Temporary CCPOA Office

Due to the consolidation of the Carpenters Union statewide, the CCPOA was asked to move out of the offices it has occupied for 23 years.  Additionally, due to the increased use of the Carpenters Hall by several Carpenters and Sheet Rock locals, the CCPOA will no longer be able to use the Carpenters Hall for meetings, to include the POLICE PAC, the CCPO Benevolent Foundation, or other affiliated groups. 

The CCPOA is now located in an attorney's office building located at 294 Warner-Milne Road.  Phones & email will remain the same, although we are temporarily without fax service.

The temporary office is extremely small and the bulk of the CCPOA office equipment and files are in storage about 2 miles from the office.  We will remain here until a building is purchased or another lease option comes along.

Union meetings will be held at the Oak Grove Fire Station on the same dates and times as before.  Watch for your meeting notices in your email.

 

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CCPOA Office is moving!

The CCPOA has rented office space from the Carpenters Local 1388 for nearly 23 years.  Prior to that, meetings were held there since the mid 1970's when the CCPOA was first formed.  This long partnership is not ending on a bad note.  Although a private sector union, they are still a brother union, representing workers just like the CCPOA.  The economy has forced them to consolidate their state operations to become more efficient and still properly and aggressively represent their members.  We wish them the best of luck.

We are moving out as of Friday, January 21st.  We will be renting a 10'x11' office space in Oregon City and the bulk of the CCPOA office equipment and files will be placed into storage.  Until phone and computer services are transferred, there may be some delay when sending emails to the CCPOA. 

If you have issues, please continue to contact your Shop Stewards or Division Vice President.  The roster can be found on this website under Executive Board.

This site will updated as soon as we get up and running again.

 

Thank you for your patience.

 

Mark Koberstein

Business Manager

(503) 849-6004 (cell)

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Union News for September AND October 2010

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Oregon Council of Police Associations Announces Open Nomination Period

The OCPA has announced it is open for nominations for Executive Board members for two-year terms beginning January 1, 2011.  The positions that are open are:

 First Vice President

 

 Secretary-Treasurer

 

 Sergeant At Arms

 

 Member At Large

 

I have been involved with the OCPA for many years.  The CCPOA is a member organization, giving us an active presence and voice in the State Legislature.  The OCPA is pivotal in local elections for State Representatives and State Senators, as well as proposing, promoting or opposing various bills that pertain to Law Enforcement.  It is the ONLY organization on the state level that looks after the interests of the rank and file worker – both the OSSA and the Oregon Chiefs of Police exist to support those management groups and not the rank and file worker, like you.

 

Last session the OCPA was able to introduce 14 bills, of which 12 were made into law, including the Police Officers Bill of Rights, which significantly altered the manner a department can enforce discipline, and the requirement that DPSST establish rules to give an officer the rights of Due Process when being evaluated to de-certification. 

 

These things were done not by really super political savvy folks, but by street cops and corrections officers like yourselves.  The OCPA retains both a great legal counsel, Darrell Garrettson, and a respected and successful lobbyist, Brian DeLashmutt.  The Executive Director of the OCPA is Steve Beck, who is extremely well versed in the needs of the organization and has a very good reputation and rapport within the various communities that make the OCPA successful.

 

If you are a member of the CCPOA, whether in the SO, West Linn, Molalla, DA Investigator or Medical Examiner, you are eligible to be a member of the OCPA Board of Directors.  Meetings are held quarterly in Salem.  Mileage to and from meetings is paid for.

 

This is a great organization and needs your help.  If you are interested, please contact Mark Koberstein no later than July 25^th and your name will be submitted by the CCPOA.  Call if you have any questions and take a minute to check out the OCPA website at http://www.ocpamembers.com.

 

Thanks,

 

Mark Koberstein

Business Manager, CCPOA

(503) 655-4070

(503) 849-6004 (cell)

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Message regarding the recent tragedy from Steve Hyson

On Friday, February 12^th one of our CCPOA members, Jeffrey Grahn committed an incomprehensible act when he took the life of his wife, Charlotte, and the life of Kathleen Hoffmeister, and the critical wounding of Victoria Schulmerich.  On behalf of all CCPOA members I wanted to express my deepest sorrow for the family members of all victims’.  I want the public to know that Jeff Grahn’s actions in no way are condoned by the members of CCPOA and the Sheriff’s Office. 

 

As CCPOA President I worked to found the Clackamas County Peace Officer’s Benevolent Foundation.  One of the core mission’s of the Benevolent Foundation is to assist at risk youth and victims of crimes.  The Benevolent Foundation’s Board of Directors is comprised of police officer’s from several agencies as well as police administrators, and citizens from the public.  The Benevolent Foundation has worked diligently to provide assistance to people and to other charitable organizations.  Some of the projects we support have included; Orphan Relief, The Madonna Center, Special Olympics, The Children’s Center of Oregon City, The Lot Whitcomb Fields Project and many other charitable programs.  The Benevolent Foundation has also reached out to help people including the support of Jake French who suffered a disabling injury to aid in his recovery.  The Benevolent Foundation is also proud to fund a program known as Shop with a Cop where we provided financial support at Christmas time to assist children affected by poverty and crime. 

 

Today, the Benevolent Foundations Board of Directors approved $10,000 to assist the families of all the victims affected by this incident.  The Benevolent Foundation has established the Charlotte Grahn Memorial Fund and opened a bank account at Wells Fargo to collect donations which will help support all the victim’s families of this dread incident.  You can make donations directly to the Clackamas County Peace Officer’s Benevolent Foundation, or at any branch of Wells Fargo. 

 

For more information on the Benevolent Foundation, please visit our website at www.ccpobf.org. 

 

As President of the Clackamas County Peace Officer’s Association, I assure you that we have sworn our lives to protect and serve you.  CCPOA has been very proactive in working to help build positive relationships with the community where we live, and to whom we serve.  Please do not let the actions of this one person, who was acting on his own, to negatively impact our valued and trusted relationship.

 

Sincerely,

 

Steve Hyson

CCPOA President 

CCPO Benevolent Foundation President 

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CHARLOTTE GRAHN MEMORIAL FUND

Donations to the Charlotte Grahn Memorial Fund can be made to any branch of the Wells Fargo Bank.

You can also mail a check to:

               Clackamas County Peace Officers Benevolent Foundation,

               PO Box 426, Oregon City, Oregon, 97045. 

Please note in the memo line 'Charlotte Grahn Memorial Fund'.

The Clackamas County Peace Officers Benevolent Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-proft and donations are tax dedcutible.

 

Thank you.

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CCPOA Awards Academic Scholarships

5 college bound dependants of CCPOA members have received academic scholarships for the 2009-2010 school year.  Timothy JE Cleary, son of CCPOA member Daniel Cleary, received the Bill Bowman Memorial Scholarship for $1000.00.  Timothy will be attending St. Martin's University in Lacey, Washington majoring in Criminal Jusice. Chelsea Martin was awarded the $1000.00 Damon Coates Heroism Scholarship to pursue her major in Nursing at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle. 

Three General Academic Scholarships were awarded to Brittney Fortune, Cody Grahn, and Maren Thoroughman.  These $500.00 scholarships will be applied towards their tuitions at Seattle Pacific University, Clackamas Community College and the University of Missouri. 

The CCPOA Scholarship Program is available to any son, daughter, step-son, step-daughter or adotped child of a CCPOA member.  Proof of a 2.5 or better grade point average must be attached to the application, along with an essay on their goals and objectives.  Applications must be postmarked no later than July 1.

For more information regarding the CCPOA Scholarship Program, please go to the CCPOA website at www.clackamascountypoa.com/scholarships. 

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Benevolent Foundation receives $20,000 donation!

On Thursday, June 25th, at the regularly scheduled Benevolent Foundation meeting, Clackamas Emergency Services Foundation President handed Benevolent Foundation President Steve Hyson a check for $20,000.  In addition to the Foundation Board, Kaity Finn, her mom Michelle and grandmother Karen, were present. 

During the medical challenges over the last couple of years that Kaityroo faced, many loving and motivated people worked to raise funds through the Emergency Services Foundation.  They were extremel successful!  Now that the immediate financial crisis has passed, the funds that remained needed to be utilized.  The Clackamas County Peace Officers Benevolent Foundation was one of several charities that received a portion of this distribution.

The Benevolent Foundation's mission is to assist police officers in Clackamas County when there is a critical need.  The Foundation also supports childrens' programs in Clackamas County.

At the same meeting, President Hyson reciprocated by giving a check for $3000 to President Gordon Day to assist with the Clackamas Emergency Services Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament fundraiser. 

It is a pleasure to have such great partnerships within the Emergency Services field! 

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Benevolent Foundation Recent Activity

The CCPO Benevolent Foundation has provided assistance to two law enforcement community members recently.  Deputy Sheriff John Zagyva was recently activated to serve with his Oregon Army National Guard unit.  His wife was very pregnant and was facing a lapse in medical coverage.  The Foundation stepped up and paid for her medical insurance premiums in order for her to have her baby at her own hospital and doctor and close to home and family, rather than at a military facility, such as Madigan Army Hospital at Fort Lewis, Washington.  After 3 months, her military Tri-Care coverage kicked in.

By the way, she had a healthy baby boy!

On another front, the Sheriff's Office part-time, 24-7 on-call Chaplain, Mark Evans, experienced a life threatening injury following a routine medical procedure.  Although he still had some coverage under COBRA, the number of co-pays increased dramatically, placing Mark in financial jeopardy.  The Foundation was able to help him with the last two months of his COBRA coverage.  The Foundation also matched a $1000 donation from the Clackamas County Sheriff's Reserve program.  Chaplain Evans is also a member of the Reserves.

Mark is doing well now and is back to taking calls as a Chaplain for the Sheriff's Office.

The Foundation has been fortunate to add three new board members.  Duane Stanbro, a resident of the Molalla area, is retired and an avid volunteer and talented fundraiser.  Sherry Magdlen has assisted the Sheriff's Office with many valuable programs, such as the Child Abuse Summit and SARCon (Search and Rescue Conference).  Debra Jones is the owner of Stitch 'n Embroidery in Oregon City and has worked with many of the Sheriff's Office regular programs, special units and volunteers with excellent products and great insight into what is needed.  All three will be on board at the next Foundation meeting.

Over the last year, two Board members moved on to other things.  Ed Lindquist, a former Clackamas County Commissioner, and Bill Erickson, a Sergeant with the Sheriff's Office, were instrumental in helping get the Foundation incorporated and established as a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit.  We are extremely grateful to both of them for their knowledge and willingness to help.

The Foundation website will be up and running soon and you will be able to find more information there at www.ccpobf.org.

 

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The Briefing

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Just wanted remind each Member Association that the 3rd quarter of 2009 (July-August-September) dues invoices will be going out in a few weeks. The OCPA constitution requires the dues to be paid at the beginning of each quarter.

Three weeks ago we sent out NOMINATION forms to each of our Member Associations.You have until August 1st to return them to the OCPA office in Salem. We are looking for interested candidates to run for the offices of OCPA President, 2nd VP and Member at Large. The term of office begins January 1, 2010 and is a two year term. Since we are representing over 5,000 Public Safety Officers and support personnel in this State these positions are very important to your wages, hours of work and working conditions.

Please remember to notify the OCPA when you have any changes to your Association Executive Board, particularly your President and Secretary/Treasurer.

Also, a reminder to send us your personal email address in place of your employer email address to receive email correspondence from us. We have had to discontinue sending our weekly briefing to a number of people because they did not send us their personal email address.

OCPA LOBBYIST UPDATE

Remember you can track the Public Safety Bills we are tracking by going to:

 
You may also see any Bill in the 2009 session (everything including Bills we are not tracking) by going to http://leg.state.or.us/09reg/measures .

CONCLUSION

While we had some accomplishments in the 2009-2011 Legislative Session and some defeats, we must remain vigilant and stay banded together through the OCPA. Without our Council monitoring the law-makers in Salem, Public Safety Associations would be in much more trouble than they already are in this State. We speak for and represent our member labor organizations in Oregon and are respected as the voice of Public Safety organized labor in Oregon. We at OCPA thank all of you for your continued support of our efforts on your behalf.

Our Lobbyist Brian DeLashmutt will have a detailed report of wins and losses at the 2009-2011 Session next week and it should be a very interesting report. Even though the Session is coming to a close we will remain open for business and preparing for the next Special Session and Emergency Board meetings plus upcoming elections of new Legislators. We cannot take our eye off the 'ball' because it is always in motion and in need of our undivided attention.

 

Steve Beck
Executive Director

 

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LAW ENFORCEMENT MEMORIAL FUN RUN & WALK!!

