Region 10 Fall Board Report

Greetings one and all. I am currently in Chicago visiting family before flying up to Minneapolis tomorrow afternoon for the Board of Directors meeting on Friday and Saturday prior to the beginning of the annual conference, and thought that you might like to see what is included in a board report, and what's in my board report for the fall board meeting.

Besides general information on who we are, if we'll be attending the meeting, and what our flight information is, a board report will ask what role in the Strategic Plan we have, and if we have a role, what goal or action owner we are responsible for; we'll also be asked what progress we've made during the period since the past meeting on our goal and actions. In addition, we'll be asked about any proposed and/or future actions towards our goal(s), and any items requiring Board consideration and/or decision.

In the past, most Regional Coordinators would list any and all things that they have worked on or completed during the past time period. What we're now being asked to do is fine tune it more towards the organization's Strategic Plan; we had been asked at the Spring Board meeting to choose a couple of our proposed actions and move forward on those, so, there may have been other things going on, but the focus will only be on those couple of actions. (The organization's Strategic Plan can be accessed on the organization's website at www.iawp.org).

That being said, I am the Goal/Action Owner on category 5.2, "Increasing involvement of wider membership in IAWP business; invite members to contribute to the Strategic Plan utilizing their skills, experience and abilities." I have flagged under that, however, that getting new members to join and old members to renew were critical, and if they don't want to renew, why? We must have that information first to get them involved later, and to learn what the issues might be if they aren't renewing.

Under Progress this Period on Goals/Actions:

1. Obtained list of Region 10 members whose memberships have expired from 2007 to the present, and have contacted all who have e-mail addresses, advising them that their memberships have expired, and providing them with the IAWP website so they can renew online (or they can print off the renewal form and renew that way).

2. All Region 10 members from 2007 to the present who do not have an e-mail address, will be contacted in writing to advise them their membership has expired, and to provide them information on how to renew (i.e. IAWP website and membership form in magazine). To be completed by the end of September.

3. Created Region 10 blog and am using that to outreach to the Region; attempting to blog weekly or biweekly, but no less than once a month, at a minimum. The amount of blogs have been dependent on how much news is available to share.

4. I am beginning to obtain contact and bio information from Region members who are trainers to be able to share with other Region members who may be looking for a trainer for their departments or affiliates. Depending on response, it may be able to be developed into a resource for all IAWP members (the organization use to have a Speaker's Bureau; this might become a starting point to develop that again).

5. The filming of the DVD project with Sharon Gless is on hold until probably February of 2011 due to her filming schedule back East. Contact with Shirley Tatum has been made concerning information she needs, and a time table for receiving it, so she can begin the script writing portion of the project.

Proposed and/or Future Actions Towards Goal(s):

1. Host a Regional training in Maui, Hawaii in May or June of 2011 in hopes of encouraging women in law enforcement on the Hawaiian Islands to attend, as well as others from the Region, to not only receive training, but to learn about, and hopefully join, the IAWP (and for those already members to become more involved).

2. Continue working with staff at the Sheraton Resort on Maui to develop an acceptable program that is affordable, so that a contract can be signed and the training can be held. Targeting the end of 2010 to determine if it will be feasible to do.

3. Went to the Sheraton Resort on Maui with former 2nd Vice President Lynette Hogue and met with staff there, who provided us with a tour of the facility and hosted us for two of the four nights we stayed there so that we could get a true feel for the facility, and to see if it would be a good fit for a Regional training (it IS!)

4. Will post information on the Region blog about the DVD project with Sharon Gless, and to encourage members to submit information to be considered for inclusion in the project. Posting to be completed by the end of September.

5. Will be contacting a friend in the film industry by the end of the year to discuss the possibility of his being able to provide access to a film studio for the narration of the DVD by Sharon Gless in early 2011.

Items Requiring Board Consideration and/or Decision:

1. Would like to see Policy 10 (the Conference Policy) updated to mandate that beginning with the 2013 Conference, that neither Conference Directors, nor their Committee members, who use conference funds for personal travel to promote their Conferences, including, but not limited to, hotel rooms, meals, registration fees, and transportation. (A motion will be presented on this issue).

