DPS Transition News Release 04_27_2012

Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #86

NEWS RELEASE

INDY FOP RESPONDS TO STRAUB’S RESIGNATION ANNOUNCEMENT

FOP PRESIDENT REMAINS FOCUSED ON THE FOP’S TEN STEP STABILIZATION PLAN

INDIANAPOLIS –Today, Indy Mayor Greg Ballard announced the resignation of Director

of Public Safety, Frank Straub, which will be effective August 1, 2012.

In response to the public announcement on Friday April 27, 2012, FOP President, Bill

Owensby issued the following written statement:

“Obviously, our membership is supportive of the Mayor’s announcement regarding the

transition within the Department of Public Safety. However, many questions still exist

especially as they relate to Directors Straub’s replacement.

In the interim, we remain focused on our current and future budgetary challenges which

threaten our community policing efforts. We stand by our FOP Ten Step Stabilization

Plan which included this transition and we now look forward to working with our

community and our elected officials to take the remaining nine steps.

We remain committed to assist in this process if allowed to do so. We look forward to

working WITH the Mayor, the City County Council and the police department’s

leadership to make a great department even better through meaningful improvements.

Our membership continues to strive for excellence in their chosen profession and simply

seek the tools, equipment and proper leadership to achieve our community’s goals.”

On Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 11:00 AM, the Fraternal Order of Police will be prepared to release a Ten Step Stabilization Plan that will include numerous initiatives that will help to reduce the proposed budget deficit in the Department of Public Safety.  While some of the steps are in the initial planning stages, all of the steps are designed to help alleviate some of the strain that is on the DPS budget.  While the FOP is still requesting an audit be completed on the DPS budget and spending, we feel it is important to show that we are eager to be involved in solutions to the issue and this plan will help in stabilization as an audit is completed.  There will be a limited opportunity for Q & A.

FOP Response to Press Conference of April 17, 2012

Press Release

The information revealed on Tuesday regarding the 2nd vial of blood in the David Bisard case is troubling.  We continue to keep the Wells, Weekly and Mills families in our thoughts and prayers.  It will be important in the days and weeks ahead to allow this new investigation to be completed and not to rush to judgment as others in leadership positions have done.  IMPD consists of professional men and women who continue to work every day to keep our community safe.  Some of the information discussed in the press conference on Tuesday painted a picture of IMPD that was self-serving to the Director of Public Safety and intentionally misleading.  The history of our department does not reveal a department rife with corruption and ineptitude, but of unselfish acts of heroism, sacrifice, and dedication.  On behalf of nearly 3,000 active and retired members we remain proudly serving our community.

Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 86

Indianapolis

In response to Matthew Tully’s column of Friday, March 30, I am a retired Indianapolis Police Department officer with 33 years of service to the city.  Sixteen of those years were spent working my way up the ranks in the uniform division and 17 in the detective division as commander of the vice branch.  In those 33 years I never received a demerit or suspension. 

Mr. Tully has a negative opinion of the F.O.P. and a positive opinion of scientific police management as espoused by public safety director Frank Straub.  My 83 years have taught me that there are very few completely new ideas.  Mr. Straub’s position, and that of other learned academics, reminds me of the theory of scientific management that was practiced on the military  by Robert McNamara and his so-called whiz kids under President Kennedy.  We all know how well that worked out:  the debacle of Vietnam.

During my years of service I saw many policing styles come and go.  Uniformed officers dubbed Riley’s Raiders flooded high crime areas in the 60’s when Robert Riley was chief.  Other specialty crime fighting task forces were tried with limited success. Mr. Tully criticizes the use of police districts, but I do not know of anything that can replace the personal contact and bonding between an officer and the neighborhood he serves.  This goes back to the very beginnings of policing in England in the early 1800’s.  The community has to trust the officer and the officer has to trust the community.  They work together as a team, backed up by the great breakthroughs in forensic science.

Policing is an art and a science and, much like learning the skills of a great chef or master machinist, takes years and a lot of hands-on experience.  The best big city police officers combine intellect and hard-nosed street smarts.  In my years on the force I learned from masters such as my sergeant and inspector, Tom Klein.  At 93 years he is still a regular attendee at retired officers meetings.  And we both learned from Captain Jack Small, now deceased, who joined the force in 1927. 

Captain Small remembered passing a hat to come up with something for the widow if a police officer was killed in the line of duty.  Back in those days an officer had almost no time off and could be fired for looking cross-eyed.  I do not recall an instance in his past articles where Mr. Tully chastised a union organization for seeking improvements for its members.  Slowly, through the FOP, the men and women of IPD gained some rights, better working conditions, more time off and better pay.

Quoting Mr. Tully, “the police union for decades has fought with every mayoral administration that has come along.”  The FOP has never been and never will be an obstructionist organization, and in fact has worked with every mayor who had a positive attitude toward his police officers.  We have opposed any mayor who was hostile toward his police force.