 For more information, email us at cruzinwiththecops@clackamascountypoa.com.

 

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THE BREIFING

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Two weeks ago we sent out NOMINATION forms to each of our member Associations.You have until August 1st to return them to the OCPA office in Salem. We are looking for interested candidates to run for the offices of OCPA President, 2nd VP and Member at Large. The term of office begins January 1, 2010 and is a two year term. Since we are representing over 5,000 Public Safety Officers and support personnel in this State these positions are very important to your wages, hours of work and working conditions.

Please remember to notify the OCPA when you have any changes to your Association Executive Board, particularly your President and Secretary/Treasurer.

Also, a reminder to send us your personal email address in place of your employer email address to receive email correspondence from us. We have had to discontinue sending our weekly briefing to a number of people because they did not send us their personal email address.

OCPA LOBBYIST UPDATE

Remember you can track the Public Safety Bills we are tracking by going to:

 
You may also see any Bill in the 2009 session (everything including Bills we are not tracking) by going to http://leg.state.or.us/09reg/measures .

As we likely head into the final week or so of the session, for the OCPA it is all about HB 2831 (or HB 2633) Supervisory. The vote on HB 2831 was delayed from this week to next Tuesday in order to try to secure the final yes vote. Many issues are getting caught up in the final push to adjourne and bills are being held hostage for other bills. At this point HB 2831 is in the mix.
 
In other news HB 2713 our "PSO Bill of Rights" has now passed both Houses and is headed to the Governor's desk for signature. HB 3271 (which contains HB 2401) our "sliming bill" has also passed both Houses but still has one more step left. The additional step is needed because  the bill had a technical error (in an unrelated portion to our issue) and now has to go to a conference committee to fix the issue. I expect it to be fixed early next week.
 
Next week the focus will be on our Supervisory bill as well as Budget issues dealing with Public Safety including DOC and OSP budgets as well as others.
 
A good session could become a very good session if we can get Supervisory, so keep making contacts.
 
Brian De

CONCLUSION

Stay safe out there and stay tuned for the final outcome in the State Legislature this session. This has been the toughest session in memory and the battle for money and jobs has been a bloody one!

 

Steve Beck
Executive Director

 

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CCPOA MEETING - Wednesday, June 10, 2009

CLACKAMAS COUNTY

PEACE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

 

EXECUTIVE BOARD and GENERAL MEMBERSHIP

MEETING NOTICE

 

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10, 2009

 

CARPENTERS HALL

276 WARNER-MILNE RD

OREGON CITY OR

 

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETS FOR GRIEVANCE MATTERS at 5:30 PM

E-BOARD MEETING OPENS TO THE MEMBERSHIP ABOUT 6:30 PM

 

AGENDA ITEMS TO BE DISCUSSED

 

1)   GRIEVANCES AND RELATED MATTERS: (E-BOARD MEMBERS ONLY)

A)    Meeting opens to general Membership about 6:30 pm.

NOTE: DUE TO E-BOARD RELATED BUSINESS, GENERAL MEETING MAY BE DELAYED

 

2)   UPDATES: Updates on current business and E-Board meeting.

A)  Sheriff’s Office budget for 2009-2010 what impact will it have?

 

3)   OLD BUSINESS:  Unfinished business from last month:

A)    Chaplin Mark Evans: CCPOA donation of $1,000.00 to help cover his medical expenses will be voted on in General Membership Meeting.

B)    Status of County financial standings … impact on CCPOA?

C)    Deadline for CCPOA Scholarships fast approaching … Get them in now!

 

4)   COMMITTEES: Committee progress reports and updates:

A)    Negotiations Committee … Status of Commissioners discussions

 

5)   NEW BUSINESS: What we are working on now: Current state of events.

A)    None

 

6)   OPEN FORUM: Bring whatever you want to discuss with the E-Board.

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THE BRIEFING

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

This week we sent out NOMINATION forms to each of our member Associations.You have until August 1st to return them to the OCPA office in Salem. We are looking for interested candidates to run for the offices of OCPA President, 2nd VP and Member at Large. The term of office begins January 1, 2010 and is a two year term. Since we are representing over 5,000 Public Safety Officers and support personnel in this State these positions are very important to your wages, hours of work and working conditions.

The next quarterly OCPA Executive Board meeting will be held on June 12, 2009 (Friday) at the OCPA office in Salem. All members are welcome and the meeting will begin at 9:00 am and last until around noon or 1:00 pm.

Please remember to notify the OCPA when you have any changes to your Association Executive Board, particularly your President and Secretary/Treasurer.

Also, a reminder to send us your personal email address in place of your employer email address to receive email correspondence from us. We have had to discontinue sending our weekly briefing to a number of people because they did not send us their personal email address.

 

OCPA LOBBYIST UPDATE

Remember you can track the Public Safety Bills we are tracking by going to:

 
You may also see any Bill in the 2009 session (everything including Bills we are not tracking) by going to http://leg.state.or.us/09reg/measures .

CONCLUSION

This is CRUNCH time! If your Association is listed below your State Senator PLEASE contact them and ask for their support on HB 2633 and HB 2831 - this week!


Senator Betsy Johnson 
Party: D  District: 16
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1716
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-215, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.betsyjohnson@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/johnson

ATTENTION:
Columbia County Deputy Sheriffs Association
Washington County Police Officers Association
********************************************************

Senator Martha Schrader 
Party: D  District: 20
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1720
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-425, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.marthaschrader@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/schrader

ATTENTION:
Clackamas County Peace Officers Association
Canby Police Association
Milwaukie Police Employees Association
Oregon City Police Officers Association
********************************************************
Senator Joanne Verger 
Party: D  District: 5
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1705
Interim Phone: 541-756-4140
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE., S-401, Salem, OR, 97301
Interim Address: 3696 Broadway PMB 344, North Bend, OR, 97459
Email: sen.joanneverger@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/verger

ATTENTION:
Coos Bay Police Officers Association
Lincoln City Police Employees Association
Lincoln County Deputies Association
Newport Police Association
Toledo Public Safety Association

 

Steve Beck
Executive Director

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THE BRIEFING

The Briefing

May 22, 2009

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OCPA President Bob Miller has asked me to notify everyone that the Executive Board position of 2nd VP is vacant and needs to be filled by appointment to fill the unexpired term. Any member of our members Associations is eligible to serve. If you are interested and would like to be more involved in politics at the State level please contact OCPA President Bob Miller ocpapres@gmail.com .

OCPA Executive Board Nominations and elections are approaching. Each year 1/2 of the Executive Board positions are up for election, giving each member a minimum 2 year term of office. Nominations for the President, 2nd Vice–President & Member at Large - Position #1, shall be elected in odd numbered years. They will begin serving their new 2 year term of office on January 1, 2010. Nomination forms will be sent to all Member Associations in June 2009 . The election will  follow with a  mail  ballot  "double-blind" method used for voting. There is plenty of time but I just wanted to alert everyone that the elections are approaching.

OCPA LOBBYIST UPDATE

Remember you can track the Public Safety Bills we are tracking by going to:

 
You may also see any Bill in the 2009 session (everything including Bills we are not tracking) by going to http://leg.state.or.us/09reg/measures .

Based upon the Legislative schedule that was proposed at the beginning of session we have about 5 weeks left with proposed adjournment set for the end of June. If you belief that you are even more naive that I am. With all the remaining budgets issues along with revenue ( new tax suggestions) I would expect that we will be here into July and maybe in the middle of July.
 
However the committees that we work with are beginning to shut down and that means any bill that is still in one of the regular committees when it shuts down is dead. The committees that continue are Ways and Means and the Rules committees but all the rest will close. Why am I telling you this, because a number of our bills are in the committees that are shutting down but I expect to get them out by mid next week (still uncertain is HB 2633 supervisory).
 
The State budget as proposed by the Co Chairs of Ways and Means came out this week and it includes cuts that I am still working on. Cuts to Corrections and Community Corrections are included as well as cuts to OSP. Given that the State budget is about 25% below the current service levels this was to be expected. Some of the cuts will be mitigated by Federal Stimulus money and some by new Taxes (if approved) but we can still expect cuts up to about 2 billion of 12 %. We continue to work to lessen the damage.
 
This week was a good week with a number of our bills being heard in the second chamber and I expect them to pass out of committees next Tuesday or Wednesday before the closure of the committees. The one exception is HB 2633 (or HB 2831) which is our supervisory bills and I will get back to them at the end of this report, but here is what I have to report this week:
 
1. HB 2713 our Public Safety Officers Bill of Rights had a hearing today , Friday and with amendments is expected to pass out of committee next Tuesday.
 
2. HB 2790 our DPSST Due Process and Board configuration Bill has a hearing next Tuesday and should come out of Committee.
 
3. HB 3271 (the new HB 2401) our sliming bill had a hearing this week and is expected to come out of committee next Tuesday.
 
4. SB 821 the retirement medical trust bill introduced by our AOCE members along with the OSPOA had a hearing today and passed out to the final committee.
 
5. HB 2789 our bill for FOPPO that clarifies both  PO's while employer carrying of a firearm along with retirees ability to carry came out of the final committee this week and will pass the Senate next week.
 
6. Still working on a couple of bills Dealing with PERS and making sure that they give you accurate information when you are applying to retire.
 
7. SB 309 (the old SB 245) recordation of interrogations has had several more hearings and amendments and now looks like it is something we can live with in that it includes "one party consent on recording in the interrogations" along with the ability to submit recordings in pretrial and Grand Jury proceedings instead of the officer being required to appear. More to come on this one.
 
8. Now for the big one, HB 2633 (or HB 2831) our supervisory bill has another hearing next week on Wednesday. Nothing is a given at this point with much discussions going on about what form if any will pass. Given that this was one of the five high priority bills for this session and the only one still in flux, we need to step it up (if you have not already done so). Senators need to hear from all of you in support of this bill. We are winning on nearly all other legislation this session but it would be unfortunate if we lost this one in the final weeks because member just did not make the contacts and ask for Senators support.
 
Brian DeLashmutt
 
 


CONCLUSION

During the current Legislative Session we have needed legal advise and legal testimony before many of the House and Senate Committees. OCPA Attorney Daryl Garrettson has been the lead Attorney on these but has not been able to make all of the hearings due to their short notice times and other prior commitments. The OCPA wishes to thank the following Attorneys who stepped up (who represent most of our member Associations) for their dedication to helping their clients and  public safety officers in Oregon:

Will Aitchison {Aitchison and Vick}

Mark Makler    {GGFM}

David Snyder  {Snyder and Hoag}


Without these dedicated labor Attorneys backing us (OCPA) up we would not be as powerful as we currently are. Thank you guys - from all of us!

We want to hear from our Member Associations about how we are doing in representing you and getting information out to you. If there are areas where we could improve upon, we would like to hear from you. If there is any area you feel we could serve you better we would like to hear from you. You are our quality control and while we are doing the best that we can do, we know there is always room for improvement. Help us help you stay connected to the powerful world of Politics.

 

Steve Beck
Executive Director

 

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CRUZIN' WITH THE COPS 2010!!

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The Briefing

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OCPA President Bob Miller has asked me to notify everyone that the Executive Board position of 2nd VP is vacant and needs to be filled by appointment to fill the unexpired term. Any member of our members Associations is eligible to serve. If you are interested and would like to be more involved in politics at the State level please contact OCPA President Bob Miller ocpapres@gmail.com .

OCPA Executive Board Nominations and elections are approaching. Each year 1/2 of the Executive Board positions are up for election, giving each member a minimum 2 year term of office. Nominations for the President, 2nd Vice–President & Member at Large - Position #1, shall be elected in odd numbered years. They will begin serving their new 2 year term of office on January 1, 2010. Nomination forms will be sent to all Member Associations in July 2009 . The election will  follow with a  mail  ballot  "double-blind" method used for voting. There is plenty of time but I just wanted to alert everyone that the elections are approaching.

In case you hadn't heard the new State Revenue projections are out today(May 15,2009 ). One news report stated in part:

"Oregon lawmakers need to cut $1.3 billion from the state budget before the end of the fiscal year on June 30. The figure is some $500,000 higher than the state projected in February, and means big cuts to all areas of state funding...".

"State Economist Tom Potiowsky said the state may not recover from the economic morass until 2011. Unemployment could hit 14 percent in the next year, he said. The newest unemployment figures will be released on Monday."

This means the OCPA will be very busy monitoring these new cuts and acting as the guardian of proposed cuts to Public Safety. We will be attending the budget hearings and testifying when necessary, on your behalf!

We have begun eliminating EMPLOYER EMAIL ADDRESSES from our weekly BRIEFING email list. We have been asking for months for your personal email addresses to replace your employer email address. We are unsure why not everyone responded to our repeated requests, but, our information is for our members and not your employers.

