PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
by BOB KILLEN
On a personal note, very quickly. I and my better half just purchased a home in North Georgia Mountains, where the tranquility of life is a everyday thing. So peaceful + I discovered so many retired Police Officers there, to the point that I know of about 50 that live in that area. I have already set my mind for retirement as of March 2016 (something I thought I’d never say). Yep had enough of the job I loved so much.
The year has otherwise been very busy as I previously mentioned with Interns arriving at the Killen Household for Internships with my department (Miami Gardens Police). My household was so filled with Interns coming and going that I asked Fellow member, Milt Meadows if he could take an Intern for a week because after his Internship, he wanted to stay an additional week, and I had already had others arriving. Thanks Uncle Milty.
Their were 2 different Interns at same time: Heidi & Falko from Leipzig doing a 3 week internship. and the day they left Simon Heer along with Christin & Manjia arrived for 3 week internships; and staying at the Killen Household. Simon spent another week at the Meadows house as I entertained other Germans (not Internship, but for social visits).
In May their will another German and his wife arriving for 10 days as well as a 1-2 day visit by a officer from Norway. So May is filled with visitors and it sure would be cordial if fellow Region 11 Members have interest in some socializing with our across the pond visitors.
I am not sure why and how, but I get a constant flow of requests from others that want to come to South Florida for visits. I even received an email from a German female (age 22) who wants to come to south Florida with her 18 yr old sister; and of all, asking if they could stay at my house. And have no idea who they are, but was told that they aren’t police officers. Of course my other half said defintely “NO” (lol).
The point is that it would be great if the Region can get more members to volunteer lodging for our visitors.
I also want to thank those that attended the Panther’s Game with the German visitors (Heidi & Falko). The Goldstein’s, Mendak’s; Uncle Milty; and others.
In this newsletter check out the offer from the Marlins (free on Mondays to First responders and their family; Active and retired). More social events are planned, but like to get some volunteers to assist in coordinating them.
THE NEXT REGION MEETING IS MAY 20, 2015 7:15 PM (dinner interest 6:45 pm) and at Bru’s Room on Hillsboro Blvd; Coconut Creek (same as where we have had them held). PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR.
Remember that those that have never been IPA members can sign up for free (on line only) by Sept 30, 2015.
The Region requests any and all ideas as well as volunteers.
The newsletter also contains some photos of the recent visitors. And if you travel, the Region would love to post ur trip photos as well as an article on your trip adventure.
Stay safe.
Our Guests from Berlin PD celebrating St Patrick’s Day
Our Guests at the Blue Martini and the Hard Rock Cafe.
Denniz Keenz and his family From Frankfort Germany posing with a Miami Garden’s Police Vehicle and more pictures from the Blue Martini.
You keep communities safe. You protect life and property. You enforce laws. You resolve conflicts. Public safety rests on your shoulders.
What happens when your personal life and career are out of balance? You are going through a divorce. Your finances are out of control. You can’t sleep. A traumatic event at work is haunting you. Drugs and alcohol seem to lessen the effects.
Don’t ignore the warning signs. Safe Call Now was established by public safety employees for public safety employees. Talk to someone who understands the stressful, demands of your work. It’s a simple and confidential phone call away.
WHAT’S THE ISSUE
Warning signs exist, but if I seek help, I could lose my job. For many of us, asking for help is a sign of weakness and jeopardizes our careers. Before you lose another friend, partner, spouse, one of your own, consider a simple and confidential phone call to Safe Call Now.
IT’S EVIDENT IN THE NUMBERS
A study done by police psychologists in California indicated police officers are more likely to commit suicide than be killed in the line of duty. Data shows 19 Los Angeles police officers killed themselves between 1998 and 2007, whereas seven died in the line of duty during the same period. Since 1993, 20 FBI agents have committed suicide.
WHAT CAN I DO
Safe Call Now is a resource for public safety agency employees to speak confidentially with officers, former law enforcement officers, public safety professionals and/or mental healthcare providers who are familiar with your line of work. This resource is not tied to Fitness-For-Duty or EAP. It is a safe place to turn, to get help from individuals who understand the demands of your job and who may have endured the same struggles.
