Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police
®
®
Summer 2011
ROLLCALL
Official Newsletter Publication
Fraternal Order of Police • Baltimore City Lodge #3
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT & VICE PRESIDENT
By Bob Cherry and Gene Ryan
Police Officer Teresa Rigby
Police Officer Andy Zduro
On June 21, 2011, while working
uniformed patrol in the ND and
assisting a disabled motorist on
Interstate 83 near the Pepsi plant,
Police Officer Teresa Rigby, a four
year veteran, fell from the elevated
expressway and was seriously
injured. P/O Rigby was transported
to University of Maryland – Shock
Trauma and admitted in serious
condition. We are pleased to report
she is making a significant recovery
and is now at home and participating in outpatient physical therapy.
Her colleagues from the ND have
kept a close watch on her and we all
wish P/O Rigby a speedy recovery.
On July 19, 2011, while working
uniformed patrol in the SWD and
investigating a domestic call, Police
Officer Andy Zudoro, a five year
veteran, was shot by a suspect who
was lying in wait from across the
street and armed with a high powered rifle. The round struck his service weapon that resulted in four of
P/O Zudoro’s cartridges to explode
and struck P/O Zudoro on his hip.
P/O Zudoro was transported to the
University of Maryland – Shock
Trauma where he was treated and
released. Along with patrol members of the SWD and other officers
assigned to the Operations Bureau,
Homicide
detectives
Bryan
Kershaw and Steve Matchett were
able to identify the suspect, recover
the weapon involved and obtain a
confession. We are all relieved P/O
Zuduro was not seriously hurt and
are proud of the great work our men
and women in the BPD continue to
do each day on the streets of
Baltimore.
Table of Contents
President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . 1
Amendment to By-Laws . . . . . . 2
Chaplain’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2011 Cops Ride Photos . . . . . . . 6
Scholarship Recipients . . . . . . . 8
From the Guard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Thank You Letters . . . . . . . . . . 10
Police Week 2011 Photos . . . . . 12
From 3rd Vice President . . . . . 14
Joint Labor Management
Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Merchandise Committee . . . . . 14
Pension Lawsuit Update
The final phase in our lawsuit
against the Mayor and City Council
is scheduled to be heard in U.S.
District Court in late November or
early
December
before
the
Honorable Judge Marvin Garbis.
Although Judge Garbis had asked
both the Unions and City to attempt
to reach a settlement following the
third phase of the trial, we were
unable to reach a consensus. The
Unions remain steadfast in our commitment that each active police officer and firefighter should be grandfathered into the “20 and out” years
of service requirement as they were
promised by the City upon accepting employment, and we are also
committed to providing for our
retired members a respectable cost
of living adjustment to their annuity. Both sides expect the losing
party to appeal to the United States
Court of Appeals for the Fourth
Circuit upon the conclusion of the
case which means this case is far
from over.®Please check for occasional updates on our website at
www.fop3.org.
Membership Dues
At the General Membership
Meeting on July 25, 2011, an
amendment to the By Laws and
Constitution of the Lodge was introduced that would raise the dues of
all active FOP members from 1% of
the starting salary of a first year
police officer to 1.5% of the starting
salary of a first year police officer.
This equates to roughly an additional $8.00 per pay, per member, and is
necessary due to the depletion of all
our monetary reserves which have
Continued on page 3
®
ROLLCALL
is published quarterly: Spring,
Summer, Fall and Winter, by
the Fraternal Order of Police,
Baltimore City Lodge #3
LODGE OFFICE
3920 Buena Vista Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21211
Phone 410-243-9141
Fax 410-467-1643
www.fop3.org
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Robert F. Cherry, Jr.