Information sharing is a topic brought up at our last OCPA Annual Meeting. We would like to hear from our Member Associations on a number of topics so we can share your experiences with our other Member Associations. For example we want to know how your Association is being affected by the passing of SB 400 (the Safety Bill)in the last Legislative session? What is happening with your Collective Bargaining? Are any of you being asked to re-open contracts and make concessions? Are you being asked (or forced) to take furlough days or take percentage cuts in pay etc? Given the revenue projections above there is going to be some tough decision making involved in your collective bargaining and we would like to hear about them. If you have a problem and would like to know if any of our other Member Associations have encountered the same and how they resolved it let us know that too. We have not done much of this in the past and want to start this process in a time when it is needed the most.


OCPA LOBBYIST UPDATE

Remember you can track the Public Safety Bills we are tracking by going to:

 
You may also see any Bill in the 2009 session (everything including Bills we are not tracking) by going to http://leg.state.or.us/09reg/measures .

I am going to start with a discussion of the hottest topic that you need to know about but then go into some others and the State budget and how it impacts you and your members.
 
1. HB 2633 our supervisor bill continues to draw fire from the employers and at the hearing early this week it is apparent that they think they have us on the run. When I have appointments with Senators, they have contacts from the employers but very few if any from our members and Senators keep asking me when we are going to mount our charge and clarify the misinformation that is being passed by the employers. I am trying to get the info out one by one to the Senators but I need help and that means each of you needs to follow up and make your contacts. If we don't do it this next week then I fear time will run out to get this bill passed this session.
 
2. HB 2789 the Po's bill has a hearing next week and I expect HB 2713 our "bill of Rights", HB 2790 our "DPSST bill" and HB 2401 "Sliming Bill" to all get heard next week or the following week (based upon conversations with the chair of the Senate Judiciary committee).
 
3. Now for state budget info (which translates into community corrections funding for AOCE, FOPPO and our County Corrections Deputies). That is why I ma providing this info to all of you, it impacts funding for the whole criminal justice system but could also means job loss for some members.

The first set of numbers that we have been waiting on (with the other, the actually cuts list coming out Monday). Released today is the May revenue forecast that the 2009-11 budget is based upon and that will result in the suggested budget (and cuts) that will be released on Monday.
 
The May forecast suggests that as we thought the economy is down even more that it was in March when we got the last forecast. This has resulting in the following;
 
For the 2007-09 budget we are in now, the revenues are still short about 351 million dollars (even after the rebalance of 850 million cuts from March of this year). This will require another rebalance to just get the state to a zero ending balance for the budget we are in now. How they do this , I do not know other than just using more of the rainy day fund now and leaving less for the 2009-11 problem.
 
Given that the forecast is down, the projection of reduced revenue for the 2009-11 budget has grown from slightly over the 3  billion to now over 4 billion (out of about 16 billion dollar general fund budget based upon current service levels). Just by the numbers this is 25% reduction and was the basis for the cuts list many of us saw at 20 and 30% reductions.
 
Now we will see on Monday the suggestions on the new budget that will be a combination of new or increased revenue along with cuts, federal stimulus dollars and use of the school stability fund and the remainder of the state rainy day fund.
 
What I am hearing is that with all the above mentioned federal funds and rainy day funds that cuts the deficit by about 1.8 billion or so (leaving a gap of about 2.2 billion).
 
Added revenue such as a temporary increase in the state income tax rate for the highest income bracket from 9 to 10% would bring in some more dollars. A provider tax increase on the Hospitals matched with related match by the feds on these dollars would bring in some more money. Now add in any increase in tobacco , beer and wine and we continue to shrink the deficit (all of which depends on the guts of the legislature to pass increased taxes and the vote of the people to accept them if referred for  a vote).
 
My crystal ball tells me that if the revenue (taxes) are passed we will still be about 1.5 billion or so short and that the cuts will be about 1.5 billion out of 16 billions which gets us in the 10 to 12 % cuts instead of 20 to 30%.
 
Of course this is all dependent on passing new taxes or tax increase. We will see the plan in more detail on Monday and I will pass that on as I get it.
 
4. The Retirement Medical trust bill (the AOCE's bill) , SB 821 has passed the Senate and is in the House and I will try to get it in committee next week so we do not run out of time in the House committee.
 
5. Again HB 2633 the "Supervisory bill" had a hearing early this week and continues to run into problems given the volume of opposition that I have written about in the past couple of weeks and the misinformation that is being spread. Continue to work on making contacts and we will do what we can do in the Capitol to get the truth out and try to pass this bill.
 
That is it for now, more to come when we get the suggested budget on Monday.
 
Brian De


CONCLUSION

As you can see our Lobbyist is on top of this very critical situation on the State Budget shortfalls and the last minute pushing and shoving on our proposed bills. Please help us help you by answering the call from our Lobbyist to make some contacts of committee members on HB 2633. See last weeks BRIEFING (March 08, 2009)for specific contact information on each committee member.

We want to hear from our Member Associations about how we are doing in representing you and getting information out to you. If there are areas where we could improve upon, we would like to hear from you. If there is any area you feel we could serve you better we would like to hear from you. You are our quality control and while we are doing the best that we can do we know there is always room for improvement. Help us help you stay connected to the powerful world of Politics.

 

Steve Beck
Executive Director

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The Briefing

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Our ANNUAL Membership MEETING was held on Friday April 17, 2009 at our new Salem OCPA office and was a great success! We invited State Treasurer Ben Westlund to give us an update on the Oregon economy and how it will be affecting the Public Safety members we represent. We also received a report from our Lobbyist Brian DeLashmutt, on the current progress of Bills we are tracking in the Legislature. President Bob Miller presided over the meeting which began at 8:30 am and closed in the early afternoon. Many topics were discussed and questions answered about where we are as an organization and where we are going. Our tremendous growth and effectiveness in the past few years has caused a few growing pains that we have over-come. The meeting was a great success and we look forward to next years meeting.

As we move past the mid-point of the 2009-2011 Legislative session the fun and games are over. Decisions are being made about what Bills (out of the thousands proposed) should move forward and the deadlines for moving Bills out of the Committees and onto the House and Senate floor are looming. The real opposition to our Bills is heating up and our foes are many. The management lobbyists and the Chief and Sheriffs lobbyists are working hard against our Bills along with the ACLU and Criminal Defense Attorneys. But, we have many friends in the legislature in both the House and Senate who are pro-labor and pro-law enforcement and we are working closely with them through our lobbyist and your personal contacts (emails and phone calls and letters) with your own local State Senators and State Representatives.

OCPA Executive Board Nominations and elections are approaching. Each year 1/2 of the Executive Board positions are up for election, giving each member a minimum 2 year term of office. Nominations for the President, 2nd Vice–President & Member at Large - Position #1, shall be elected in odd numbered years. They will begin serving their new 2 year term of office on January 1, 2010. Nomination forms will be sent to all Member Associations in July 2009 . The election will  follow with a  mail  ballot  "double-blind" method used for voting. There is plenty of time but I just wanted to alert everyone that the elections are approaching.

More of our member Associations are discovering the benefit and inexpensive Criminal Defense insurance coverage we offer as a member of OCPA. Please visit the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) information on our web site. We can furnish you with plenty of OREGON Police Associations that have used this coverage and were glad they had it when faced with criminal charges against their members for performing their jobs.


OCPA LOBBYIST UPDATE

Remember you can track the Public Safety Bills we are tracking by going to:

 
You may also see any Bill in the 2009 session (everything including Bills we are not tracking) by going to http://leg.state.or.us/09reg/measures .

Busy week with a number of positives to report and some work yet to be done. (especially on HB 2633 our supervisory bill)

1. HB 2401 our "sliming bill" had another work session and came out of committee to the House Floor within the next week to ten days. (big win so far)

2. HB 2633 our bill on who is a supervisor came out of the Committee on Wednesday and will be on the House Floor in what I anticipate will be heavily contested by the employers (likely to be a close vote given they have 15 to 20 lobbyist working against the bill and we have two myself and the Fire Fighters Lobbyist). I need everyone to renew their efforts to make contacts with your legislators to ask for support of this bill. (still work to do)

{Editors Note: Find Your Legislator AND WRITE Your Legislator}

3. HB 2713 our "PSO Bill of Rights" was scheduled for a committee vote on today. I am happy to report that the bill came out of committee with only one no vote and I will likely be able to secure that vote before it hits the House floor. (Big win so far)

4. HB 2790 our DPSST bill just got back more amendments and we had a work group meeting with the opponents Friday morning and we will be introducing another set of amendments that are likely to get us moving out of committee next week. (Big win so far)

5. HB 2704 which is on our priority list to correct a flaw in PERS Tier 2 and 3 had a hearing this week and came out of committee. This bill fixes the flaw that we noticed in the interaction of Workers Comp and the PERS disability system. The issue was that your PERS (on the job injury) Disability would be reduced by the amount of WC payments you would get (up to the total of your final salary. So let us say you were earning $3,000 per month on the job and became disabled on the job and got 2,300 from Workers comp, then you could only get $700 form PERS (even though you paid into the system to get a larger benefit). This bill will allow the systems to work independent and you get what you get from both. Still has not hit the floor but should in a week.

6. SB 253 a bill from the Criminal Defense Attorney's had a work group meeting this past week with the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and some added changes are on the table. This bill deals with the recordation of interrogations in certain types of crimes needing to be recorded. I wrote about this bill last week and just wanted to keep you updated that it is an ever evolving bill as I write this report. SB 253 was back up on Friday and while it did not come out this week , it likely will come out of committee in some form next week. With the changes in the bill we may be less concerned but still cautious on the new version.

7. HB 2789 the FOPPO bill passed the House on a vote of 60-0 and is now on the way to the Senate.

8. SB 821 the Retirement Medical Trust bill that our member group AOCE wanted, had a hearing and is scheduled for a work session on Wednesday the 22nd.

Again I need everyone to renew your efforts to make contacts in support of HB 2633 our "supervisory bill".

That is it

Brian De

CONCLUSION

I wanted to let everyone know that we are in the process of reviewing our OCPA Constitution. It was created many years ago and has some revisions already. Due to the exceptional growth of our organization in the past 5 years we feel we need to conduct an extensive review of the Constitution and update the sections that aren't meeting the needs of our much larger organization. There will be much discussion and there will be information sent out to the Member Associations for input and suggestions before anything is brought to a vote of the member Associations. This is just preliminary notice of what is coming.


We want to thank our member Associations for their support. Without the Oregon Council of Police Associations (OCPA) none of us would know what Bills are being proposed that affect Public Safety Officers and support personnel. The other organizations present at the Capitol, which are trying to influence public safety (Chief and Sheriffs Associations, Defense Attorneys Association, SEIU, District Attorneys Association, American Civil Liberties Union and others) do not necessarily have our interests in mind. Only the Oregon Council of Police Associations represents our Public Safety Associations. Only the OCPA has a large enough membership (over 5,000) to get the attention of the legislators and other elected officials.

While we monitor the happenings at the Capitol for you, we cannot affect or influence legislation without you contacting your local State Representatives and State Senators when we ask you to do so. Your elected officials vote for or against our priority issues and on the proposals of the organizations, mentioned above, that do not necessarily have our best interests at heart.

Steve Beck
Executive Director

 

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"THE BRIEFING"

 

First a reminder of the Statewide Annual meeting of all Oregon Council of Police Associations (OCPA) Presidents and their interested membership and the OCPA Executive Board. It is scheduled for April 17, 2009 (Friday) at 8:30 am at our Salem office conference room. This is your chance to talk to the OCPA President Bob Miller (active Portland Police) and our Lobbyist Brian DeLashmutt. There will be many things to discuss as to what is going on in the State Legislature at its midpoint in the 2009-2011 session. If you have any topics you would specifically like us to address at the meeting please let me know. Remember our MAILING ADDRESS only is listed on this BRIEFING and our actual office address and a Google map to find it is located on our web site (Link to OCPA web site). Please send me an email or give me a call if you are planning to attend so I can know how many refreshments and chairs etc to get. Thank you to all of those who let me know already.

UPDATE - We have just rec'd confirmation that State Treasurer Ben Westlund has accepted our invitation to speak at our Annual meeting on April 17, 2009 (Friday). He will be speaking from 08:30 am to 09:00 am so don't be late! He will address the Oregon economy and its effect on Public Safety budgets etc.

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Remember, if you missed any of our prior weekly BRIEFING updates you can review them on our web site at http://www.orecpa.com. In the Table of Contents see Get Involved and click the link Lobbyist Reports.

