November, 2010

                  "A New Year of Challenges"

What an outstanding event we had this year at our 58th Annual Summer Training Conference and Exposition. Chief Clarke Maher and the Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police really went over the top in hosting this year's event. The activities were off the hook! Family and youth activities, fireworks, training, and the venue were all first class. A special thanks goes to Director Naim Erched, Miami Dade PD and then of course Chief Tom Hunker, Bal Harbour PD for all his hard work in obtaining the funding for the Host Chiefs events and to Major Mark Jeter for his outstanding and tireless efforts to make the event so successful.

It is a great honor for me to be inducted as President of the Florida Police Chiefs Association. Florida is a leader in law enforcement in the nation. It has a reputation of excellence and trend setting. Our reputation is hard won and we now stand on the shoulders of all of the chiefs and association leaders who have come before us and shown us the way.

We must continue to work hard to preserve our hard earned reputation and strive to enhance the high standards we have set for ourselves. In past years we have heard presidents call for establishing our association as an influential factor in molding state legislation. We have also been implored to partner with other state associations and develop long term working relationships for our mutual benefit. It has been an effort that past presidents have embraced and today we reap the benefit of those efforts. Our association is viewed by many as leader in law enforcement issues and our representatives are valued subject matters experts whose positions are respected and heeded by policy makers across the state.

Going forward we face some significant issues that our association needs to address for the benefit of all of our members. Our reputation in the state capital will be a tremendous asset to us as we face anticipated adverse changes in retirement and healthcare that will affect all of us and all of our employees. Several bills appeared during the last legislative session that would have impacted retirements. These changes will affect our ability to recruit and retain quality personnel.

Our success and activism in the legislative process has made our association an attractive ally for others seeking to influence the legislative process for their own ends. It is important that we limit our battles and that we keep our powder dry for the essential causes that we know we will be facing in the next legislative sessions. If other matters are congruent and vital to our goals, then partnership is in our best interest; but we must carefully assess each overture to make certain that we select which issues to weigh in on.

We have expanded benefits to our members by developing a relationship with Attorney Dietzen offering free legal consultation. We can continue to enhance that initiative and provide greater assistance to our members. We can also look to including more training at our conferences that addresses CEO specific issues. We will also be looking to reduce expenses for participation in FPCA functions. Greater use of technology and including remote attendance in meetings by use of such protocols as Skype for free video conferencing to reduce travel costs are being considered.

All good ideas are welcome. The backbone of our association is the members and their participation. Many members have stepped up and offered expertise, and have given freely of their time to our cause. The more members participate, the better and stronger our association becomes. Together we can work to see that the benefits of membership are meaningful and worthwhile for all police chiefs in the State of Florida.

Chief Peter Paulding