The citizens of Indianapolis want and deserve freedom from fear. The question that must be answered is, why does Indianapolis have fewer officers on the streets than comparably sized cities?  There is no magic management style that will be effective without enough manpower.  Districts can be smaller when you have an adequately sized force and smaller districts have a two- fold advantage.  Officers have more float time where they can cruise alleys and side streets looking for trouble before it happens and smaller districts mean a greater police presence and thus, a safer city.

Indianapolis has a long list of officers who have been killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.  IPD and the members of the FOP have a proud history of extending themselves even unto death to protect the people of this city.  Until Indianapolis can match other cities of like population in manpower, there won’t be any magic answers.

Sincerely,

Mack Crockett

Captain (retired) IPD

306 S. 21^st Street

Richmond, IN 47374

765-966-4847

March 29, 2012  

Video Clip Link

On Tuesday, March 20, 2012, the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #86 learned the Mayor of Indianapolis has sent his nomination for the Director of Public Safety to the Indianapolis City County Council for review and approval.  As a result, we have learned the Mayor has nominated the current Director of Public Safety Frank Straub.

Our collective organization firmly believes in the role of the people’s representatives to provide review and consent on political appointments such as this which impact the security and safety of our community.  As with any component of the policing profession, we believe in the role of community involvement and look forward to the important ongoing hearings within the Public Safety Committee and the Council beginning on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 and continuing on Wednesday April 18, 2012.

Further, we believe it is important that a fair and impartial review be completed void of political motivations and influence.  Instead, we are confident our Council representatives will complete this fact finding responsibility in a timely manner.

In the interim, we ask the citizens of Indianapolis to focus on an outcome based objective review of the candidate.  Accordingly, we are afforded the opportunity to evaluate the past performance of the Director and determine the return on our city’s investment.  In doing so, we ask our community to consider the following variables:

Do you feel safer than you did two (2) years ago?  Our community partners have reported to us they have a reduced sense of personal and public safety.  Unfortunately, our officers also express the same concern.  As a result:

• Crime is up;
• Assaults on our police officers have dramatically increased;
• We are facing budget shortfalls;
• Officer morale is significantly low and worsening;
• We have less police officers on our streets and in our neighborhoods and schools;
• We have strayed from a successful and proactive community policing model.

However, we can change course…we can now make a change.  We look forward to the results of the Council’s review and stand ready to assist in this process if allowed to do so.  In spite of all these challenges, our membership continues to strive for excellence in their chosen profession and simply seek the tools, equipment and proper leadership to achieve our community’s goals.

Your FOP continues to work for our membership to ensure your employment rights are protected and your concerns are addressed.  We have included a link to meeting so that you may educate yourself on the totality of the discussions. 

The entire meeting is over 5 hours long.  To assist with viewing efficiencies, the FOP presentation begins at approximately 04:06:00 on the timer on the bottom of screen.  However, we encourage our membership to also review the Chief’s presentation and the testimony of several citizens beginning at approximately 03:38:00.

Fraternally,

Bill Owensby, President

To track current FOP News visit us at www.fop86.org and for real time updates follow us on Twitter @RickFOP86.

1^st Vice President’s Message / Rick Snyder

Greetings,

As we move forward in what has already been a challenging year, we are consistently reminded of the value of our membership within the Fraternal Order of Police.  Recently, members of your local lodge Executive Board met with the leadership team of the National FOP.  During this meeting, we reflected on the role of police officers representing police officers.  Within this spirit, your FOP Lodge #86 continues to build on the proud tradition of being the voice of our city’s law enforcement. 

During the meeting, National President Chuck Canterbury, reminded us that “no other police association offers so much for so little.  Whether in labor, legislation, education or fraternalism, your voice and the voice of your fellow members is the voice of the Fraternal Order of Police.”

This is a powerful yet simple statement, but it is a reflection of what we sometimes come to take for granted.  Since assuming the responsibilities as First Vice President and while fulfilling the role as Special Duty Representative, I have found myself spending time researching and learning about the history of the FOP.

“In 1915, the life of a police officer was bleak.  In many communities they were forced to work 12 hours days, 365 days a year.  Police officers did not like it, but there was little they could do to change their working conditions.  There were no organizations to make their voices heard – no other means to make their grievances known.”

I am amazed by the challenges overcome by our “fraternal forefathers” in order for us to enjoy the benefits and rights we have today.  As a result of solid leadership, the FOP has become “the most influential voice among law enforcement professionals” throughout our great nation.  Subsequently, we are afforded the opportunity to be represented by one of the largest lodges in the country with demonstrated success in each of the following areas:

LABOR  As the sole representative organization for our law enforcement professionals, the FOP Lodge #86 strongly believes in the importance of good faith negotiations which are mutually beneficial to our City and our merit police officers.  Our Lodge provides a comprehensive set of resources and services designed to ensure that no officer stands alone.  We know that no one can represent an officer as well as a fellow officer.  The FOP #86 members have worked through thousands of labor situations with the assistance of the highly skilled support services of the RuckLaw firm in the area of labor relations.  In addition, your Executive Board is available to answer questions from members and to provide information and advice.

