AZCOPS

On July 16, the Pinal County Deputies Association (PCDA) served its notice to initiate Meet and Confer Bargaining on the Pinal County Manager.

The PCDA's notice started the clock on county management which has 10 business days to meet and initiate bargaining. The PCDA anticipates meeting with county management next week to hammer out an agreement on a bargaining schedule and other ground rules.

The Pinal County Meet and Confer ordinance provides for bargaining on the following topics:

(1) Salary, wage rates, and shift differential.
(2) Overtime, compensatory time, On-Call Pay, and Professional Certification pay.
(3) Paid time off, including sick leave, vacation leave, injury leave, bereavement leave, jury duty leave, and holiday leave pay.
(4) Access to public portions of County facilities and to non-public areas to meet with employees and conduct employee organization business.
(5) Dues deduction.
(6) Other items mutually agreed upon by the authorized employee organization and County Manager.

Remember, the PCDA will be negotiating for everyone in the bargaining unit which was defined in the ordinance as: "All sworn deputies and detention officers, up to and including the rank of corporal and adult detention officers up to the rank of corporal, Dispatchers, Evidence Technicians, and Identification Technicians."

For the last six months, PCDA has been soliciting input from employees and has developed a preliminary list of issues to be addressed in bargaining.

If you have additional ideas, suggestions, requests and/or you want to get involved, please send email to PCDA. Back to top

AZCOPS endorses five candidates for El Mirage City Council

AZCOPS endorses slate for El Mirage City Council

From left are candidate Lynn Selby, AZCOPS Vice President John Stair, AZCOPS Vice President to Corrections Tixoc Munoz, candidate Jack Palladino, AZCOPS President Larry A. Lopez, mayoral candidate Lana Mook, candidate Jim McPhetres, candidate Joe Ramirez, and AZCOPS Organizer Chris Currie.

(Posted: July 26, 2010)
AZCOPS endorsed a slate of candidates for the El Mirage City Council last week after a lengthy meeting where Association leaders asked questions about where the candidates stood on issues of concern to local police officers.

Lopez said AZCOPS members in El Mirage are concerned about various issues, and are looking to support elected officials who will put public safety first.

"When times are tough, communities need to know that their elected officials will look out for their safety first. In El Mirage, we believe this slate of candidates will listen to their police officers when it comes to public safety issues," Lopez said. Back to top

AZCOPS Board adds workers compensation coverage to Legal Plan

By Martin Bihn
AZCOPS General Counsel
The AZCOPS Board of Directors voted July 17 to add an important new benefit for members -- workers compensation coverage at no additional cost.

The AZCOPS Legal Plan has always provided for consultations with workers compensation attorneys. And AZCOPS has always used attorneys who are Arizona State Bar Certified Specialists in Worker Compensation. In addition to consultations, over the past few years the AZCOPS Legal Plan has stepped in to cover members when problems arose with their workers compensation coverage. AZCOPS did this to assist members on a case-by-case basis, even though strictly speaking this was outside of the Plan.

What AZCOPS has now done is to formally modify the Legal Plan to provide a benefit to the members that AZCOPS has already been informally providing for several years.

HOW THE PLAN WORKS

Typically, a workers compensation claim starts when a member is injured at work. The member files a claim with his or her agency and a workers compensation claim file is opened. The member then seeks medical care and treatment that is paid through workers compensation. When the member has recovered, the claim is closed and the member returns to work. And at any time, an AZCOPS member may consult with a workers compensation attorney. A normal workers compensation case runs its course with no real legal dispute. This is how the vast majority of workers compensation claims go forward.

However, sometimes problems occur that require legal intervention. For example, the workers compensation carrier may deny the claim and refuse to pay for medical care. Other issues might be that the carrier closes the member's claim while he or she still needs treatment. Frankly, there are any number of ways that workers compensation carriers can screw with our members. Nevertheless, there is one common factor in every attempt to mess with a member, a carrier's action can be appealed to the Arizona Industrial Commission.