President
Gene Ryan
1st Vice President
Oscar Requer
2nd Vice President
Brian Atwood
3rd Vice President
Sheri McMillion
Secretary
John K. Nolan
Treasurer
Dominic Mastromatteo
Guard
Stanley Mezewski
State Trustee
Don W. Helms
Chaplain
COMMISSION OF TRUSTEES
John Lewandowski
George S. Trainor
Edward Wagner
ROLLCALL 2
AMENDMENT TO BY-LAWS
Baltimore City Fraternal Order of
Police Lodge #3
Article VII
Dues and Assessments
Whereas; Baltimore City FOP Lodge
3 is charged with a mission to vigilantly protect, promote and improve
the working conditions, legal rights,
compensation and benefits of
Baltimore City police officers,
sergeants and lieutenants;
Whereas; Baltimore City FOP Lodge
3 has a dues structure going back to
the 1980s where each active member pays 1% of a first year police
officer’s salary spread out over the
26 pay periods;
Whereas; Baltimore City FOP Lodge
3 is currently engaged in a federal
lawsuit against the City of Baltimore
to restore pension benefits stripped
from our active and retired members, and that this lawsuit has
resulted in the expenditure of over
$1.7 million of FOP dues money
with an additional $750,000 still
owed to our attorneys and other
related pension costs;
Whereas; Baltimore City FOP Lodge
3 has in the past and continues to
this day allow our members to seek
board approval to defend them
against criminal charges levied
while they were working in the
capacity of a police officer and that
through the first 6 months of 2011
alone, has resulted in the expenditure of over $210,000 of FOP dues
money with an additional $178,000
still owed to these members’ attorneys;
Whereas; Baltimore City FOP Lodge
3 has additional bills and distress
funds not associated with either the
pension lawsuit or legal representation that in effect support and protect the overall mission of the FOP;
Whereas; as an entity that is faced
with ever increasing political and
financial challenges, as has been
observed across the country and
even here in the State of Maryland,
as outside forces work to limit the
rights of police officers to collectively bargain and defend their members;
Therefore Be It Resolved; under
Article VII, Dues and Assessments,
Section I, sub-section A, the wording shall be changed to reflect the
following: “Active Police Officers:
Dues equal to 1.50% of the base pay
of a hiring level Baltimore City
Police Officer as set forth in the
Memorandum of Understanding in
effect on July 1 of each year.” As
well as adding the following wording to the end the previously passed
amendment concerning the dues
assessment in support of the
Baltimore City FOP Lodge 3’s funding of the federal lawsuit against the
City of Baltimore to restore our pension benefits to reflect the following:
“This dues assessment will be continued for an additional fifteen (15)
pay periods at the conclusion of the
thirty-two (32) pay period.”
Submitted by
FOP Lodge 3 Board of Directors
July 25, 2011
®
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT & VICE PRESIDENT
Continued from page 1
been used to support our pension
lawsuit as well as defend our members in administrative cases within
the BPD and certain criminal
charges.
Since the lawsuit was filed, your
FOP has spent over $1.7 million to
restore the pension benefits that
were unfairly and illegally stripped
from our members with the implementation of Ordinance 10-306. We
have also spent several hundred
thousand dollars defending our
police officers who have been
charged with felonies while working in the performance of their duty.
The FOP is only as strong as our
members remain united in the fight
and we cannot fight by mere words
alone. Our mission is to vigilantly
protect, promote and improve the
working conditions, legal rights,
compensation and benefits of all
Baltimore City Police Officers,
active and retired. We have no
intention on giving up this fight and
we are confident our members will
understand the necessity of making
this dues structure change which
has not been changed since the mid
1980s.
Police Officer John “Mack”
McAndrew
On Wednesday, June 29, 2011, at
Police Headquarters, Police Officer
John “Mack” McAndrew, Sr. was
presented his retirement certificate
by Police Commissioner Fred
Bealefeld in front of his wife and
family and a host of current and former police officers from the WD.
Mack joined the BPD in June of
1961 and served with honor and
distinction for 50 years and during
that entire time was assigned to the
Western District. His commitment
to duty and dedication to the job as
well as his mentoring of many generations of police officers who at
some point worked in the WD will
be missed. We wish Mack the best
of health and success as he moves
on from the old stationhouse at
Mount and Riggs.
Plaque Unveiling In Memory Of
Police Officer Tommy Portz
On July 1, 2011, the memorial
plaque in memory of Police Officer
Tommy Portz was unveiled in the
roll call room of the WD. Present
was Tommy’s wife and children as
well as many of his colleagues from
the WD. Please keep the Portz family, and all the surviving families of
our fallen heroes, in your thoughts
and prayers. We always remember.
Detective Brian Stevenson
Foundation
A foundation to support the children of Baltimore City via scholarships and the opening of a recreation center here in Baltimore City
has been established in memory of
the late Detective Brian Stevenson.
The first venue for raising funds for
the Detective Brian Stevenson
Purple Kisses Foundation, Inc. was
held on August 5, 2011 from
7:00-11:00 PM at The American
Brewery, 1701 N. Gay Street,
Baltimore. For more information
please go to www.purplekisses.org.
