The Informer 1

October 2010 Volume 5, Issue 4

A PUBLICATION OF LVP OA

AFF ILIAT ED WITH -TEAM STER S LOCAL 1 4 -STATE O F NEVAD A A FL/ CIO

-SNCOPS

Inside this Issue

1. The President’s

Corner

2. Vice Prez presents

3. Horses for Heroes

4. Correctional

Emergencies

5. ANNOUNCEMENTS

6. UPCOMING EVENTS

5. Announcements

6. LIGHTEN-UP

7. IPOF

8. In memoriam

9. 20 words or less

7

8

THE BOARD

Tracey Valenzuela—President

Eric Fredenburg —Vice-president

Scott Edwards—Treasurer/LVPOA

.com webmaster

Allan Tremar—Secretary

Russ Jernee—Representative

Mike Weyand—

Representative/Editor--The

Informer

Steve Poe— Representative

President’s corner

Tracey Valenzuela

DON’T BECOME A

STATISTIC

This year, we are on pace to have a

record number of terminations within

the corrections unit. I can only

speculate as to why this is the case.

For one, I know that some

supervisors have come under fire

recently for failing to investigate an

incident or for failing to conduct a

full and proper investigation and, for

this reason, it seems that more

matters are going to a Brief of

Complaint. I also believe that some

of our employees are simply under a

great deal of stress due to these

challenging economic times; some

have seen a great decrease in

overtime, some have spouses who

have lost their jobs, some are upside

down in houses they can no longer

afford, and these stresses may have

caused some poor decisions to be

made either on the job or off.

I have been involved with the

LVPOA since its inception and have

been involved in disciplinary appeals

from the very beginning. What I

have learned from this experience is

that officers make the same general

mistakes and violate the same

general policies. This pattern,

coupled with the recent surge of

serious disciplines, and after

speaking with the PPA’s counsel

(Kathy Werner) and realizing both

agencies have the same type of

issues, has prompted this article. I

hope you will take the information

contained in this article to heart so

that you don’t become one of our

disciplinary statistics.

You should know that in a mental

review of the cases that have gone to

a pre-termination hearing over the

past couple of years, by my

calculations almost 85% of them

have a truthfulness element to them.

In other words, more than three-

fourths of the cases resulting in a

recommendation for termination

involve some allegation of

misconduct, e.g., conduct

unbecoming, use of force, neglect of

duty, etc., compounded by a

corresponding charge that the officer

in question was in some way

untruthful about the matter, either in

the initial reporting of the incident or

later, during his or her Internal

Affairs interview, or both.

The term ―Misconduct‖ shall mean

not only improper action by an

employee in his official capacity, but

also any conduct by an employee

unconnected with his official duties,

tending to bring the department into

public discredit which tends to affect

the employee’s ability to perform his

duties efficiently, or any improper

use or attempt to make use of his

position as an official for his

personal advantage.

Use of Force - The department has

the highest regard for the dignity and

liberty of all persons, and places

minimal reliance upon the use of

force; a careful balance of all human

interests is required. The level of

force must reflect the totality of the

circumstances surrounding the

immediate situation. You should

select a level of force that is within

The Informer

The Informer 2

the range of ―objectively reasonable‖

options. You should use only that

amount of force that appears

reasonably necessary to bring the

incident under control. Each incident

is unique. Make and DOCUMENT

attempts to control through advice,

warnings, and persuasion.

Neglect of Duty - relates to an

employee who fails to comply, by act

or omission, with any law, order,

procedure, rule or regulations of the

department, or who fails to perform

his official duties or who acts in the

performance of his duties in a

manner which could bring discredit

upon himself, upon the department,

or upon any other member of the

department, may be considered in

neglect of duty. This is often used

when the rule violation is not

specific.

Truthfulness Required at All

Times – employees have the

responsibility to be truthful in all

matters related to the scope of their

employment and the operations of

the department. Failure to be truthful

in any matter that impacts on the

integrity of the department or its

members is unacceptable behavior

and will not be tolerated.

