May 2021 GENDARME
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FFICE O R E S C I A L S O S P O C S I I A U T O I L O . N T S 1 9 6 8 St. Louis Police Officers Association The Official Publication of the ST. LOUIS POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION, FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE - Lodge 68 Vol. 51 No. 4 Visit Us on the Web at www.slpoa.org • (314) 353-3200 May 2021 200 YEARS LATER, COPS FINALLY GET THEIR OWN BILL OF RIGHTS LEOBR PASSES AS MAIN PROVISION OF SB26 By Jeff Roorda In 1821, the inhabitants of the enforcement officer may be Missouri Territory adopted a Bill of compelled to give protected Rights, ratified a Constitution, and statements to an investigator under declared statehood. direct control of the agency; Two-hundred years later, police Law enforcement officers are officers - the people who have been entitled to have an attorney or duly selflessly defending the authorized representative present Constitutional rights of their fellow during questioning and prior to the Missourians for the past two questioning the officer and his or her centuries - have their own Bill of representative shall have the Rights. opportunity to review the complaint; Finally, our state has resolved that A complete record of the cops are no longer second-class investigation shall be kept by the citizens, who don't have the same agency and a copy shall be provided Constitutional protections that their to the officer upon request; neighbors enjoy as a function of the The agency conducting the Bill of Rights of the state investigation shall have 90 days to Constitution. complete such investigation and Unlike every other Missourian, law may extend the investigation under enforcement officers have long been certain circumstances; deprived by their employers of such The officer shall be informed in basic, fundamental rights as: the writing within 5 days of the right to counsel; freedom from conclusion of the investigative unreasonable search and seizure; findings and any recommendations and, the privilege against self- for further action; and incrimination. The St. Louis Police Officers A complete record of the Association has been fighting for a administrative investigation shall be long time to secure the inalienable kept by the law enforcement agency rights denied to police officers that and all records shall be confidential are secured for every other freeman and not subject to disclosure under in our state. Sunshine Law, except by lawful subpoena or court order. You'll recall that in 2007, thanks largely to the work of the SLPOA and Any law enforcement officer the FOP, police (and teachers) in Photo of House rollcall vote on SB26 suspended without pay shall be Missouri finally joined every other entitled to a full due process hearing worker in the state in the right to The central provision of SB26 - which informed that he or she is being as provided in the act. Any decision unionize and bargain collectively as was loaded with amendments and ordered to answer questions under following the hearing shall be in a result of a series of Supreme Court became an omnibus crime bill - was threat of disciplinary action and that writing and shall include findings of decisions. the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of the officer's answers to the questions fact. Rights (LEOBR). will not be used against the officer in Likewise, thanks to the First a criminal proceeding. The law enforcement officers shall Responder Political Freedom Act The law enforcement officer shall have the opportunity to provide a championed by the SLPOA and FOP be informed in writing of the Any investigation shall be written response to any adverse in 2016, cops here finally attained the existence and nature of the alleged conducted at a secure location at the materials in their personnel file. same rights to engage in the political violation and who will be conducting agency that is conducting the Law enforcement officers shall process that every other voter the investigation; investigation or the office of the have the right to compensation for enjoys. officer unless the officer consents to Any complaint filed shall be another location; any economic loss incurred during But, basic due process rights had supported by a written statement an investigation if the officer is found long eluded us. outlining the complaint; The law enforcement officer shall to have committed no misconduct. be questioned by up to two Until this year. Any investigation shall be investigators and shall be informed Employers shall defend and conducted for a reasonable length of of the name and rank of each indemnify law enforcement officers Just before the 6:00 PM deadline on time and only while the officer is on questioning officer; against civil claims made against an May 14, the very last day of the 2021 duty unless reasonable