oir i wrsxrii cn1 H 11[111111 Member of COPS California Organization of Police & Sheriffs. Official Publication of the San Francisco Police Officers' Association To Promote the Efficiency and Good Name of the San Francisco Police Department and its Merrthers E 04 I *41 i1 Y, 1990 NUW1$2.K z' Cancer Presumption For IN MEMORIAM Police Officers IM by Fay Vincent, Commissioner of Baseball by Mike Hebei, Welfare Officer Editor's Note: Those closest to Com- As of January 1, 1990 cancer now joins mander Nelson feel that this remembrance, other workers' compensation police officer written by Mr. Vincent, illustrates perfect- presumptions. These now include heart ly what made Isiah Nelson the cop that he trouble, pneumonia, hernia and tubercu- was. losis. With the addition of cancer, only hepatitis remains uncovered amongst dis- I intend no disrespect to either Dave eases for which the POA has lobbied for Stewart or the Oakland A's, but for me the presumptions. real hero of the 1989 World Series was The Law Commander Isiah Nelson of the San Fran- Labor Code Section 3212.1 provides cisco Police Department. A week ago, that an occupational injury includes "cancer Commander Nelson was killed when his which develops or manifests itself during motorcycle crashed into a cement barrier a period while the member is in the service rate among police officers is double that of on Interstate 280. of the department, if the member the civilian population. A New York state The earthquake on Oct. 17, 1989, was demonstrates that he or she was exposed, study suggests that police officers are more a significant disaster. But, like most while in the service of the department, to prone to cancer because of the high stress tragedies, it had its unexpected benefits. I Commander Isiah Nelson a known carcinogen as defined by the In- of their employment. grew to know, respect and admire Com- ternational Agency for Research on Cancer Reporting Carcinogenic Exposure mander Nelson, and by the time I left San Commander Nelson stayed on the field and that the carcinogen is reasonable link- Known carcinogens include: arsenic, Francisco after the fourth game, I con- and remained in touch with police head- ed to the disabling cancer." asbestos, benzene, beryllium, cadmium, sidered him a friend. His death is, therefore, quarters while continuing to monitor ac- This presumption applies only to peace chromium, DDT, PCB, dioxane, ethylene a personal loss, and I will miss him greatly. tivities in the ballpark and in the parking officers who are primarily engaged in ac- oxide, formaldehyde, oils, soots, tars, and I met him first at the 1989 All Star Game lots. When the ballpark was nearly emp- tive law enforcement duties. The compen- vinyl chloride. at Anaheim. I next saw him on the field at ty, he offered to help me get to the sation awarded for cancer includes full While there is no specfic SFPD form to Candlestick Park before the earthquake. hospitality tent outside the park and polite- hospital, surgical, medical treatment, report exposure to carcinogenic materials, He was in charge of the police at ly suggested that I wait there for a few disability indemnity, and death benefits. officers are encouraged to use SFPD 348 Candlestick and cut an impressive figure hours until he could figure out how to get This presumption is disputable and may "Report of Contact with' Contagious in his motorcycle uniform. He was trim and me and others in my party back to the be controverted by sufficient other Disease" or SFPD 68 "Memorandum". In ruggedly handsome, and part of his allure, hotel. During the next several hours, he evidence. It extends to a police officer, using either of these forms, the particular I am sure, was his appearance. As we chat- periodically appeared with updates on both following termination of service, for a exposure should be set forth. If the par- ted idly before the game, neither of us could the situation at the ballpark and within the period of three months for each full year ticular agent (gas, solid or liquid) can be suspect what was about to happen. community. of service, but not to exceed five years. identified, this should be stated. Members And when it happened, Commander After a few hours he told me that he was Police Officer Vulnerability are strongly encouraged to keep a copy of Nelson quickly and effectively took charge. going to move his command center, a huge A recent study by the California Depart- these reports. My recollections of the moments after the van full of communications gear, to ment of Health Services found the cancer Reporting is crucial in that the