If you are reading this article, then it means that I have undertaken the responsibility of being your newest executive director for the LVPPA. Before I get into the article, I need to say thank you to a lot of people who supported me through this process. I want to thank Scott Nicholas, your newly appointed assistant executive director. Scott, your friendship and commitment to our campaign are greatly appreciated. Our membership could not ask for a better assistant executive director. I also want to thank Bryan Yant. Bryan has been there every step of the way during the campaign, helping with flyers and other issues that came up. Thank you to my brother Brian Grammas. Your constant support for me, being your little brother, and always being my sounding board for things has helped in ways that I can never express. Thanks also go out to my fellow Executive Board members Tyler Todd, Michael Ramirez and Thomas Reid. I want to thank those members of the Board of Directors who put their trust and confidence in me to lead this great organization. A thank-you also goes out to all my friends and co-workers who helped push the message out for me and helped get me to this point. The list of names is too long for me to mention all of them, but you all know who you are and I thank you for being there for me. Lastly, to my wife, Tiffany, and my girls, Madison, Annabelle, Sophia and Olivia: You five have put up with constant phone calls, texts, emails and meetings during this process. You know it is only going to get busier, but you support me anyway. Tiffany, I love you and thank you for helping me with every day-to-day issue I bring home. You are a remarkable woman, a great mother and my best friend.

With the acknowledgments out of the way, let’s talk about what to expect during my first term as executive director. My first order of business is to start an annual LVPPA college scholarship for one member’s child who is graduating from high school and attending college. I will ask for approval of $5,000 for the scholarship from the Board of Directors. I will continue to fight to always increase your pay and benefits in every contract negotiation. I will remain extremely active with our membership. The days of not seeing your executive director at 2 a.m. on your critical incident are over. I will be going to callouts, I will be attending your IAB cases and I will be there with you during the Use of Force process, including your FIT or CIRT interview as well as your Use of Force Review Board (UOFRB). I am going to demand absolute top-quality service from the Executive Board members. Coming from a busy unit like Narcotics, I know what it’s like to work hard and will demand that the Executive Board do the same. After the recent murders of our law enforcement family members across the country, I plan on working to enact legislation that will mirror other states, treating any crime against an officer as a hate crime and providing the proper enhancement charge to the applicable crime itself. Mike Ramirez will be spearheading our advocacy in Carson City for this issue, as well as fighting for your rights during the coming legislative session. We will remain highly active in the political world as we move forward, as well.

I also believe that our PPA can and will be doing more for the members. On top of our Trunk-or-Treat and Santa Claus days, I would like to see us take a more active role in membership and do more events or activities specifically for the members and their families. These events will not take away from our everyday workload but will require more of the Executive Board’s free time. If anyone has any ideas for events, please call the office and pass the information along.

I hope to build a better working relationship between the LVMPD and the LVPPA. I believe that the relationships we once had, which led to a productive working environment, have been strained. The problem with this is that it affects our members, whether it be their contract, discipline or morale. I think I possess the type of personality to mend those relationships and help provide our members with a much better working environment than they have had in the past.

Lastly, I want everyone to know that I am a cop, just like everyone else. I am no better than anyone just because of the title of the position I hold. I take the position very seriously, but not to the point of being full of myself. I am a regular, down-to-earth, funny, joking cop who can relate to any and all people in law enforcement. I love what I do and I love my brothers and sisters who wear the badge, from the police and corrections officers of the LVMPD to the deputy city marshals and municipal court marshals. There will never come a day when I lose sight of who I am and why I chose this position. I will give everything I have to make your working lives better. I live by the saying “Leave this place better than when you started.” That will be my ultimate goal for these next several years. Thank you all for allowing me to be your executive director, and I look forward to working with everyone in the future. My phone is on 24/7 for anyone who needs me.