Spring 2003
Vol 29 No. 1 ~ Spring 2003
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
By Deputy Michael Harmon, OPOA President
The Oregon Peace Officers Association Conference will be on May 7th through May 8th at the Riverhouse in Bend (see story on page 1). The training topic for this conference is Domestic Terrorism, for those of you who have not submitted a registration, do it soon. DPSST has only a limited number of scholarships.
As the conference approaches, so does the end of my term as President. Serving in this role has been both a challenging and exciting time. Many things have taken shape within OPOA since I took office in May of 2001. The Executive Board has worked very hard to ensure our mission and goals are met. From organizing training to working toward our 501(c)3 tax status, the E-Board strives to provide the most effective service to the membership. Recently, OPOA developed a scholarship for secondary education. This scholarship was designed to give our membership an additional benefit. For more information visit www.opoa.info.
I would like to encourage everyone to attend one of the regular business meetings sometime during the next year. If you feel you can’t become more involved with the Board, please drop us a note and tell us your concerns about law enforcement. If you have any thoughts or ideas that could assist the incoming President in better serving the membership, let us know.
I would like to thank everyone for making my two terms as President truly a learning experience. I look forwarded to serving on the Board for the next few years as a regular board member. I hope to see you at the next meeting. As always, if you have questions or concerns please contact us at info@opoa.info.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Street Survival Seminar
The Street Survival Seminar presented by OPOA and Calibre Press hosted over 280 officers from Oregon and SW Washington. OPOA wishes to thank Calibre Press and the presenters for a well received training. We would also like to thank the 6 officers who acted as door guards for the event. Watch for future seminars sponsored by OPOA and Calibre press. There will be a complementary pass for any Calibre Press Seminar in 2003 offered as a door prize at our May training conference in Bend.
New Evidence Officer Subchapter Formed
Officer Wendy Svaren, Oregon City PD has formed an OPOA Subchapter of Property & Evidence Officers. At the formation meeting goals were set and officers elected (see story below).
Three Day Child Abuse Summit
A comprehensive multi-disciplinary conference will be held at the Doubletree Inn in Portland beginning on April 30, 2003. This event is targeted for professionals working in the area of investigations, interviewing assessment, prosecution and treatment of child abuse, neglect and domestic violence. Local and national experts like Jon Conte, PhD; Anna Salter, PhD; Kathleen Faller, PhD ACSW, and more will be presenting over 35 workshop sessions. Topics include empathetic strain, treatment of children in foster care, female offenders, and how offenders manipulate professionals. Sessions end at noon on Friday.
CE: CME (pending), NASW, DPSST, Oregon State Bar. Fee: $330 per person when preregistered, $375 at the door, or $175 per day. For more information contact Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Sheila Wright at (503) 655-8218, sheilawri@co.clackamas.or.us
2003 OPOA Training Conference set for Bend
FBI Special Agent John Lipka is the featured speaker at the 2003 OPOA annual training conference in Bend on May 8 and 9. Supervisory Special Agent Lipka, also acting Unit Chief of FBI Headquarters, coordinates extradition and rendition of international terrorists. One such activity involved the apprehension of Ramzi Ahmed Yousef in Pakistan. He was the man indicted for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and the Manila Air conspiracy to bomb multiple U.S. flagged pacific aircraft. He has studied and worked international terrorism since 1986, traveled extensively overseas, and specializes in the investigation of violent-prone Islamic extremists. SSA Lipka will be addressing Counter Characteristics of Terrorists and Their Operations by examining case studies of terrorists and their illegal operations.
The conference theme is Domestic Terrorism. The Robbery-Homicide Subchapter and the Reserve Officer Subchapter will also offer training. You should have received a complete schedule by mail.
Training begins at 1 PM on May 7th with a special session for Homicide investigators. Northwest Search Dogs Inc. will bring you “The Role of K9 Cadaver Teams as a Tool in Crime Scene Investigations.” At the same time the Reserve Officer’s Subchapter is bringing John Baker, PhD to speak on “Inside the Terrorist’s Mind.”
Other speakers include Oregon State Police Detective Griff Holland, Oregon D.O.J criminal investigator Paul Smith, and Portland Police Bureau Assistant Chief Andrew Kirkland. Presenter Paul Smith has been a Criminal Investigator for the Oregon Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Division since 1991. Prior to that he served as the Regional Coordinator for the Western States Information Network (WSIN) from 1981-1991. He is currently assigned to the Oregon Department of Justice threat assessment team.
The conference is co-sponsored by Chemeketa Community College and will be held at the Riverhouse hotel complex in Bend, Oregon. For room reservations and information contact The Riverhouse, 3075 N. Hwy 97, Bend, OR 97701 - phone 800-547-3928.
The annual awards banquet will be held on May 9th at the closing of the conference. In addition to the awards that have been given for over 30 years, OPOA is adding the Purple Heart. The Purple Heart may be awarded to an individual who is injured while serving in an official capacity with their law enforcement agency. The injury sustained must have been as a result of a life threatening situation or permanent injury received as a result of the action, and not have been caused by carelessness on the part of the individual.
For more information about the awards and those who may qualify see Awards Criteria and 2002 Awards Recipients.
Blumenthal Uniforms, Portland, Contributes Purple Hearts
OPOA would like to thank Blumenthal Uniforms and sales associate Peter Copp for the donation of funding for the Purple Heart medals and ribbons to be awarded at the upcoming Annual OPOA Awards Presentation May 8-9 in Bend, OR.
