Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of the spring season. Those of us in Northern California are FINALLY getting some much needed rain, so be careful in your travels as that old oil comes up to the surface on the roads.
I'd like to welcome some new members to the Region:
Detective Maria Ciuffetelli - Los Angeles Police Department
Lieutenant Tamatha Villa - Pinal County Sheriff's Office
Retired Office Constance O'Connor - San Francisco Police Department
As well as some who have renewed their memberships:
Captain Loretta MacPhail - Chico Police Department
Retired Lieutenant Valna Wilson - Orange County Sheriff's Office
Reired Officer Michelle Wilson - San Diego Police Department
Detective Lori Reynolds - Fresno Police Department
Detective Deborah Golzales - Los Angeles Police Department
Sergeant Tracie Keillor - Sacramento County Sheriff's Office
Welcome one and all! Please forward me any news from your agencies or local areas, such as upcoming trainings, officer safety info, promotions, retirements - anything that you'd like passed onto the Region - and I'll be happy to do that for you. Just send to my personal e-mail at RLM2214A@aol.com, and I'll be sure to share it.
Congratulations to Assistant Police Chief Marcy Korgenski, who retired from the Ogden (Utah) Police Department on March 15th after 30 years of service. She helped establish the OPD's gang unit, and has worked in virtually every division within the Department. When she was promoted to Patrol Sergeant in 1995, Lieutenant in 1999, and Assistanct Chief in 2010, she was the first woman in her agency to ever hold those posts! Congratulations, Marcy; enjoy your retirement!
Congratulations also goes out to Ethel Meares, who was the first female deputy in the San Bernadino County Sheriff's Department. The Department proclaimed February 14th as a day honoring Ethel, describing her as the county's "first policewoman." The proclaimation coincided with Ethel's 100th birthday! Congratulations, Ethel! Things have changed just a bit since you joined the Sheriff's Department in 1955 at the age of 43! Thanks for being a trail blazer for those who followed you.
For those who may not have checked out the IAWP website lately, the IAWP Annual "Officer-of-the-Year" Awards Program submissions are well under way! These are presigious awards given out each year at the annual training conference, and are given out to female police officers who have distinguished themselves in the following categories: Officer-of-the-Year, Excellence in Performance, Leadership, Mentoring, Medal of Valor, and Community Service. There is also a Civilian Achievement Award, which is given to a civilian woman who has gone above and beyond to support, promote and enhance the criminal justice profession. When you go onto the IAWP website at www.iawp.org, scroll down on the home page, and you'll find the link for the Awards Program, which will give you the criteria for each of the awards, as well as the instructions on how to complete the online application! THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS APRIL 9th!
This is a wonderful program, and I strongly encourage you to submit names of women who fit the criteria for these awards to give them a chance to be acknowledged for the fantastic work they are doing. We don't often get acknowledged for the great work we do, even in our own Departments, so to be able to be acknowledged internationally is quite an honor, indeed! The online application process is easy to complete and self-explanatory; there is a 4 typed pages maximum, and can contain no newspaper articles, letters, etc. We all know women in law enforcement that have done some amazing things; we don't usually like to "toot our own horns", but this is one time when those horns should be blasting!!! Submit those women for these awards and help get them the acknowledgement they deserve!
