With the holiday season fast approaching, I wanted to say thank you to all of the members of the LVPPA for your continued support of our organization. Since taking over as president in August, we have done several things to benefit our membership. One of the key issues for us was to change the Bylaws so that we could freeze or reduce the members’ dues. As the Bylaws stand, membership dues are based on 1.5% of a step 4 police officer’s pay. Being that the number was a constant percentage, every time we received any pay raise, your dues had to increase, which cut into your actual pay raise. We took the necessary steps to get the Bylaws changed to allow us, with the Board of Directors’ approval, the ability to freeze or lower the actual dues. This does not eliminate the 1.5%, it just allows us to reduce or freeze the current dues. During the October 6 Board of Directors meeting, I asked the Board for a freeze of the dues just prior to the pay increase from the current contract. The Board overwhelmingly approved the dues freeze. After asking for the freeze, Scott Nicholas assembled the Bylaw Committee to explore the lowering of our PPA dues in the future.

We also came into contact with a wonderful business, C-Note Suit. C-Note Suit specializes in custom-tailored suits for law enforcement officers and military members. We scheduled a day for our PPA members to come to the PPA office and purchase, or just get information on purchasing, suits. We had over 30 members come that day, and many of the members purchased multiple suits. In the days after our event, several other officers went to C-Note Suit and made purchases. The price C-Note Suit charged our officers was not a onetime deal. Because they support the law enforcement community, this pricing continues year-round. I am grateful for having established this relationship with them and appreciate the great lengths they go to so our members are satisfied.

The PPA also hosted a night out at the UNLV Rebels football game. For our first event like this, I feel it was a huge success. We had around 300-plus people attend the tailgate and game. The food that was provided and the atmosphere surrounding the tailgate was top-notch. A big thank-you to 911 Tacos. After the tailgate, we all went in and supported our Rebels football team and watched them get a big win. It is nice for us to support our local football team. It was an awesome sight to see an entire section of the stadium dedicated to us where we could all have a good time. I also won a $4 bet from a member in the Traffic Bureau who supported Fresno State. Even though he left early, I will still be collecting my money, BP! We plan on making this an annual outing for our members, as well as scheduling one or two basketball games for our members to attend.

Our second annual Trunk-or-Treat also turned out to be a huge success. Providing a fun atmosphere, not only for our members, but also their families, is something the PPA will continue to strive for in the future. Our Santa Day is fast approaching as well, and hope our turnout for that event is even greater than last year.

The goal of the PPA is, and always will be, to provide its members with the best internal and legal representation that we can. We have not lost sight of that and will continue to fight to make your working conditions better. As we build the proper bridges with executive staff, we are inching closer to a positive working relationship, which is allowing us to work out several different issues before they get out of hand. If we can work out some of the issues we face day to day in a positive way, we can turn the tide of the low morale and make coming to work enjoyable again. I think with happy troops, great results will follow.

Being a police officer is one of the toughest professions in the world. We only show up to meet people in the worst of situations. We work constantly in the face of adversity, and yet we show up every day with a professional attitude and a true concern for the safety and well-being of the citizens of Las Vegas. There is a ton of negative publicity about us in the media on a daily basis. But please, do not let the silent majority sway your opinion of what we do. The silent majority of citizens are behind us 100%. They don’t feel the need to boast about the positive interactions with the police in the media. They don’t feel they need to hold a rally to show support for you. They sit at home, safe and protected, because they know the professional men and women of law enforcement in Las Vegas are watching over them. Please know that there is more support for you than it appears.

I want to thank you all again for your support and commitment to the citizens of Las Vegas and to the LVPPA. Have a safe and happy holiday season. And for those who will be keeping the citizens safe during Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year, please be safe.