2. Would like to see a standardized financial program provided to Conference Directors for reporting their income and expenditures from their conference so that everyone is clear on what needs to be provided, and the same format will be used by all Conference Directors in the future.

3. Would like to see a standardized program provided to Conference Directors for their final report, including, but not limited to, what worked, what didn't, and any suggestions on how things could have worked better, to ensure the same format is used by all future Conference Directors and that the required information is provided.

4. Would like to see a policy or guideline set up that addresses Regional Coordinators providing trainings in their Regions. Issues to look at include how registration fees are to be paid (should checks be made out to the IAWP, the IAWP Foundation, or a separate checking account set up, as is done for annual training conferences); in addition, if the Regional Coordinator is provided a Regional training in support of the IAWP, should the IAWP provide financial support to that training; i.e. some sort of start-up costs, as are done with the annual conference? (A motion will be presented on this issue).

5. Requesting funds for the IAWP to be a sponsor at the 5th Annual Women Leaders in Law Enforcement Conference that will be held November 8-10, 2010 in Pasadena, CA. (A motion will be presented on this issue).

Save travels to any of you coming to Minneapolis. Our Regional meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 28th from 1700-1830 hrs. (it probably won't go THAT long), and the Annual General Membership (AGM) meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 29th from 1700-1830 hrs. Check your conference information you receive there for the location of the meetings. Hope to see you there!

Congratulations are in order . . .

Greetings! A big congratulations goes out to Region 10 member, Detective Deborah Gonzales from the Los Angeles Police Department. Deborah recently received her Doctorate of Education in Organizational Change from Pepperdine University. Awesome job, Deborah; what an accomplishment! Deborah is also the President of the IAWP Affiliate, the Los Angeles Women Police Officers and Associates (LAWPOA). Check out their website when you get a chance, which can be accessed from the IAWP website at www.iawp.org.

Speaking of LAPD, welcome to new member, Lieutenant Chris Waters. Glad to have you as part of the organization and the Region, Chris!

Renewals this past month include the following:

A/Chief Darcy Olmos - U.S. Border Patrol

Retired Chief Lucy Carlton - Los Altos Police Department

Sergeant Rhonda Wood - Irvine Police Department

Sergeant Theresa Dawson - Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office

Sergeant Andrea Salas - Sonoma County Sheriff's Office

Officer Marquita Booth - San Francisco Police Department

Lieutenant Heidi Howe - Washoe County Sheriff's Office

Welcome back one and all!

As you may have read in past issues of Women Police magazine, former 2nd Vice President and Region 10 member, Lynette Hogue, has been working on putting together a DVD project on the history of women in law enforcement in the IAWP. The DVD will be narrated by Actress Sharon Gless (many of you will remember Sharon, who played Detective Christine Cagney in the hit show, Cagney and Lacey), who will be volunteering her time to be a part of this project. Lynette is still looking for people to send her information about "firsts" of women in their Departments, and would love to have members from Region 10 send her information. Interviews of either yourself, or of other members in law enforcement would also be most welcome. Questions to ask during interviews should include who you are, what Department you work for, and how long you have worked for them; what is the most positive experience you've experienced in your career; what is the most negative thing you've experienced in your career, if any; how did you become involved with the IAWP; and why do you continue to be involved with the IAWP. Interviews should be taped on mini DVD's, if possible. Send me an e-mail at RLM2214A@aol.com if you'd like to send Lynette either an interview tape or any other information for possible inclusion in the project, and, I'll give you the information on where to send it. Thanks! The more information received, the better!

There's still time to register for the Conference in Minneapolis, though it will be here in just a couple of weeks now. Go onto the IAWP website (listed above) and click on the Minnesota Conference for everything you need to know about this outstanding training. Hope to see many of you there! (And don't forget; it's a tax write-off, to boot!)

Until next time, stay safe!

A Teaser for you and more!

Greetings one and all! I've been talking a bit about hoping to host a Region training at the Sheraton in Ka anapali in Lahaina, Maui in May or early June next year, and thought I'd give you a glimpse at what the Resort looks like as a little teaser for you . . .

