through the process, as well as a whole series of other bills from our “to do list”. Additionally, we were able to kill a number of bad bills that we had identified as top priority threats. As is always the case, some of the issues we worked on will carry over to the next session, whether it is the Special Session of February 2008 or the next General Session in January 2009. I believe as you review the listing of bills both from the Good list, the Bad bills killed and the unfinished list, you will see that we had a very good session. 

THE GOOD

 SB 400 - The OCPA and Fire Fighters bill that reversed 12 years of Public Safety Officers not being able to bargain over safety and staffing - passed. As you already know, this was our top priority and after several sessions of frustration we finally passed the bill this session. The need for the bill was clear, PSOs need to be able to bargain over “on the job” safety issues and have been blocked from doing so by Employers, since SB 750 passed in 1995. Additionally the bill allows for bargaining related to staffing, if it has a significant impact on Safety. (Passed into law from our Priority list) 

SB 266 - This Senate bill adds an additional Public Safety Labor member to the Public Safety Officers Medal of Honor Committee. More specifically would add a representative of the PSO union member to this group. Last session the original bill passed that established this committee and we now have representation on that committee, but this makes it formal. (Passed into law) 

HB 2833 - From the priority list - simply allows for a PSO to designate a beneficiary for purposes of the Public Safety Officers Memorial Fund. As you will recall this fund allows for a number of benefits for the families of fallen officers including a cash payment to help cover expenses, health insurance for dependent children as well as college tuition for children of these fallen officers. This bill expanded the ability of an officer to designate, as the beneficiary, someone other than a spouse. (Passed into law) 

HB 3407 - Many of you may recall HB 2724 from the 2005 session. That bill simply blocked County tax assessors and elections officials from releasing a Public Safety Officer’s home address, phone number or email address for the obvious personal and family safety reasons. In order for this blocking to occur the PSO would fill out a form requesting the blocking of this information and the county could not release the information. While the bill passed last session it became very clear that nearly half of the counties refused to implement the law, upon advice from their own County Counsel that our law did not apply to property and lien records. HB 3407 was needed to clarify the original law and force the counties to follow the intent of the original law.(Passed into law) 

SB 190 - several sessions ago the OCPA along with AOCE introduced & passed what we accurately called the “slimming bill”. The bill made a Felony of the intentional exposure of a corrections officer to bodily fluids by an inmate. After several sessions, it became clear that this protection did not protect DOC employees other than the Corrections officers. At the behest of the AOCE, this bill expands the coverage to other employees of the DOC. In the future we will attempt to expand these protections to all Corrections workers in Community Corrections as well. (Passed into law) A BAD BILL GONE GOOD (We changed a bad bill into a good bill, a positive rescue.) 

SB 111 – Mentioned in the Bad Bills Killed - actually merits mentioning here as well because with the provision on the release of transcripts of grand juries proceedings in “Use of Deadly Force” by Police, we hated the bill. The other 90 percent of the bill is actually very good including provisions on release of time for officers working on the local planning authority committee, light duty assignment for any officers involved in Use of Deadly Force for 72 hours and paid mental health session for involved officers (with protections for content of sessions being confidential). (We had the Grand Jury sections ‘turffed out’ and passed the good portions of the bill) GOOD PERS (really, good PERS Bills) 

HB 2679 - Introduced at our request, allows for the IAP portion of you post 2003 PERS accounts to be paid out over a lifetime instead of the 5, 10, 15, or 20 years under current post 2003 PERS law. These changes allows to PSO to avoid a possible 10% IRS penalty for early withdrawal, if you are less than 59 ½ years of age when you start drawing the money out. The Federal Pension Protection act of 2006 allows employees who are 50 years of age or more but under 59 ½, to draw the money out of accounts like the IAP, without a penalty; however, only if it is drawn in equal payments over your expected lifetime; thus the need for the change in Oregon law. Keep in mind that this just applies to the IAP portion of your retirement not the regular PERS accounts, which remain unchanged by this bill. (Introduced and passed into law by the OCPA & AOCE) 

HB 2285 - Eliminated the PERS break in service requirement under the 2003 reforms. If you leave a job for more than 6 months under the 2003 reform and then returned to a public employer you had to come back as an OPSRP employee (reduced benefits for the additional years of service). This bill would just allow you to come back as a Tier One or Tier Two employee - if that was your status when you left, thus preserving you PERS status. (Passed into law with our help and PERS Coalition) 

BAD BILLS KILLED (THE UGLY) 

SB 732 - Senate Bill 732 would have allowed an employer of Police officers to use Polygraphs as a Pre employment tool in screening applicants. The employer put the full court press on this one and portrayed it as simply a tool to weed out the bad apples. We saw it as an intrusion that was unnecessary given all the other pre employment options they have. The other problem we had, we saw this as the foot in the door to use of polygraphs in all internal investigations. Simply put if you had agreed to the polygraph prior to employment and refused it in an internal investigation you must be hiding something. (This bill died, thanks to your e-mails!))

