Ohio FOP E-Focus

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6

STRICKLAND WINS BIG!!!!

The FOP, for
the first time,
entered into
endorsements
of State House
and Senate
candidates
where no local Taylor, Cordray, Cupp, O’Donnell also win.
lodge offered
endorsements.
There are some Congressman Ted Strickland won the Mike DeWine, Betty Montgomery and
kinks that need
to be worked race to become Ohio’s next Governor Greg Hartman did not come out on top
out, but the with about 60% of the vote. The FOP in a tough year for Republicans in Ohio,
FOP only en- endorsed Congressman Strickland and but they were grateful for our support.
dorsed three helped him become the first Democrat
losing candi-
dates for 99 to win the Governor’s seat since Rich-
The FOP has also been in contact with
house seats ard Celeste.
and all the odd the Attorney General-elect Mark Dann
numbered Sen- and will be speaking with Ohio’s top law
ate seats. We The FOP has already reached out to enforcement official very shortly.
were very suc-
Governor-elect Strickland and Lieuten-
cessful in our
process of ant Governor-elect Fisher and their
All in all, the Ohio Fraternal Order of
making these staffs about the transition. The FOP also
endorsements! Police did very well with its state-wide
endorsed Mary Taylor for Auditor, Rich-
endorsements. The candidates were all
ard Cordray for Treasurer and Robert
appreciative of the process and those
Cupp and Terrence O’Donnell for the
that earned the endorsement were
Ohio Supreme Court and they were all
grateful to have it. It is a very important
victorious.
aspect of our legislative process with the
FOP.

FOP/OLC adds Licking Co. Animal Control Officers

On November 11, 2006 the Licking County Animal Control Officers partici-
pated in an election conducted by the State Employment Relations Board. They voted to
have the Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Labor Council represent them in matters of col-
lective bargaining with their employer. We want to thank them for choosing the FOP/
OLC and look forward to representing them.
 Paul Cox’s Brush with Celebrity
PAGE 2
At the recent Ohio Attorney
General Conference, a group
of FOP people were having
lunch when Roy Hazelwood
came and joined us. Mr.
Hazelwood is a former FBI
Profiler and a well known
speaker. In fact, he was the
featured speaker to open the
conference. With him was a
guy who looked like a univer-
sity professor and he actually
was, Dr. Robert Leonard was
a professor at Hofstra Univer-
sity. Dr. Leonard would give
the opening speech the next
day.
Dr. Leonard is a forensic
The founder of Sha
linguist and studies language.
Na Na is now a
He does work in criminal
forensic linguist cases like proving someone
wrote this threatening letter
by comparing it to known
Mike Taylor Decides Against Running for Re-Election
Mike Taylor has been an
elected Officer with the
Fraternal Order of Police
for more than a dozen
years. He has served on
the State Board as State
Secretary and on the Na-
tional Board as Second
National 2nd Vice Presi-
dent Mike Taylor is not Vice President, and now he
running again. has decided it is time to
dedicate more of his time
to his family. Mike has
announced that he will not
seek re-election to his
National Board position.
OHIO FOP E-FOCUS
samples of writings and finding
similar patterns of speech and
such. Anyway, during lunch,
Dr. Leonard was a pleasant
enough guy and we had a
good conversation about his
chosen field of study.
Well, during his speech the
next day, Dr. Leonard ex-
plained he got into linguistics
through rock and roll. He
said he had a record contract
that said he was supposed to
make a lot of money but he
wasn’t, so he started studying
the language in his contract to
find out how he was being
cheated.
He then pressed a remote
control button and up on the
screen were movies about Dr.
Leonard, the perfect picture
of an east coast college pro-
If no Ohio FOP member is
elected to the National
Executive Board in Louis-
ville, it will be the first time
we have not had a mem-
ber on that Board since
the time period before
Dewey Stokes as the Na-
tional Vice President in
1985
Mike has been a good
friend of the Ohio Frater-
nal Order of Police and he
fessor, singing at Woodstock
as the lead singer in the 1960’s
group Sha Na Na.
He began to speak about his
friendship with Jimi Hendrix
and Janis Joplin and such. He
began to speak about the
excesses of the 1960’s rock
and roll lifestyle. It was all
very interesting.
And to think...it was not even
24 hours earlier that Paul Cox
was sitting next to his adoles-
cent hero and he did not even
know it. You see, Paul has
had a secret fantasy of being a
doo wop singer and he was
sitting right next to one of the
best. When Paul found out, he
began to practice his best
falsetto and his dance moves
in hopes that Dr. Leonard will
want to re-form Sha Na Na.
will be missed. Mike will
not be an elected member
of the FOP any longer,
however, he will not be
out of touch with our
membership. Mike has
started a lobbying business
with Ted Brown and the
Ohio FOP has a contract
with this company to assist
us with our legislative af-
fairs.
Good Luck Mike!!!
 PAGE 3

