Winter 2018 A Message from the President
Members, As 2017 ended, I hope that many of you were able to wind down, rest and enjoy quality time with your loved ones. I know this is not the case for many; in fact, the Christmas and New Year period can be extremely busy for many of us. Frequently the demands we face cause us to miss special times with our families, but we do so because of our commitment to serving the public.
Last year was a challenging year where our resolve and resources were stretched thin. I am proud that despite this, day in and day out, our members continued to go the extra mile to protect the public from harm, and to provide support to each other throughout the State. This spirit and desire, of wanting to help people, of being there when we are needed, is what makes me proud to be a part of the noblest profession in the world.
A big thank you to all those involved in hosting our Winter Conference. Simply outstanding! For those that missed the conference, Chief Touchberry and the Professional Standards Committee delivered a phenomenal training program. The hard work of Chief Touchberry and the committee members was evident as they continue to raise the bar at each conference. Every topic was informative and relevant to current issues facing all of us. Thank you all! A special thank you to the Motorola Solutions Foundation for supporting our Associa- tion ability to provide the VALOR and Organizational Stress Reduction training sessions during the conference.
Our top priority is to ensure the safety of our officers and the communities we serve; we must have good laws to support this goal. Additionally, we must prevent legislation that will hurt our ability to protect our communities from becoming law. With session already underway, our legislative team is currently working and monitoring nearly a hundred bills.
Our current legislative priorities, our “Threats” initiative and our “Texting/Distracted driving” bills, are currently working their way through the assigned committees and we are cautiously optimistic at this point. While the session is already underway, there is still time to connect with your local State Representatives and Senators to discuss the importance of our legislative initiatives and ask for their support. Conversations held now might be the difference during session. Several bills currently being proposed are being referred to as “Criminal Justice Reform” bills. Several of these bills, if passed, will significantly change the laws our officers enforce. We must continue to reach out to our legislators and tell them what is important to all of us as well as what we oppose.
As the New Year begins, all of our committees are, once again, hard at work. One committee I ask for the members to support is our Awards Committee. Our Awards Committee has been tasked with bringing the dream of an “Officer Memorial” at our head- quarters forward and into a reality. Chief Hemingway, Chief Smith, Marshall Berger and Ms. Purden are hard at work on the me- morial. I am excited to see what this dedicated group will accomplish over the next several months.
In closing, as we welcome in the New Year, I wish everyone success, a healthy long life and a fresh new start. Happy New Year! Stay safe and I look forward to seeing each of you at the summer conference!
Kevin Lystad Chief, Miami Shores Police Department
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