It IS as nice as it looks and then some, I can assure you, and would be a WONDERFUL place to host a training! As I continue to negotiate with the Sheraton, let me know what kind of training you might like to see. If it works out, we're anticipating having a late afternoon or early evening icebreaker event the night before the training, followed by either a one day training with a luncheon, or a day and a half to two days training. We'll see how it all plays out. I CAN tell you that whatever rate is negotiated, it will be good for 3 days before the training and 3 days after the training to make it easier for you to come early or stay late and make a vacation out of it, besides getting a tax write-off to boot! More to come . . .

There's still time to make arrangements to come to the Conference in Minneapolis this month. The training is always outstanding, and the networking that you'll be able to do with women in law enforcement from around the country and around the world is priceless. Hope to see many of you there! For those who aren't attending, and even for those who are, if you have anything you'd like me to bring before the Board during our meeting prior to the start of the conference, please let me know and I'll be happy to address it. I leave on September 18th to visit family in Chicago prior to flying up to Minneapolis, so anything you want me to address will need to get to me absolutely no later than Friday, September 17th. Thanks!

And now, here's the second Region 10 nominee who was nominated for one of the IAWP Officer-of-the Year Awards this year - Officer Maria Oropeza from the San Francisco Police Department for the Community Services Award. Although she did not win the Award, I thought it was important to share the nomination with you to see the outstanding work that she did:

"The IAWP Community Services Award is to be awarded to an officer who "distinguishes herself by superior accomplishments through developing, designing, implementing and participating in programs involving communities, which include neighborhoods, school, community meetings, and businesses." As soon as I read the criteria for this Award, Officer Maria Oropeza from the San Francisco Police Department come to mind. She not only fits the criteria for this Award, I believe she exceeds it, and it is my distinct honor to nominate her this year for the IAWP Community Services Award.

Bio: Officer Maria Oropeza wanted to be a police officer all of her life. She had the opportunity to fulfill that dream by becoming a member of the San Francisco Police Department in July of 1984. Maria has been a member of the Department for 26 years, and has the reputation of being a hard working officer with a very high work ethic, who is respected by her peers and supervisors alike. Maria worked a number of years in patrol before spending 8 very successful years in the Department's Narcotics Bureau. Following her work in Narcotics, Maria spent 4 years working Media Relations, before being transferred to the Police Academy, where she has worked for the past 3-1/2 years.

Narrative: Officer Maria Oropeza has excelled in every position she has worked in the Department; however, her transfer to the Police Academy and her ongoing work with the community has truly made her a shining star. While at the Academy, Maria completely revamped the Department's Advanced Officer Training program, which is a mandatory training that all officers, Sergeants and Inspectors in the Department must participate in every two years. The training included important legal updates, CPR re-certification, shooting and driving simulations, First Aid, hands on tactics, case reviews, and a host of other topics relevant to their jobs. Tracking members over the years to ensure compliance has always been problematic, and those mandated to attend would often "slip through the cracks" either unintentionally, or by members doing whatever they could do to avoid attending the week long training at the Academy.

Maria was able to develop a successful tracking system to ensure that all who were mandated to attend the training did so, and was able to have members who did not comply with the training be subject to the same disciplinary process as would occur if someone missed a range re-qualification date. Developing a tracking system, along with making dramatic changes to the training provided; ensuring that the training was fresh, relevant, and current, made going to "A.O." fun again and has virtually resulted in 100% compliance since the program went into effect. It has also effectively closed a window to potential lawsuits against the Department because of non-compliance of certain training.

Along with her work with the Advanced Officer training program, Maria spent time reviewing all aspects of the Academy's requirements under the State's Police Officer's Standards (POST) and made a number of updates and changes to ensure that the Academy remained in compliance with POST's regulations.

Maria's involvement, however, with the Department's Community Police Academy, has been a crowning achievement for her. The Community Police Academy program is designed to inform and teach various aspects of municipal policing to the community. The 10 week program covers procedures from patrol and investigations, vehicle operations, arrest and control techniques, firearm procedures and communications / 911. The program's goals are to develop community awareness through education, and develop a closer understanding and working relationship between the San Francisco Police Department and communities served.

