PAX Centurion - Fall 2017

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • Fall 2017 • Page 3 A Message from the President: Patrick M. Rose, BPPA President Our workload only looks to increase this holiday season With more and more Officers being injured on a daily basis and with the ratings of Detective and promotions to the rank of Sergeant happening on what seems like every other week, I believe the Patrol Force will be forced into working ‘Doubles’ for some time to come. I believe that you should prepare your family for yet another year of missing Holidays, Anniversaries, Birthdays and Christenings; etc. This, among the many other stresses put on the family account for the astronomically high percentage of Officers retiring as early as possible. S ummer has come to an end and Fall is upon us. I can only hope that you were able to spend a little time with your family and friends these past few months. Unfortunately the promise of long days at work and short days off does not pass with summer ending. Also as predicted, the promisedAcademy Class got started a month or so late, so relief is not quite yet around the corner. To add insult to injury that class has already lost five people in the first week. On Friday night, September 15 th , we said goodbye to approximately fifty more Patrolmen that went off into that sunset known as retirement. We wish them good health and financial stability, but with their exodus our workload as Patrol Officers only increases. With more and more Officers being injured on a daily basis and with the ratings of Detective and promotions to the rank of Sergeant happening on what seems like every other week, I believe the Patrol Force will be forced into working ‘Doubles’ for some time to come. I believe that you should prepare your family for yet another year of missing Holidays, Anniversaries, Birthdays and Christenings; etc. This, among the many other stresses put on the family; ( mentioned in previous articles ), account for the astronomically high percentage of Officers retiring as early as possible. I will make a prediction, that if the Department does not triple its efforts in hiring quality, qualified Police Officers over the next three years, that we will actually have fewer personnel on the street in 2021 than we do today, ( and right now we are at an all time low ). I do not wish to bore you with previously stated facts and/or suggestions of how to make it right, but someone better act on it and soon. If you were not able to attend this year’s Retirement/Recognition Dinner, you missed a great time. As always the venue, (Venezia on theWater), was fantastic. The food and service was five star! Retirees from both the Police and EMS side of our Union joined together to celebrate some very storied and historic careers. The stories told and memories shared were fantastic. Other Officers and EMS Personnel were recognized by their peers for their outstanding work that was performed on October 12 th , 2016 in East Boston. We were once again honored by the appearance of both the Governor and the Mayor, who couldn’t express their gratitude enough to the retirees, our families and the recognized Officers and EMS Personnel being celebrated. It was great to see old friends and retirees from days gone by, who never seem to miss this event. We were joined by representatives from: the Superior Officers Federation, The Detectives Benevolent Society, The Boston Police Relief Association, The CapoVerde Officers Association, The Emerald Society, The Silver ShieldAthleticAssociation along with a host of other organizations and again received support from the City of Boston Credit Union. Police Commissioner Evans along with Chief James Hooley from EMS and our own Chief WilliamGross addressed the attendees and heralded the careers and actions of our Officers and EMS Personnel. I’d like to ‘shout out’ to the Command Staff Officers that also made it to show their respect to the retirees: Supt. Kevin Buckley, Newly Promoted Supt. Joe Harris, Deputy Supt. SteveWhitman and Deputy Supt. Colm Lydon; I know that not only the retirees appreciate that respect shown but also their families. Both sides of the Union presented impressive plaques and ‘Retirement Badges’ to our outgoing members along with beautiful presentations plaques to our Officers and EMS Personnel recognized for their outstanding work. If you haven’t attended in the past, please put it on your calendar for next year. This is THE EVENT of the year for the BPD & EMS.You might even run into old timers like retired Police Officer Joe O’Malley who is and always has been a Great Friend to all of us in the BPPA and this Department! Or a Leader among men, ( who always looked out for the Patrol Force first ), like retired Captain Paul Ivens. Please attend and don’t miss an opportunity to shake a hand and say hello, before it’s too late. Moving from Summer to Fall will have its own new challenges thrust upon our Patrol Force. Whether it’s the added calls with the new school year or a new season of protest marches; we will certainly not lack police involvement in the social scene. We will once again be called upon to either keep or restore order, find the ‘lost child’ left on the school bus or pick up the pieces of a ‘Frat Party’ gone wrong. We will be asked to be the surrogate parent, a disciplinarian, Priest/Reverend/Rabbi, social worker, legal expert, therapist and or just someone with a sympathetic ear, ( just to name a few ), all the while expecting us to uphold the law as written and under the watchful eye of our detractors, ( not even mentioning dealing with the ‘Bad Guys’ ). I get it, this all comes with the job. However, this job has evolved in so many ways, that you need to slow down and analyze every situation.You can no longer allow ‘muscle memory’ to rule your actions, your response. To protect yourself in this day and age you are forced to move a bit slower, think a bit longer and know that every action you take will be judged numerous times by many that have an unlimited amount of time and the resources to judge what you did in a split second. I fully realize that an extra second or two may have dire consequences, but if you don’t take that extra second or two going forward; you may have regrets that last a life time. With all of the aforesaid, Please be careful out there, this job is definitely more difficult than in days gone by. Please back each other up and always keep a watchful eye. Make time for your family and make sure your plan involves getting home to them safe and sound every day. God Bless and be Safe!