Like most Americans throughout the world, I was engrossed with the daily breaking news of Operation Iraqi Freedom. From the moment President Bush gave Saddam Hussein the ultimatum on March 17, 2003, to leave Baghdad within 48 hours or face imminent military force by the "coalition of the Willing," war and its inevitability became a reality.

The morning of March 19, 2003, became an historical moment. The reality of war, with all its nobility in victory and sadness in sacrifice, caused me to reflect on the similarities between our military's combat mission and our law enforcement's protect and serve mission.

Like so many of our young men and women who were wounded or paid the ultimate sacrifice during the four weeks of intense combat in Iraq, I was reminded that likewise, many of our police officers are injured and killed annually while protecting innocent victims from the evil of crime and disorder.

Our military troops are on a mission to free innocent Iraqis from the brutality of tyranny while our police officers are on a daily mission of protecting, serving and guaranteeing constitutional freedoms.

As we observed the "troops" working with the local Iraqi's in gathering intelligence on bad guys and building partnership to address looting and other crime, I instantly thought of community policing. This philosophy was especially evident with the Special Operations Units that partnered with Iraqi citizens and clerics months before the war. Yes indeed, I concluded that our missions are very similar when considering the quest for a free society.

As our FPCA membership joins all the "Patriotic Americans," in celebrating the victory in Operation Iraqi Freedom and remembering the (number of coalition killed) who died in combat in service of their country, we also are encouraged more than ever about the old and new generation of police officers whom we serve in our departments.

Like the military youth and their daily display of courage and heroism, our officers do the same and for a noble purpose. This confidence and appreciation for not only our police officers but also the outstanding men and women who lead them, should inspire us to raise the bar of our personal and corporate leadership even higher. The State of Florida has and will continue to set the standard of excellence in leadership throughout this country.

Now some FPCA information. First, thank you for allowing me to serve as your president this year. Our FPCA anticipates an exciting and challenging year as we build even stronger partnerships and provide for the needs of our membership. During the next 12 months, we will continue to build upon solid foundations laid by previous FPCA administrations and offer training in both our leadership challenge as well as contemporary issues we all face daily. We also plan to develop and implement a finance plan to diversify revenue streams and ensure long-term financial stability.

Lastly, we plan to continue an aggressive campaign for Chief Walt McNeil to run unopposed for the 6th Vice President of the IACP in 2005. Our goal is to follow the very successful path blazed by our own Chief Bill Berger and FPCA team. The credibility and influence of our association within the national law enforcement community will once again become obvious at the IACP conference in Philadelphia this October.

I am honored and privileged to serve the law enforcement professionals of our state and look forward to networking and meeting new friends.

Chief Paul Rumbley