The Fraternal Order of Police Valley Lodge 44 was incorporated in 1980 specifically to represent the interests of Arizona Department of Corrections Officers. For more than 25 years the lodge has represented the interests of professional ADC employees. Many of the benefits obtained for our members, including the 25 year CORP retirement, is a result of the efforts by the Fraternal Order of Police to actively fight for wages, benefits and improved working conditions.
Our membership includes Security Series staff of all ranks. administration staff, Parole Officers, ‘Program’ Officers, Juvenile Detention Officers, CORP members and retirees. As an open lodge, our membership includes County and Federal Detention Officers as well. Contact us to join the F.O.P. Valley Lodge 44.
We know the needs and aspirations of Correctional professionals because we work ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with you as professionals. We are committed to improving working conditions for the ‘line staff," better pay and benefits, better safety, adequate equipment, and equitable personnel policies and procedures.
Nationally, the Fraternal Order of Police is the
world's largest organization of law enforcement officers, with more than 321,000 members in more than 2,100 lodges. The Fraternal Order of Police is the voice of those who dedicate their lives to protecting and serving our communities. We are committed to improving the working conditions of law enforcement officers and the safety of those we serve through education, legislation, information, community involvement, and employee representation.
No one knows the dangers and the difficulties faced by today's law enforcement officers better than another officer, and no one knows law enforcement officers better than the FOP.
The Fraternal Order of Police Arizona Labor Council legal plan is available to our members. The FOPALC provides the best legal defense plan in Arizona.
Briefing Info
FOP ADC Labor Council
7/25/2008
A LITTLE CLARIFICATION
If you are wondering if you are a member of the FOP ADC Labor Council, most of you are.In order to be a member, you have to be a member of the FOP and the ALC.If you pay your dues by direct deduction, there are no extra dues and there is nothing you need to do to become a member.You are automatically a member once you become a member of the FOP and ALC.
If you are a member of the FOP only and pay your dues directly to your Lodge, you can become a member of the ADC Labor Council by adding the ALC coverage.See your Lodge Secretary for information.
Director's Meeting
7/25/2008
DIRECTORS MEETING AGENDA
Tuesday July 29th is the scheduled date for the first FOP ADC Labor Council and Directors quarterly meeting.After input from staff across the State, the following are the selected topics of that meeting:
Extraordinary increases in fuel costs
Directors perspective
Staff perspective
Explore ramification
Explore solutions
Staff common concerns
Frozen positions
Promotional lists
Inmate escorts
Hospitals
‘Maximum Unit’
Classification system
ADC Labor Council equity issues
Recruitment
Representation
Travel
Developing concerns
These items were submitted to the Directors Office in the form of written questions, per her request.Members of the ADC Labor Council should utilize their local Trustee and FOP Representatives to continue to address local areas of concern or questions directly to their respective Wardens and Deputy Wardens.
FOP Representatives and/or ADC Labor Council Trustees continue to work on monthly meetings with their local management.Quarterly meetings with the Director should be reserved for those items that simply cannot be fully addressed at a local level or by an Assistant Director.Those areas of concern must impact all or a majority of employees and may include questions of how new legislation will impact the Department, overall Policy concerns or budget items.
Thanks to the Director, there are now multiple avenues for an employee to have a voice in ADC.
Conference
7/25/2008
FOPState Conference
The annual FOPState Conference was held this year in beautiful Prescott with functions starting on Saturday the 21st and concluding on Wednesday the 25th that included everything from fund raisers and audits to politics and ‘hard core’ business.Because of Lodge 44’s overall recruitment success, more members attended to represent our interests than any prior year.Lodge 44’s Conference Delegates included:
President TremontVice President Delles
Secretary VandegriftSgt. at Arms Calhoun
State Trustee LutzRetiree M. Lutz
President Tremont became extremely ill on the first day and, regrettably, had to return home but the Lodge was well represented by the other delegates. John Lutz was re-elected to be Lodge 44’s State Trustee for another year.The Conference itself was conducted like any other FOP meeting; therefore, all business was done in confidence.Extensive Committee reports were heard as well as in-depth presentations on State pensions and legislative reports.Extensive amendments to the Constitutions and By-laws were heard with lively arguments both for and against and an in-depth review of their intended and final impact on the organization.