This is where the AZCOPS coverage kicks in again. AZCOPS will provide a workers compensation attorney to handle your case in front of the Arizona Industrial Commission. There is one caveat. The AZCOPS Legal Plan will not cover cases where the member is able get representation on a contingent fee basis.

Just remember, in the vast majority of cases where the carrier has denied coverage, ended medical care and/or closed cases, money is not the issue -- health care is. And lawyers will not take those cases on a contingent fee basis. That is why AZCOPS will step in and protect our members and make sure they get the benefits to which they are entitled.

And this is yet another area in which the AZCOPS Legal Plan leads the way as the best legal plan for law enforcement in Arizona. Our competitors do not come close.

Not up to the AZCOPS standard, the APA will cover some workers compensation claims. If you cannot get an attorney on a contingent fee basis, APA might cover you. But, if any part of your compensation claim involves back wages, APA will not help you. Of course APA's limited coverage is optional and will cost you an additional $2 a month.

FOP/ALC, on the other hand, will leave you out in cold. It does not offer any benefit for workers compensation claims.

In the final analysis the difference in the plans is this -- only the AZCOPS Legal Plan was created by its members for the benefit of its members. Our members wanted a benefit and AZCOPS provided it at no additional cost.

To see specific language, see AZCOPS Legal Plan Article 1, Benefits at Section 1.9.

Note:

After this article was published, an FOP Lodge 2 member contacted us to say that FOP doesn’t “leave you out in the cold” on workers compensation as indicated in the article. While the State FOP/ALC site does not reflect any coverage for workers compensation matters, FOP Lodge 2’s website does reflect a limited workers compensation benefit. At least for FOP Lodge 2 members, if their cases are not taken on a contingent fee basis, FOP/ALC will limit coverage to $1,500 for attorneys fees and $400 for expenses per claim.

AZCOPS Legal Plan has no limits on workers compensation coverage. This is particularly important because contested comp claims frequently cost between $3,000 and $5,000. And that does not include the costs of obtaining a physician to testify on your behalf! Doctors routinely charge $400 per hour for their time. When you consider that to call a doctor to testify for you at a hearing you have to pay “prep time, travel time and waiting time” and for the time they actually testify. Bringing a doctor to a hearing to testify on your behalf frequently exceeds $1,500. In addition to expert testimony, other costs in a comp claim may include depositions, cost of obtaining records, costs of serving subpoenas, etc. The AZCOPS Legal Plan covers all of these costs without limitation.

So in the end it’s true that FOP won’t leave you entirely out in the cold on your comp case, at least at Lodge 2. But we do think the FOP plan will still leave you cold when you’re injured, unable to work, and your lawyer demands that you pay thousands of dollars for uncovered fees and costs to finish your case.

Make the right choice -- AZCOPS. Back to Top

Events will raise funds for memorial to fallen officers in Cochise County

(Posted: June 28, 2010)
AZCOPS members are invited to participate in two events to raise funds for the Ray Rios Fallen Officer Memorial Statue. The Memorial will honor all officers who have died in the line of duty in Cochise County.

Carne Asada Sale

July 17 at Bushmasters Club in Douglas.
Plates are $6.
For tickets, call Xavier or Christy Rios at 520-227-6065, or Jose Duarte at 520-227-9405.

Ray Rios Memorial Golf Tournament

August 21 at the Douglas Golf Course
Shotgun Start is 7 a.m.

4-Player, Best Ball.
Mixed-gender Teams Welcome.
$200 per team/$50 per player before August 7.
After August 7, $240 per team/$60 per player.
Door prizes & Raffles.

Hole sponsorships $50 each (18 total).
Sponsors sign up by August 7.Teams sign up by August 14.
Cash/Checks accepted.
Make checks payable to The Ray Rios Memorial.
Call (520) 234-2305 OR (520) 236-7484 for more information.

Officer Ray Rios died in the line of duty on Sept. 4, 2005, and left behind his wife, Christy, his daughters, Laura & Lina, and his sons, Xavi & Aaron.

