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.