Reminder: FOP/OLC Dues Increase-January 1, 2007

Pursuant to the Code of Regulations and Consti-
tution of the FOP, Ohio Labor Council, Inc., the
dues for the organization will increase January 1,
2007.
The SERB reported that the average annual wage
increase for law enforcement in 2005 was 2.9%.
Using the formula set in the Constitution, the
OLC dues increase for 2007 will be $0.60. This
will make the monthly total $30.10. Fair Share
Fees will also increase. They will be $28.36 per
month.
The Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Labor Council
has notified your employer and deduction of dues will
continue as it does currently. If you have any ques-
tions regarding the dues increase or the Constitution
and Bylaws of the FOP/OLC, please contact your
Staff Representative.

U.S. to Study Need for More Police Funding

Justice Department investigators will visit police departments nationwide to determine whether more federal dollars are needed
to stem the nation's rising rate of violent crime, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Monday.

The Justice Department is under pressure to increase federal money for local police programs. In September, the FBI reported
that violent crime rose 2.3 percent in 2005, the largest increase since 1991 and a trend that some police officials have blamed
on cuts in federal crime-fighting grants.

"We need to find out why this is happening, what we can do to reverse that trend," Gonzales said in Boston during the annual
meeting of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

While Gonzales said the review is important to determine the causes of what he described as a "small uptick" in violent crime,
he said the overall crime rate is the lowest in more than 30 years.

Some police organizations expressed disappointment that the initiative doesn't include immediate financial help for police de-
partments struggling to make up for years of reductions in federal funding. The Bush administration has cut grants for state and
local crime-fighting programs on the grounds that they've outlived their usefulness or have underperformed. COPS, a program
aimed at hiring 100,000 police officers nationwide, has been among those hit the hardest. Legislation pending before Congress
would largely restore the administration cuts proposed this year.

Thomas Frazier, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which represents the police departments in the 56
largest cities, said the departments already know the reason for rising violent-crime rates: gangs, drug use and poverty.
The Justice Department can help police departments with rising crime by pushing for an increase in federal funding, Frazier
said.

Article appeared in McClatchy Newspapers

 PAGE 4

Polar Bear Plunge is Fast Approaching

The annual Polar Bear Plunge is set for February 23 and 24 at Geneva State Park. This
This is an absolute is the biggest fundraiser for the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics and
one of the biggest parties of the year. There is a Texas Hold-Em tournament, a Harley
great time, for a
Davidson Raffle and the plunge into Lake Erie in the middle of February. Sometimes
great cause, so they have to use cranes and dynamite to get the ice off and sometimes the weather is
beautiful but whatever Mother Nature does, the good times are still there.
make your plans
Check out www.polarbearplunge.org for more
now!!! information

Board Meeting set for January 19-20

The FOP of Ohio’s Winter Board
Meeting has been set for January 19-20
in Columbus, Ohio. The main item on
the agenda is the annual budget. Usu-
ally, members that are running for of-
fice usually announce their candidacy at
this meeting as well.
The hotel will be the Hilton Garden
Inn at Polaris (Columbus), to make a
reservation for January 19, please call
614-846-8884 before December 15.
The rooms should be $99 per night. The
largest mall in Ohio is just across the
street.
The State Lodge has arranged a “Hockey
Night in Columbus” event with the
Columbus Blue Jackets versus the De-
troit Red Wings on the 19th by getting
discounted tickets for $37 each and a
free Blue Jackets hat for each person.
Contact jmcdonald@fopohio.org to
RSVP for hockey tickets or more infor-
mation on the hockey event. You can
attend the hockey event even if you do
not attend the meeting, but we hope
you plan to make all events.