AZCOPS corrections member fares better than non-members when faced with charges of falsifying time sheets

(Posted: May 28, 2010)
An AZCOPS member, who was one of three corrections officers charged with falsifying time sheets, fared better than his co-workers because he was represented by AZCOPS Legal.

Our member had been charged with more than 90 counts of fraud for allegedly falsifying his time sheet nearly three years ago. He vehemently denied the allegations. Each charge was based upon a comparison of an attendance sheet to our member's bi-weekly pay records.

The criminal investigators put together what they believed was a slam-dunk case against our member and two other corrections employees who were not members. Last year, the investigators took their cases to the County Attorney's Office and obtained indictments against the three officers.

"After the case was filed, things looked very bleak for our member," said AZCOPS General Counsel Martin Bihn. "And if convicted, he faced decades on the wrong side of the bars (at Arizona Department of Corrections)."

Bihn said the prosecutor offered a deal to one of the defendants who had the fewest allegations, and he pleaded guilty to a Class 6 felony. He agreed to testify against the AZCOPS member and the other officer.

Then AZCOPS Legal got involved. After thoroughly reviewing the numerous boxes containing thousands of documents disclosed by the prosecutor, and interviewing a number of current and former corrections employees, the defense became clear.

In each allegation, the prosecution relied on an attendance log that reflected that our member was not present at the facility while he claimed time on his time sheet. Our member was adamant that his time sheets were accurate and that the attendance log was flawed.

"With our knowledge of ADC policies and practices, we understood that if our member had been present, his name would have appeared on a number of other records and logs routinely kept by ADC," said Bihn. "So we made a broad-ranging records request for key logs, transportaion logs, etc. for the approximately 90 dates at issue. Our goal was to prove that our member had in fact, be present on the disputed dates."

The case went on for months with numerous court appearances. Early on, the prosecutor advised the court that he was on top of the case and that the requested documents would be provided shortly.

"Unfortunately for the prosecutor, ADC investigators were never able to locate and produce the logs that would exonerate our member. After months of waiting for the prosecution to produce documents, we finally filed a motion to compel. And still no documents were produced," Bihn said.

At the final court hearing on the motion to compel, when the prosecution still had not produced the documents, the judge dismissed the case. Our member, after facing serious charges for over a year, was free to get on with his life.

As for the two co-defendant officers who had not joined AZCOPS, the results were mixed.

The officer who thought he would be clever by pleading guilty is now a felon and will carry that label for life, Bihn said.

"The other non-member got through this by the skin of her teeth. She did not have the AZCOPS coverage, so she got a public defender for the case," he said. "The public defender did not have the time or the years of experience dealing with ADC to fully understand the case."

This is just the latest in a long line of examples of how it pays to be an AZCOPS member. AZCOPS Legal provides members with the best protection. Back to top

AZCOPS Legal responds to shooting at University of Arizona

(Posted: May 28, 2010)
AZCOPS Legal responded quickly last week after an officer at the University of Arizona was forced to use his weapon to protect someone.

On May 21, the officer was forced to defend a woman who was being threatened by another woman armed with a large butcher knife. The subject ignored all warnings and orders to drop the weapon, forcing the officer to discharge his weapon. The woman suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Within minutes of the incident, Association leaders contacted AZCOPS Attorney Mike Storie who came to the scene and guided them through the initial stages of the investigation. Association leaders remained with Storie and the officer throughout the investigation and the interview process.

"When a member is involved in a shooting, AZCOPS attorneys respond immediately," said AZCOPS President Larry A. Lopez. "We stand by our members every step of the way. That's why officers trust AZCOPS to represent them." Back to top

AZCOPS members should VOTE YES on Prop 100

(Posted: April 30)
Arizona voters will go to the polls May 18th to consider raising the state sales tax by 1 cent per one dollar -- a tax that will generate funds for public safety.

AZCOPS President Larry A. Lopez said law enforcement families should support Proposition 100 because the revenue it generates could save the jobs of hundreds of officers across the state.