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OCPA Executive Board Nominations and elections are approaching. Each year 1/2 of the Executive Board positions are up for election, giving each member a minimum 2 year term of office. Nominations for the President, 2nd Vice–President & Member at Large - Position #1, shall be elected in odd numbered years. They will begin serving their new 2 year term of office on January 1, 2010. Nomination forms will be sent to all Member Associations in July 2009 . The election will  follow with a  mail  ballot  "double-blind" method used for voting. There is plenty of time but I just wanted to alert everyone that the elections are approaching.

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More of our member Associations are discovering the benefit and inexpensive Criminal Defense insurance coverage we offer as a member of OCPA. Please visit the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) information on our web site. We can furnish you with plenty of OREGON Police Associations that have used this coverage and were glad they had it when faced with criminal charges against their members for performing their jobs.


OCPA LOBBYIST UPDATE

Remember you can track the Public Safety Bills we are tracking by going to:

 
You may also see any Bill in the 2009 session (everything including Bills we are not tracking) by going to http://leg.state.or.us/09reg/measures .

Somewhat of a quieter week if such a thing can be said about the Oregon Capitol etc and our agenda which is substantial. Here is what I have to report;
 
1. HB 2401 our "sliming bill " had another work session and will come out of committee to the full floor next week.
 
2. HB 2633 our bill on who is a supervisor is scheduled for a committee vote (finally) next Wednesday and I need everyone to renew their efforts to make contacts with your legislators to ask for support of this bill.
 
3. HB 2713 our "PSO Bill of Rights" is scheduled for a committee vote on April 20th.
 
4. HB 2790 our DPSST due process fairness bill is still awaiting amendments and should be in work session in about 10 to 12 days from now.
 
5. HB 2704 which is on our priority list to correct a flaw in PERS Tier 2 and 3 had a hearing this week and came out of committee. This bill fixes the flaw that we noticed in the interaction of Workers Comp and the PERS disability system. The issue was that your PERS (on the job injury) Disability would be reduced by the amount of WC payments you would get (up to the total of your final salary. So let us say you were earning $3,000 per month on the job and became disabled on the job and got 2,300 from Workers comp, then you could only get $700 form PERS (even though you paid into the system to get a larger benefit). This bill will allow the systems to work independent and you get what you get from both.
 
6. SB 253 a bill from the Criminal Defense Attorney's had a work group meeting this past week with the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and some added changes are on the table. This bill deals with the recordation of interrogations in certain types of crimes needing to be recorded. I wrote about this bill last week and just wanted to keep you updated that it is an ever evolving bill as I write this report.
 
7. Still waiting on the floor vote on HB 2789 the PO's bill  but it should come any day now and I expect it to go smoothly.
 
Again I need everyone to renew your efforts to make contacts in support of HB 2633 our "supervisory bill".
 
 
That is it
 
Brian De

UPDATE - This just in, HB 2633  (we have been waiting on a ruling from the Speakers office) is not going to Ways and Means when it comes out of Committee next Wednesday.
 
It will go straight to the House Floor and we will need to redouble our efforts to make sure members are contacting their Legislators in support.
 
Brian De

CONCLUSION

Plan to attend the OCPA Annual meeting on April 17, 2009 (Friday) and talk with State Treasurer Ben Westlund. Let me know if you are coming so I can get a head count and have enough tables and chairs set up. Thank you to all of those who let me know already.

I wanted to let everyone know that we are in the process of reviewing our OCPA Constitution. It was created many years ago and has some revisions already. Due to the exceptional growth of our organization in the past 5 years we feel we need to conduct an extensive review of the Constitution and update the sections that aren't meeting the needs of our much larger organization. There will be much discussion and there will be information sent out to the Member Associations for input and suggestions before anything is brought to a vote of the member Associations. This is just preliminary notice of what is coming.


We want to thank our member Associations for their support. Without the Oregon Council of Police Associations (OCPA) none of us would know what Bills are being proposed that affect Public Safety Officers and support personnel. The other organizations present at the Capitol, which are trying to influence public safety (Chief and Sheriffs Associations, Defense Attorneys Association, SEIU, Teamsters, District Attorneys Association, American Civil Liberties Union and others) do not necessarily have our interests in mind. Only the Oregon Council of Police Associations represents our Public Safety Associations. Only the OCPA has a large enough membership (over 5,000) to get the attention of the legislators and other elected officials.

While we monitor the happenings at the Capitol for you, we cannot affect or influence legislation without you contacting your local State Representatives and State Senators when we ask you to do so. Your elected officials vote for or against our priority issues and on the proposals of the organizations, mentioned above, that do not necessarily have our best interests at heart.

Finally, I want to let everyone know we have completed our transition from keeping our books in the old fashion way of a handwritten ledger for expenses and dues income etc., to Quick Books. With the growth of our organization we are only able to keep up by utilizing the most current technology. A special thanks to our OCPA Secretary/Treasurer Dan Weber of AOCE for all the time he spent transferring our records to Quick Books and his patience and leadership in making it all work smoothly.

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OCPA "The Briefing"

 

First a reminder of the Statewide Annual meeting of all Oregon Council of Police Associations (OCPA) Presidents and their interested membership and the OCPA Executive Board. It is scheduled for April 17, 2009 (Friday) at 8:30 am at our Salem office conference room. This is your chance to talk to the OCPA President Bob Miller (active Portland Police) and our Lobbyist Brian DeLashmutt. There will be many things to discuss as to what is going on in the State Legislature at its midpoint in the 2009-2011 session. If you have any topics you would specifically like us to address at the meeting please let me know. Remember our MAILING ADDRESS only is listed on this BRIEFING and our actual office address and a Google map to find it is located on our web site (Link to OCPA web site). Please send me an email or give me a call if you are planning to attend so I can know how many refreshments and chairs etc to get.



OCPA LOBBYIST UPDATE

Remember you can track the Public Safety Bills we are tracking by going to:

 
You may also see any Bill in the 2009 session (everything including Bills we are not tracking) by going to http://leg.state.or.us/09reg/measures .

While the flow of new bills has now ended, the deadlines for bills to be introduced has long passed, the pace of issue we are involved in is still fast and I am staying very busy. I do have a couple of updates for the week and at least one request of the members (come to the hearing on HB 2790 below).
 
1. HB 2790 our priority bill on the "Due Process in DPSST" has its first hearing on March 30th at 1 PM in Hearing Room 357 in front of the House Judiciary Committee. I would ask that members groups seek members who can attend and show support for our effort to protect your rights. This bill does some minor changes to the composition of the board, adds several new line staff to the DPSST Policy Subcommittees (Police and Corrections) as well as adding a PO to the full BPSST. More important than that is we are asking for a fair process in the decertification of PSO and that the Board revise the process to include much earlier in the process a full and fair hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. This change will ensure that PSO have the opportunity to testify in their own defense, face their accusers and review and rebut the case against them.
 
Members this is real important that we show how important this bill is to us by showing support, coming to the hearing and also contacting your Legislator and asking them to support the bill (a HB 2790 fact sheet when out to you last week).
 
2. HB 2633 our other Priority bill of "who is a Supervisor" has had its hearing and is awaiting a committee vote which was delayed this week. The delay came about when the Legislative Fiscal Office (the Legislatures been counters) indicted that it may cost up to 2.3 million dollars in overtime if the bill passed. They concluded that if the employees who would be able to move back in to a bargaining unit did so, the state and local governments would then have to pay overtime for those employees that they now pay via salary and do not  currently pay overtime. Kind of sound like they are taking advantage of PSO now by excluding some PSO, classifying them as supervisors without true supervisory responsibilities just so they don't have to pay them fairly. More to come on this issue, I had a meeting with the House Speaker on the issue of the fiscal and am still working through the process.
 
3. HB 2713 our "PSO Bill of Rights" is scheduled for a committee work session and hopefully vote on March 31st and I think it will come out with the amendments we offered. Still some minor discussions on the bill but I am not hearing of any other amendments being offered as of now.
 
4. HB 2401 the "PSO slimming bill" (expands the current assault by bodily fluids of Corrections employees to other PSO line staff) is now waiting for amendments and I expect it to come up in the following week or two. It was scheduled for next Monday but I found an error in the amendments that would have negatively effected the bill and was unintended so we needed to have new amendments drafted.
 
5. SB 253 , a bill that we have opposed and requires recording of all custodial interrogations is scheduled for a second hearing and work session next week. Two of our members, Murray Rau and Wayne Hart  along with myself have participated in a work group to see if we can come to a compromise on the bill with the Criminal Defense attorney. While the bill has changed several times since the original version, we still are likely to oppose the bill as are the DA's.
 
6. SB 245 a bill that the the DA's introduced and we support that increases the penalty for elude or fleeing to a level 8 on the sentencing guidelines (it currently is a  level 2) is scheduled for hearing next week. As I indicted the OCPA support this bill and will lend our efforts in support when it has a hearing on April 1.
 
Well that is is for the week, please continue contacting Legislators on HB 2633 (Supervisory) and come to the hearing on HB 2790 the Due Process Bill.
 
Brian De 

CONCLUSION

Please plan to Attend the OCPA Annual Membership meeting April 17, 2009 (Friday) or send someone from your Association.

I recently sent out a SPECIAL BULLETIN on House Bill 2790, it is the Bill that adds standard Due Process requirements for DPSST when they conduct a decertification hearing. In our Lobbyists report he asks for members to show up at the hearing on March 30, 2009 (Monday) at 1300 in Hearing Room 357 (HR 357). We have the most success at the State Capitol when our members participate by writing letters or emails or showing up for the hearings. You are encouraged to show up for the hearing and just listen to the testimony - that's all!

We want to thank our member Associations for their support. Without the Oregon Council of Police Associations (OCPA) none of us would know what Bills are being proposed that affect Public Safety Officers and support personnel. The other organizations present at the Capitol, which are trying to influence public safety (Chief and Sheriffs Associations, Defense Attorneys Association, SEIU, Teamsters, District Attorneys Association, American Civil Liberties Union and others) do not necessarily have our interests in mind. Only the Oregon Council of Police Associations represents our independent Public Safety Associations. Only the OCPA has a large enough membership (over 5,000) to get the attention of the legislators and other elected officials.

While we monitor the happenings at the Capitol for you, we cannot affect or influence legislation without you contacting your local State Representatives and State Senators when we ask you to do so. Your elected officials vote for or against our priority issues and on the proposals of the organizations, mentioned above, that do not necessarily have our best interests at heart.

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Portland Police Bureau Rap Sheet

http://ppavigil.org/rsissues/0903marrs.pdf

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SPECIAL CCPOA ELECTION!!

CHINOOK GUIDE SERVICE

 

Advertisement/Sponsorship Proposal

 

 

Why would the Clackamas County Peace Officers Association be interested in advertising on a charter service? 

 

Year after year, CCPOA sponsors and donates thousands and thousands of dollars for very worthy projects and charities.  Where is that information visibly displayed long term?  Right now, show me anyplace in the county readily identifiable and very visible where CCPOA information is prominently displayed.  Who can see that CCPOA is actively helping members of our community?  Now couple this with CCPOA requests for assistance from the public in the form of support for contracts or levies.  Where has the public even seen information about CCPOA?  I want to display positive information about CCPOA in prominent areas, in view of  the voting public!

Proposal

 

What is your cost?

 

1. The cost for one year is $1500.   Normally, advertising spots are a minimum two year commitment however with CCPOA, I will make an exception and request continued advertisement/sponsorship each year.

 

What I provide

 

1. Two Salmon fishing trips each year of sponsorship, to be used as the association wishes.
2. The boat that facilitates the advertising.  This would be in the form of an approximate 18” x 26” area on both sides of the boat prominently displaying CCPOA as an advertiser/sponsor.
3. An easily identifiable and readily seen link on the Internet web page from the guide service to the internet web page for CCPOA.
4. Maximized exposure of the boat to the public by being on the water and safely navigating the area waterways.
5. On 8 ½” x 3” brochures regularly printed, I will prominently display CCPOA as an advertiser/sponsor.
6. I will provide a 1/3 discount to members of CCPOA who would like to experience guided fishing adventures.

CCPOA ANNUAL PICNIC

 

Angela Doble has volunteered to again chair the CCPOA Annual Familiy picnic.  The voices of the CCPOA membership have spoken and we have heard you! 

 

The picnic will be family oriented and held at a great venue, still being worked on.  It will not be held anyplace that will make groups or individual members of the CCPOA uncomfortable or excluded.

 

The picnic is only as successful as those who help plan it.  Angela is a great organizer, but she would not turn down anyone's help.  If you would like to help out this year, contact Angela in Records.

