Your Right to Call the LVPPA
It's not uncommon for officers to encounter citizens who invoke their rights while dealing with law enforcement. That could be their Fourth Amendment right when they decline to give consent on a search or exercising their Miranda rights by declining to give a statement.
Whatever rights they invoke, by no means do we bully or talk down to the citizen invoking their rights. We are all professional, mature adults. So if we don't believe it's appropriate to bully citizens who invoke their rights, why would we ever think it's acceptable for a supervisor to pressure or bully an officer into not exercising their right to call the PPA?
You pay dues every paycheck to have the PPA in your corner. Would you ever hesitate to call your car insurance if you got into an accident? No, of course not! That would be absolutely ridiculous! So why would you hesitate to call the PPA if you have a question, concern, or need representation?
I've heard of supervisors not wanting their officers to call the PPA. Why would a supervisor ever try to persuade a cop to not exercise their right to call the PPA? What could they possibly not want us to know? Fair question, right? It is never a good sign if someone wants you to keep something in the dark. Sometimes it's because they might not be adhering to your rights in the CBA, and if that's the case, that's problematic.
One issue we frequently see involves "taking time off." The last sentence under section 9.4 of the LVPPA CBA with LVMPD states: "When determining staffing for available discretionary leave slots, those on approved extended leave (i.e. consecutive FMLA, military leave, administrative leave) will not be included in the count."
Let me break that down for you. If it's common practice that a squad of eight officers allows two officers to be off for vacation (discretionary leave) on a regular basis, but one is on military leave and another is out for administrative leave, guess what? YOU STILL GET TO HAVE TWO OFFICERS OFF FOR DISCRETIONARY LEAVE! That includes vacation time, professional leave, or other earned discretionary leave.
Officers on extended leave are not included in the count when determining whether discretionary leave is permitted/approved. Let's take it even further. What if half the squad is out on administrative leave due to a shooting (it's happened before), one light duty and one military leave. Yup, you guessed it, two can still take their earned discretionary leave. If that leaves the area command "low," command staff have the power to offer overtime for patrol officers to fill in, and those offered OT gigs get filled up quickly! So ultimately, the department won't be lacking the manpower if they simply use their OT funds.
You earned your vacation time, so take it. It is a common misconception that extended leave interferes with your squads "2 off, or 3 off" common practice. Whatever the common practice is for your squad, that number does not get interfered with due to those on extended leave. If your supervisor disagrees, show them this article, and I'd be more than happy to inform them of this right from our CBA, which has not just been signed by your LVPPA President Steve Grammas but also by your supervisor's boss, Sheriff Kevin McMahill.
If you are a supervisor reading this and, for some reason, feel upset that I'm explaining a right guaranteed in our CBA, then you're the problem, not the PPA. Feel free to call Sheriff McMahill and tell him you don't like that he signed our CBA. I bet you won't though. Sheriff McMahill understands that officers taking their hard-earned time falls right in line with officer wellness. The officer who wants to take their hard-earned time off to recharge, reset, or simply spend time with their family is not selfish. Selfishness is exhibited by the boss who doesn't adhere to the CBA and gaslights officers into thinking they are slaves to the department and should not bring concerns to the PPA. Don't be that kind of boss if it's ever crossed your mind. Literally no one will ever respect the bully, no matter what shiny piece of metal is pinned on their collar.
Here at the LVPPA, we will always operate with your best interests at the forefront of what we do. The rights you have in NRS 288, 289, and the CBA exist for your wellbeing. Become familiar with them so you know what you deserve, and if you have a supervisor not adhering to any of your rights, then call us. We are here for you!