If adopted by voters, Prop 100 would temporarily increase the state sales tax for three years starting June 1. In most cases, that would mean an increase from the current 5.6 cents per one dollar to 6.6 cents per one dollar. According to the Secretary of State, revenues would be accounted for separately in the general fund and would be used for the following purposes:

* Two-thirds for public primary and secondary education.
* One-third for health and human services and public safety purposes.

"That means prisons stay open, corrections officers stay on the job, and felons stay where they belong," Lopez said.

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimates the tax will increase state sales tax revenues by $918 million in the first year, $968 million in the second year and $1.06 billion in the third year.

"No one wants to pay higher taxes, especially during hard times. But the truth is that these revenues are needed now to keep schools open and criminals behind bars," Lopez said.

"In my mind, this really is a public safety issue," he said. "Without the additional revenue, officers will lose their jobs and leave shifts short-handed at a time when crime is up across the state."

Learn More about the Temporary Sales Tax Back to top

AZ prison privatization law repealed

(Posed: April 8, 2010)
AZCOPS/Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association announces that the law enacted in November 2009, that sought to privatize the operations of up to nine Arizona Department of Corrections complexes through a Concession Agreement has been repealed.

House Bill 2006 (Laws 2010, Seventh Special Session), which includes the repeal of the Prison Concession Agreement law, was signed by the Governor on March 18 and becomes effective June 15.

AZCPOA appreciates every member who took the time to make telephone calls, write emails and letters, and visit in person with their Senators and Representatives on this issue. The repeal of this statute was due in large part to the efforts of members. Back to top

Oro Valley POA mourns loss of a founding member

(Posted: March 25, 2010)
The Oro Valley Police Officers Association is mourning the loss of one of its founding members, Sgt. Douglas S. Reedy, Sr.

Sgt. Reedy passed away on Tuesday, March 23rd, due to natural causes. He was a 26 1/2-year veteran of law enforcement with 22 years of that in Oro Valley. He is survived by his wife, Pam, and his two sons, Doug and Jay.

The Douglas S. Reedy, Sr. Memorial Fund has been established to accept donations for his widow in lieu of flowers. Donations may be made at any Wells Fargo Bank using the following:

Account Number: 2399874920

For more information, contact OVPOA President Chris Palic by email. Back to top

AZCOPS is Gold Sponsor of Arizona Police and Fire Games

(Posted: March 25, 2010)
For the second year, AZCOPS is a Gold Sponsor of the Arizona Police and Fire Games May 5-8 in Tucson. The event is co-hosted by the Tucson Police Department and Tucson Fire Department.

The competition assists in improving the fitness levels of the competitors while providing an outlet for stress and an atmosphere of camaraderie among the public safety community -- both commissioned officers and civilians. More than 1,200 competitors will travel from across the country and Canada to participate in some 20 contests in Arizona.

The Games are the result of a year-round effort by the Arizona Police Athletic Federation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1978, to coordinate the Games in various locations throughout the state of Arizona every year. The Games are completely funded by application fees and sponsor donations.

The following events will be featured in this year's Games: Archery, Baseball, Basketball, Bass Fishing, Bowling, Boxing, Darts, Flag Football, Golf, Horseshoes, Paintball, Pistol-3 Gun, Pistol-Combat, Pistol-PPC, Poker, Powerlifting, Sniper Rifle, Soccer, Softball, Track and Field, Cycling-Road, Cycling-Mountain, Rifle-Small Bore, Rifle-High Power, Benchpress, and Ultimate Frisbee.

The host hotel for the Games is the Holiday Inn, 4550 S. Palo Verde in Tucson. Most venues are within a five-mile radius of the hotel with a number of events being held on site. The hotel is offering reduced rates for competitors.

To learn more about the Games, eligibility, registration fees and schedule of events, visit the website. Back to top

Police union seeking judgement against City, City Manager

(Posted: March 10, 2010)
March 8, 2010 | InMaricopa.com
The City of Maricopa Police Association is preparing to file for summary judgment in a suit it filed in October 2009 against the Maricopa City Council and the city manager. Editor's note: Richard S. Cohen, an attorney representing the city of Maricopa, responded to COMPA's petition for summary judgement.