 

The amount of $12,500 is the maximum amount that would be expended.  All funds not used would be retured to the CCPOA.  This has happened during most of the years that Angela has been involved.

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The Briefing

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SPECIAL BULLETIN

    Increases membership of Board on Public Safety Standards and Training to 25 members, three
of whom are nonvoting members.
Changes membership of board policy committees.
Directs policy committees to establish fitness for duty standards and procedures for reviewing
denial, suspension or revocation of certification.
Establishes procedures for investigating and hearing cases involving denial, suspension and revocation
of certification.

 

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IMPORTANT MESSAGE REGARDING DEFINITION OF SUPERVISOR!

What is HB 2633?

SUPPORT & VOTE YES for HB 2633

  House Bill 2633 is intended to add clarification in determining which employees are eligible for membership in a bargaining unit for purposes of collective bargaining. In this case, the bargaining unit is made up of public safety officers who are strike barred!  The sweeping reforms encapsulated in SB 750 from the '95 legislative session had the unintentional consequences of broadening the definition of a supervisory employee.  In short, this has allowed employers to re-classify employees who were traditionally a part of the bargaining unit as being supervisory in nature, thereby making them ineligible for membership in the bargaining unit.

 Opponents of this bill will argue that the impact of the changes made in 1995 to the supervisory language have been small, as determined by the overall amount of unit clarifications determined by the Employment Relations Board. This only tells part of the story.  The reason for this is that many traditional bargaining unit employees, when challenged with a unit clarification, have simply elected not to challenge the employer's decision due to the overly broad definition of supervisory employee, and the fact that spending limited & hard earned resources on fighting this clarification would be impractical.

 The intent behind House Bill 2633 is to allow firefighters, police officers, sheriff's deputies & corrections officers who are merely supervisory by the nature of their work (e.g. fire captains and police sergeants to not be considered to be supervisory for the purpose of determining the makeup of bargaining units.  Many people have suggested that any new statute should simply spell out which positions are considered to be supervisory as being a better way to address this problem.  However, many jurisdictions have elected to designate various titles for employees who do the same or similar types of work.  For example, a Fire Captain in Medford may do the same type of work as Fire Lieutenant in Pendleton.  Both of these employees basically serve as a team leader on an Engine company providing a variety of emergency services to the public, yet they have a different title. The same holds true for some law enforcement employees such as a police sergeant who works with other officers but provides some guidance with respect to operations, similar to that of a team leader or foreman.  Therefore, the best way to define "employees" for the purpose of determining bargaining units is through language as proposed in HB 2633.

 We believe that this modification is necessary for a variety of reasons.  One of the main reasons is safety.  Since the change in supervisory language over 8 years ago, many police officers and firefighters have elected to forego promotional opportunities not willing to sacrifice the protective umbrella of their bargaining units. 

  In effect this has narrowed the pool of candidates who compete for leadership positions - the very same individuals who have to make decisive and difficult decisions - in a variety of emergency settings.  The upshot of this predicament is that many of the people who should be making these decisions are electing not to pursue promotion, which in turn has a direct impact on the safety of public & emergency personnel.  

 A second reason for necessitating a change in supervisory language is the degradation to bargaining units - particularly in smaller bargaining units.  While not rampant, there has been a continuing trend to reclassify employees through unit clarifications as well as directly attacking the bargaining units' most experienced members.  For example, whether coincident or not, many of the people being pulled from the smaller bargaining units are the very ones who would have normally been involved in negotiating their bargaining units' contract.  The reason for this is that it is not uncommon for union leaders to be team leaders on the street or in the tiers, such as a fire captain, police sergeant or a corrections sergeant - particularly those who were promoted to this position prior to 1995.

 These leaders are normally involved in minor discipline. However, of the 12 factors that determine who a supervisor is, as outlined under Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act, these leaders do not - hire & fire, suspend or transfer - any of those employees working under their purview. Worthy of note is that these same leaders are not considered to be part of "upper" management either. Hence, they are left to wallow about, unrepresented in any bargaining, labor disputes or benefit issues which may arise between them & their employers. This mid-level malaise can lead to morale problems & the refusal of line employees to pursue promotion, as noted above. In particular, police sergeants, upon promotion, are excluded from the legal insurance coverage purchased by bargaining units. Given that these police leaders make arrests & do traffic stops right along with the rest of their squads, this exclusion is regarded as a tangible detriment to being promoted.

 Whether a police sergeant or fire captain, these officers do perform the same core functions as their squad/team members do.

 Common Sense & Fairness dictates that these outstanding leaders should be included in the same bargaining unit as their workmates. Such membership should be statewide & not at the whim of their employers.

In closing, the intent behind this bill is to simply allow public safety employees who are team leaders, squad leaders or foremen, and whose positions were traditionally part of the bargaining unit, before the '95 changes, to be included in those bargaining units.

 PLEASE SUPPORT HB 2633 & VOTE YES ON HB 2633.

 

Respectfully submitted: Brian DeLashmutt, OCPA Lobbyist

Committee Members who need to be contacted

Chair Rep. Mike Schaufler, Clackamas County rep.mikeschaufler@state.or.us
Vice Chair Rep. Brent Barton, Clackamas County rep.brentbarton@state.or.us
Vice Chair Kevin Cameron, Salem rep.kevincameron@state.or.us
Rep. Chris Edwards, Eugene north Lane County rep.chrisedwards@state.or.us
Rep. Sal Esquivel, Southern Oregon rep.salesquivel@state.or.us
Rep. Paul Holvey, Lane County rep.paulholvey@state.or.us
Rep. Rep. Bill Kennemer, Clackamas County rep.billkennemer@state.or.us
Rep. Kim Thatcher, Keizer North Marion rep.kimthatcher@state.or.us
Rep. Brad Witt, Clatsop and Columbia County rep.bradwitt@state.or.us
 
We need these committee members contacted prior to the Hearing on Monday February 23, 2009!!

Conclusion

We need everyone who has been trying to restore collective bargaining rights that were damaged with SB 750 years ago to respond to this call for action. If we do not respond we may not get another opportunity for many years. Please help the OCPA help all its members Associations restore their collective bargaining rights.

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Benevolent Foundation plays Santa!!

The Foundation and Macy's employees partnered this year to gather gifts for Christmas for those who could not afford them.  Macy's chose to assist two ARC families and the CCPO Benevolent Foundation chose 6 kids in 3 families who had experienced serious domestic violence recently.  The kids had been exposed to not only the violence and anger, but had to endure the resulting investigation, court and break up of the family.  Some of the kids had developed a distrust of police officers during this time, mostly due to seeing a family member taken away in a police car. 

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team was instumental in helping find the families in need and acting as a go-between. 

Deputy Sheriff Brad Leikem was given permission by Sheriff Craig Roberts to assist with the delivery of the gifts.  He and Mark Koberstein, Secretary of the Benevolent Foundation, met at Macy's with Christy Hayes and Reba Dunnington and helped with the final gift wrapping.  Then, with gifts and an artificial Christmas Tree for each family, they set off during heavy snow to make the deliveries.

The kids and families were extremely grateful.  The kids liked talking with Deputy Leikem and very much liked his Dodge Charger patrol car!

The Benevolent Foundation hopes to coordinate an even larger event next year.  A big thanks to the employees of Macy's at Clackamas Town Center and to the members of the Clackamas County Peace Officers Benevolent Foundation.

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Christmas Toy Run To Emmanuel Children's Hospital Saturday, December 13th at 12:00 PM Noon

Christmas Toy Run

To Emmanuel Children's Hospital

 

Saturday, December 13^th – 12:00 PM Noon

 

     Join Santa & Sergeant Damon Coates for a cruise up MLK from the Portland Meadows parking lot to Emmanuel Children's Hospital – bring your street rod or regular ride – everyone is welcome!  Portland Police provides us a nice escort to the hospital – parade style right down MLK!  This was founded by the Multnomah Hot Rod Council, but has expanded to include a multiple of various car clubs over the years – another “Cruisin for Hope” supported event, and everyone is invited!!!

 

Meet at:   Portland Meadows; 1001 N.E. Schmeer Road,  Portland OR 97217

 

WHAT TO BRING

 

      Bring an unwrapped gift for a child 3-17. This is a wonderful event & a chance to give a little something to someone truly in need of a bright spot in there day. The gift's that are donated are given out year round to the children as they get settled into there room and hopefully gives them some comfort.

      Also this is a time to give something to mom & dad (if you feel so moved) as so many times they go without the basics because they are putting all of their time, energy, & effort into their children.

      We'll be meeting up at 11am Saturday December 13^th – we usually have at least 1-200 cars+ - this is a great cause for kids!

      There is a cruise to Beaches afterwards for fun too if you'd like for food and beverages of your choice.

 

www.cruisinforhope.com

 

Questions?  Call Mark Weidkamp,503-550-1525 or Mike Gant 503-519-6760

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Benevolent Foundation assists two child-based programs in Clackamas County

 

On Wednesday, November 12, 2008, the Clackamas County Peace Officers Benevolent Foundation was pleased to present two organizations in Clackamas County with significant donations.  Both of these groups serve children in Clackamas County.

 

Foundation President Steve Hyson presented The Children’s Center of Clackamas County with a check for $1000.00.  The Executive Director, Tonia Hunt, and the Medical Director, Dr. Michael Chen, MD, were present to receive the donation.  The Children’s Center of Clackamas County has a slogan “A place where healing begins….”  It is a medical evaluation center for abused and neglected children.  This local facility is now located on the Willamette Falls Hospital campus and will soon have new modern facilities to serve both the citizens of Clackamas County and the law enforcement community. 

 

Public and insurance funds cover approximately two-thirds of the cost of care for each child, who are normally victims of physical or sexual abuse or both.  This leaves a $1000.00 shortage for each child.  Corporate, individual and foundation support is needed to fill this funding gap.  The Foundation is proud to help in even a small way.  You can learn more about this organization at www.childrenscenter.cc.

 

Madonna’s Center was the second recipient for a $1000.00 donation.  “Serving teens who are ‘with child’ and without essential support in Clackamas County” is their mission statement.  They have learned that even the small things they do make a big difference.  One young mother, Kayla, is partially blind with a young son.  She lives on her own and is doing quite well, but needs a washer & dryer, as she has difficulty using the one in her complex and is afraid of going to a Laundromat.  A portion of the $1000.00 donation will go to help get her a washer & dryer.  Once she no longer needs them, they will be returned to the Madonna’s Center to help someone else. 

 

A couple of retired deputies have taken time to go by the Madonna’s Center to see if they can help.  They use their own pickup trucks to deliver things such as baby cribs to teen parents.  More info can be found at www.madonnascenter.org.

 

Both of these organizations help all of us in law enforcement by helping young people through some very tough times.   They came to a Foundation Board of Directors meeting last month and gave excellent presentations.  The donations were approved with a unanimous vote.

 

Thank you for all your donations that allow us to help these organizations, as well as build up our own emergency fund.

 

 

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CONGRATULATIONS!

Craig Roberts
Clackamas County Sheriff

Jim Bernard
Clackamas County Board of Commissioners

Charlotte Lehan
Clackamas County Board of Commissioners

 

 

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NO ON BALLOT MEASURE 64!

Ballot Measure 64 is another one of Billy Sizemore's misguided personal vendettas against public employees.  He just can't stand the fact that public employees have fought tooth and nail to get the benefits, pay and working conditons they currently have - and that's still a long way from where they should be.  Why is he - and others like him - so pissed all the time?  Not so many years ago Oregon had a booming economy.  Private sector businesses working for profits were getting fat on all the money they were making.  Contracts with private sector employee unions reflected these good times and they actually got decent pay and benefits.  Public employees, on the other hand, were making half the wage for the same types of work.  Police and fire were totally underpaid and had little security in keeping their jobs.  Thus began the start of many police and fire unions, who fought year after year to get some 'parity' in pay and benefits with the private sector.  Then the economy began to sour and the fat cats weren't making the profits they had been.  Since most of the additional benefits that they had been paying their employees came out of this profit margin and not their normal operating bugets, they had to start cutting benefits and busting unions.  By this time police and fire had started to actually get some decent competitive pay and benefits and working conditions.  But it riled those private sector bosses.  They felt that now, all of a sudden, public employees "high" costs were dragging their profits down, due to the taxes needed to pay us.

Enter Bill Sizemore and his predecessors. 

Measure 64 is just another one of those attempts to break up the ability of unions to get the job done. 

VOTE NO ON MEASURE 64!

If you want more information about this measure, go the OCPA website at www.ORECPA.com.

 

 

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Endorsements for the November 2008 elections

The Clackamas County Peace Officers' Association is fortunate to have two primary sources to rely on when considering endorsements.  The Police Officers Lobbying in Common Effort (POLICE) PAC evaluates local candidates and issues and the Oregon Council of Police Associations (OCPA) evaluates state candidates and measures. 