Mayoral Election
This is an election year in the City of
Baltimore and voters across the city
will be asked to choose among candidates for Mayor and City Council
during the primary election to be
held on September 13th. By the
time you receive this newsletter,
FOP Lodge 3 will have interviewed
a host of candidates for these races.
Although we may not make
endorsements in each race, it
remains important for our Lodge to
be involved in the political process
and let our concerns and grievances
be heard. You work hard to protect
the citizens of Baltimore and the
elected leaders of Baltimore need to
know that our members deserve
more from City Hall than we have
been getting these last few years.
Communication
Our members are reminded to
obtain updates and information
from the FOP by signing up with
Twitter at www.twitter.com and creating a free account and then follow
“FOP3”. By adjusting the settings
on your account, you can have text
message updates sent directly to
your cell phone. You can also check
for updates on the FOP website at
www.fop3.org.
Our members are also reminded to
call the Lodge at 410-243-9141 to
update any home and email address
as well as any beneficiary changes
in order that we have the correct
information in our database. This
will ensure you receive all FOP mail
as well as the occasional FOP email
blasts we send out.
Monthly Board Meetings
are now held
the second Tuesday
of every month.
ROLLCALL 3
®
CHAPLAIN’S CORNER
By: Chaplain Don
W. Helms
Police Week 2011
Another Police Week has come and
gone but the memories live on in the
minds of the thousands who attended a week dedicated to our brothers
and sisters who gave their all for the
freedom of every man, woman, and
child in this country. We had been
extremely fortunate since January 9,
2007, suddenly tragedy struck and
Brother Troy Chesley was killed on
his way home by a gunman in a surprise attack in an unsuspected robbery. Reaching almost 4 years without an officer killed was truly a
blessing when the average for City
Police Deaths is one per year. But on
September 9, 2010, the dreaded call
came and our family was once again
stricken with grief as another wife
and relatives were notified. Officer
James E. Fowler III was killed in a
tragic vehicle accident that took
everyone by surprise. Thirty six
days later, another Brother in Blue,
Detective Brian Stevenson, was
taken from us in a senseless off-duty
situation which resulted in his murder. Five days later on October 20th
2010, another Brother, Thomas R.
Portz Jr., was killed in a vehicle accident leaving behind a wife and three
small children. While handling the
deaths of three Brothers in less than
two months, the New Year came in
and we looked towards to a new
year of safety for our law enforcement family, but on January 9, 2011,
disaster struck again with the
untimely death of Brother William
H. Torbit. So, needless to say, the
end of 2010 and the beginning of
2011, was a dismal time in the his-
ROLLCALL 4
tory of our agency, one that will
never be forgotten.
COPS Ride 2011
People Helping People
In all the years I have been attending
police week in Washington D.C., I
have never seen so much attention
given to our survivors as this year.
Truly, a round of applause goes to
Commissioner Bealefeld and his
staff for the sensitivity shown to our
families mourning their loss and
trying to answer that never answerable question of “Why”? Many do
their job as a soldier given an order
fulfilling the task in a businesslike
manner, but that was not the case as
attention was given to our grieving
survivors. They were treated with
the utmost respect and compassion
by our command which was noticed
by all in attendance. Words cannot
describe the genuine compassion
and sensitivity given by the
Commissioner and his staff and the
Director of Public Affairs Antony
Guglielmi and the members of his
office. Many throughout the country
who observed the actions of our
agency towards our survivors
inquired as to our procedures and
protocol concerning line of duty
deaths. But, what they were experiencing had nothing to do with procedure and protocol, but sacrificial
love. What they saw were members
committed to serving their fallen
brothers and their loved ones. Our
members sacrificially gave their
time and in many cases from early
morning until late at night, all
because they cared, not because
they were ordered. As a 39 year veteran, I have seen our agency grow in
how they handle line of duty deaths
and our survivors. As we continue
to live in a world of violence, which
we have little control over, we will
continue to see the deaths of our
Brothers and Sisters in Blue who are
willing to lay down their lives for
the good of all mankind.
Once again, The Maryland Chapter
of Concerns of Police Survivors
(COPS) sponsored their annual fund
raiser, having motorcycle riders
from all over the State converge on
the Howard County Fair Grounds
for a time of fellowship, food, and
fun. Even in these hard economic
times, over 1800 riders participated,
along with corporate sponsors stepping up to the plate to support the
Law Enforcement community, raising in excess of $100,000.