Additionally, members formally

noticed of official investigations

conducted by the department who are

found to be untruthful during the

investigations, or who are found to

be untruthful in completing official

department documents, will be

subject to termination.

This is perhaps the most serious

form of employee misconduct in

your profession. Intent is a critical

component when employees are

disciplined for untruthfulness. When

there is clear intent to defraud or lie,

many arbitrators take a strict

approach, concluding that if the

employer-employee relationship of

trust has been breached, no

mitigating factors can or should

lessen the penalty of termination.

Specifically as it pertains to law

enforcement, however, the duty of

loyalty and honesty goes a step

further. Truthfulness allegations

against officers seem to be on the

rise, although there may be some

cases that the POA feel are without

merit, they are nonetheless

proceeding to termination. So while

progressive discipline generally is an

element of just cause, when

dishonesty is the issue, arbitrators

tend to agree with the department’s

determinations in this respect and

usually do not require progressive

discipline.

I hope that you have noticed that out

of all the above violations, the only

one that has called for termination is

untruthfulness. Although there are

other violations which may call for

termination on the first offense, we

usually see the lesser forms of the

above violations that may call for

written reprimands or suspensions.

With this in mind, the common sense

approach would be to admit to the

misconduct, if that is in fact what

occurred, take the lumps you have

coming and move forward from

there. What does not make sense, is

to lie about an incident that could

only result in a suspension at most

and then face a truthfulness charge in

addition that will most likely lead to

the Department’s successful

termination of your employment with

this agency. Give yourself and your

Representative a break; it is easier to

deal with the underlying allegation of

misconduct, even if it occurred

exactly as alleged, than it is to deal

with the misconduct coupled with an

untruthfulness charge.

So, from the words of someone

famous we know, ―Do what you

know is right, learn from it…and

go praying!‖

Leaders are not people with a position; they are people with a passion who are willing to position themselves to meet the needs of others and influence others to do the same!

―Vice Prez Presents‖

Proper Perspective Have you ever noticed

when you hear the traffic

report on the radio, or see

it on television, that the

reporter does not do it

from ground level but

does it from high above

the problem (traffic jam)?

The reason is if it were

done from within the

problem the perspective

would be ―I am stuck, and

cannot see how much

back up there is‖. By

approaching the problem

from above (out of the

mix) the reporter cannot

only see the entire

problem but can help

travelers out of the

problem. It is times like

this when listening to

another person can be

very beneficial.

You would not yell at

your car stereo and deny

that the reporter knew of a

correct exit strategy or

that he was directing you

in a certain direction for

The Informer 3

his self gain. So why do

we humans always think

within the problem, rather

than take ourselves out of

the problem and look at it

from above.

Once we take ourselves

out of the problem and see

the entire problem we can

than see where we need to

go to avoid the traffic jam

completely. This type of

thinking is proper

perspective.

Vice Prez

Freddy

A Horseback Riding

Program for the Heroes in

our Community!

Founded in 2006 and headquartered

in Las Vegas, NV, Horses4Heroes is

building a nationwide network of

family-friendly, kid-friendly

horseback riding facilities and

equine-related service providers that

support our mission to make

horseback riding affordable for, and

accessible to, the families of the

heroes in our communities including,

but not limited to: military personnel

(active duty and veterans), law

enforcement officers, fire

fighters/EMTs, critical care and

hospice nurses, special needs school

teachers and families who are

struggling with serious, chronic

illnesses and/or disabilities.

Our facilities offer able-bodied

horseback riding programs that

emphasize fun and safe activities

with horses, mounted and un-

mounted for all ages. Facilities and

instructors in our network focus on

all aspects of horse care and

horsemanship, including ground

fundamentals, as well as riding.

Typically, both English and Western

riding disciplines are offered, and

some include beginning rodeo and

gymkhana (barrel racing, pole

bending, dummy roping, goat tying).

Members learn valuable leadership

and teamwork skills, make new

friends and develop a lifelong love of

horses!

For information or to join, call us at

(888) 9US-HERO (987-4376) or visit

our web site at

www.horses4heroes.org.