Safe Call Now is a CONFIDENTIAL, comprehensive, 24-hour crisis referral service for all public safety employees, all emergency services personnel and their family members nationwide.
CRISIS LINE: 877-230-6060
Because they have different priorities than you do. Humans, like most everything else in the universe, seek to maintain a sense of equilibrium in things. This is true for not just matters of physiology, but for social interactions, as well. Think about the interactions you have on a daily basis: In most all of them, you enter an interaction with at least a neutral mindset and perhaps even an assumption of goodwill.
When one wakes up next to their partner, they don’t harbor an innate suspicion about the partner’s motives — they assume that the partner is as good willed as they were when they fell asleep, and their interactions proceed founded on this assumption.
Or think about your interactions at work. Absent narcissism or self-deprecation, when you go into a job, you default to considering your peers as more or less equal. Of course, as time wears on you begin to categorize people, but those initial interactions will be civil and respectful, because that’s what’s expected – that is the silent understanding wrought by the norms of your workplace.
Now, think about the workday of a police officer. Her job assignments consist, primarily, of being dispatched to successive 911 calls. When someone calls 911 for police service, there is a tacit admission by the caller that the situation at hand has deteriorated beyond his or her control, and police are needed in order to bring the situation back under control. That is the unstated assumption that the officer has going into each situation — not that a social equilibrium needs to be maintained, but that a situation needs to be quickly and efficiently brought back under control.
Further than this, when she gets to the scene of many to most of these 911 calls, she encounters people who seek to frustrate her endeavors. She talks to witnesses who lie in circles about not seeing anything. She talks to suspects who lie about where they’d just been or what they were just doing. She talks to drunk people who can’t coordinate themselves and won’t remember what she said in ten minutes’ time. She talks to addicts who try to conceal the fact that they’re high even though involuntary tics have consumed their body. She talks to grade school kids and teenagers who have been conditioned to mistrust or despise police. She talks to people who lie about their identity because they have warrants or because they just want to frustrate her. She talks to people who act nervous and take too long to answer simple questions, raising her suspicions. She talks to people who have drugs, guns, knives, and any manner of other contraband hidden in their residence, in their vehicle, or on their person.
Now consider that the officer is doing this many times per shift — 10, 20, maybe more — encounters every day. She will quickly learn that, in order to get anything accomplished with these liars and obstructionists, she is going to have to employ tactics that in any other field would be unacceptable. She is going to have to be blunt, brusque and curt. She’s going to have to call bluffs and smokescreens and BS. She’s going to have to interrupt rambling, circular explanations. She’s going to have to look people in the eye and say, “We both know that you’re lying to me right now.”
And through it all, she will begin to develop the opposite assumption from the freshly roused partner and the guy at the water cooler — work interactions are not among peers, and people are likely not worthy of implicit trust.
Now, you, who I will assume is a normal, everyday citizen, comes into contact with this police officer. Even though she can probably surmise that you’re not a frequent flyer, she doesn’t know you and doesn’t enter into interpersonal contact with the same assumptions you do. Additionally, if she’s in uniform it’s possible she has a task at hand she’s focused on. Until you are a known quantity, you may be treated coolly and humorlessly.
Now, let’s take a step back. You, the partner and/or co-worker, interprets the response of this police officer through the lens of your expectations, and judge her to be arrogant. I mean, after all, she’s acting all distant and aloof and snobby, right? However, your assessment is based on your interaction in a vacuum, and likely doesn’t factor in much of anything I just said. That doesn’t mean either one of you is “wrong.” You’re coming from different places.
In closing, I’d bid you to be forgiving. This officer cannot afford to give people the benefit of the doubt, because there are only so many people you can relax your guard around in her line of work before she gets herself or someone else hurt or killed. Be gracious to her, for her burden is great.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-the-simple-explanation-for-why-cops-seem-arrogant-2014-5#ixzz3YQZfftTz
BE SAFE OUT THERE
FBI has issued alerts after ISIS put out video calling for attacks on law enforcement. As the weather warms up we will be more vulnerable. Remember there have been numerous ambush attacks on uniformed officials.