presump- earthquake focus on him. He was calm, ful- downtown San Francisco and offered to in- tion operates only "if the member ly in charge, crisp and incredibly helpful. clude my car in the caravan his officers demonstrates that he or she was exposed, He came immediately to my box at the would escort. The ride back to San Fran- as he was on the field after the earthquake. while in the service of the department, to edge of the field to give me the early reports cisco that night was eerie. As we proceed- This man simply knew what he was do- a known carcinogen." on the damage. As information about the ed, we could see fires burning in the ing. He was a professional. All of us quickly disaster reached us, he was careful to give distance and the blackened city, unlit and learned that he was better at what he did me what limited facts he had and to answer smoking, presented an unforgettable than we could ever be at our duties. And Notebook my questions clearly and precisely. He image. so we admired him - all of us - with the The knew his job, and he was sensitive to mine. In the car we were stunned and quiet. respect that flows to a professional doing Needs You Our first major problem was that aux- Driving through empty streets and seeing his job at the highest levels of proficiency. iliary generators were not connected to the people standing in shock on corners made Of course we eventually played the We need your articles to make public address system - an oversight that us feel inconsequential and mindful of the World Series, due in large measure to the this the best possible newspaper has since been corrected at every major awesome power of the earthquake. sensitive cooperation of Mayor Agnos, Articles should be sent to: league ballpark. One of our principal ob- After an uneasy night in a hotel without Chief Jordan and Commander Nelson. Tom Flippin, Editor jectives was, therefore, to get information power and water, we convened a con- And when we returned to Candlestick to SFPOA Notebook and instructions to the crowd. ference the next morning attended by resume the World Series on that wonder- 510 7th Street Acting in part on Commander Nelson's representatives of every organization with ful Friday night, Commander Nelson and San Francisco, CA 94103 advice, I quickly called off the ball game. something to contribute to our decision on I shared the special satisfaction of having Deadline for June issue: Just as quickly, he produced a squad car the future of "our modest little game." Pre- persevered through a difficult time. We had Tuesday, May 29, 1990 in which he circled the field, and using the sent was Commander Nelson, looking as (See NELSON, Back Page) car's loud speaker, told the crowd the game alert as if he had experienced a quiet even- had been called. In clear, but authoritative ing in his den. IN THIS ISSUE tones, he directed the fans to leave the When I asked him when he thought the ballpark in an orderly fashion and to re- police might be in a position to return to Widows and Orphans Page 2 Board Minutes Page 8 main calm. There is no doubt that the duty at Candlestick, he gave me a straight remarkable evacuation of the ballpark that answer: he didn't know. And so began the Veterans' POA Page 2 Money Management Seminar night, a thing that brought great credit to period in which we waited for Mayor Art Page 9 the city and its people, was due in large Agnos of the City of San Francisco and its Health Plan Enrollment Page 2 measure to the superb leadership of Com- able police department, led by Chief Frank Medals of Valor Pages 12 & 13 mander Nelson. Jordan, to tell us when baseball could pro- From The President Page 3 For the next hour or so, I remained in perly and prudently resume. In the weird press conferences that occured during the Letters Page 17 my box while Commander Nelson, work- Around The Department ing closely with the Giants personnel, next several days, candle lit and somber Page 3 Pages 18 & 19 supervised the fans' departure. Information as they were, I regularly asked Commander PAL Nelson to report to the press his predic- about the magnitude of the quake con- Retired Members Page 4 Sports tinued to reach us, and we became increas- tions on police availability. In those cir- ingly aware of the size of the disaster. cumstances he was as effective and crisp Page 2 Notebook May, 1990 tected. That is, the vested benefits are pro- San Francisco tected. Our pay can not go down, but it could go up. Several attorneys have review- ed the language: Mike Hebel, Jim Stark, Widows and Orphans Veteran Police Dan Maguire, Davis, Reno & Courtney.