Promotions and Retirements and Trainings, Oh My!

Greetings! Lots of great stuff has been happening in the Region since my last post. First of all, I'd like to welcome two new members to the Region: Officer Jaxi Christine Close from the Los Angeles Police Department, and Denise Jablonski-Kaye, Ph.D, from Los Angeles. Welcome to the IAWP family!

Congratulations goes out to Yvonne Allen from the San Francisco Police Department on her promotion to Lieutenant on January 7th! Way to go, Yvonne! I know you'll be successful in your new position.

I had the honor of attending the retirement dinner for Sergeant Joni Lee from the South San Francisco Police Department on January 20th. Joni retired from her agency on December 31st after over 31 years of service. Congratulations, Joni! "South City" won't be the same without you!

Congratulations also goes out to Region 10 member, and IAWP Chaplain, Detective Tamia Dow, who will be retiring from the Las Vegas Metro Police Department on February 1st after over 27 years. I'll also have the honor to be able to attend her retirement dinner, as well, along with a host of other IAWP members. Congratulations, Tamia! From one fellow retiree to another, you're going to love it!

For those who may not have seen it, K-9 Officer Sonia Mariona from the San Francisco Police Department did a video segment for PoliceOne.com on K-9 Tactical Operations. Check it out at http://www.policeone.com/training/videos/4927583-K9-Tactical-Operations-The-Evolution-of-Training/.

There's also some great training classes coming up in the Region, both of which are being put on by Calibre Press. This first is on March 6th and 7th at Bally's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman will do a course which will include info on Post Traumatic Stress indicators and management, dreaming that our firearms don't work, combat preparation for your spouse, similarities of school & workplace terror, important drills that nobody practices, games that are more dangerous than movies, surviving gunshot wounds, the killing enabling process, survivor guilt, new killer in the 21st century, recent salient events, asymmetrical warfare, violent visual imagery, and reality vs. fantasy. Tuition is $215.00, and IAWP members save 15% (use code IAWP).

The second class is the Street Survival for Women in Law Enforcement training that will be held October 17th and 18th at the Mont Bleu Resort, Casino & Spa in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, presented by Dave Smith and Sergeant Betsy Brantner Smith. This is the ORIGINAL law enforcement seminar that is designed specifically for female officers and for those who train and manage them. The class if completely revised for 2012, and will help you develop the tactical awareness necessary for your ultimate survival, learn to communicate effectively on and off the job, examine training & equipment issues specific to the female mind and body, make better, more controlled decisions even under high stress, see what it takes to become a leader regardless of rank, learn how to balance your career and home life, combat the effects of "routine" on your performance, learn to properly manage pregnancy on the job, gain off-duty survival skills you can share with those you love, develop a "Not Today" attitude, every day, on every shift, expand your tactical and mental preparation for armed encounters, and develop and maintain a Warrior Mindset to WIN every encounter. Tuition for this class is also $215.00.

To register or obtain more information on either of these outstanding classes, please contact Megan Gravley at Calibre Press by calling 972-629-6025, or by e-mail at megan.gravley@calibrepress.com.

Until next time, stay safe!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to one and all! I hope everyone had a good New Years Eve, and that those of you that had to work, were able to get through the night unscathed.

I'd like to welcome the newest members to the Region:

Detective Lisa Barrientos - Mesa Police Department
Chief Stella Bay - Pima Community College Police Department
Deputy Stephanie Beezley - Alameda County Sheriff's Office
Sergeant Katherine Howden - Eureka Police Department
Officer Laura LeDuc - Novato Police Department
Officer Victoria Martin - Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety
Captain Sherrell Sutherland - California Highway Patrol
Officer Jennifer Jones - California Highway Patrol

I'd also like to welcome back those members who have renewed their memberships:

Senior Deputy Fabian Brown - San Francisco Sheriff's Office
Sergeant Teresa Collentine - Sacramento County Sheriff's Office
Chief Janet Davis - Clovis Police Department
Officer Lori Lamma - San Francisco Police Department
Officer Trishell Young-Orth - Milpitas Police Department
Los Angeles Women Police Officers & Associates / Deborah Gonzales

Welcome one and all! As always, let me know of any news of interest, training opportunities, or other info going on in your Departments or regional areas, and I'll pass it onto the rest of the Region. Send it to me at RLM2214A@aol.com. Thanks!

Congratulations go out to Chief Diana Bishop of the San Rafael (CA) Police Department, who was sworn in on January 3rd as the Department's first ever female police chief! She'll start in her new position, overseeing the 87-employee department, on January 9th. She previously served as a Captain with the Santa Clara Police Department. Congratulations, Chief! It's always good to see another female police chief in the Bay Area!

It's not too early to start thinking of women to nominate for the IAWP's 2012 Officer of the Year Awards. The deadline for this year's submissions is April 9th. The annual awards program recognizes women who, by their overall service and accomplishments throughout their careers, have distinguished themselves in areas of leadership, community service, mentoring, and excellence in performance. Go to the IAWP website at www.iawp.org and go to Awards Programs to get more details about the individual award categories. There are no limits to the numbers of women nominated, and I'd love to see a large number of women from the Region nominated! Once the online nomination forms for 2012 have been uploaded to the website, I'll be sure to let you know, so you can start getting those nominations in!

Until next time, have a happy, healthy, and safe New Year!