Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye . . . We are on the edge of the new millennium. By the time it gets here we will be sick of the word. Nevertheless, we are about to embark into a new era in time. As we look back over the years since nineteen hundred twenty two, we can see a great progression of law enforcement in the State of Utah. The people who have given their lives, their time and their talents to promote the image of law enforcement - we owe a lot to those who serve in their different capacities and jurisdictions. We have reaped the benefits of those fine people. The Utah Peace Officers Association has become the premier law enforcement organization in the state. Our Utah Legislature listens to us because of the manner in which we handle ourselves and who we represent. This is the only organization that represents the law enforcement community as a whole with no regards to rank, seniority or department. The UPOA has been looking out for the welfare of all of us. Our image has gone through several changes. Most recently has been the development of a training coordinator who seeks out the training needed in today's job performance requirements. The days of being a shooting club, I hope, have subsided. Firearms are still an intricate part of our returning home safely to our families. The techniques and fundamentals that we practice on the range help ensure that safe return home. I encourage ALL officers to take a serious look at how they train and, what they train for. Specifically, when dealing with officer safety issues. If you have a particular interest, give the office a call and request that training, or even better, contact your local representatives and put them to work. Tell them what training is needed. I promise we will do our best to provide the training. You have elected these representatives to voice your concerns. Put them to work! If you want to purchase any of the merchandise we have at the office, let these know what to pick up for you. Do not be afraid to ask questions of them or of what direction the organization is going. They are there to serve! For the second time in the 77 years of the organization (T. Earl and Laura Hunsaker, 1954/55, being the first) a husband and wife are serving at the same time as president for the UPOA and the UPOAA, respectively. The Administrative Assistant, Veronica, is related to both. I think this supports the claim of the organization as family oriented. We have geared our Summer Conventions toward family participation. From the shoots, BBQ, and other activities, the family is foremost in the organizing of these conventions. The Midwinter Convention, because of the time of year is set for mainly training of our membership. I would challenge all of the membership to get more involved in the organization by helping to increase the number of officers enrolled. We need to bolster our membership so we can have a greater impact on legislative issues involving our profession - the laws we enforce and the policies we work with. We need to be vocal with our legislators to be heard and, to make a difference for the future generations of officers. We also need to make known the needs of those who have retired. Time and again we face constant proposals to retirement benefits, especially now with the demands for funds for the I-15 construction and the Olympics. This is a great organization. Let's continue to work hard and make it even better. It is my promise to work hard for you. My door is always open. I am always looking for new ideas to improve the organization. As someone said at the summer convention "This year is going to be a really fun ride." So, " Get in, Sit down and Hold on," and enjoy the coming year! This great organization has been made great and respectable because of the officers who have served and donated their time and talents. As a result, the vision of the UPOA has grown from the first organizerís dream. It is our responsibility and duty to continue in the tradition that was set in motion back then. The great family called the law enforcement family is getting larger and in many ways closer. The increase of traumatic incidents such as officer involved shootings, officers being assaulted are an on going stressor we now have to deal with. The UPOA has become an outlet for those officers and spouses whom those types of traumatic incidents have affected. Without regards for the color of the uniform and jurisdiction, we have dropped the barriers furthering the friendly family atmosphere we all enjoy. The closeness of those who participate in our organization at conventions and training has flourished. I find myself saddened whenever the end of an activity comes to close. My family also has the same feelings when we have to leave those friends behind until the next convention. The friendships that we have made and strengthened due to the activities we all enjoy at UPOA functions. When one of our members goes through difficulties, due to illness, or again, a tragic incident, it impacts all of us, it is the same as one of our own family members going through the trials. If nothing else, those friendships are priceless! I encourage all of our members to friendship those officers they work with, even if they do not want to enjoy the activities and training opportunities offered by the UPOA. We depend on each other. May God Bless each of you, and your families, as we strive to make the State of Utah safer for our posterity to live and grow.
President's Message June, 2000. Well, here it is the last message from me as the President of the UPOA. This last year has been interesting. The past year has been full of activity. We started with setting a course for the future. With great assistance from our treasurer Harold McCown. I would like to personally thank him for his insight for the need to make a change for this organization. Secondly, I am happy to say we have made great strides to stabilize the financial situation of the UPOA. By selling the property behind Pro Arms, selling our current building, we have opened the doors to improving our image, better our position by moving to a more appealing area thus, upgrading our assets. Hardly was this an easy thing to get an agreement on but, after all of the information was in, the majority decided to follow through. The past presidents of this organization did in fact pave the way again for a successful future. For those of you who havenít heard about adventuring into the Olympic Arena, we have made two collectorsí pins for the Olympics. After the dust settles, we should realize a profit of $30,000+ to be added to financial portfolios. I would like to thank Brigitte for all of the hard work she does on the magazine and most recently our home page on the Internet. The impact this web page has already made especially during this last legislative session was of great worth. More legislators commented that as law enforcement officers, we were better organized than in any other year which made a favorable impression on them. Brigitte made sure that we were kept up to date on the upcoming legislation that needed our help. Again, THANKS! Brigitte. This new Millennium will present us with new and more interesting challenges. This organization will in fact come to the fore front in the areaís of training and impacting legislative decisions. We all have a responsibility to our brother and sister officers to support the Utah Peace Officers Association to bring about safer communities in which we live. As members, we should be bringing those officers into the association. We can be a support mechanism for those who find themselves involved in traumatic incidents, or who just need someone to talk to. To the Board of Directors, thank you for your support. Again, not all of the decisions were easy but, it did cause some very interesting discussions during our meetings. Without you, some situations that arose would have had different results. Last but not least, to our Mom. Veronica has had the welfare of this organization in her mind constantly. She questioned me on some of the expenditures for the UPOA. She dearly loves the association and all who are involved. May God Bless each one of you and your families and protect us as we got to work everyday! |