During non Conference hours, ADC Labor Council meetings were held, networking conducted and presentations from vendors were attended.Among the notable vendors, Aflac offered personal cancer, accident, disability and specific health indemnity plans for Lodges and Galco leather offered personal items.As always, the State Conference opened with a solemn memorial and this year with the Prescott Police Department Honor Guard presenting the colors.
A complete report and documentation will be provided at our next regularly scheduled meeting Monday, July 28th.
NATIONAL FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF NATIONWIDE SERVICE THAT WILL REVOLUTIONIZE RECOVERY OF MISSING CHILDREN
WASHINGTON, D.C.-JANUARY 23, 2008/PR Newswire/—The National Fraternal Order of Police announced the launch of the National PhotoAlert™ network, the nation's first comprehensive data and photographic system designed to help improve the speed of recovery of missing children.
The National PhotoAlert service, which has been in development for the past two years by US ComCorp, arrives at a time when society's expectations are at their highest regarding instant access to data-rich information. By using proprietary GPS technology, National PhotoAlert meets that demand in missing children cases by issuing geographic-specific alerts to thousands of recipients each minute including law enforcement and government agencies. Recipients receive both a photograph and text information of a missing person.
Unlike other missing child alert services that can take several hours to track down a photo and issue an alert, National PhotoAlert has the infrastructure and flexibility to send out the missing child's photo and profile information almost instantaneously and pinpoint a specific geographic location.
National PhotoAlert and the National Fraternal Order of Police work proactively to gather photos and create individual profiles that can be stored confidentially and then distributed in an emergency.
Parents and guardians can register their children online at www.fop.net or www.nationalphotoalert.com for $10 a year. Additionally, anyone can register to be a free recipient of alerts from National PhotoAlert.
“I strongly suggest that every FOP member sign up for the free photo alerts.I also urge families with children to participate in this very low cost program that just might be the key to saving your child’s life.What a fantastic idea – a kid’s photo and information right on people’s cell phones in the area that maters most when time is the most important factor.”
Joseph Tremont, President, FOP 44
Rights Should Be Respected
2/17/2008
Investigation or Clarification
When interviewed by your immediate supervisors or management, it is often difficult to determine when it is an ‘official’ investigation or just clarification; whichever is the case, answer as if you were with an ADC investigator.Answer only the questions, do not volunteer information, stick to the point, never discuss ‘other’ matters and most importantly, do not start the interview with “I want my union representative!”When you start by asking for your union representative, you start the discussion in an adversarial manner.You may also lead the questioner to feel you have already done something to hide.
ADC is your employer and has the right to clarify information and by policy, you have no right to have a union representative present unless it is an official investigation.ADC has no right to badger you, harass you, yell at you or embarrass you publicly.Certainly ADC has no right to use vulgar or profane language.ADC will try to intimidate you, make you nervous and apprehensive about what you have written or stated.Always strive to be calm and self assured.
Anything you say can and will be used against you.It is common practice to ask an employee to ‘explain’ or ‘expand’ on an information report.If you did your job, all the information should already be in your report.The questioner is basically asking ‘What have you left out that you don’t want us to know?’If you don’t have the report, ask the questioner for a copy; review it to yourself and if it contains all the necessary information, tell the interviewer there is nothing else to expand on or to explain.Remember to ‘stick to the point’ and never volunteer information.
The Department must serve you notice if you are under an official ADC investigation; ask for union representation for any questioning following that notice.Remember your FOP representative works for you, so call if you’ve been interviewed and think there might be a supervisor’s complaint or investigation.Never wait until you have already been disciplined to ask for help; our knowledge, expertise and personal help is part of why you joined.You should call you representative if you believe you have been mistreated during an interview or investigation.Both you and your employer have rights and both should be respected.