“We are working on the paperwork and should have the petition for summary judgment filed by early this week,” said COMPA’s lawyer, Martin Bihn.
Read More

Officers involved in shootings realize value of AZCOPS

(Posted: Feb. 26, 2010)
For officers in Casa Grande, Scottsdale, Maricopa and Pinal County, being a member of AZCOPS means more today than it ever has before.

Officers in each of those communities were recently involved in shootings and quickly realized the true value of belonging to the largest and most trusted public safety union in Arizona.

Casa Grande

Just after midnight on Feb. 18, a police officer in Casa Grande was responding to a report of a burglary at a residence when he encountered the suspect wielding a sledgehammer. The officer was forced to shoot when the man advanced on him and ignored his repeated commands to drop the weapon.

Casa Grande Police Association President Chris Western said he received a call from the officer about 20 minutes after the shooting and while he was en route to the scene, he called local AZCOPS Attorney Denis Fitzgibbons. It was about 1 a.m.

"He was there within 20 minutes," Western said. "He talked with the supervisor on the scene and got a handle on the situation very quickly, while I transported the officer to the station."

Western, who has been with the police department 14 years, said when local members need legal backup, he knows to call Fitzgibbons regardless of the time of day.

In the days since the shooting, the AZCOPS attorney has communicated regularly with his client, who has never been involved in a shooting before. In Casa Grande, which has about 70 sworn officers, police-involved shootings are investigated by Arizona Department of Public Safety. Western said the attorney accompanied the officer to that interview.

Western said the officer is very pleased with the response and representation he has received from AZCOPS.

"I've never been a member of any other union, but this is the level of service we have come to depend on from AZCOPS. We are very pleased," he said.

Scottsdale

After Scottsdale police officers were forced to shoot a suspected bank robber Feb. 17 as he attempted to run over them with his vehicle, the local union president called AZCOPS.

James Hill, president of the Police Officers of Scottsdale Association, responded within minutes to the scene of the shooting. But while en route, he called AZCOPS Legal and Attorney Tom Baker was sent to the scene.

"I waited with our member only 15 minutes until Tom showed up," Hill said. "Tom immediately talked to our member and stuck with him through the rest of the investigation."

Hill said when he left the scene of the shooting about midnight -- almost three hours after the incident -- the FOP member who was also involved was still waiting on his
attorney to arrive.

Officers in Scottsdale were attempting to arrest a man suspected of robbing two banks in Scottsdale and one bank in Phoenix when the shooting occurred.

Maricopa

Several members of the City of Maricopa Police Association were involved in a critical incident in February.

They arrived at a residence where witnesses reported a man pointed a rifle at a victim. The officers ordered the man to show his hands as he exited the residence. He then began shouting from inside that he was going to come out and kill them.

When he emerged with the rifle, officers gave more commands, but instead of complying he pointed the rifle at an officer. The officers were forced to take action to subdue the immenent threat, said Bihn, who dispatched an attorney from AZCOPS to the scene immediately. He said he expects the officers to be cleared quickly by the County Attorney.

Pinal County

In Pinal County, AZCOPS Attorney Fitzgibbons responded quickly when notified that a deputy had taken action to stop suspects who had just shot and killed a Gilbert police lieutenant.

Fleeing from the scene of a traffic stop where they shot and killed Gilbert Police Lt. Eric Shuhandler, suspects made their way into Pinal County on State Highway 60 pursued by dozens of patrol vehicles from a number of agencies.

As the chase progressed, a Pinal County deputy stationed in Globe, who is a member of AZCOPS, heard the radio traffic. He realized the chase was coming toward him up the hill toward Globe.

"Our member quickly sped down the hill in hopes of intercepting the suspects, and was able to jump into the pursuit near the suspects' vehicle," Bihn said.

Shortly thereafter, the vehicle came to a halt and the suspects emerged and opened fire on pursuing officers, who returned fire.