Who would have known that in
August of 1981, when newly-elected National Secretary of the
Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary,
Susie Sawyer, made a motion to
sponsor a National Peace Officers’
Memorial Day, that it would develop into one of the greatest nationally known survivors support groups
in the country, “COPS.”
Let us continue to show support for
the Maryland Chapter of COPS who
use their funds for our Maryland
survivors, assisting them through
their grief and helping them to get
their lives back on track. Special
thanks to Sue Nickerson (President
of the Maryland Chapter), Corporal
Shawn Kiele (COPS Advisor) and
one of our members, Retired
Homicide Detective Earl Kratsch
(COPS Advisor and Maryland State
Lodge Treasurer), for their initial
and continued assistance to our survivors. The death and burial of an
Officer is not the end, but a beginning, for we must move forward
into the future, healthy and strong
to carry on their law enforcement
legacy.
®
CHAPLAIN’S CORNER
continued from page 4
Upcoming Events And A Step of
Faith
Throughout the year we schedule
events that are at little to no cost to
members. Events such as the fall
and spring open house, a time to
bring together retired and active
officers along with old friends we
haven’t seen in years to fellowship
and enjoy the food and refreshments. The pre-retirement seminars,
a place to come for the day and
learn from the experts about your
benefits and investment strategies
as you plan for your future. A
Memorial Motorcycle Ride to honor
our deceased officer, where riders
receive a commemorative T-shirt,
lunch, door prizes, and an enjoyable
two hour police escorted ride
through the countryside. Plus our
annual Prayer Breakfast with a full
hot breakfast buffet, guest speakers,
music and fellowshipping before
heading off to work.
The lodge, like everyone else has
had to make cuts within the budget
and still attempt to supply benefits
for our members, especially in the
area of the distress fund. In examining the budget, I am told that there
will be no funds for the Prayer
Breakfast. Our Prayer Breakfast has
not only been for spiritual fellowshipping and refreshment, but for
members who were in need of spiritual guidance and came with a
downtrodden heart and found
solace from those in attendance.
The cost of a Prayer Breakfast with a
full hot buffet would run the lodge
around $700 and this would feed a
hall full of people. With that being
said, I believe we can continue to
have our Prayer Breakfast by reaching out to our members and friends
for donations. We have never
charged for our Prayer Breakfast
because I believe it is a ministry to
our members and honoring to God.
When we look around at the economic climate and see how devastating it has been to so many, we in
the law enforcement family are truly
blessed. So let us be a blessing for
others and ourselves and send a
donation to the lodge for the Prayer
Breakfast. Any funds obtained
above the cost of the Prayer
Breakfast will be placed in a fund
earmarked specifically for future
Prayer Breakfasts. So make a donation and bring a friend to the breakfast. We have set aside the first week
in November for the breakfast, so for
the next few months if you find
some extra change in your pocket
that you can spare, put it aside and
use it as a donation for the Prayer
Breakfast. Think about it, if everyone gave one dollar we would have
more than enough and I know God
would smile upon the givers in a
mighty way. God always blesses that
which is done for Him, so give a
donation, come for the breakfast and
receive a guaranteed blessing, when
God’s people move, mighty things
happen.
Send Donations To:
FOP Lodge #3
Prayer Breakfast
3920 Buena Vista Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21211
REMINDER
Contact Lodge
with address
and name change
Event Dates:
29 Oct - Annual
Motorcycle Ride
Memorial
Regular Committee Members and
Those Willing To Assist With The
Ride Give Me A Call: Cell 443876-2330
02 Nov - Annual Lodge Prayer
Breakfast
16 Dec - FOP Open House
Dec - Tentative Pre-Retirement
Seminar - Date To Be Announced
Poem
Submitted by: Stephen T. Colburn
Written by: Ron Colburn
My Brother
I have the honor to be the brother
of a soldier dressed in blue
On a horse or a motorcycle
or flying in the blue
He walked the streets of Baltimore
To hold that thin blue line
And everyday that he served
He left his family behind
This is what he has done
The sacrifice that he made
That is why we still live
In the land of the free and brave
Everyone thinks of soldiers
Who fight in far off lands
But if you see a Police Officer
Please go up and shake his hand.
ROLLCALL 5
®
2011 COPS RIDE
FALLEN HEROES
April 4, 1933 ..............................................John R. J. Block
April 6, 1973 .........................................Norman Buchman
April 7, 1962 ..............................................Henry Smith Jr.