The POLICE PAC and the OCPA make their recommendations based upon candidates and issues that will benefit the men and women working in Law Enforcement, as well as the community.

Below is a list of the respective endorsements and recommendations to vote yes or no.

The POLICE PAC recommends that you vote:

Charlotte Lehan               Board of County Commissioners, Position 4

Jim Bernard                     Board of County Commissioners, Position 5

Measure 3-330                YES       ESTABLISH A COUNTYWIDE LIBRARY SERVICE DISTRICT IN CLACKAMAS COUNTY

The OCPA recommends that you vote:

Measure 59                     NO       Makes Federal Income Taxes Fully Deductible on State Return

Measure 60                     NO       Teacher "classroom performance", not seniority, to determine pay raises, etc. (NOTE:   this measure is the first attempt to eliminate seniority.  This is a step backwards and if passed for teachers, it will not be long for seniority for police to be likewise eliminated.  You will keep your job based upon the subjective evaluations of supervisors.  Not good.)

Measure 63                     NO       Exempts specified property owners from building permit requirements.

Measure 64                     NO       Penalizes person, entity for using funds collected with "public resources" for "political purposes" (NOTE:  This measure would prohibit using payroll deduction for ONLY PUBLIC EMPLOYEES that could be used for political purposes.  The crappy definitions in this (another Sizemore stink bomb) would also potentially prohibit payroll deductions for ANY type of fundraising, such as union dues and charitable contritutions.  This is one bad bill.)   

Measure 61                     NO       One of two versions that would increase the penalties for certain serious property crimes.  It does not allow for any type of treatment programs at all - just straight incarceration.

Measure 62                     YES      Allocates 15% of lottery proceeds to be put into a Public Safety Fund for Crime Prevention, Investigation, Prosecution.

Measure 65                     YES       Creates open primary elections.

Measure 57                     YES       Basically the same bill as measure 61, but allows for treatment for certain types of crimes.  Targets large scale drug dealers and repeat property offenders.  Won't crowd the jails quite as much.

House of Representatives:

HD 26         Wilsonville            Jessica Adamnson (D)

HD 37         West Linn             Scott Brunn (R) (only R who voted for SB 400)

HD 39         Canby                  Bill Kennemer (R) (POLICE PAC Endorsement)   

HD 40         Oak Grove            Dave Hunt (D)

HD 41         Milwaukie             Carolyn Tomei (D)

HD 48         Happy Valley        Michael Schaufler (D)

HD 50         Gresham              Greg Matthews (D) (President Gresham Firefighters & ex-Gresham POA)

HD 51         Clackamas           Brent Barton (D)

HD 52         Corbett                Suzanne VanOrman (D)

Senate:

No Senate seats up for Clackamas County.

 

Remember to vote!  Ballots should be in the mail on October 17th.  Vote informed.  Read all you can on the candidates and the issues and vote informed!

 

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POLICE PAC & CCPOA Endorse Jim Bernard and Charlotte Lehan for County Commission

After considerable research and interviews, the POLICE PAC has endorsed Mayors Jim Bernard and Charlotte Lehan for County Commissioner.  They are now added to endorsed incumbents Martha Schrader and Lynn Peterson.  The Clackamas County Library levy is also endorsed.  So please vote for Jim Bernard, Charlotte Lehan, Martha Schrader and Lynn Peterson for their respective positions.  Also vote YES for the Clackamas County Library levy.

Yard signs for Jim Bernard are available at the Carpenter's Hall from 8 am to 5 pm.  If you pick one up, please fill out the sheet there with the address the sign is being placed. 

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Benevolent Foundation sponsors Orphan Relief & Rescue Program

For the full story, please see the July 2008 edition of the Union Newsletter on this website. 

John Van Huizen is a retired Clackamas County Deputy Sheriff.  John got involved as a volunteer with Mercy Ships and during one of these trips saw the plight of the children in Liberia.  The majority of these children were orphans and the orphanages they had called home had been stripped of all valuable materials during recent civil wars.  Now that things have stabilized in Liberia, organizations are starting to re-build the orphanages.  One such organization is the Orphan Relief & Rescue Program.  Recently John returned on a mission to Liberia to start the work.  His travel log is provided for you, as follows:

May 23 2008 – Orphan Relief & Rescue trip to Liberia

 

May 23 – Picked up Dennis Davidson at 5:30a.m. Got a call that the flight was delayed an hour and a half. Nice drive to the airport. Said goodbye to Marianne and had a good flight from PDX to ORD. Because the flight was almost 2 hours late our layover was only 2 instead of 4 hours. Very busy at ORD and had a hard time finding a plug to charge my lap top, but did get it done before the flight to Brussels boarded.

 

The flight to Brussels was uneventful. Uneventful flights are good.  The plane was packed but a smooth ride. We took a subway and taxi to our hotel in the downtown area. Got there by11 a.m. Took about a 3 hour nap and went to dinner in the hotel and spent a relaxing evening in the room. Watched an old movie and took a sleeping pill and did manage to get a decent nights sleep. Dennis and I had breakfast at 7 a.m. and then took a taxi to the airport. Things sure are expensive herewith the exchange rate. But oh well, it will bet better in Liberia.

 

We met up with Amanda and Ian at the airport. They had spent a couple of days in Brussels already. Boarded our plane, an Airbus 330, that was about 2/3rds full. A 6 ½ hour flight to Monrovia went very smooth. I slept the first two hours so was in great shape upon arrival. Andrew and Matt Lepage were there to pick us up. Hot and humid is the only way to describe the weather along with a gentle shower. The guys took us to our guest house, the Carver Mission. Rather primitive! The rooms were quite Spartan, and the beds had mosquito nets. Another first time experience! A generator hummed away, providing electricity. There is no running water, and we have to bucket flush and shower with buckets of cold water. Took a little getting used to, but it was rather refreshing.

 

The little battery operated fan did the trick as far as keeping me cool. Slept rather fitfully, and we were treated to the mother of all thunderstorms. It came down in buckets for awhile.

 

May 26 – It was rather comfortabletemperature wise when we got up. Themission is near a school, and the chatter of kids walking by our window madesure that we were not sleeping in. Andrew picked us up at about 0830 for breakfast at their place. Oatmeal was the fare of the morning. Afterbreakfast we headed for town to pick up another rental vehicle. Everything seems to take longer here. But we did get the vehicle and headed for abusiness that sells mosquito nets. Andrew bought out their supply of a certain size, about 70 in all. These will go to several of the orphanagesthat they just started working with, as well as replacing some unserviceableones in current orphanages. We went tolunch at a Lebanese restaurant downtown. Good meal and all six of us at for $36.

 

By mid afternoon we went to the FatuOrphanage, one of the first ones OR&R began working with. There are 74 children there. The director is Rev Mother Fatu, a dynamiclady. It is quite evident that she hasthe children’s best interest at heart. Most of the kids came storming out of thebuilding, and we were instantly inundated by most of the smaller kidsthere. It didn’t take long for the olderones to loosen up either. We weretreated like long lost uncles and aunts. We spent over an hour playing with the kids. They seem to be starved for attention andlove to touch and be touched. Most ofthe time there were at least 5 or 6 wanting to hold your hand or be carried.They all wanted their pictures taken, and loved to see them on the displaywindow.

 

The crew is just putting the finishingtouches on a second story boy’s dorm. The construction is quite Spartan by our standards, but for the kids it’sthe Taj Mahal.  It was the firstOrphanage remodeled by OR&R that has been raised to the accreditedlevel. Just seeing these kids today,reinforced for me that what we have done inOregonto help was worth all the effort we putinto it.

 

After visiting the Orphanage, we weredropped off at the guest house, and I took my first bucket shower. There is no running water, so you just pourbuckets of water over your head. Thefirst bucket full is a bit of a shock to the system, but it really feels good inthis heat and humidity. We had dinner atthe staff house again, and then went for a long walk on the beach. A most beautiful sunset, and I didn’t have mycamera with me. Oh well, there will bemore beautiful sunsets I’m sure.  Weended up walking home in the dark, a little hairy without street lights. A great way to break or sprain an ankle. Visited in the staff house for a bit, beforeAndrew drove us back to the guest house. Took my second bucket shower of the day, and went to sleep with my littlebattery operated fan. What a life saverthat is.

 

Tuesday, May 27 – After getting up we hadbreakfast at the staff house again, and headed out to Salome’s Orphanage withthe mosquito nets that Andrew purchased yesterday. It was a long drive, and got there justbefore noon. Salome has a group of 24orphans, but is the head mistress of the school in the IDP Camp. It has 270 students currently, and decreasingas the camp is in the process of closing. School was in session and we were introduced to all the classes. When school let out at noon, we were againmobbed by all the kids. After playingwith them for about an hour we put up the mosquito nets in the two separaterooms. A net costs $7.00 and keeps 4children safe from malaria at night when most of the little critters areout.

 

Salome rounded up her 24 children for apicture with the CCPO Benevolent Foundation banner. I presented the banner toSalome and asked her to hold on to it until the new building was done. She promised to put it up when the timecame. We said our goodbyes and headed upto Royceville.

 

In 2005 when I was on the ship theCommunity Development Dept completely redid a school that had been totallygutted by the rebels during the war. Just a few walls were left standing. I worked on the project for a couple of weeks and it was about ½ donewhen I left. We introduced ourselves tothe head master, and were greeted like long lost friends. We were given a complete tour of the school,and again introduced to all the classes. Got some pictures of the classes in session and also of thebuilding. It looked great and I am proudto have been just a small part of getting it back up to speed. I took along prints of some of the pictures Ihad taken in 2005, and gave them to the headmaster. He seemed very pleased.

 

While working on the school I met a manliving in the village nearby, and visited him several times. Alfred Martin had a tumor on his face, andwhile working on the school some of the staff had made arrangements for him tocome aboard and have the tumor removed. He looked so much better than when I last saw him. We were again greeted like long lost friendsand given a tour of his little farm. Ialso gave Alfred several pictures of himself that I had taken in 2005, and hetoo seemed very pleased to receive them. Alfred is a wood carver, and used to do some great work, but all hiscarving tools are worn out and some got stolen. I promised him that next time I came, I would bring a set of carvingtools for him.

 

I had a handful of sticker badges that Igave out to several kids in the village, so Craig now has several juniordeputies patrollingBomiCounty. A long hot sticky ride home with a stopped at the Airlines Office tochange some tickets. Andrew had to getsome tickets, and Dennis decided to go home sooner than originally planned. He is not doing real well in this heat. Had dinner again at the staff house and thenoff to the guest house for another bucket shower, and a relaxing evening,hitting the hay fairly early with my battery operated fan.

 

Wednesday, May 28 - Matt picked us up at 0815 for breakfast at thestaff house, and we loaded into both vehicles and headed to the site where theyare starting Phase I of Salome’s Orphanage. They are trying to get as much done before the rainy season aspossible. It was a fairly long ride tothe site. We had to drive through theFirestone RubberPlantation, reported to be the largest one inthe world. 

 

The site for the new orphanage is a bitover an acre in size, and is totally fenced in with a small bamboo hut where thewatchman lives. The hole for thelatrines are dug, and about 1500 concrete blocks are already made. The footing trenches for a 12 x 40 storeroomhave already been dug and the plan was to pour the footing for that buildingtoday. There were about 6 nativelaborers, and we all pitched in as the heat would allow. We helped bend and tie the rebar and Amandaand Ian got right into the mixing of the concrete. It is all done by hand on the ground and somevery backbreaking work. It was hot withno cloud cover and just a whisper of a breeze. Drank a gallon of water and just peed a pint.

 

As always we soon began attracting a smallgroup of kids. Dennis brought out afrisbee and taught them how to through it properly. I handed out a few junior badges, and beforelong we had all the kids in the village deputized..

 

We were done with the footing by about midafternoon and left the native crew to finish up. We headed back the guest house and the bucketshower never felt so good. Getting usedto it, but I am sure a modern shower won’t be hard to get used to againeither. Relaxed at the guest house forabout an hour. Matt and Ashley came byand we spent an hour at the beach before dinner. I sat on the beach and took some pictures,all the rest went in the water and did some body board surfing. Had dinner at the staff house again, andenjoyed a couple of hours of visiting before we headed for the guest house andbed.