Maria is the program coordinator for the Community Police Academy and runs all aspects of the program. Participants in the program must be a minimum of 15 years of age (those 15 to 18 years of age must have parental permission to participate), must live or work in San Francisco, must have no felony convictions, must have no misdemeanor convictions within one year of application to the program, must be currently enrolled in school, or have a high school diploma, or possess a G.E.D. (General Education Diploma), and are expected to attend all 10 weeks of classes provided. Classes can have up to 25 people in them, and Maria screens all the applications for participation in the program, and then runs the classes in the evenings after completing her regular work shift.

This program has been so successful since Maria took it over, that she decided she wanted to outreach into the community further, bringing the program out into the community for those who were not able to physically get to the Academy. Maria then developed a 4 day mini Community Police Academy in the predominant Hispanic community of the Mission District. Maria, who is fluent in Spanish, taught the training twice a year, focusing on gang awareness and drugs, which are two big problems occurring in that community. The program was so successful that she is now hoping to be able to expand the 4 day mini Academy into the Chinese community, as well.

Two years ago, Maria began a Youth Community Academy for high school students. Interest was generated by Maria sending out flyers to the high schools in the community and sending letters out to the schools through officers working at the schools. The first class brought 13 students together, and was so successful, that two of those attending immediately joined the PAL (Police Activities League) and are now interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement. Four to five classes are now held annually and continue to be quite successful with Maria leading the way as a role model for these motivated young people.

Maria also runs an Alumni Community Police Academy, which are held every two to three months, and whose participants are graduates from prior Community Police Academies that she has run. She will generally let the participants choose a topic they want to learn more about, and will then provide them with that training. Presentations usually run 2-1/2 to 3 hours and training has covered topics such as gang awareness, first aid, drug awareness, community policing, FATS, and EVOC. Maria has also arranged ride alongs, station tours and SWAT presentations for the participants, all of which are extremely popular.

Maria is also very involved in volunteer work and has been active in volunteering for well over 20 years. She regularly volunteers for the American Cancer Society, driving cancer patients on a weekly basis to their chemo treatments. As Maria is a cancer survivor herself, she well knows how lonely and frightening going to treatments can be, and gives these brave patients hope that they, too, can survive and live productive lives after cancer.

For the past few years, Maria has been involved in the Princess Project, which provides prom dresses and an accessory to underprivileged girls, so that they, too, may have the joy of going to their prom. She regularly volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, where she provides Spanish translation services and translates paperwork from English to Spanish for them, and has plans to volunteer more extensively with them building houses once she retires from the Department in a few years.

Maria also volunteers at Project Open Hand, delivering hot meals to AIDS patients in their homes, and is active in the annual Firefighter's Toy Program, collecting toys for their toy drive at the holidays to to give to children who might not otherwise have a Christmas. This past year, Maria has also adopted ten families through a Bernal Heights Neighborhood Community Group, ensuring that these families had food and toys and were able to enjoy the holidays. She anticipates that the numbers of families supported in 2010 will increase as the neighborhood group continues to provide her with names of families in need, and she tells me that she willingly takes on the challenge to ensure that no one will go without at the holidays.

If that wasn't enough, Maria was the first female President of the Latino Peace Officers Association (LPOA), San Francisco Metro Chapter, for 2 years in 2006 and 2007, and is still very active in the organization, hosting an annual dance as a fundraiser for the organization's scholarship fund, which provides seven, $1,000 scholarships annually to seniors in high school as they prepare to go to college. Maria runs that organization's annual toy drive at the holidays, as well as works with immigrant women, providing job training for them. In addition, for the past 6 years, Maria has worked with another local women's organization, and runs a toy drive for them at the holidays, providing toys for the kids, and Safeway store gift cards for the mothers. In 2009, 5,000 toys were donated for 200 kids - quite an accomplishment!

Officer Maria Oropeza exemplifies what the Community Services Award is all about, and it is my honor to provide her name and accomplishments for consideration for this year's IAWP Community Services Award."

Awesome job, Maria!

Until next time, stay safe, and feel free to send me information to include on the blog, as this is for all of you.

Welcome and More . . .