April 16, 1976 ......................................Jimmy D. Halcomb
April 17, 2003 ...............................................Walter Taylor
April 18, 1968..............................................Richard Bosak
April 18, 1915 ...........................................George C. Sauer
April 21, 2000 ...........................................Kevin M. Gavin
April 23, 1978...........................................Robert J. Barlow
April 24, 1970................................................Donald Sager
May 5, 1974 ..............................................Frank Whitby Jr.
May 5, 1997.......................................Owen E. Sweeney Jr.
May 19, 1902...........................................Charles Donohue
May 22, 1871...................................................Joseph Clark
May 26, 1993......................................Herman A. Jones Sr.
May 26, 1962 ...............................................Richard Seebo
June 12, 1971.............................................Carl Peterson Jr.
June 13, 1940 ............................................William L. Ryan
June 13, 1943 .......................................William Woodcock
June 20, 1894 ...............................................James T. Dunn
June 20, 1894...............................................Michael Neary
June 24, 1994 .....................................George M. Arminger
June 29, 1924 ............................................Charles F. Frank
June 29, 1926 .........................................Webster Schuman
July 1, 1954 .....................................................Walter Davis
July 2, 1962........................................Edward Kowalewski
July 2, 1919 ...................................................John Lanahan
July 4, 1889....................................................John T. Lloyd
ROLLCALL 6
July 5, 1870..................................................James Murphy
July 12, 1926 ...............................................Thomas Dillon
July 15, 1891......................................................Jacob Zapp
July 20, 1981............................................Ronald L. Tracey
July 21, 1986............................................Richard T. Miller
July 22, 1965 ..............................................Robert H. Kuhn
July 26, 1972.............................................Lorenzo A. Grey
August 1, 1974........................................Frank Grunder Jr.
August 1, 1953 ...........................................James L. Scholl
August 1, 1971...........................................Martin E. Webb
August 4, 1950............................................Charles Hilbert
August 5, 1927 .........................................William Doehler
August 15, 1974..............................................Milton Spell
August 18, 1872 ......................................John Christopher
August 19, 1979 .........................................William Albers
August 21, 1967.......................................John C. Williams
August 22, 2002 ..................................Crystal D. Sheffield
August 29, 1899 .....................................Alonzo B. Bishop
September 4, 1871 .......................................John Richards
September 10, 1945.....................................John Bealefeld
September 11, 1964 ...................................Walter Matthys
September 13, 1975................................Edward Sherman
September 19, 1958 ................................Robert K. Nelson
September 20, 1986 ...............................Robert Alexander
September 21, 1992.......................................Ira N. Weiner
September 22, 1858................................Benjamin Benton
September 22, 1973...................................Calvin Rodwell
September 29, 1956 ....................................John R. Phelan
®
ROLLCALL 7
®
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
She has received awards for
Athletic Achievements, Integrity
and Exemplary Sportsmanship.
She has also received the United
States Marine Corps Distinguished
Athlete Award
Good Luck and congratulations
Allyson.
Samantha Smith
Allyson Zeitschel
Allyson Zeitschel is the daughter of
Retired Member James Zeitschel
Allyson is a recipient of the
$4,000.00 scholarship - $1,000.00 a
year for 4 years.
Allyson will be attending the
University of Delaware.
She will be majoring in chemistry
and secondary education.
She plans to study abroad in Africa
to help educate impoverished children.
She hopes to continue working with
underprivileged children and families after graduating.
While in High School she was a
National
Merit
Commended
Student
and
a
Maryland
Distinguished Scholar.
She
received the Presidential Award for
Academic Excellence and State of
Maryland Scholastic Award.
She played volleyball for 4 years – 3
years on the Varsity team – She won
a sportsmanship award her sophomore year and was captain of her
team her junior and senior year. She
won Volleyball MVP at her senior
athletic banquet.
She played varsity tennis for 4 years
and was captain for two. She also
won Tennis MVP at the end of her
senior season.
ROLLCALL 8
Kristina Higgins
Kristina is the daughter of James
Higgins.
Kristina Higgins is a recipient for
the $2,000.00 scholarship. To be
disbursed $500.00 a year for the
next four years.
Samantha Smith is the daughter of
FOP Member Major Joe Smith.
Samantha is a $2,000.00 recipient
$500.00 will be awarded each year.