 

Thursday, May 29 – New day! Same routinefor breakfast at the staff house. Todayis the day the staff goes to deliver food to the 5 orphanages that are currentlyon the feeding program. It was anunbelievable experience. We saw two verywell adjusted and properly run programs, and one where the director is beinginvestigated for child sex abuse. Atthree of the four orphanages the children seemed well adjusted and happy, andthe normal mob scene where the children are just happy to see you. The third orphanage on the list was a verydifferent story! The children werelethargic, and only a handful of the children smiled. None came out to meet us. This orphanage has been on a feeding programfor about 4 months and the health of the children does not seem to beimproving. OR&R has a rather rigidmonitoring system in place but so far have not been able to pinpoint theproblem. They suspect the director ofsiphoning off food for the black market, and have asked the State to step in andlook at closing it down. He liveselsewhere and seem to run the orphanage like a business.

 

I have to add that even at two of the wellrun orphanages the living conditions are horrendous. The children have no mosquito nets and aresleeping on the dirt floor on old full sized mattresses or some to those 2”thick ones, and the buildings are in horrible condition.

 

After a break for a shower and short nap weheaded off for the ship. Andrew’smom &dad gave us a tour.  TheAfricaMercy is a great improvement over the Anastasis, but the Ana had a lot moreclass and some beautiful lines. Theyrefer to the AM as the floating filing cabinet. Met about a dozen old friends that I remember from the old ship, and gota lot of hugs. There were even a fewfriends from the first trip in 2003 aboard. We enjoyed a great meal and then went to the community meeting. After the meeting enjoyed some dessert and aslushy before heading home and bed.

 

Friday, May 30 – Got a slow start thismorning! Seems the heat and a ratherhectic schedule is taking a toll. I wasready for a nap shortly after I got up. Lounged around the staff house for awhile and then headed out to anotherorphanage project that is under consideration. It is an orphanage run by Mama Ellen Harley.  She has 40 children. She has a good feeding program run byChristian Aid, a Mennonite group that feeds about 50 orphanages. The problem is the structure. It has been added onto so many times, theroof is almost flat and leaking to the point where only a whole new roof wouldbe of any use. The cost to replace theroof will be about $8000, and the timing would have to be “right now” before therainy season gets going full bore in a few weeks. Also most of the field team will be leavingfor the rainy season and returning in Aug&Sept.

Went to visit a second orphanage to have alook at a new latrine and shower building that the group had just put up. Quite an impressive little structure as faras latrines and showers go. Also took apicture of the old one. Quite adifference!

 

Spent a quiet afternoon at the guest house,and were to be picked up for dinner, but our ride never showed. Dennis and I, took a cab to the Royal hotel,along with Joseph one of OR&R employees. Had a nice relaxing dinner and also arranged with Joseph to hire hisbrother’s cab next week for a few days, and then go do some visiting, and nothave to tie up OR&R’s transportation. Seems they had some vehicle problems tonight. The cab waited for us to finish dinner andthen took us back to the guest house. Cabs are cheap here. You can renta car and driver for $5 an hour. A cheapway to get around!

 

Saturday, May 31 – Normal breakfast routineafter which we headed for the prison to join a group from the ship, who supportthe local efforts of Prison Fellowship. It is a group that has chapters in 120 countries around the world. They provide a variety of services forprisoners, including legal support, supplemental feeding, hygiene supplies,counseling and evangelism. We got therun of the prison and were let into several cell blocks to mingle with and talkto the prisoners. All the ones I spoketo have been jailed from up to 2 years ago, and are still waiting to be charged,arraigned and have their cases adjudicated. The wheels of justice turn very slow here when one does not have money togrease the skids. The conditions werehorrible! Poor sanitation and the mealsconsist of one ladle of corn meal and a cup of water. All have a sad tale to tell and beg you tohelp them to get out. It is usually $20to $50 get out and have some of the minor charges disappear. From speaking to the person in charge ofPrison Fellowship, there are many put in jail, because their accusers havebribed a police officer. We spent abouttwo hours inside. There are over 800prisoners in the facility, and we ended our visit in the women’s section in themiddle of a song service. They werereally getting with the program.

 

Next on the schedule of events was a tripto the highest point in the city. It hasan old abandoned 8 story hotel, which had a 5 star rating in it’s hay day. In 2005 it was occupied by some 2000squatters. It was a stinking mess, andthe swimming pool was being used for a cesspool. All have been evicted and the place cleanedup. It is being refurbished by a wealthyLibyan, and should be open for business in about 2 years. We talked real nice to the security folks,and they let us climb to the top. A bitof a climb for an old fart, but made it up in the heat with out stopping. The view was fantastic. We could see the ship in the harbor and gotsome great panorama shots of the city.

 

Went home and took a nice cool bucketshower, and took a short nap. We met acouple of ladies living in the guest house next to ours. They are from a huge black church inAtlantathat hasover 25,000 members. Both are Doctors ofDivinity and are teaching in theCarverMissionBibleCollegeand are setting up a computer learning program here at theMission. We invited them to join us for dinnertonight. We went to a BBQ Rib&Chicken place with 10 of us. Had awonderful time. Turned in kind of early.

 

Sunday, June 1 – Feeling somewhat drug outthis morning, and spent a quiet day at the staff house. Andrew took Ian, Amanda and Ashley to atraditional church service. A realcultural experience for the kids. Allweek long there has been a lot of hype about the Africa’s Cup soccer matchbetweenLiberiaandGambia. A new stadium was built by the Chineseseveral years ago, that seats over 35,000. Some of the OR&R native staff took Ian, Amanda and Ashley to thegame. They were able to buy tickets butapparently it was over sold and they could not get in. They had a great time anyway. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. 

 

I went with Andrew to take Dennis to theairport. Theheat is not agreeing withhim so he bailed out two weeks early.

 

Spent a quiet evening at the guesthouse.

 

Monday, June 2 – Monday morning the staff off OR&R meets to plan out the work week, and reorganize the priorities as situations and funding changes.  With the infusion of money from the Oregon group another desperate situation was brought to the attention of the group.  One of the orphanages that OR&R is working with is the home of some 40 children.  It has been added onto several times over the years, and the roof is leaking like a sieve.  The old part is rusting through and the newer area is almost flat, making a corrugated metal roof almost useless.  During the rainy season it creates conditions that are totally intolerable.  Nothing remains dry, and the health problems caused by wet mildewed mattresses are countless.  There are about 3 weeks left before the rainy season sets in with a wet vengeance.  Also most of the OR&R staff spend time at their home bases as things pretty much shut down during the wet season.  They are trying to decide if they have the time and resources to replace the roof.

 

We also worked on the transportation problem the group is facing.  It is very expensive to rent a truck and get the building material picked up and delivered to the job site.  Dennis and I were having a coke at a corner store next to the staff house, and we struck up a conversation with an English fellow who works for a logging company.  Their office is just down the street from the staff house.  The company is running around in a fleet of brand new trucks.  I asked him if they were disposing of any older models, and he responded that they are a new company in Liberia and all of their vehicles are new.  I explained our need and he suggested we come speak to the owner of the company on Monday and see if he might be willing to help out.

 

Matt Lepage and I walked down to the office and were introduced to the head man, a very distinguished looking Liberian business man.  We explained who we were and what we were up to, and to make long story short, he agreed to loan us a truck any time we needed one and all we had to do was pay for the gas.  They have a variety of trucks from pick ups to 5 ton flat beds.  A real blessing it is! That will save several hundreds of dollars each project that can go to direct services.

 

One of the OR&R guards has a brother in law who runs a taxi that he will drive you around in for $5 an hour.  Ian and Amanda were off to do an art project at one of the orphanages, so I took the opportunity to run down to the Royal Hotel for lunch and do some emailing.  It worked great!  The wireless connection was great, a little slower than DSL, but for this part of the world very satisfactory.  Did a little sight seeing and tried to look up and old friend who worked on the ship with us in 05, but he moved and have no idea where to look for him.  A quiet afternoon and evening finished off the day.

 

Tuesday. June 3 – Pig Delivery Day! After running some errands, we went to rent a truck, and went to a very advanced orphanage here in town.  They raise pigs for income, and Andrew bought a breeding pair for an orphanage out in the country side.  The two pigs were literally stuffed into a couple of rice sacks and tied up with just their heads sticking out.  Once we got out of town the ride was great.  We had to travel some 30 miles out in the country.  The last three miles however were over some of the roughest road I had ever been on.  The pigs got bounced around quite a bit and were really stressed when we arrived.  Amanda poured a large bottle of drinking water over them to cool them off.  The orphanage that got the pigs has 46 kids and a great agriculture program.  They have a lot of crops that they grow and with some breeding stock have a good chance at being self sufficient.  We toured the facility and the kids sang us a few songs.  Ian and Amanda gave the group 3 soccer balls.  They sure were a big hit.  The ride back was long and hot and the bucket shower felt great as always.

 

Went out with the group to the Royal Hotel to check our email, and spent several hours hanging around enjoying the air conditioning. 

 

Wednesday, June 4 – We had planned to visit an orphanage up country as they call it here.  Back home it would be referred to as way out in the sticks.  We had another severe thunderstorm overnight, and it was still pouring well into mid morning.  The roads would have been impassable so we cancelled the trip. Amanda and Ian went with Ashley to deliver rice to an orphanage that was closer by.  Morris Howard, the Liberian staff member was going to pour concrete, and that too was delayed by the rain, so he and I decided to hang out together.  I served with Morris on the ship for 3 months in 05.  He got married three months ago, and wanted me to meet his wife.  I called Joseph, my trusty $5 an hour taxi driver and we first went to the Royal Hotel for coffee and checked my email.  

 

Then went to the Brussels Airline office in town to see if I could move my departure date a few days earlier.  Most of the local staff are headed for home at about the same time, and no need to be here with just myself.  I didn’t work, and have to go through the same agent I booked with to make the change, so Marianne is going to try and accomplish that for me.

 

We visited with Morris and his wife for about an hour, and then we stopped by to visit the ship.  We met the Captain’s wife on the dock, and she ushered Morris and I right onto the ship.  We had a fun visit with Capt Joensen and Debbie, and we were invited for dinner on Thursday and we will again attend the Community Meeting they have on board each week.  This is not my cousin the Captain.  He is currently working in Marine Ops at the head office in Texas.  I served with the current Captain when he was the 1st Officer on first visit to the ship in 2003.  We had a great time doing some reminiscing and got a lot of pressure to come do another stint on the ship.  We will see!  After departing the ship we dropped Morris off at his house and Joseph and I went out for a burger at the Royal on the way home.  A fun day!

 

Thursday, June 5 – After breakfast the whole group scattered in different directions.  I accompanied Matt Lepage to the Fatu Orphanage where they are finishing up a construction project on the new boy’s dormitory.  We formed up the top rail of a concrete block railing on the second story.  It was fun working with 3 native craftsmen.  Due to lack of proper tools and equipment, they have to be creative to get the job done.  Material is very expensive here, and one of the carpenters was straightening out nails that were pulled from the stairway forms.  As a child I can remember seeing my father do that too as a poor immigrant.  My father let me try it too, and that is the first time that I smashed my finger with a hammer.  After we put the rebar in the forms, the native crew began hauling bags of cement and buckets of sand up the stairs to be mixed by hand. It was mid afternoon and I made a very wise decision.  I was about dying from the heat, so I called my $5 an hour taxi buddy, Joseph and had him take me to the guest house, where I promptly took a nice refreshing bucket shower. 

 

After relaxing for a while I had the taxi take me to the dock.  Signed in at the ship as the Captain’s guest, and joined him and his wife for dinner.  Walked around the ship for awhile between dinner and the Community Meeting, and ran into several more friends from my time aboard in 05.  After the meeting we were having coffee in the Captain’s cabin, and my cousin, the former Captain called to speak to the current Capt., so I got to talk to him for a few minutes as well.  He is currently at Mercy Ship headquarters in Texas working in Marine Ops for 6 weeks before returning to the Netherlands.  Another full day!  Took my second bucket shower of the day before turning in.

 

Friday, June 6 -  Spent the day running around with Andrew.  Our first meeting was with Bill Massaquoi the Liberian Director for Medical Teams International.  He gave us a briefing as to what MTI is doing in country.  The biggest part of their work here is funded by USAID in the field of health education.  They also bring over medical teams from time to time and set up clinics in Elwa Hospital as well as some outlying locations.  The sad part is they only ship about 1 container a year from PDX to Liberia, so the prospects of piggy backing with them are not too promising.  We did get the name of several other agencies that will ship material and supplies for NGO’s so we can look into that when we return.  We visited the post office, the bank, immigration office and the Ministry of Health.  Quite an adventure to see the Liberian bureaucracy at work!  A lot of hurry up and wait!  The better part of the day was shot by the time we got done, and it was time for the now famous bucket shower.

