PPOA Week in Review

Candlelight Vigil for California Peace Officers' Memorial

May 3: Law enforcement personnel from agencies throughout California gathered in Sacramento with families of fallen officers on Sunday evening for the annual candlelight vigil. This solemn event hosted by the California Peace Officers' Memorial Foundation honors the service and sacrifice of peace officers' lives lost in the line of duty.

President Steve Johnson attended the event on behalf of PPOA.

48th Annual California Peace Officers' Memorial Ceremony

May 4: The family members of 13 peace officers who died in the line of duty, including LASD Detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus, and William Osborn, were joined by hundreds of law enforcement personnel and supporters on Monday for the 48th Annual California Peace Officers' Memorial Ceremony at the State Capitol. This honorable ceremony included a memorial procession, a Walk of Honor for department representatives and immediate family members of officers being enrolled, and the Enrollment Ceremony, in which the names of the 13 fallen officers were formally added to the Memorial Monument.

President Steve Johnson attended the ceremony on behalf of PPOA.

PPOA Awards Committee Meeting

May 4: Members of the PPOA awards committee met on Monday to discuss details for the 2nd Annual PPOA Membership Awards scheduled for later this year. These awards formally recognize PPOA members for their dedicated service. Meeting participants included the Committee Chair/Board Member Noe Ramos and 2nd Vice President Melissa Rodriguez.

PPOA Unit 621 Contract Negotiations Team Meeting

May 5: PPOA members on the Unit 621 salary contract negotiations team met in the union conference center on Tuesday to continue strategizing for ongoing negotiations with the County.

PPOA Board of Directors Meeting;

New Director Sworn In

May 6: The monthly PPOA Board of Directors meeting was hosted in San Dimas on Wednesday. Directors in attendance included President Steve Johnson, 1st Vice President Rob Weber, 2nd Vice President Melissa Rodriguez, Secretary Chris Lee, Treasurer Joyce Kato, and Board Members Jay Chapman, Vardan Kasabyan, Noe Ramos, and Jim Schallert.

During the meeting, Public Response Dispatcher II Kristine Swain was sworn in as a board member after being appointed by the board to fill the Unit 621 seat vacated by the recent retirement of Crime Analyst Joe Walker.

Support for Custody Assistant Class 119

May 7: Custody Assistant/PPOA 2nd Vice President Melissa Rodriguez visited with C.A. Class 119 at Biscailuz Center the day before graduation to provide support and discuss a wide range of topics.

District Attorney Investigators' Awards Luncheon

May 7: PPOA was honored to support the Los Angeles District Attorney Investigators’ Association (LADAIA) at its annual Awards Luncheon on Thursday. The LADAIA Annual Awards Luncheon is a special day to acknowledge and thank LA County District Attorney investigators for their leadership, work ethic, and dedication.

President Steve Johnson attended the event on behalf of PPOA.

Graduation Ceremony for Custody Assistant Class 119

May 8: The academy graduation ceremony for Custody Assistant Class 119 was held yesterday at Biscailuz Center. Custody Assistant/2nd Vice President Melissa Rodriguez and Executive Director Wayne Quint Jr. were proud to represent PPOA at the ceremony.

Congratulations to all members of Class #119 for the impressive level of commitment and camaraderie required to complete the academy and begin promising new careers with the Sheriff's Department.

PPOA Members:

Are You Registered for Union Elections?

Please be advised that all PPOA voting going forward will be conducted online. In order to cast electronic ballots, members need to complete a one-time registration. If you have not already done so, please click here to register.

Hundreds of PPOA members have registered in the last few months, but we still have a long way to go. Make sure you are eligible to vote online by registering today!

Fraternal Order of Police News Update

When a sworn PPOA member retires and wishes to reactivate his/her FOP member benefits, the following step must be taken: To reactivate your membership as a retired peace officer, you will need to pay FOP annual dues of $48. To do so, please send an email to the FOP Lodge 1 Secretary at wmwestermann@sbcglobal.net

Make it a point to check out Washington Watch — a weekly news update provided by the National FOP. We encourage PPOA members to stay up to date on the legislative news and activity impacting public safety personnel nationwide.

Click here to read this week's Washington Watch.