PPOA Week in Review: Feb. 18, 2023

Concerns of Police Survivors Meeting re: National Police Week

February 11: PPOA President Nancy Escobedo joined representatives from the Southern California Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) and family members of fallen officers for a meeting to discuss National Police Week (May 11-15) and the Police Unity Tour (May 8-12). This meeting was hosted at the El Monte Police Department and discussions were centered on logistics for the families of 10 fallen officers from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department who will be memorialized during National Police Week events in Washington DC. The names of the following LASD personnel will be engraved on the National Law Enforcement Memorial wall:

Sergeant Christopher Bracks — EOW: 5/10/2022
Deputy Andrew Myers — EOW: 10/20/2021
Detective Anthony Bautista — EOW: 8/18/2021
Sergeant Armando Meneses — EOW: 2/16/2021
Deputy Pedro Romo — EOW: 2/14/2021
Sergeant Jamie Arakawa — EOW: 2/8/2021
Deputy Timothy Tellez — EOW: 12/22/2020
Detective Amber Leist — EOW: 1/12/2020
Officer John Black — EOW: 11/22/1929
Officer Morgan Honeycutt — EOW: 12/22/1928

PPOA is honored to be counted among the organizations providing support to family members of the fallen and helping them navigate the full schedule of National Police Week events in our nation's capitol.

Fraternal Order of Police Meeting at PPOA

February 11: The first quarterly meeting of 2023 for the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), Los Angeles County Lodge 1 was hosted in the PPOA conference center. All active PPOA members are California State FOP Lodge 1 members — this provides PPOA members with workplace legal protections through the FOP Legal Defense Plan. The LA County Lodge is one of more than 30 lodges in CAFOP.

Executive Director Wayne Quint Jr. attended this meeting on behalf of PPOA.

Support for Scientific Services Bureau

February 14: PPOA staff delivered a treadmill to Scientific Services Bureau (Beverly Crime Lab) for use in the staff gym. In a continuing effort to support members, PPOA's Star & Shield Foundation teams up with New Life Cardio Equipment (NLCE) each year to secure a limited number of treadmills and ellipticals for employee gyms at facilities throughout the County. The machines are purchased by the Foundation at discounted pricing and delivered by PPOA to units in need of new exercise equipment. We've also arranged for NLCE to extend special pricing to any PPOA members interested in purchasing cardio equipment for personal use at home. For more info, call New Life Cardio at (800) 401-2446 and tell them you're a member of the Professional Peace Officers Association.

Coalition of County Unions Meeting

February 15: Executive Director Quint joined fellow labor leaders for the monthly Coalition of County Unions (CCU) meeting to discuss issues impacting PPOA members and other County employees.

The CCU collectively represents more than 30,000 union members employed by the County of Los Angeles and is their unified voice on health insurance, vacation pay, retirement and more.

Click here for more information about the CCU.

California Contract Cities Association Meeting

February 16: President Escobedo accepted an invitation from California Contract Cities Association (CCCA) President Jeff Wood to attend the CCCA Board of Directors meeting this week. During the meeting, the Board honored Brandon Tsay, the 26-year old man who confronted and disarmed a gunman responsible for a violent killing spree in Monterey Park.

The CCCA represents 80 cities in and around Los Angeles County, including Alhambra, where Tsay's courageous actions prevented further tragedy on that fateful evening.

Currently, 42 cities contract with LASD, which brings $315 million in annual revenue to the department.

New Issue of Star & Shield Magazine Hits Mailboxes

The February/March issue of Star & Shield magazine arrived in mailboxes this week. Inside, you'll find:

Planning Ahead for PPOA
Leadership Epitomized
Acknowledging Medical Examiner-Coroner Members, and more...

Click here to read the February/March 2023 issue

UPCOMING:

Civilian Oversight Commission Virtual Conference re: LASD Budget Priorities and Unmet Needs

On Thursday, March 2, the Civilian Oversight Commission for the LA County Sheriff’s Department is hosting a virtual conference to discuss the Sheriff Department's Budget Priorities & Unmet Needs for Fiscal Year 2023-2024. This conference begins at 9:00AM and will bring together County leaders, law enforcement professionals, community partners, academics and members of the public to discuss the County's budget process as well as the Sheriff Department's budget priorities and unmet needs. The ultimate budget decisions rest with the Board of Supervisors.

Speakers will include:

Jamon Hicks, Civilian Oversight Commission member & Budget Ad Hoc Committee member
Sheila Williams, Senior Manager, L.A. County Chief Executive Office
Jill Torres, Assistant Sheriff and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
Melanie Ochoa, Police Practices Director, ACLU of Southern California

Three ways to tune in:

1. Participate: Register & join the Webex via computer or smart phone. Enter the information requested & the event password: COC123

2. Watch: Tune into the Facebook Livestream.

3. Listen: Call (415) 655-0001 and enter the access code: 2592 740 7893

UPCOMING:

First Responders Day at Auto Club Speedway

NASCAR and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) are teaming up on Sunday, February 26, 2023 for the annual First Responders Day at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. A portion of the proceeds will benefit NLEOMF and first responders in attendance will receive a collectible challenge coin.

Click here for details and ticket info.

UPCOMING:

LASD Retiree Roundup

Retired PPOA members are encouraged to attend the upcoming LASD Retiree Roundup, scheduled for April 2-5, 2023 in Laughlin, Nevada. This is an opportunity to reunite with more than 1,000 attendees who retired as LASD sworn, professional staff or reserves. PPOA has proudly supported this event for years and we look forward to catching up with longtime friends at the Roundup this year!

Click here for details and registration.

PPOA Members - End of Watch Tribute

We extend our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the following PPOA members who passed in January 2023:

Retired Deputy Theresa Robinson — 1/3/23

LASD ret. 1983

Academy class 109

Retired Sergeant Kurt Sloman — 1/5/23

LASD ret. 1989

Academy class 41

US Air Force veteran

Forensic ID Specialist II Ralph Chapman — 1/17/23

Active member assigned to Scientific Services Bureau at time of passing

Retired Lieutenant Barry McCrummen — 1/17/23

LASD ret. 2003

Academy class 125

Retired Detective Jim Solar — 1/19/23

LASD ret. 1989

US Navy veteran

Retired Deputy William Angione — 1/31/23

LASD ret. 1993

Academy class 86

Fraternal Order of Police News Update

Important news regarding FOP membership for retired PPOA members: 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 $40 for 2023. To do so, please send an email to the FOP Lodge 1 Secretary: wmwestermann@sbcglobal.net. Be sure to include your full name and advise that you are a retired PPOA member requesting membership with FOP.

Please make it a point to check out Washington Watch — a weekly 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.