Sgt at Arms' Message

By Richard LaRochelle

                I hope everyone reading this is doing well and surviving the rough economic times we are currently experiencing.  April 28-May 1 Greg Palmer and I attended a Collective Bargaining Seminar, where police and fire unions from across the country came together with labor attorneys and management attorneys to discuss collective bargaining issues and how to negotiate for new contracts in a dismissal economic environment.  This was one of the first seminars I have attended on this topic and it was very eye-opening and somewhat scary.  I am here to tell you it is bad all over the country.  Not only are police and fire unions across the country being tasked with taking furloughs and cutting budgets, but many unions told stories of how they are losing actual police and fire personnel positions, not just vacancies, but actual police officers and fireman being laid off.  That is extremely scary because as police officers we know when the economy is bad the crime is good and when the economy is bad enough that it forces cities to start laying off police and fire personnel things will only get worse for the communities we take an oath to defend and keep safe.

            Due to the fact the economy is in such a downward spiral we are being very proactive with the city leaders by coming together early at the table to discuss what our options are, what our members need/want, what the city needs/wants, and how to best keep the city afloat, keep jobs, while still putting together a good contract for the service we provide this city and its citizens.  Attending seminars such as this gives us ideas of how to negotiate a worthwhile contract without giving up what we have, while at the same time not asking for monetary compensation in the form of raises, which face it, is unrealistic during hard times and would make us look plain greedy. 

            We have assembled a good negotiating team and we have some of the most talented attorneys working for us and guiding us through these difficult times.  I also want to give credit to our city leaders because even though they are feeling the economic crunch and things are uncertain, I believe they are being very proactive with us, working with us, and truly making public safety a priority.

            On May 7-8, Greg Palmer, Ed Thaete, Clint Cavaness, Mike Foster, and I attended the California Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony in Sacramento .  This annual ceremony honors our fallen brothers and sisters who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while protecting and serving the citizens of their communities.  This was my second time attending the ceremony and I must say it is truly amazing to see the out pouring of love and support the law enforcement community shows the families of the fallen police officers.  This ceremony is our opportunity every year to show the families of the fallen officers that their loved ones will never be forgotten by their law enforcement family.

            This year there were a total of 19 names placed on the memorial (10 from 2008 and 9 from prior years).  The ceremony honored those 19 fallen officers in a respectable and honored fashion and I was proud to be able to attend and pay my respects to those officers.

            Next year’s ceremony will have even more meaning because one of Anaheim ’s fallen brothers will have his name inscribed onto the memorial.  Town Marshal Charles F. Lehman will be given a place on the memorial and it is my hope that many of you make arrangements to be part of the ceremony next year.  What better way to honor Marshal Lehman then to have a strong showing of Anaheim Officers in attendance.  So please make plans now to attend the ceremony, which is always held the first Thursday and Friday in May.

            For those of you who have never attended the ceremony begins on Thursday night with an intimate candle light vigil with the families of the fallen officers in attendance and hundreds of law enforcement officers from around California .  It is an informal gathering, meaning everyone is dressed very casual and it is a time to just reflect back on the lives of the fallen officers and it gives the families a chance to mingle with the officers attending. 

            On Friday the actual memorial is held and this is a very formal day with uniformed officers in their best Class A uniform, bag pipes, 21 gun salute, hundreds of police motor cycles and cars processing through the main streets, horse mounted officers on display, and the families of the fallen officers are walked from the State Capital with the Governor and other elected officials to the Peace Officer Memorial through a path formed by hundreds of saluting uniformed officers from all over California called the “Walk of Honor”.  The ceremony last for approximately an hour and a half as each officer is honored by their name being read, a white dove released into the air and their family members are escorted up to the memorial so that they may place a rose on the memorial and say a final goodbye to their loved one.  It is a very emotional experience, but one every officer should experience at least once during their career.  Hopefully many of you will be able to attend next year.

            On May 9^th, Greg Palmer, Ed Thaete, and I attended the annual Ford Galaxy Classic Car Show at Twila Reid Park sponsored by the West Anaheim community group, Wand.  It was a well attended event and Greg Palmer was asked to judge some of the cars on display by selecting the one car present that was most likely to be given a speeding ticket.  The winner was a 1955 Ford F-100 custom truck with an engine that could produce over 560 horse power.  This truck is a daily driver that just so happens to also have Nitrous Oxide tanks mounted in the rear bed area, which pretty much guarantees only Angel is going to be able to maybe keep up with it and get it stopped in order to issue it a ticket.  This was a fun event and we had a strong representation of Anaheim Police Department details, services, and personnel that helped make the event a success.

            There are many events like this that come and go throughout the year that are worthy of our attendance and lots of fun for the whole family, so I suggest that you keep an eye and ear open for these events and try to attend.  They are usually for great causes and it is good for the community we serve to see we care about our city.

            As always be safe out there and get involved.