I'd like to welcome the following new IAWP members to Region 10:

Lieutenant Chris Watters - Los Angeles Police Department
Officer Mari Noguchi - San Francisco Police Department

And the following members who have renewed their membership:

A/Chief Darcy Olmos - U.S. Border Patrol
Retired Officer Lucy Carlton - Los Altos Police Department
Sergeant Rhonda Wood - Irvine Police Department
Sergeant Theresa Dawson - Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office
Sergeant Andrea Salas - Sonoma County Sheriff's Office
Officer Marquita Booth - San Francisco Police Department
Sergeant Stefani Gombar - Phoenix Police Department
Officer Sergeant Lisa Frazer - San Francisco Police Department
Retired Agent Michelle Williams - San Diego Police Department
Chief Sandra Spagnoli - Benicia Police Department
Officer Jennifer Thompson - San Francisco Police Department
LEA Sheila Quaills - CBP Office of Air & Marine
Officer Lois Perillo - San Francisco Police Department - LIFE member

A very warm welcome to one and all!

I'd like to extend my condolences to the San Francisco Police Department and the Region on losing one of our own last month - Officer John Mulkern - who died at the age of 50 from a massive heart attack. John had been battling some health problems for awhile, and his death was a hard pill for us to swallow for those who knew and loved him; he had just retired on a medical disability a few days before he died. For those of you who attended the IAWP Conference in San Francisco in 2003, you may remember John has the big, happy-go-lucky Irishman who was one of our volunteer drivers to the Night Tour at Alcatraz, and who helped out throughtout the week wherever he was needed. He was so impressed with the Conference and the delegates he met that he wanted to become more involved, so he joined the organization, and had been an active member to the day he died.

Region 10 member, Sergeant Judy Riggle, from the San Francisco Police Department contacted me following John's funeral (there was a service for him in San Francisco, and then he was flown back to Boston, where there was a service for his family and friends there, before being buried in Boston). Judy told me that John's brother and one of his sister's contacted her following the Boston service, and told her that the Boston Police Department and the State Troopers had been absolutely awesome. Not only were they there to support a fellow officer and his family, they went above and beyond the call of duty by literally closing down the Turnpike for a couple of hours and escorting them everywhere. A BIG thank you to our brother and sister officers in Boston who gave John a very fitting send off! It was very much appreciated.

In my last blog, I spoke about officers from our Region being nominated for three different Officer-of-the-Year Awards. Although none of the officers won this year's award, I'd like to share one of those with you in this blog - Officer Ally Jacobs and Event Manager Lisa Campbell from the University California Police Department in Berkeley. (The others will be shared in future blogs). You may remember hearing about the well known Jaycee Dugard kidnapping case. Ally and Lisa were the two who broke the case open, which resulted in Jaycee and her two daughters being rescued. Here's their nomination for the 2010 Excellence in Performance Award:

INTRODUCTION -

On August 24, 2009, the end of an 18 year nightmare came true for Jaycee Dugard, who had been kidnapped outside her South Tahoe home, at age 11, while waiting for the school bus. During those 18 years, she was held in a sound proof tent in the back yard of a convicted felon on parole for previous rape convictions; she was kept hundreds of miles from her family. She had to endure a couple's horrific treatment, repeated sexual assaults and the birth of two girls fathered by her captor. Because of the excellent work by UC Berkeley Police Officer Ally Jacobs and Event Manager Lisa Campbell, Jaycee and her daughters now have a chance to regain their lives and be reunited with Jacee's family; and two criminals face spending the rest of their lives in prison.

The NARRATIVE -

On August 23, 2009, a man and two young girls walked into the University of California at Berkeley Office of Special Events in an attempt to get a permit for what the man called "God's Desire." He bragged that the event would be big and the government was involved. He made contact with Events Manager Lisa Campbell. At the time, the man had no idea that Lisa was a former Chicago and Cook County Police Officer and was reading his body language and Campbell felt something was "just not right" with the man and the two girls. The man's behavior seemed erratic to Campbell adn the girls were sullen and submissive. Lisa, who was preparing for another appointment, got the man's name and asked that he return at 2 p.m. the following day. She made a point to come across as professional and accommodating so he would return the next day.

Lisa listened to her training and experience and contacted UC Berkeley Police Officer Ally Jacobs and explained her concerns. Jacobs ran a background check on Garrido and discovered that he was a registered sex offender on federal parole for kidnapping and rape. She made a point to sit in with Campbell when the man returned for his appointment, promptly at 2 and luckily, he brought the two girls back with him.