officer while the officer was acting Regular Session of the legislature, circumstances prevent such Law enforcement officers shall not within his or her duties as a law Senate Bill 26 was adopted by both questioning while on duty; be threatened, harassed, or enforcement officer. the Missouri House of promised rewards for answering Representatives and the Senate. Prior to an interview session the questions, except that a law law enforcement officer shall be (Cont. on pg. 22) SLPOA ELECTION PERMIT NO. 1664 NO. PERMIT Dated Material Time Sensitive Time Material Dated ST. LOUIS, MO LOUIS, ST. St. Louis, MO 63109 MO Louis, St. PAID 3710 Hampton Ave. Hampton 3710 U.S. POSTAGE U.S. Fraternal Order of Police-Lodge 68 Police-Lodge of Order Fraternal INFO PG. 21 Calendar Page 24 NON-PROFIT ORG. NON-PROFIT Distributed by STL Police Officers' Assoc. Officers' Police STL by Distributed Gendarme Page_________________________________________________________ 2 GENDARME May 2021 Printed Monthly Copyright Gendarme 2021 GENDARME STAFF Managing Editor Adam Notch Editorial Board Martin Garcia, Trevor Russell, Ryan Lynch Columnist Obituary Page Editor Advertising Manager Publisher Jeff Roorda Timothy Tumbrink Jill McDonough Ron Clark Jay Schroeder Jeff Trares Ryan Barone Chris Narez Tim Bockskopf Adam Notch Karl Laschber Trevor Russell Charles Lowe Ed Clark, Mike Kegel, Tom Walsh Tom Mayer, Sr. - Chairman Tom Walsh, Ben Lacy, Kevin Newcombe Jay Schroeder - ex-officio Martin Garcia - Chairman Mike Kegel, David Rudolph,Amy Funk, Curtis Burgdorf, Alphonso Hogan, Craig Robertson, Tom Walsh Scott Ecker, Amy Funk, Brandon Baker, Trevor Russell, Wally Leopold, Ed Clark Legislative Committee Dave Rudolph - Chairman Mike Bet, Curt Burgdorf, Ed Clark, Martin Garcia, Mike Herzberg, Mike Kegel, Joe Marcantano, Tom Walsh Michael Kegel - Chairman, Curtis Burgdorf - Co-Chairman, WATCH YOUR 6 ! Craig Robertson, Stephen J. Schroeder, Benjamin Lacy, Michael Biggs GENERAL MEMBERSHIP E-BOARD MEETING VETERAN’S MEETING POLICE WIVES MEETING June 30 June 30 June 9 June 9 July 28 July 28 July 14 July 14 7 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 11:30 p.m. 7 p.m. _______________________________________________________May 2021 GENDARME Page 3 MESSAGE FROM THE BUSINESS MANAGER APPARENTLY IT'S “DO KILL THE MESSENGER” IF THE MESSAGE SUPPORTS COPS Many of you have noticed, I'm sure, that I've been pretty scarce when it Along with other Dueker-bashing Tweetstorms, Antifa darling comes to media statements or TV appearances lately. @tweetsofcooper chimed-in with this little nugget on May 5, “Jane Dueker is a disgusting person who brings absolutely no value to the world at all. Don't worry… I'm still here, living rent-free in the minds of our enemies. She is evil, and I hope she burns in hell.” But, with a new mayor taking office on April 20 – one who says she won't deal with our Union unless I am fired, a blatant violation of the Missouri Constitution – I thought it was best to step-back from the public eye for a bit. There is this theory that some folks desperately cling to that it is the “messenger” (me) not the “message” (an honest dialog about the complexities of policing America's deadliest city) that is at the root of the antipathy toward our organization – antipathy that has been greatly amplified by a handful of very vocal anti-police activists. It was a theory I was eager to put to the test. Could it be that if my advocacy was swapped-out for the voice of another Association spokesperson, the perception of our organization in the askant eyes of our critics would be altered? So, around the time of the election, Jane Dueker stepped-in to fill the void with my enthusiastic blessing. Brilliant. You Marxist cop-bashers are so clever when it comes to hate- If you don't know Jane, all you need to know is, she's awesome. mongering and gaslighting. Jane is a fearless, articulate champion for cops. Perhaps counterintuitively based on the longstanding cries to suppress my exercise of free speech, cop haters incorporated did not reward my silence You may know Jane as a news commentator from her weekly appearances while they were punishing Jane's vociferousness. on the “Reardon Roundtable” on KMOX/KFTK or her frequent appearances on “This Week in Missouri Politics” on FOX2. Instead, the death threats and calls for violence against me by the peaceful protestors continued unabated despite my silence and absence from the But Jane's been around a lot longer than that. public eye. A licensed attorney, Jane started her career as an Assistant AG for the Sardonic, unhinged cartoonist Marquis Govan penciled an adorable piece Missouri Attorney General's Office in the 1990's. Her talent as a lawyer and depicting Mayor Jones in a grim reaper's garb knocking on a door marked a policy wonk was quickly recognized and she rapidly moved up through “SLPOA” shouldering a blood-soaked scythe.