OHIO FOP E-FOCUS

 PAGE 5

Enforcement Expo 2007 Scheduled

The Enforcement
Expo 2007 has been
scheduled for July 11
and 12 at the I-X Cen-
ter in Cleveland.
Last year, the Enforce-
ment Expo expanded
its offerings to include
hands-on opportuni-
ties to the attendees,
which will continue
this coming July. Live
fire events, test drives
of the new police
package cruisers, skid
cars, tactical course
challenges and more
will be available to
those of you who at-
tend. IT WILL ALL
BE FREE!!!
The educational por-
tion of the event is
currently being
planned but what I
can tell you already is
that the FOP has ne-
gotiated even lower
prices for our mem-
bers than last year.
We are also trying to
organize some semi-
nars that will be free.
Enforcement Expo
2007 is scheduled for a
couple of days before
the annual state con-
ference, so make your
plans to come to En-
forcement Expo, stay
a day extra and then
go to the annual con-
ference. This event is
great for you and it is
great for the Ohio
FOP.

FOP/OLC Arbitration Update

MEMBER DID NOT ABUSE SICK LEAVE-SUSPENSION REVERSED

An hour and a half before his shift started, the grievant called his supervisor and asked to be given sick leave for a migraine head-
ache. Six hours later the grievant was awakened by a phone call from a fellow officer who was concerned about a mutual friend who
was behaving strangely and asked the grievant if he could join him and their friend for dinner at a local bar and restaurant. At the
restaurant were a group of other officers and their spouses seated in another area. They all joined together for dinner. The next morn-
ing, the grievant and the officer who had called him played softball together. The friend who was behaving strangely showed up at
the department and rambled incoherently to a sergeant, who discovered in the interview that the strange friend had been to dinner the
night before with the grievant. The sergeant, who knew the grievant had called in sick, notified the chief about the grievant and his
sick leave request. When interviewed, the grievant explained all the events as they happened. The employer suspended the grievant
for 13 days for abuse of sick leave and for being dishonest.

At the arbitration hearing, the FOP/OLC attorney argued that the employer could not prove the grievant was not sick when he called
in sick, that there was nothing that prevented an employee who was not capable of performing his duties from having dinner, that the
grievant’s employment record showed no other discipline nor any history of sick leave use, and that the employer charged him with
dishonesty simply because they didn’t believe he was sick. A thirteen day suspension for a first time allegation of sick leave abuse
was excessive, calling for a one day suspension at most.

The arbitrator agreed with the FOP/OLC. The employer failed to prove its case and had disciplined the grievant based on conjecture,
theorizing that the grievant had arranged to meet the group for dinner and used the guise of being sick to be available for the dinner
occasion. The arbitrator also noted that the contract and department policy failed to limit the activities of employees who called in
sick, though he did note that certain activities might call the legitimate use of sick leave into question.

The arbitrator ordered that the grievant be paid for the 13 days the employer had suspended him.
(Issued September 22, 2006. Employer-City of Cuyahoga Falls)
 THERE IS NO WAY YOU SHOULD MISS THIS!!!
PAGE 6

Our next state conference in Independence,
Ohio will feature all the business and fra-
ternalism to which you are accustomed.
There will also be something happening
that you have never seen...
Lets start from the beginning, your FOP
You think he will leaders were in Boston at an Eastern States
enjoy wearing his meeting when the topic of the Ohio State
Troy Smith jersey versus Michigan game came up. Na-
in the state up tional Trustee, Chet DeLong suggested a
north???? bet between your President, Nick Di-
Marco and the Michigan President, John
Kirkpatrick, where the winner would host the
loser at their state conference and outfit the
loser in the winning team’s colors.
As everyone in the world should have known
ahead of time, the great Ohio State Buckeyes
came out ahead of their fierce rivals.
Because of the outcome, President Kirkpatrick
will be asked to come to our conference. Per-
haps we will be able to get him to sing Carmen
Ohio.