Officer Jacobs also used her training and experience, as both an officer and a mother, to observe the girl's behavior and their interactions with Garrido. She found them to be pale, almost gray, as if they hadn't had much exposure to the sun. The 15 year old stood in a peculiar position - stiffly, with her hands on the front of her legs, looking up, while the 11 year old was staring at Jacobs with pale, bright blue eyes.

Officer Jacobs stated that the girls unnerved her as they seemed programmed; almost like "Little House on the Prairie meets robots." The younger of the two girls was staring at her with her pale, bright blue eyes. Both girls appeared emotionally and physically detached from Garrido.

The two UCPD employees attempted to engage the girls, asking questions that might help them get a read on the situation without alarming the man. What were their names? Why weren't they in school? What grades were they in? The girls mumbled odd names in reply and said that they were home schooled. As Campbell listened to their answers, she recognized that their responses about their grade levels weren't consistent.

The 11 year old was asked about a bump near one eye and she quickly answered that it was a birth defect. Jacob felt her response was rehearsed and she was taken aback by her response.

The man was talking in a disorganized way, and offered up a booklet he'd written, titled "Origin of Schizophrenia Revealed." He volunteered that 33 years ago he was convicted of kidnapping and rape, but now he was "doing God's work." At one point he grabbed hold of the older girl, saying, "They're great girls. The don't even know any curse words!" When he bragged about them, Jacobs observed the girl looked stiff and both girls seemed fearful of any reaction that would displease their father.

Jacobs did not have a basis on which to make an arrest. But her interview training and her observations of their body language and her senses were telling her something was definitely wrong with their interaction and more needed to be learned about the man and the young girls. Her follow-up would prove to be a true life saver. Officer Jacobs left a voice mail for his parole officer recommending that he check up on him and the girls. When she returned to work Wednesday morning, she talked with the parole officer, who seemed surprised to hear about the girls. The parole officer reported that he didn't have any daughters and one of his restrictions ws that he could not be around young girls.

Officer Jacobs said "my heart dropped, these are kidnapped kids!" Jacobs recalls thinking. It wasn't until driving home that night that she heard from the parole officer that the man had come into the office with his "family" and law enforcement discovered that Jaycee Dugard was in their midst. Jacobs and Campbell celebrated with the rest of us the news of the man and his wife, resulting in the freedom of Jaycee Dugard after 18 years in captivity.

A search warrant was served on the suspect's residence; the couple was arrested and charged wiht Kidnapping, Rape, and False Imprisonment. The man has a $30 MILLION bail and a no-bail parole hold. The wife's bail is $20 MILLION.

It is due to the quick actions, and a reliance on a career of training and attention to the little details that has led to the capture of two very dangerous people and the recovery of a woman and her two girls. The skills put to use during the inital encounter with the man and Jaycee's daughters led to this case being solved. From the initial contact, to the interview where things did not add up, to the non-verbal language Jacobs and Campbell watched and interpreted correctly and finally to the follow up with phone calls and database checks, these two female officers created the lead that brought about the arrests of two dangerous suspects and the new life for Jaycee and her daughters.

UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau commended the two officers and the UC Police Department for "exemplary" work. "Officer Ally Jacobs and Police Specialist Lisa Campbell displayed the intelligence, training, and professional intutition that are required of the best in police work," he said. "This week that commitment resulted in a breakthrough in an 18 year old kidnapping, and more importantly, it provided the opportunity for two children and their mother to live a new life, one that we all hope will bring them a full measure of happiness."

As the story began to unfold, "I couldn't believe I was part of something so big," Jacobs says. "People are saying I was a hero. I don't accept that. I was just doing my job."

When asked how she felt about the life changing incident Lisa Campell stated, "I'm just grateful to have had an impact and it's a relief that those kids now have a chance for a life."

Alert actions by two members of the UC Berkeley police force played a key role in events that led up to the arrest of the kidnapping and rape suspect and the safe return of Jaycee Lee Dugard, who in 1991 at age 11, was abducted from her South Lake Tahoe neighborhood. Officer Jacobs and Lisa Campbell's professional observations and actions also saved the lives of two young girls who now have a chance at a normal life.

Awesome, stuff, huh?

Until next time, stay safe and pay attention to your intuitions; if something doesn't seem right, it's likely that it isn't.