"Our member made the decision to forgo his handgun and immediately grabbed his shotgun," Bihn said.

Using his vehicle for cover, he moved low to the ground and waited for the suspects to break cover. When they exposed themselves, he fired his shotgun, he said.

"Given the sheer volume of the firefight that night, our member can not be sure that he ended the problem," Bihn said. "What he does know is that he certainly played a role in the solution."

When the situation was secured, the AZCOPS member contacted the Pinal County Deputies Association, which in turn called AZCOPS.

"Within a short time, the attorney (Fitzgibbons) arrived on scene, found our member and whisked him out of the confusion to the calm of the Superior Police Department," Bihn said. "Although it was fairly clear that this was a fully justified use of force, Denis ensured that our member's rights were protected."

AZCOPS Legal has built a reputation across the state for responding quickly to members when they call for help.

"We don't wait until regular business hours to answer a phone call," Bihn said. "AZCOPS attorneys do whatever it takes to get to our member as quickly as possible after a shooting. And sometimes, we have been known to arrive before the officer's supervisors.

"For our member, who in the course of doing his job suddenly finds himself in the most stressful situation of his life, having an AZCOPS attorney at the scene can make all the difference," he said. Back to top

AZCOPS launches campaign to stop Governor from closing juvenile prisons

(Posted: Feb. 10, 2010)
This week, AZCOPS unveiled a new website that will serve as an online presence in a campaign to stop Gov. Jan Brewer from closing the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections in July.

PROTECT ARIZONA! (www.protectarizona.org) contains the truth about the Governor's plan to close juvenile correctional facilities and the impact on public safety. The website is one component of a media campaign to warn the public about the plan. Radio commercials and direct mail will also be used to communicate with citizens across the state.

Already, AZCOPS President Larry A. Lopez and Joe Glen, president of the Pima Juvenile Corrections Association, have been guests on morning talk radio. Glen's group has produced a radio commercial that is airing now. Members can listen to the talk show and radio commercial by going to the campaign website.

AZCOPS is asking not only its members, but all Arizona voters, to communicate directly with the Governor and state lawmakers about the dangers of closing juvenile facilities. Email links and telephone numbers for elected officials are provided on the new website so that visitors may quickly send a message to the Capitol. Visitors can also add comments to a blog on the site.

AZCOPS members are encouraged to visit the site, sign up for email newsletters and visit the PROTECT ARIZONA! page on Facebook.

Listen to Pima Juvenile Corrections Radio Ad

Listen to 104.1 FM Jon Justice Show featuring AZCOPS leaders

Governor moving ahead with plan to close ADJC despite legislative opposition

(Posted: Feb. 3, 2010)
In the past 24 hours, it has become apparent that Gov. Jan Brewer remains determined to close the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections in July 2010.

AZCOPS has learned from sources close to the situation that she is moving forward with this action, regardless of the expressed wishes of the Legislature. This week, the House voted 58-0 in support of HB 2131, which will extend the operations of the department to July 2015.

AZCOPS President exposes 'the truth' about Governor's

proposal on radio talk show

Listen to the show

AZCOPS President Larry A. Lopez was the featured guest Feb. 2 on the Jon Justice Show on 104.1 FM. He was joined by Pima/Maricopa Juvenile Corrections Association Spokesman Joe Glen as they exposed THE TRUTH about the Governor's plan to close the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections by July 2010.

THE TRUTH:

* More than 1,000 sex offenders, murderers, home invaders and gang bangers will be released to the counties that have no means to house, treat, and supervise them properly!

* These teenage criminals will return to the communities and neighborhoods where they committed violent crimes -- placing the public at risk! Free from incarceration and proper supervision, law enforcement authorities anticipate more burglaries, assaults of senior citizens, sexual assaults of children, and increased property damage.

* County taxes will skyrocket in order to duplicate what state Juvenile Corrections already does!