Samantha will be attending West
Chester University this fall.
Kristina will be attending UMBC in
the fall and will be major in
Biochemical engineering.
She will be majoring in Biology
with a concentration in General
Studies/minoring in Spanish.
During her time at Hereford High
School she was a soccer player and
became Captain during her senior
year.
Her junior year, her goal is to study
abroad and continue her education
in a Spanish speaking country.
She was a member of the National
Honor Society, Math National
Honor Society and Science National
Honor Society.
During her free time she assisted in
the school’s Cross Country State
Championship and volunteered at a
local physical therapist office.
Kristina participated in the 9/11
Memorial 5K run and the Race to
Cure Pancreatic Cancer.
Kristina hopes to follow her dreams
and make a difference in the world
of science.
Good
Luck
Congratulations.
Kristina
and
When Samantha graduates with her
bachelor’s degree, she anticipates
completing her Masters degree.
Samantha hopes to gain employment in the research field, possibly
working with stem cells and conducting medical research.
During High School she attained
distinguished honor roll status and
was one of only five students recognized in the district as having
achieved an advanced level in all
four areas of PSSA testing (Math,
Reading, Writing, and Science).
She is a part of the National Honor
Society and ranked in the top 10%
of her graduating class.
She has been involved in student
mentoring and tutoring. She participated in remodeling the Spanish
center to strengthen relationships
®
SCHOLARSHIPS
FROM THE GUARD
continued from page 8
By Dominic Mastramatteo
with the Spanish Community and
mentoring a non-English speaking
student.
There seems to be an increasing tendency of our members to surrender
or considering to surrender their
F.O.P membership. Big mistake.
Our future and independence
depends absolutely on retaining our
present membership and adding
new members as they are hired by
the Department. Often disagreements end in separation; sometimes, permanent separation, this
must be avoided. Anger and disenchantment should not be directed at
the F.O.P., direct it at those causing
the hardships and problems: the
Mayor, the City Council, and in
some cases the Department. If you
surrender your membership or elect
not to join the F.O.P., they win, you
lose. Without this lodges’ representation, conditions along with financial benefits would be worse. The
President and the Executive Boards
accountability to our members is
not a novel concept. This lodge has
provided counsel that has successfully defended our members at trial
boards and courts, and we will continue to do so. When the President
and the Executive Board moves on a
problem we need the support of the
entire membership. Sometimes our
decisions, good or bad do not
detract from our sense of loyalty to
the membership. That is paramount
and should never be questioned;
however, the strength and effectiveness of our organization depends on
the loyalty of all our members to the
organization and to each other.
She likes to read, cook, run, hang
out with friends, attend school,
meet new people, participate in
fund raising events and help
younger children.
She hopes to continue her volunteer
work in both the community and
school events.
Congratulations and Good Luck
Samantha.
Owen
Sweeney
Scholarship
Recipient: Tyler Priola
Tyler’s first goal is to pursue a
Bachelors degree in computer engineering at West Virginia University
and later a Masters degree in software engineering. His dream is to
land a job with Apple Technologies
as a software designer. Athletically,
he has played recreation league
hockey for the past ten years and
was captain for the last three years.
He hopes to continue playing WVU
on their division I ice hockey team.
While in High School he was a part
of the Good Times Show Choir for
three years, competing seasonally
against other schools in various
States. His volunteer activities
include Key Club and P.A.S.S.
(Providing Academic and Self
Esteem Support). The volunteer
positions allow him to serve his
community and mentor disadvantaged children. In his spare time he
works at Ruby Tuesdays and occasionally indulges in video game
marathons.
This lodge is now approaching a
financial crisis, brought on mainly
by the City Administration. The
City Council, at the request of the
Mayor, passed legislation that grossly impacted the pension of all our
members. In order to confront this
action, a court remedy was sought.
At a specially convened membership meeting (attended by approximately 850 members), they voted
overwhelmingly to approve litigating the action of the City with regard
to our pension. This action has
become very expensive but also
very worth engaging, but will
require
additional
financial
resources. To satisfy this burden it
will require the input of all of our
members.
Several years ago, and due to similar
circumstances, I wrote an article in
the F.O.P newsletter where I stated
the City’s intent is, “to force the
F.O.P. to continually litigate costly
appeals in hope that those costs will
eventually deplete our financial
resources and thereby render our
organization ineffective.” The City
underestimated the resolve of our
organization.
