The Peace Officers Memorial Foundation will host its 11th Annual Ride for the Fallen on Saturday, May 5th begining at the Harley Davidson off of I-35 South in Austin.

All riders are welcome to attend a motorcycle hill country ride, Harley Davidson motorcycle raffle, tribute at the Memorial Wall, and much more.

Registration will be available soon along with more details. Visit http://www.pomf.org/rideforfallen/ for updates on the ride as well as online registration.

Applicants have until April 27th to apply.

“Chris has already been doing work associated with some survivor benefits and will bring all his knowledge and passion for these tasks,” Charley Wilkison, Director of Public Affairs.

The POMF Line of Duty Death tasks were being done by Melinda Griffith. CLEAT would like to thank her for hard work and eye for detail. Melinda will still coordinate the POMF events at the state Capitol.

“With so many incumbents deciding not to run for re-election, and with the ongoing threat against officers’ retirements next session, it is important to know where each candidate stands regarding our issues,” said Charley Wilkison, Director of Public Affairs.

CLEAT was successful in defeating legislation last session in 2011 that would have damaged healthy public pension and retirement systems, and also would have hindered officers from being able to do their job in a safe and effective environment.

“We will continue to fight, stay loyal to supporters of law enforcement and not endorse or support those who only work with us when it is convenient for them,” said Wilkison.

The questionnaire is expected to hit candidates’ mailboxes within the coming weeks. It will also be available online.

Left to right: CLEAT's Melinda Griffith with President Forrest Gandy of the La Marque Police Association

La Marque Police Association is preparing a vigorous campaign to defeat Proposition 21 that is on the ballot for the city’s May election. Proposition 21 would remove a minimum police staffing clause that currently exists in the city charter. For the campaign, CLEAT Field Services is partnering with the Public Affairs Division to work together to successfully defeat Prop 21. 

“The city is trying to take away something the local voters have put into place. The politicians are planning to hurt the public’s safety by taking officers off the street. CLEAT will not stand by and just let this happen,” said CLEAT President Todd Harrison. “There will be a fight,” he said.

CLEAT welcomes longtime attorney, Bob Thomas, to the Houston office.

Bob Thomas has been a licensed attorney in Texas for the past 22 years. He has represented Texas Peace Officers in Federal and State civil and criminal district court trials.  Bob has also represented hundreds of officers in IAD investigations, arbitration hearings, civil service appeals, grievance hearings, and contract arbitrations. He is also licensed in the Southern and Eastern federal district courts, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Bob is a licensed mediator and a TEA arbitrator. 

Prior to Bob’s legal career, he served twenty years with the Houston Police Department and honorably retired at the rank of Sergeant. Bob worked 11 years in patrol and retired as an evening shift patrol sergeant. While employed at HPD, Bob was the founding President of the Patrolmen’s union, a director of the HPOA, a trustee of the Houston Police Pension System, and an appointed TCLEOSE commissioner.

The 5^rd annual CLEAT Leadership Academy will be held on June 14-15 in Austin at the Sheraton Austin at the Capitol. CLEAT continues to provide new and interesting information for our leadership. The program will still include basic union leadership information for new local board members or those officers wanting an update. There will some exciting new segments on media relations and tips for building a strong association. The first day of the Leadership Academy will not include TCLEOSE credits; there will be 4 hours of  TCLEOSE approved credits on the second day.

Here are the highlights of the CLEAT Leadership Academy:

Morning, June 14th

• Leadership 101. This segment will deal with basic association issues such as how to manage organization finances; the proper way to conduct a membership meeting; running an effective political action program; and tips for making a law enforcement organization stronger. Some of these sessions will be break-outs specifically for President/Vice-Presidents or Secretary/Treasurers. CLEAT staff and leadership will make these presentations.

LUNCH BREAK – ATTENDEES ON THEIR OWN

Afternoon, June 14^th

• Dealing with the media. This session will discuss this vital component of an association’s arsenal, including message development, press advisories and releases; press conferences; the differences between various media; and how to avoid being embarrassed or blind-sided by the media.
• Lobbying your Council/Commissioners and what happens when lobbying fails. Effective lobbying techniques will be discussed; and also when and how to run public campaigns in a fight over money, benefits, or staffing.
• State of the public employee pension war in Texas. A panel of knowledgeable CLEAT leaders and staff will discuss the current fight over the public employee pension benefits, CLEAT’s plans, and prospects in the upcoming legislature.

Morning, June 15^th               [TCLEOSE APPROVED – 4 HOURS CREDIT]

• Handling critical incidents. This segment will look at real situations in 2011 where CLEAT locals and staff attorneys dealt with a shooting, vehicular incident, or in-custody death; and the lessons to be learned from these incidents.
• Legal year in review. The CLEAT legal staff will look at the most recent state and federal legislation, court decisions, and arbitration awards that will affect CLEAT associations and members; and also look at the requirements for “just cause” in disciplinary cases.
• Rights in internal investigations. This segment will look at the general case law regarding internal affairs: right of representation, polygraphs, locker searches, cell phone records, Garrity rights, and other related issues.

Information about the Leadership Academy on June 14^th and 15th^th

The CLEAT Leadership Academy will be held on June 14th and 15th at the Sheraton Austin at the Capitol, 701 East 11^th Street, Austin, TX  78701. The room rate for single/double occupancy is $108.00 plus tax. For hotel reservations either call 1-888-627-8349 or register on line at: http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/res?id=1111152768&key=8592C

When making a reservation, ask for the CLEAT room block. The cut-off date for the room block is May 21^st, 2012.

Costs to attend the Academy

There is no registration fee to attend the CLEAT Leadership Academy! All program costs will be absorbed by CLEAT. The only costs to your association will be transportation to and from Austin, the hotel room(s), and meals.

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Register by Completing the Form Below

YES! Please register me for the 5^th Annual CLEAT Leadership Academy.
Complete the form below and mail, fax OR register by e-mail.

***Please list all attendees from your association individually

Name_________________________________________Title__________________

Association _____________________________ Cell Phone_____________

Address_____________________________________ City ____________________

State______________ Zip_________ E-mail_________________________

For more information, please call: 800/252-8153

Please mail this form to: CLEAT, 400 West 14^th Street, Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78701

FAX: 512-495-9301 or register by e-mail at Rebecca.Averitt@cleat.org

When making a reservation, ask for the CLEAT room block.

 The cut-off date for the room block is May 21^st, 2012.

The memorial / viewing will be at Friday Feb 10th, 2012 at Combest Funeral Home 2210 Broadway from 5 pm to 7 pm.  The funeral service will be Saturday Morning (Feb 11th) at Aldersgate United Methodist Church located at 10306 Indiana Ave.  Grave side services will follow at Peaceful Gardens in Woodrow Texas.