Mission Statement

Horses4Heroes, Inc. is the leading

family horseback riding non-profit

organization that enriches lives and

empowers our youth, and offers able-

bodied horseback riding programs

that emphasize fun and safe activities

with horses, mounted and un-

mounted for all ages. Participants

learn valuable leadership and

teamwork skills, make new friends,

and develop a lifelong love of

horses! Our organization serves all

servicemen and women, First

Responders and other heroes in

communities across the country.

Our mission is to make horseback

riding affordable for, and accessible

to, the families of the heroes in our

communities. Horses4Heroes

members are eligible to attend

sponsored play days, participate in

local horse camps and clinics,

receive discounted riding lessons

from local instructors, and riding

academies, as well as discounts from

local western clothing retailers,

including Sheplers.

Horses4Heroes is our way of saying

"thank you" to the men and women

in our community who do so much

for us every day to keep us safe and

free. For more information or to join,

contact us at (888) 9US-HERO or

(702) 645-8446.

Our Program

Horses4Heroes Wants You!

Horses4Heroes was created

especially for the families of military

personnel, veterans, firefighters, law

enforcement officers, critical care

and hospice nurses and other heroes

in our community!

If you or your kids love horses, this

is the program for you!

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· Horse Camps and Clinics

· Members-only Events and Horse

Shows

· Horseplay (Pre-School - K)

· Operation Free Ride (regular

sponsored riding sessions)

· Birthday Party Packages

(Members only!)

· Girl Scout Visits

· Welcome Home/Send-Off Parties

· Discounted riding lessons from

local instructors

· All ages welcome

Our program varies from facility to

facility, however all of our

instructors focus on all aspects of

horse care including ground

fundamentals as well as riding. Both

English and Western riding

disciplines are offered, along with

beginning rodeo and gymkhana

(barrel racing, pole bending, dummy

roping, goat tying). A one-time

membership fee is required to

participate!

Contact us at (888) 9US«HERO

(987-4376) or (702) 645-8446 to

learn more about our program.

Email:

horses4heroes@gmail.com

Responding to correctional

emergencies

Excerpted from Gary T. Klugiewicz Corrections One

article

There are four general types of emergencies that correctional personnel respond to a regular basis:

a. Disturbance emergencies

These disturbances range from the daily arguments between inmates and other inmates and/or staff, to fights, self harming behavior, from minor disturbance through a major riot.

b. Medical emergencies Medical emergencies range from a small cut on the finger, to major injuries from natural causes and/or fights, to major medical problems like a heart attack or serious suicide attempt.

c. Fire emergencies.

Fire emergencies are always a concern because of the danger of direct fire or the smoke generated by the fire along with the accompanying panic response d. Miscellaneous emergencies

This category is a catch-all for all other emergencies that occur in a correctional environment, and deals with such things as power outages, heating system failures, plumbing emergencies that generate flooding, etc.

The bottom line is, when facing one or more of these emergencies, correctional staff must be ready—and competently trained—to deliver a measured, systematic response. Developing policy and procedure is not enough. Staff must physically train for emergency response procedures, as well, practice to insure proper application to the type of emergency at

hand.

The fact that these emergencies occur in a correctional environment only complicates emergency response. Think of the snowball effect a miscellaneous emergency like flooding could have: An inmate “falling” and injuring himself (medical emergency) might be an attempt to distract staff from a planned assault on another inmate (disturbance emergency). If you think about it, in a full-fledged riot, all four emergency types will be very likely be covered—disturbance, medical, fire, and miscellaneous.