 

Amanda, Ian and Ashley spent the day painting a new latrine/shower building.  They had a real decorative motif in mind and it involved the children putting their hand prints in the paint and adorning the outside of the building.  I will have to go take a picture of it before I leave next week.

 

Matt Lepage made his first run to Salome’s new orphanage site in the truck borrowed from the logging company next to the staff house.  He took 40 sacks of cement, lumber and a steel security door.  The company supplied the driver, and all we need to pay for is the fuel. 

 

This evening I called my taxi and ran into the two ladies from Atlanta living next door.  They joined me for an email trio and dinner at the Royal Hotel.  While we were there we ran into three more ladies that work with the two I was with so had dinner with 5 wonderful black ladies this evening.  Got home about 8:30 and sitting here doing my daily log to the sound of a humming generator.

 

Saturday, June 7 – The staff of OR&R tend to take it a little easier on weekends, doing household chores and shopping.  Got a late breakfast and just took it easy.  Played with some of the neighborhood kids at the mission and in the afternoon took a taxi ride to the Royal to do some emailing.  Ashley took Ian and Amanda to the Waterside Market for one last look to see if there is something they cannot live with out.  I have been there-done that, and the last time I went, there were two attempts to pick my pocket. 

 

There is a new Chinese Restaurant not too far from where we live, and we decided to give it a try.  Our meal was delayed by several hours because Matt and Muriel had to go to the hospital to look after an orphan girl that needed a transfusion.  She has malaria and several other maladies, and according to Muriel is just wasting away.  We did finally get to enjoy a good meal together.

 

Sunday, June 8 – A leisurely morning and late breakfast at the staff house.  Andrew decided to take us sight seeing for the day, and we drove north toward the Sierra Leone border, and through the city of Tubmanburg.  The country side turns from flat to hilly and the scenery improves a whole lot.  Just on the other side of Tubmanburg is Bomi Lake.  It is actually a huge rock quarry probably about 50 - 60 some acres in size.  Lots of UN tanker trucks filling up there to distribute water.  The water is clean and clear.  There were a lot of Pakistani and Nepalese UN troops making a day outing from the city as well.  Ian decided he wanted a blue UN ball cap and asked several of the Pakistanis if he could buy one from them.  No luck.  I struck up a conversation with one of the Nepalese guys, an MP. We had quite a conversation.  He said he would be happy give me a cap, but we would have to stop by his base in Monrovia on Monday to get it.  He gave me his name and phone number, and we will try and get it for Ian tomorrow.  Andrew, Amanda, Ashley and Ian went swimming for awhile.  It looked inviting, but I didn’t bring a suit, so I did some picture taking and visiting with the UN guys.  Drove the 70 km back to the city, and stopped for ice cream at a Lebanese restaurant.  It was Mexican night dinner wise at the staff house, so I called my faithful taxi cabby, Joseph and he took me to the Royal for a sandwich and did a little emailing.  Turned in kind of early! 

 

On our way to the lake this morning we stopped to air up a tire on the vehicle.  There was a naked beggarman lying beside the road nearby.  He has been haunting me all day!

 

Monday, June 9 – Amanda and Ian are headed home today.   Due to construction at the airport, we took their luggage directly to the Brussels Airline office downtown.  Supposedly this will speed up the check in and boarding process.  They do not leave until 2030 tonight.  Our second stop was at Redemption Hospital where Mariel, the staff nurse had one of the older patients admitted several weeks ago.  She has an undiagnosed illness, and is just wasting away.   While Mariel visited her patient, I stuck my nose into the Mercy Ship Dental Clinic there and found an old MS acquaintance, Dr Keith Chapman.  He was working on a female patient who had a horrible jaw infection from a dead piece of bone, according to Keith,  Her cheek was swollen up to 5 times its normal size, and he was implanting some drainage tubes and treating the infection with antibiotics.  He will be doing some heavy duty surgery once the swelling goes down, and will need to replace a complete section of her jaw.  I visited with him for a few minutes between patients.  He is no longer living on the ship, but has made a min 2 year commitment to work in Liberia. 

 

On the way home we passed the naked beggar man again.  I had some laundry drying on the line at the staff house, and the next time I passed his way I gave him a shirt, and a pair of pants.  He did have an old piece of cloth partially covering him this time, and there were a couple of bowls that had had some food in it standing by him, so it seems that someone in the neighborhood is at least minimally looking after him.  I also gave him 55 Liberian Dollars, the equivalent of about 1 USD.  The OR&R staff advised against giving him too much as people will steal it from him,  He showed up in the bus stop near the staff house a few months ago.  It seems he was discharged from a nearby hospital a few months ago and has been living in the bus shelter ever since.  The OR&R staff tried to find a place for him through the social welfare system such as it is.  The two places they checked out were worse than the bus shelter.  A sad commentary!  When we returned to the staff house, Mariel the nurse was treating two young boys a the house.  One had a serious case of ringworm, and the other had a bad case of jungle rot on both feet.  It is caused by constant moisture.  They live at an orphange that is walking distance from the staff house so convenient to walk over for treatment.

 

We dubbed the effort to get Ian a UN cap, Operation Periwinkle, and we called the number that the Nepalese MP gave us.  It worked and we drove to his base and gave him a soccer ball and a water bottle, and Ian got his UN cap.  Amanda got a Nepalese unit cap, and we got a few pictures with some to the troops there.

 

After dinner, Andrew took Amanda and Ian to the airport, and I had my trusty cabby take me to the Royal for some emailing and am trying to get this one off.

I will be leaving Friday, so my last edition will probably be sent out from Brussels.  I plan to rest up a few days and then on to the Netherlands to visit family.

 

Tuesday, June 10 – Today was off to visit Salome’s new site near the Firestone Plantation.  When we last visited for a day we poured the footings for the 12 x 40 storage building.  I drove out with Matt Lepage this morning and was surprised to see that the floor of the building had been poured and the wall were up to 4 courses of concrete block.  It is the intent to finish the storage building before the rainy season gets into full swing.  It will be a place to store some of the material for the main building, and there will be a full time watchman there at night.  Also there will be a crew to make blocks as the weather allows so that construction of the main orphanage can go into full swing after the rain slows down.  We had one problem today.  Matt is quite meticulous regarding the workmanship, and found that one of the 40 foot walls was not totally plumb, so he had them take off two courses of block and redo them.  It is exciting to see work being done that the fundraising effort in Oregon is paying for.

 

Drove by the naked beggar man several times today.  He still had a cover over his lower end, but was using the plastic sack with my shirt and pants in it for a pillow.  Oh well, if he doesn’t plan to wear the cloths, at least he is getting some use out of them.

 

On the way back from Salome’s we stopped by the Fatu orphanage where Morris and his crew were putting in the ceiling of the new boys dorm, and another crew was plastering the handrail that we poured last week.  That will be one impressive structure, by Liberian standards when it is complete.  It should be occupied in a week or so.

 

Got back from the job site all sweaty, so the usual bucket shower was a real treat.  Actually getting used to it and looking forward to the sometimes twice daily occurrence.  I had my favorite cabby take me to the Royal to do some emailing and the two Doctor’s of Divinity, next door invited themselves along.  They have a nice jeep here, but are afraid to drive here after dark.  I would be too!  About 1/3 of the cars travel without lights and the streets are very crowded in spots.  They have a method to there madness here as far as driving goes, but it would take longer than the 3 weeks I have here to learn all the ins and outs.  Got back to the guest house at the Carver Mission at about 2130 and typed out my daily, again to the hum of the generator, before hitting the hay.

 

Wednesday, June 11 – Got a great nights sleep!  It rained hard most of the night and well into the day.  That makes for a cooler temperature and pleasant breeze with the windows open.  Andrew picked me up for breakfast and the main highway in front to the guest house looked like a raging river.  This is the hardest it had rained since I got here, and the staff discovered a couple of serious leaks in two of the bedrooms.  The plywood ceiling was totally wet and discolored, so after breakfast Andrew and I went to work to see if we could patch the leaks.  We first of all punctured the ceiling and drained about a half bucket in each of the bed rooms.  We then tore out one ceiling panel where the leak appeared to be the worst.  We cut a piece of corrugated metal to fit between the first purling and the metal splice and slipped it into place with some roofing cement.  That took care of the main leak, and Andrew crawled around in the attic space and just patched a bunch of smaller leaks with a trowel and roofing cement.  They decided not to replace the ceiling panel until after the rainy season.  It reminded us of our days in Renovation on the Anastasis where there were always pipes leaking in between floors or in the walls.

 

Ran a few errands in the afternoon and my trusty cabby picked me up at 5 p.m. again for a dinner/email run to the Royal.  Watched a bit of the Switzerland – Turkey soccer match, not sure who won, and really didn’t care.

 

Thursday, June 12 - My last full day in country!  After breakfast I helped Matt Lepage with some minor repairs on their main vehicle.  The entire staff was involved with meetings and uninteresting things, so I decided to do a little visiting in some of the villages that I would frequent during my stay in 05.  I had printed a bunch of pictures I had taken and wanted to go back and give them to the folks in the villages.  The first village was Zagar Town, a village of about 500 people out in the sticks between the Firestone Plantation and the Airport.  It is accessible only by a canoe ride across a rather large river.  I guess that was one of the attractions.  I had taken several groups of short term crew member there, and a canoe ride was always the highlight of the trip.  When my trusty cabby, Joseph and I walked up to the landing, I was surprised that the same canoe operator, Aaron was still running the ferry service.  We recognized each other instantly, and one of my favorite pictures that I took in 05 was of Aaron paddling the canoe.  He took us across, and I began handing out pictures to a few of the people I remembered.  It was almost instant pandemonium.  Several people ran off to get other people they recognized in the pictures.  I think it was a first for that village.  Even Joseph my cabby got the biggest kick out of watching the reactions.  Aaron said it was the first time he had ever seen a picture of himself.  I of course had to take another picture of everyone present, and promise them that I would bring another print next time I came.  I did the same at a second village, but it was not quite the event as Zagar Town was.  The kids were back in school there, but a nice friendly visit none the less.

 

Drove by the bus shelter today and saw my green Van Heusen shirt and my khaki pants on the naked beggar man.  He was the best dressed man on Roberts Hwy.

 

Made another run to the Royal tonight to check my email this evening.  It was so slow I decided to have dinner there as well.  The biggest order of fish & chips I ever had, so had them box up the left overs, and by now probably have a few grease spots on my green shirt.

 

Friday, June 13 - The last day in Liberia started off about the same as all the others.  Andrew had a couple of meetings downtown and I had to drop off my check in luggage at the downtown office.  Some major construction at the airport causes long undo delays for luggage check in.  I waited for Andrew to get through with his meetings at the Mamba Point Hotel where they also have wireless, and was able to down load some huge message files.  Sent out a few, and when Andrew was done with his meetings we had lunch at the Beirut Restaurant.  The only unfinished business I had was to look up an old friend, Samuel.  Samuel worked with us in Renovations in 05, and just a couple of weeks before I was due to come home his house burned down.  One of his renters died a few days later from burns received.  I spent my last two weeks there rebuilding the house with a bunch of nurse and medical volunteers from the ship.  Samuel bought me a fancy native dress shirt.  It was the one I wore at the Arrowhead Dinner Auction.  The house we rebuilt had been torn down by city workers and it took me a while to get a lead on where some folks from the ship had seen him.  Andrew and I drove to the area and low and behold, Andrew spotted a Mercy Ship shirt in the crowd, and it just happened to be Samuel.  I walked toward him, and he spotted me about ½ block away and yelled, “Mr John” A big hug followed and we got to spend some quality time just visiting and doing a little reminiscing.  I wish I had found him a few days earlier, but that was not to be.  Joseph my loyal cabby took me back the guest house and I did my final packing and took my last bucket shower.  It sure felt gooood! It is a real scorcher today.  I said goodbye to my two neighbor ladies from Atlanta and Andrew picked me up for dinner and took me to the airport.

 

The plane was and hour and a half late, and we were all jammed into a small hot waiting area, bit we finally got off the ground and a good 7 hour flight to Brussels.  Took a sleeping pill and slept for 4 hours.  There were 22 Mercy Shippers on the same flight, and I knew 8 of them.  Several are staying in the same hotel for a few days and we plan to do some sight seeing Sunday and Monday.  I talked them into going on one of those get on get off tour busses.  Should be fun to relax a bit before heading for the Netherlands.  I don’t suppose many of you would be interested in hearing about my family reunions, so this will be my last daily log.  Will by home June 30.  Hope to see most of you then.  Thanks to all those who replied.  It sure is great hearing from the home front when one is gone for an extended period of time.  I will be in Brussels for a few days, and have a great connection here so would love to hear from some of you.

 

John returned home June 30th. 

 

 

 

 

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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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