Fresno, CA. has Different Approach to DUI Enforcement

In Fresno, California, the cops work DUI’s very differently
than we do here. The USA Today reported on this enforce-
ment style on November 6, 2006.
The Fresno cops start the Friday night sting by placing un-
dercover officers to stake out parking lots of bars and radio
in intoxicated people who leave the tavern. Uniform officers
then swoop in and make the arrest for
DUI.
They also covertly place GPS signals on
the cars of convicted drunk drivers to see
if they are going to bars.
These tough tactics are in response to the
statistics that say that only one in fifty
drunk drivers are caught and 1/3 of those
caught are repeat offenders. MADD says
that 50-75% of those with a suspended license for a
drunk driving conviction still drive anyway. More than
30 states, including Ohio, have increased penalties for
DUI with high BAC levels and all 50 states have a .08
level for DUI. No jurisdiction has gone to the level of
Fresno however.
Fresno generates about 5 million dollars a year through
this enforcement and they have hired 92 officers with
that money. Before this crackdown, there were more
fatal accident victims than murder victims in Fresno.
There has not been an alcohol related traffic death
since May. MADD and the IACP have given awards to
Fresno but that has not stopped the controversy.
What do you think about this kind of high level enforce-
ment?

Ohio FOP E-Mail Database

The Ohio FOP has made a great effort to provide more infor-
mation from the State Lodge to all 25,000 members of the
greatest law enforcement organization in the world. We have
focused on the internet to be the provider of this information,
through our re-designed web site and email updates. This elec-
tronic newsletter is also used to be a source of information that
is sent out in a consistent and timely basis.
I feel that we are doing a good job of getting information out
there to the membership but I also feel that we can do an even
better job.
We only have about 13% of our members e-mail addresses. Please
help us capture more email addresses so that we can communicate
more effectively. You can help by gathering and forwarding email
addresses to acrawford@fopohio.org. Include your name lodge
number as well as your email address. We have never sold the
email addresses and we only will use it for
FOP business.
Don’t forget to inform us if you change your
email address too!

OHIO FOP E-FOCUS

 PAGE 7

“More calls, less officers”

It is a familiar story across Ohio. Crime is going up and the number of officers is going down. In
Middletown, Ohio, they are down 16 officers from their prior staffing levels and they have more seri-
ous calls to handle. In Marion, Ohio, they are down 6 officers from their authorized strength. Those
numbers may not sound that bad, but they are about ten percent of the those departments. Specialized
units, such as Community Oriented Policing units and DARE are being disbanded because of a lack of
funds and because the needs of the street patrols always take priority. Some departments are even dis-
banding detective bureaus to handle the street. Shrinking departments are not only bad for public
safety and officer safety, they are bad for your pensions also. With a reducing number of contribu-
tors, you have a reduction in income for the Pension Systems. A reduction in income for the system
may ultimately amount to a reduction in benefit to the members of the system.

US Supreme Court to Hear Important Case

The US Supreme Court has decided to hear a case that revolves around whether or not a police officer who intentionally rams a fleeing vehi-
cle can be held civilly liable.

The case stems from a 1998 incident in Georgia where a fleeing suspect was traveling at 100 mph and a PIT maneuver was used to try to stop
him. He was sent over an embankment. The suspect lived but was rendered a quadriplegic.

Most state laws say that the police are not liable for injuries caused fleeing the police but this case is being argued as a
improper seizure under the 4th amendment. A lower court agreed with this argument and it was appealed directly to
the Supreme Court.

Please keep an eye on this as it may affect police pursuit policies across the country.

Cop Killer’s Law License Suspended

Derek Farmer, who was convicted for his role in the mur-
der of a police officer but was granted the ability to become He now has lost his license for overcharging clients and
a lawyer by the Ohio Supreme Court, had his law license mishandling cases.
suspended for a year and will get a year of probation as
well. Farmer spent 18 years in prison for his
crimes. It is apparent that he still has
Farmer sparked outrage a few months ago by appearing at not learned how to stay out of trouble.
a City of Dayton sponsored event, as a positive role model,
to mark Black History Month .
 POLICE HUMOR

FOP of Ohio Calendar

January 6 Eastern States Regional Labor Coalition Florida

January 19 FOP Night in Columbus w/ the Blue Jackets Columbus

January 19-20 FOP of Ohio Winter Board Meeting Columbus

February 9 Leadership Matters Nashville, TN

February 24 Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics Ashtabula

May 4-5 FOP of Ohio Spring Board Meeting Sandusky

July 14-17 State Conference Independence