Activity Response Cues

1. Arrive (On the scene) (Become aware of the emergency)

2. Assess (the situation) (Determine type of emergency)

3. Alarm (is given) (Notify control center / get back up responding, if needed)

4. Evaluate (the situation) (Are there any hidden dangers?)

5. Enter (the emergency site) (When you have enough back up and it's appropriate to do so)

6. Stabilize (subject/scene) (Restrain subject, if appropriate)

7. Initial Medical Assessment (Remember that you need to stabilize the subject(s) before proceeding to this step)

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A. Determine the Level of Consciousness (yes / semi-conscious / no)

B. Check ABC's (Airway / Breathing / Circulation)

C. Perform a Body Check (severe bleeding / gross deformities)

D. Treatment to Level of Training (activate the Emergency Medical System (E.M.S.), if appropriate).

E. Continue to Monitor the Subject (stay close / watch closely).

8. Long Term Monitoring (Does the subject have "special needs" that require additional care / supervision) (Medical / Mental / Security) 9. Communication (What do you have, what type of assistance is needed, who is responding, who is bringing in the emergency equipment, when you have enough assistance on the scene, when the emergency is over, etc.)

10. Documentation / Debriefing (Detailed reports on what led up to the emergency, what occurred during the emergency, and how the staff followed up after emergency as well as the findings of the investigation that followed, and remember: If the staff doesn't discuss and evaluate their response they will keep making the same mistakes)

Summary

Correctional personnel respond to emergencies as first responders. The first responder philosophy says that staff should ARRIVE on the scene, ASSESS what type of emergency they have, and call in an ALARM before jumping in.

The next step is to EVALATE whether there are any hidden dangers (is this a set up?) before deciding to ENTER the emergency site in order to STABILIZE both the subject and the scene.

Once the subject has been stabilized (which often includes the application of restraints), staff must begin INITIAL MEDICAL ASSESSMENT, which includes following the trained protocol.

Next comes LONG-TERM MONITORING that includes proper placement of the inmate after the incident, based on the inmate’s security, medical, and/or mental health needs.

COMMUNICATION takes place through the emergency response, and includes communication with the inmate, staff, witnesses, and other responding professionals.

Finally comes the DOCUMENTATION / DEBRIEFING that includes all levels of documentations required by staff involved in the emergency, along with a tactical debrief to provide “lessons learned” for staff members for the purpose of improving future performance.

BE SAFE!!

There is now a link on the city's intranet. On the "Welcome" page click the "Employment" tab, on the bottom right section

"CEA/Civil Service" there is a

link "Las Vegas Peace Officers

Association (POA)" or go to

www.lvpoa.com

GGeenneerraall

MMeemmbbeerrsshhiipp

MMeeeettiinngg

Thursday, 01-27-11

0630 and 1815

AND stay tuned for upcoming

special meeting TBA

From our Friends at the LVCEA -

$10.00 discount coupon available

for pick up at 857 S. Eastern (CEA

Office)

ftp://ftp.lasvegasnevada.gov/cea/Circus Circus Frightdome.pdf

http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id

=87874836

The Informer 6

I just wanted to put this out there and

bring some awareness to a medical

condition that has affected my

family. My youngest ―Olivia‖ was

diagnosed with Systemic Juvenile

Rheumatoid Arthritis (SJRA). I

thank God that her condition was not

as severe but I do notice that she still

has some bad days. With the

blessings that came out of this is

knowing that there is medical

advancement for treatment and

medication. My Olivia just started

her daily shots that will be a

minimum of a year but she is not the

only child affected with this. Our

family has joined an Arthritis Walk

in Henderson to raise money and

awareness for this cause. I have

included a link if you would like to

be part of Team Olivia. This event is

free and is a ―Halloween‖ themed

event so you and or the kids can get

dressed up and have a great time.

Place: The District at Green Valley

Ranch in Henderson.

Date: 10/23/10

Time: 0800-1130

http://vegaswalk.kintera.org/faf/r.asp

?t=4&i=312191&u=312191-

298449305&e=3695357238

LVPOA Members, I have been advised that we have a new D&E

Family Member! Let’s congratulate Officer Jeremy

Tenorio on the birth of his new son, Aiden Alexander Tenorio, born August 25

th, 2010, at 6lbs 1oz.

