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The Official Journal of the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police Winter 2016 Year in 2015 Review Winter 2016 Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police Newsletter Page 1 Kentucky State Lodge 6204 Price Ln. Louisville, KY 40229 1-800-44KYFOP www.kystatefop.com Knight Beat Committee Editor’s Note Bruce Farmer [email protected] 2016 is here and we are assessing our achievements and our shortcomings 270-869-7250 from 2015. We are making wishes for what we hope will happen in the next 12 months and we are making resolutions to achieve new goals or Crystal Keller ones we have not yet accomplished. 270-499-1249 But one thing is certain, we can expect the unexpected. Our lives Patsy Meyer will change and some will be welcome and others regretted. Recently a [email protected] dear friend shared with me that he has been diagnosed with cancer. We 502-473-0388 all know someone in the various stages of this dreadful disease that has taken so many lives and suddenly changed the lives of so many others. Steve White Photographer Our prayers and support will be solicited and will be invaluable. [email protected] We will incur debt, or payoff mortgages, but it is unknown what financial The Knight Beat is the Official issues will be on the horizon. Your children will grow older, graduate from Journal of the Kentucky Fraternal high school and colleges, get married and give you grandchildren. Some Order of Police. It is an online issue of us will retire or will start new careers. only, and is available twice a year in the Winter and Summer on Whatever happens we will make adjustments, and we will adapt. I www.kytstatefop.com hope we will continue to appreciate our careers, our lives, our loved ones and utilize the opportunities we have to refresh our lives and enrich On the cover others. We should remember those who have influenced our lives and livelihood in the past, and realize that we will continue to have a daily Top: State Board Officers elected impact on many others. at Fall Conference from left: Special Thanks should go to Steve Wolnitzek, State Legal Advisor Chaplain Tim Davis, Secretary for contributing this issue’s Looking Back article. With some assistance Denis Spalding, Immediate Past President Spike Jones,newly from Smokey Hatfield, a former Kentucky FOP Legislative Committee elected Treasurer Brian Bogard, member he has provided us a thorough and interesting summary of the VP Mike Sweeney, Second VP development of the KLEFPF Supplemental Pay and the Police Officers’ Robert Bringhurst, President Berl Bill of Rights. Please contact the Knight beat if you have a suggestion for Perdue, Chairman of Trustees a Looking Back article. Scott Hildebrand, National Have a Safe and Happy 2016. Trustee Dave Mutchler, Legal Advisor Steve Wolnitzek, and Sgt. Patsy Meyer At Arms Shawn Helbig Editor, Knight Beat Bottom: Funeral of Officer [email protected] Daniel Ellis, Richmond Police 502-473-0388 Department Table of Contents Officers reports ..................................................................................................................................................................3 Looking Back/Legal Advisor ...........................................................................................................................................11 Lodge Activities ................................................................................................................................................................14 Auxiliary Lodge .................................................................................................................................................................57 Fall Conference ................................................................................................................................................................61 National Conference Photos ........................................................................................................................3,5,8, 9, 10, 52 Kentucky Lodge Directory ............................................................................................................................... APPENDIX A Page 2 Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police Newsletter Winter 2016 President’s Report Berl Perdue, Jr., President Brothers and Sisters, I hope each and every one of you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Now that the holidays are over we have to get back to work on our FOP issues as never before. We are in the midst of trying times as you all know. For the last few years our profession has been under attack by the liberal mainstream news media and our pensions and benefits are constantly being scrutinized by government to find ways to erode and take away what we have earned. On that note, let me assure you that your KY State Lodge, your executive board and your legislative team stand firm and vigilant in defending our members both in Frankfort and Washington. Our legislative committee has worked all summer and now in the session to promote and pass our KLEFPF bill to give a long overdue increase in our training stipend. It has been 15 years since our last increase and we deserve this increase. We train more than ever, we protect Berl Purdue, Jr. more than ever and we do it with less than ever. We are also working to pass a Kentucky State FOP few other bills that will better the law enforcement community across our state President and some individual departments alone. Our legislative committee also pours (859) 808-2020 (859)744-4390 over the hundreds of bills that have been filed to make sure there is nothing else [email protected] being proposed to bring further detriment to our members and profession. We will stand tall and do everything in our power to stop those bills from becoming law. We will again be asking our members at various times to contact your local state representatives and senators asking for them to support our bills and positions. Your local officials do not want to hear from me, they want to hear from you, the person and family that lives in their district and can vote for and support them. Please make the calls when asked and called upon. As always, if you personally or as a lodge need assistance please do not hesitate to call. If I don’t have the answer I will find it or put the person who does have it in contact with you. Many of your problems can be taken care of by your local lodge leaders. If that doesn’t work out please again, call me. But please don’t take your frustrations out on the people trying to assist you. In closing, always remember, “If it’s not good for the Order… Then it’s not good!” Berl Perdue, Jr. National Conference Kentucky delegation assembled in the Convention Hall Winter 2016 Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police Newsletter Page 3 Vice President’s Report Mike Sweeney, Vice President Brothers and Sisters, I hope this letter finds everyone well. First, I would like to congratulate my fellow EBoard members for two more years at the helm of the Ky State FOP and I would also like to welcome our new State Treasurer, Bryan Bogart, to the board. I am sure that Bryan will do an excellent job as Don’s replacement. I also want to recognize and thank Don, again, for over 3 decades of service to the State FOP as our treasurer. Don is not going away, by any means. He will continue on as our survivor benefits coordinator. Thanks again, Don, for your many years of service. Over the last couple of years I have heard some concerns from several members of our FOP that they have not heard about this or were not aware of that. Many feel that they are in the dark about what is happening in the FOP, both on the state and local levels. We have at our fingertips one of the easiest ways to stay informed about state FOP matters as they happen. For several years now and at each conference, we have encouraged all of our members to join Mike Sweeney Kentucky State FOP in and sign up for Constant Contact. This is a simple and easy way to be kept Vice President informed. Simply log into our state website at kystatefop.com and submit your [email protected] email address at the right of the page. You will receive all important information that needs to be disseminated and you will be kept up to date. Our webmaster, Christie Jones, does an excellent job keeping this updated and keeping members informed. But, it is also incumbent on the local lodge president and secretaries to keep their members updated on local and state events. We all have websites on the local level now and every local lodge should have the capability of delivering important messages to your members in minutes via your website or email. But it is just as important to keep the information on your local website up to date. Stale and old outdated information is just as bad as no information at all. Every local lodge should also have the capability of sending out mass emails to your members as well. If you don’t have email set up for your local lodges it is very easy to do. Encourage all of your members to join your email network as well as the state FOP to keep abreast of important information. In this age of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media most everyone is attached. But do not discount the many older members (such as myself) that may not be attached to social media. Do not rely simply on the social media pages. Make it a point to send out reminders each month about your local lodge meetings a week in advance, and remind them again a day or two before. Sometimes it is even beneficial to assign one board member or another member to maintain and update your website each week or two to assure that stale information is removed and replaced with updated information. Encourage members to use this site for information and for updates. But, by all means, keep your members informed. Your lodge meetings are only once a month, but your lodge is also an ongoing business, particularly in some of our larger lodges. And as in any business, communication and information is paramount and key to good leadership. And in the words of the great communicator himself, Ronald Reagan, from over 30 years ago “..Information is the oxygen of the modern age..”.