Oregon Peace Officers Association -

OPOA Begins the Year with a New President

By Detective David White, OPOA President

I'm honored to be your 2012/2013 Oregon Peace Officers Association (OPOA) President. I go into this trying to fill some very big shoes; those of our past president, Mike Wells. As I said at the awards banquet, I stand on the shoulders of past presidents going back to 1968. Because of their efforts, our board members, and your support of the OPOA, good things are happening.

The day that I write this, our Business Secretary, Larry Stephens sent me an e-mail saying we have set a new membership record. What's exciting about this is that our membership year runs for another three months, until July 1st. In 2012 the OPOA put on a wide variety of twenty trainings throughout the state. With agency training budgets shrinking the OPOA is reemphasizing one of our main goals; that of offering high quality training to law enforcement in every corner of the state.

For the past months as the new president, I have made it an effort to meet with Sheriffs and Chiefs from across the state. During these contacts I've talked about the synergism the OPOA is having with all number of agencies. Each agency has officers, deputies, troopers or agents, who are experts or trainers in various fields. By joining forces we can offer high quality yet affordable training to all. Some of our recent trainings have included: Courageous Supervision in Challenging Times; Outlaw Motorcycle and Street Gang Investigations and Trends; Investigating Speed from Skids- Crash Investigation; Brooke Wilberger and Jeannette Maples Homicide Case Reviews; Sudden Unexpected and Unexplained Infant Death Investigation; Cops in Court, DUII's from Roadside to Courtroom; and Dynamic Interview and Interrogation.

In contemplating a theme for this newsletter I came up with, "Go watch the movie, Dave." I hope you'll remember the 1993 comedy where the U.S. President suffers a severe stroke and his political handlers moved in 'Dave,' a temporary work agency owner to be the President's double. Kevin Kline plays the role of 'Dave,' the President's double while Sigourney Weaver plays the First Lady, who joins in this ploy.

A poignant part of the movie is when 'Dave' talks about the joy he sees as a temp agency owner, when a person gets a job. He asks, "Have you ever seen the look on someone's face on the day they finally get a job? They look like they can fly. It's not about a paycheck; it's about looking in the mirror and knowing you've done something valuable with your day."

Oregon law enforcement has lost our own to violence: one last year and two the year before. I pray that 2013 is a safe year for us. Yet without fail we lose members of our profession every quarter if not every month to dumb decisions on the ethical front.

Now think of your first day on the job as a police officer, deputy sheriff, trooper or agent. How did you show up to work that day? Were your shoes shined to an honor guard hone? In that first month on the job, during citizen contacts, were you extremely patient in your response, even though they had as many questions as a three year old?

In our profession we deal with everyone's problems. It scars us and we can forget our youthful naïveté. Looking back to our days as a recruit can be a healthy and refreshing reminder of why you got into this business. Just as complacency can kill by walking up to your 1000th traffic stop, forgetting your roots can poison you with vileness. Calling to mind your days as a rookie could save your career.