―Congratulations to Sgt. D. Davis &

Officer R. Brookins on receiving the

Safety Officer Award Recognition

(SOAR) from the Southern Nevada

Rotary Club at their 9th

Annual event

for Law Enforcement, Fire, and Fire

Rescue. As a recipient of the SOAR

award, you are among those

distinguished individuals being

honored in Public Service for

dedication to the well being of

others. Congratulations to you both!

Submit your questions to—Q&A

If you have any questions,

comments/rants that you would like

to have answered, please forward

them to the Informer editor—Mike

Weyand, we will make every attempt

to answer your questions in a timely

manner and then publish them in the

next issue of the Informer for the rest

of the membership to read. Of

course, your questions can be

confidential upon request.

The Informer 7

LIGHTEN-UP

Why did the vampire go to

the orthodontist?

To improve his bite...

What do you get when you

cross a vampire and a

snowman?

Frostbite...

Why do witches use brooms

to fly on?

Because vacuum cleaners are

too heavy...

How do witches keep their

hair in place while flying?

With scare spray...

What do you get when you

cross a werewolf and a

vampire?

A fur coat that fangs around

your neck...

Do zombies eat popcorn with

their fingers?

No, they eat the fingers

separately...

Why don't skeletons ever go

out on the town?

Because they don't have

anybody to go out with...

What do ghosts add to their

morning cereal?

Booberries...

steps

Things to Do to Liven Up

Thanksgiving Dinner

1. Load your plate up high,

then take it to the kitchen,

toss it all in the blender, and

take your "shake" back to the

table. Announce that it's the

new Thanksgiving Weight

Loss Shake.

2. When everyone goes

around to say what they are

Thankful for, say, "I'm

thankful I didn't get caught"

and refuse to say anything

more.

3. Bring along old recorded

football games, pop them in

the VCR when Dad's not

looking. Make sure it is set to

the last two minutes of the

game. When he comes into

the room, turn off the VCR

and turn on the regular TV.

4. Bring a date that only

talks about the tragic and

abusive conditions known to

exist at turkey farms.

5. During mid-meal turn to

mom and say, "See mom, I

told you they wouldn't notice

that the Turkey was past

expiration date. You were

worried for nothing."

What did Adam say on

the day before

Christmas?

It's Christmas, Eve!

How do you make an

idiot laugh on boxing

day?

Tell him a joke on

Christmas Eve !

What do you have in

December that you

don't have in any other

month?

The letter "D”!

What does Father

Christmas suffer from if

he gets stuck in a

chimney?

Santa Claustrophobia !

What do you call a

letter sent up the

chimney on Christmas

Eve?

Black mail!

Who delivers’ cat's

Christmas presents?

Santa Paws!

The Informer 8

All inclusive pro football packages

are here!

Come see the game live! Join us for a hassle free trip

from Las Vegas to live NFL

games in San Diego &

Arizona.

Just park your car and ride!

2010 Pro Football Packages

History of the Injured Police Officers Fund

The Injured Police Officers Fund

(IPOF) was formed in October of

1982 when

LVMPD Motor Officer James

MacLaren was shot in the head

during a traffic stop. Fortunately,

Officer MacLaren survived his injuries

however; he was forced into medical

retirement.

The IPOF held its first fund-raiser

when Sheriff John Moran and his wife

Goldie Moran hosted "A night out

with the stars." All of the funds raised

from this event were donated to the

MacLaren family and the IPOF was

born.

In 1982, the IPOF represented the

Officers of LVMPD, Henderson, North

Las Vegas, Boulder City and the

Southern Region of Nevada Highway

Patrol. In 1992 the IPOF added the

City of Mesquite Police to our

organization. In 1995, under the

leadership of Sheriff Jerry Keller, the

IPOF added the Officers of the City of

Las Vegas Detention and

Enforcement, University of Nevada

Las Vegas Police, Clark County Park

Police and Clark County School

District Police.

The IPOF is comprised of sworn law

enforcement officers from each of the

member agencies. Each agency has

one primary and one alternate

representative. These officers

volunteer their time and are

appointed by the Chief of Police of

their agency, or in the case of

LVMPD Officers, the Sheriff of Clark

County.