 SB 111 - Second time around, this bill was also introduced in the 2005 session and would have opened Grand Jury records to the public, in cases where “use of deadly force” by a Police Officer had occurred. As was the case in 2005 this bill included many good features, but the inclusion of the Grand Jury sections caused us to oppose the bill. We fought this bad bill to a standstill & eventually changed it into a good bill, as the OCPA forced exclusion of the sections calling for Grand Jury Testimony being made Public. 

THE UNFINISHED 

HB 3432/3431 - The two bills addressed a priority for the OCPA dealing with DPSST composition and due process. While much ground was gained on these two issues this session, this is the real disappointment for the session. On the positive side, DPSST has now committed to reviewing the Board’s composition and due process in certification & the Governor’s office has again committed to an interim review of both. This new higher profile increases the chances of a product/bill being brought before the 2008 Special Session or the 2009 Regular Session. 

HB 3565 - While this bill was constructed to help fund the OSP, it contained a provision for 25% of an increased beer tax - to help fund local law enforcement, as well alcohol and drug treatment and detox. Cities would have gotten 5% of this fund and counties would have received 25%. This could have been a method of helping offset the loss of federal timber funds and help maintain some Deputy positions. This issue will come up again either in the Feb 2008 session or 2009. 

HB 2854 - Our Public Safety Officers Bill of Rights got a hearing, but was set aside in favor of the DPSST bill (HB 3432 and 3431). 

HB 3406 - This bill would have required Police Chiefs and Sheriffs (Police employers) to have a standard policy on use of Police uniforms in off hours. As you recall this bill was pointed at the Chiefs and Sheriffs coming to Salem and testifying in uniform, while they deny our members the same rights. Also an issue was the use of photos showing uniforms, during elections whether Ballot Measures or Candidates. This bill cleared the House but died in the Senate at session end. 

HB 2764 - Our FOPPO Members bill on Caseloads got a hearing in the House committee and soon became a Ways and Means (MONEY) discussion. It became related to the funding of Community Corrections and the shortage of funding in that program. I believe that the Legislature has a desire to help in this effort and we should continue to fight for Community Corrections budgets under 1145 funding, but at the same time be linking those additional dollars for funding, to our caseload issues. 

HB 2828 - FOPPO bill dealing with limited peace officers status did not get action this session. We will be back on this one as well!

 So as you can see, the OCPA produced on a number of bills this session and killed some bad stuff as well. We still have many unresolved issues. Each session leaves unfinished work, this session was no different. Thanks to the OCPA member groups, the Legislative Liaisons and the general membership who really stepped up and made the contacts with your Legislators. Your electronic presence, via e-mails & phone calls made a huge difference in our profile, both on the bills we were working to promote & the bills that needed axing!  

Finally, Special Thanks to the OCPA Members who spared precious time to travel to Salem, either to appear in support and/or testify at the Legislature.   YOU are the real heroes of our 2007 Session!   We will no doubt continue our quest to overturn the last vestiges of SB 750. In particular, our two remaining top priority issues the establishment of the definition of a supervisor (to get our Sergeants back & retain those we have!) plus redefining the use of weighted criteria in bargaining. The OCPA made strides this session. With your continued support and involvement we can continue to gain strength & move our agenda.  On behalf of myself & Executive Director, Meredith Smith, we would like to say that your unparalleled support this Session has been most encouraging. This organization has grown & grown up. We have it rolling now, so let’s keep up the positive momentum & active support during the upcoming State Elections & the 2008, 2009 Sessions!  Editors Note:  The Oregon Legislature will begin it’s interim session in February 2008.  There are measures already scheduled for the November 2007, March 2008 and November 2008 ballots.  We’ll keep you posted on developments. 

 Brian DeLashmutt, OCPA Lobbyist

 

NOTE:  The CCPOA is an active member of the OCPA.

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CCPOA Donates Memorial Benches - Dedication held on May 15, 2007

In conjunction with the 45th annual National Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15th, the Clackamas County Peace Officers’ Association and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office dedicated four benches to remember the sacrifices of their namesakes.
The benches, pictured below, were conceived by members of the Clackamas County Peace Officers’ Association. The membership voted overwhelmingly to fund this project, which took nearly 3 years to fulfill. The Sheriff’s Command Association volunteered to fund one of the benches dedicated to Sheriff John R. Shaver, the only elected Sheriff to have died in the line of duty in Clackamas County.

Those honored were Sheriff John R. Shaver, Deputy Sheriff Jimmy Shoop, Deputy Sheriff Bill Bowman and Sergeant Damon Coates. The families of all were invited and many were able to attend.

Commemorative pictures were crafted by John and Joni Higgins and presented to each family. Copies of these large, expensively framed pictures were also given to the Sheriff’s Office. We recognize this distinguished donation by the Higgins to both the families and the Sheriff’s Office.

You can get a copy of the Program by clicking on this link: program.pdf

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