Last year we had the hatchet attack on a NYPD uniform, the assassination of 2 uniforms also in NYPD, the Canadian soldier, a Louisiana deputy shot while directing traffic.
As more Isis sympathizers are caught and prevented from fighting in the Middle East we can expect them to direct themselves domestically. This is a long-term threat and we should not fall asleep. The anti-police sentiment that has been recently brewing can be a spawning ground for domestic terrorist. As we work in crowds at large public events we also face the threat of massive attacks as occurred in Boston.
Keep your head on a swivel for suspicious characters, vehicles and packages. There’s a publication called FIRE Magazine, it contains “how to” articles on bomb making , police assassination and creating mayhem. If you spot someone carrying the magazine you should take note of the subject. Seeing this publication in a vehicle warrants checking the plates. It’s going to be hot out there but wear your body armor at all times.
What You Need To Know About Ebola
A person infected with Ebola is not contagious until symptoms begin
The time from exposure to when signs or symptoms of the disease appear (the incubation period) is 2 to 21 days, but the average time is 8 to 10 days. Signs of Ebola include fever and symptoms like severe headache, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising.
Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood and body fluids Ebola is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with
Ebola is not spread through the air, water, or food.
Protect yourself against Ebola
There is no FDA-approved vaccine available for Ebola. Experimental vaccines and treatments for
Ebola are under development, but they have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently cleared up an uncertainty regarding consent searches of jointly held premises. The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches only. Reasonable searches are permitted, but what is reasonable? The courts have been toying with that concept for over two hundred years.
In February, the court handed down a 6-3 ruling which supports law enforcement and allows it to do its job and protect us.
If a person consents to being searched, or having his premises (home or car) searched, forcing the police to get a warrant would “needlessly inconvenience” everyone involved—not only the officers and the magistrate, but the occupant who would have to wait for the warrant (in a effort to remove any suspicion he feels is unwarranted and will be dispelled once a search is completed).
Consent searches of joint premises were first authorized in U.S. v Matlock, a 1974 case. Bill Matlock was arrested for robbing a bank. As he was outside the house he shared with his girlfriend and several of her siblings, she was asked for permission to search the house for proceeds of the bank robbery. She agreed, and in a bedroom she shared with Matlock, the stolen money was found in a diaper bag in the closet. Matlock was not asked for permission.
Read the rest of the article here
The Strong and Kind granola bars, produced by Kind Snacks contain hemp seeds. You can review the ingredients on the attached slides or go to www.kindsnacks.com/store/types/strong-kind and click on the various products.
Hemp seeds contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana. THC is on the list of illegal substances that holders of Security Clearances are prohibited from using. The method of ingestion (smoking, eating, oils, etc.) is not relevant in the matter of security clearance eligibility. Consuming THC in any manner is detectable by the methods used in the urinalysis program. While the attached slides were generated by the Air Force, the rules governing drug use still apply to all personnel in possession of a security clearance, regardless of service (Army, AF, Navy, etc.) or status (military, civilian, contractor).
Part of maintaining your security clearance prohibits the use of illegal substances and the illegal use of legal substances.
Keep in mind, while a number of U.S. states have legalized the use of THC, ranging from for personal use to medical use, the U.S. Federal Government has NOT legalized THC; again, using THC for “medicinal” purposes is still prohibited under U.S. Federal guidelines, and may result in loss of security clearance.
We have a practice in place that sends an employee to a medical center for drug testing when they are involved in any type of accident or injury related event. While I am unsure of how many bars one would need to eat to get a reading on a test, I would suggest not testing the waters to see. Bottom line, before you grab a snack like this, read the ingredients. Thank you Officer Bezio (MGPD) for sending this thru.
MAY:
Chenry Baughman; Michael Butler; Jay Cytryn; George Epstein; Jeremy Hansen; Robert Snow; Carl Salerno; Harold Ruslander; Mike McDermott; Milt Meadows; Thursten Oppermann; Paul Richter; Jack Roberson; Luis Rodriguez; Ivan Rolz; Hector valdez JUNE:
Ray Haselman; Robert Jones; Steve List; Rose Murphy; Michael Roggin; Salvatore Borgese; Joseph Falsea; William Garrison.