The IPOF typically holds at least two

major fundraisers each year, the

annual IPOF Golf Tournament and

the annual IPOF Classic Car Show.

The IPOF also works with various

community non-profit organizations

within the Las Vegas area throughout

the year, including friends of Metro

K9.

The IPOF will assist with expenses

not covered by Industrial Insurance

for serious line of duty injuries or a

line of duty death. These expenses

may include, but are not limited to,

reimbursement for equipment

damaged, childcare expenses not

normally incurred and other expenses

on a case by case basis.

You can help the IPOF by making a

tax deductible contribution through

this website. You can also contact us

for more information at

info@helplasvegascops.com, via

telephone at 702-380-2840, or via

mail at 9330 W. Lake Mead Blvd.

Suite 130, Las Vegas, NV 89134.

For more information or if you are

or know someone who was injured in

the line of duty contact Officer

Ratzsch:

tratzsch@lasvegasnevada.gov

The Informer 9

In memoriam Someone once said, sorrow comes in

great waves…….it rolls over us, and

though it may almost smother us, it

leaves us on the spot, and we know

that if it is strong, WE ARE

STRONGER, inasmuch, as it

passes…..and we remain.

We are all gathered here today to

celebrate the life of Curt

Constantino. We are here today to

mend our sadness; to show our care

and support; and to gather strength

from one another.

We are gathered here today to pay

respect to a man who impacted so

many of us present here in this room.

A selfless man

A man who I never heard utter a bad

work about anyone

A man who I affectionately call

―Connie‖

A man who always greeted me in the

mornings (and I’m sure you too) with

“WHAT’S UP KID?!!”

Oh! And how that irritated me! It

made me cringe! I thought surely

it’s been a long time since I’ve been

a kid! And after years of taking it, I

tried to hint to him in my sarcastic

way that……It’s been a long time

since I’ve been a kid, and he either

didn’t get it or he didn’t care,

because the next morning, in

traditional fashion, I got “WHAT’S

UP KID?!!”

We gather here today to pay respect

to a man who I’m sure we all feel left

us too soon; who was taken from us

by a horrible illness.

I can’t help but feel some relief

inside, knowing that he is in a better

place; a place where no one wears a

vest, handcuffs, or a gun. That he is

no longer in emotional or physical

agony.

Somewhere beyond the sun

A place of beauty that we can only

imagine

Where the angels now protect him.

He’s in a place we cannot see,

Beyond the golden gate

A special place for D&E

Where all our offices congregate.

Our brothers gone before him

welcome home this valiant man

Who was a father, a brother, a

significant other, our friend.

Corporal Curt Constantino, truly a

wonderful human being.

―Rest Now Corporal‖, you have

earned your wings,

And all the beauty that surrounds you

that this special place brings.

Rest in peace, my friend; you will be

missed

P#531 will now be reporting from

heaven I am sure he is looking down

upon everyone today, with a smile on

his face (and today, I’m okay with it)

saying……

“SEE YA KIDS!!!”

I envy not in any moods the

captive void of noble rage, the

linnet born within the cage that

never knew the summer woods: I

envy not the beast that takes

His license in the field of time,

Unfetter'd by the sense of crime,

To whom a conscience never

wakes; Nor, what may count

itself as blest,

The heart that never plighted

troth But stagnates in the weeds

of sloth;

Nor any want-begotten rest. I

hold it true, whate'er befall; I feel

it, when I sorrow most; 'Tis better

to have loved and lost

than never to have loved at all.

Canto 27

IN MEMORIAM A. H. H

by Alfred lord Tennyson

The Informer 10

The Informer 11

Officer L. Cummings – 4 Years

―Nothing comes to a Sleeper but a Dream‖

Sgt. D. Davis—8 Years

―God is talking to you. Are you listening?‖

Sgt. D. Tate— 28 Years

―Do what you know is right...Learn from

this and GO PRAYING.‖

Officer B. Griffith— 6 Years

―Long live the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City

Royals and the Atlanta Hawks, but most of all

my Family and Friends!‖

20 WORDS OR LESS….