LEGAL  We are blessed to have one of the greatest legal teams in the country, the Ruckelshaus Law firm.  With over 100 years of legal service, the firm has grown and transformed under the guidance of the founder’s grandson, John C. Ruckelshaus.  Mr. Ruckelshaus, who is affectionately known as “Ruck” has served as legal counsel to the local, state and national FOP.  Ruck is quick to remind our membership, “I bleed blue” and he has a long history of standing strong for the protections and rights of police officers.

“A civilized society cannot survive when the ordinary institutions of government unite against the guardians of civilization.”  -John C. Ruckelshaus, National FOP Counsel 1977

The FOP Lodge #86 is one of the very few lodges in the country to offer a legal assistance plan as part of the regular dues structure.  The FOP #86 legal assistance plan is designed exclusively for the legal defense protection of its law enforcement professionals.  With the increased public scrutiny police officers face in today’s litigious society, the Legal Assistance Plan must be a part of our standard operating procedure.  Our Legal Assistance Plan includes Administrative, Civil and Criminal actions arising within the scope of law enforcement employment, whether on or off duty.  Your FOP #86 also provides protection against frivolous administrative and disciplinary actions.  As a result, a benefit of Lodge #86 membership is protection for your professional and personal financial security.

LEGISLATIVE  The FOP is the most respected law enforcement organization in Indianapolis.  As such, the FOP #86 is called upon almost daily as a resource for the City County Council, the Mayor’s Office, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, Merit Boards, Pension Boards, community groups and other local, state and federal agencies and legislative bodies on matters of concern to law enforcement.  Our lodge staff of professional advocates work every day to advance the interests of you, the members of the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #86.

EDUCATION  The FOP #86 is committed to furthering the belief in law enforcement that “knowledge is power.”  Our lodge firmly believes the number one equalizer amongst all is education.  As a result, the FOP #86 provides a number of opportunities for members to obtain knowledge.  The FOP #86 has been a co-host and sponsor of the Women in Leadership Conference, the Leadership Academy and various other Leadership Symposiums and Conferences.  All of which offers lodge members the tools to make them more effective leaders within our organization, various police agencies and our communities. 

We also participate in the National Fraternal Order of Police University program which assists local members in completing their college education.  The FOP #86 now offers members an opportunity to either start or complete their college educations by forming an alliance with regionally accredited universities which offer degree programs you can complete entirely online.  The participating schools offer special benefits to FOP members which in some cases include tuition discounts and scholarships.  Please contact our local lodge office for further information.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT  The FOP #86 is committed to cultivating a spirit of fraternalism and mutual helpfulness among our members and the people we serve.  The FOP has been a National Corporate Sponsor of Easter Seals since 1978.  During that time, millions of dollars have been raised for the charity.  The Indiana State FOP has also supported the Law Enforcement Torch Run which now involves over one hundred thousand law enforcement officers from around the world.  Every year millions of dollars are raised all for Special Olympics programs. 

Locally, Lodge #86 has formed a partnership with the Villages which is the largest non-profit foster care placement organization in the State of Indiana.  As a result, the FOP #86 is part of an alliance with Prevent Child Abuse of Indiana and has begun an aggressive public campaign highlighting child abuse and neglect prevention programs as well as sharing the benefits of foster care and adoption programs.  We are honored to work with such an organization and will always stand for those least able to defend themselves, our children.

In addition, the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #86 helps bring smiles, warm clothing and toys to children within the metro community through our Annual Shop With A Cop® Event every holiday season.  After completing fundraising efforts throughout the year, the FOP #86 puts thousands of dollars back into our local community and helps bring Christmas cheer to hundreds of Indianapolis youth.  The FOP #86 has also adopted local shelters throughout the years.  The members of FOP #86 are committed to protecting and serving the Indianapolis community.  This also means helping children and their families during times of difficulty.

“Because of the police, I get to have a Christmas this year.” – A seven year old child at Shop with a Cop 2011

As you can see, the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #86 has a record of “building on a proud tradition.”  It is these traditions and our commitment to one another and our communities that help move our profession and our organization forward.  As always, I am honored to serve our lodge and I am humbled by our past traditions, current reflections and future progress.

Fraternally,

Rick Snyder

*Many sections have been adapted from various FOP publications including, but not limited to the National FOP “Building on a Proud Tradition”,The FOP “A History”, and other local FOP resources.