Arizona taxpayers have already spent millions of dollars to fund Juvenile Corrections -- an agency that is repeatedly recognized for excellence. Back to top

AZCOPS moves House Committee to support bill protecting ADJC jobs

(Posted: Jan. 21, 2010)
AZCOPS achieved a victory in the State Capitol Wednesday on behalf of its members who work for the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections.

Facing a shutdown of ADJC on July 1, 2010, AZCOPS told legislators that they should vote yes on the bill to extend the department's operations five years. AZCOPS Government Relations Director Luis Ebratt and AZCOPS Vice President John Stair testified in support of HB 2131 in the House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee Wednesday.

"Doing anything less would be dangerous to the public and create an unfair financial burden on already strapped county governments," said Ebratt.

The committee voted 6-0 in favor of the bill and it now needs approval of the full House of Representatives and the Senate before it can make its way to the Governor's desk.

Ebratt said the bill was approved in committee by both Republicans and Democrats. While the Chairman cautioned about the state's tenuous budget situation, he said moving the bill forward was the right thing to do.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced Jan. 15 that ADJC should be closed this year to save the state about $67 million. Her proposal would eliminate 900 jobs.

Ebratt advised members to remain vigilant and monitor the actions of their elected officials.

"This is only the beginning," he said. "While we are hopeful that this legislation will finally pass, the inner-workings of the political process are not always so predictable. Members should stay alert to what's happening in the Capitol, and when we call for backup, be ready to get involved."

"While this is a positive step forward, AZCOPS isn't taking anything for granted," said President Larry A. Lopez. "We won't rest until this issue is finally settled in a way that protects our members and the communities they serve." Back to top

AZCOPS is responding to Governor's call to close state's juvenile facilities

(Posted: Jan. 19, 2010)

AZCOPS attorneys, legislative and administrative staff, and Board members are working around the clock to implement a political plan of action in response to the Governor's announcement Jan. 15 that the state's juvenile correctional facilities will be closed.

AZCOPS President Larry A. Lopez said today that the leadership of the union has mobilized all of its resources to fight the proposal. These severe budget cuts put AZCOPS members and their families in financial peril and place our communities at an alarming risk.

"At no point in the history of our state have we seen elected officials act with such blatant disregard for the public's safety," he said. "It will take all of us working together to effectively communicate our message as we attempt to change the direction of the Legislature and this Governor."

Members should check email regularly in the coming days as additional updates are distributed.

"Our goal is to keep members informed and involved at every step," Lopez said.

AZCOPS members who may be directly effected by the proposed facility closures are encouraged to share your stories with us. Send us email today.

► Contact House Committee Members

AZCOPS members are asked to contact members of the House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee and tell them to VOTE YES on HB 2131 on Jan. 20th.

A YES VOTE on HB 2131 will extend operations of the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections to July 1, 2015. House members who vote against the bill will be voting to end department operations on July 1, 2010.

The Committee will hear the bill at 9 a.m. Jan. 20. Click on the links below to send emails right away to committee members.

Sam Crump
Patricia V. Fleming
David Gowan
Barbara McGuire
Daniel Patterson
Carl Seel
David W. Stevens
Jerry Weiers Chairman

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National Law Enforcement Museum announces Groundbreaking.

AZCOPS SPEAKS, June 2010

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Tucson POA Raffle

benefits Cops 4 Kids

TPOA Raffle

Tucson POA Raffle raises funds for Cops 4 Kids. This year’s prize is an Arctic Cat 1000 ATV. Tickets are $10 each. Contact Fundraising Director Joe Romero for more information.

AZCOPS Convention, Oct. 22-24, 2010

Aquarius Casino Resort

Aquarius Casino Resort, Laughlin, NV

Special Room Discounts with Group Code C-COP10. Call 800.662.5825 for reservations or reserve your room online.

A Call for Political Involvement

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Martin Bihn

AZCOPS General Counsel Martin Bihn

See AZCOPS Legal News

Prison Privatization

AZCPOA Rally, July 2009

Learn more about Prison Privatization and AZCOPS' fight to save officers' jobs

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