We united and
became stronger. Due to political
corrosion, nothing has changed.
The city taxpayers should be outraged at the untold thousands of the
taxpayer dollars the various previous City Administrations and the
present one have spent in an
attempt to render the F.O.P ineffective. They failed then and with the
help and solidarity of our members,
they will fail again. I encourage
everyone who has opted-out of the
F.O.P. to rejoin. For those who are
contemplating surrendering your
membership, don’t. Stay on board
and keep our fight against the City
in court. If you are aware of a colleague who is not a member of our
lodge, encourage them to join. This
is also their fight. The President
and the Executive Board remain
grateful for all the current support of
our membership.
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POLICE WEEK 2011
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ARTIFICIAL HIP IMPLANT RECALL AND MASS LITIGATION
The SBW LAWFIRM has represented numerous clients in regard to
personal injury and wrongful death
in Product Liability and MedicalProfessional Malpractice Lawsuits.
In August of 2010 DePuy
Orthopaedic, Inc., a division of
Johnson & Johnson, issued a worldwide recall of all of its ASR metal on
metal hip implants and began sending letters to all patients who had
been implanted with these devices
to consult their orthopedic surgeons
immediately. This recall was the
result of studies done between the
late 1990s through 2009 in England
and Australia. These studies draw
attention to the high failure rate particularly among females implanted
with these hip products. Also an
alarmingly high concentration of
metallic debris (primarily Cobalt) in
tissue, bond and blood stream
afflicted a significant percentage of
the patients studied. It was found
that these high levels of metallic
debris (suspected as metal shavings
from the wear and friction of the
metal on metal components of the
implant) were causing allergic reactions, the long term extent of which
is still unknown and is the subject
of ongoing study by pathologists
and toxicologists throughout the
world.
Hundreds of cases have been filed
throughout the country on behalf of
patients who have been adversely
affected by this product, as well as
thousands of direct claims against
the manufacturer pursuant to the
recall letter. Most of the lawsuits
that have been consolidated under a
procedure known as multi district
litigation in Federal District Courts
in Ohio and California. The Judges
in these courts have ordered that the
implants, once removed from
patients who have filed cases
against the manufacturer, be preserved as evidence and maintained
according to a strict scientific protocol to allow experts to test and study
each implant. Depuy has undertaken its own efforts to secure the
implants once removed before
patients had filed any claims or
cases against it. Maintaining and
preserving these implants once
removed is critical to the outcome of
any claim or lawsuit presented on
behalf of patients adversely affected
by this defective product.
SBW law firm is now handling three
of these defective implant cases and
is working closely with medical and
engineering experts. It is expected
that many more will be forthcoming. Subsequent studies have found
an increase of the failure rate of
these hips now reaching 49%. A
recent article in the New York Times
(June 26, 2011) discusses the studies
reflecting this high incident of failure and the Food and Drug
Administration’s recent directive to
manufacturers of all metal hips to
undertake emergency studies of
patients implanted with them.
If you believe that you are a recipient of an artificial metal on metal
DePuy hip or if you have received a
recall letter from the manufacturer
DePuy or their claims adjusting
company, Broadspire, you are
encouraged to contact us to review
and discuss your particular circumstances. If you have already been
contacted by your surgeon and have
undergone or plan to undergo a revision surgery removing this device, it
is particularly important that the
removed device be secured and
maintained for expert analysis. If
not, you are at risk for defeating
your right to claim damages and
other benefits to which you may be
entitled. It is unclear at this point in
time which direction DePuy will
take in responding to the lawsuits
and claims which it now faces.
DePuy may resort to defensive tactics to avoid liability for this defective product. There have been indications that DePuy may attempt to
blame the surgeon for using a defective implant technique. Anyone
who has received one of these hip
implants should not hesitate to seek
legal advice.
Henry L. Belsky, Esquire
Victor D. Sobotka, Esquire
Schlachman, Belsky & Weiner, P.A.
300 E. Lombard Street, Suite 1100
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
410-685-2022
410-783-4771 (fax)
[email protected]
[email protected]
Monthly
Board Meetings
will now be held
the second
Tuesday of
every month.
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FROM THE 3rd VICE PRESIDENT
Brothers and Sisters:
I hope your summer has been full of
fun and all is going well. I have
received several calls over the past
several months reguarding the cancellation of leave by the police
department. The question I get the
most is, “I thought my leave was
protected?” The answer is, not all
leave is protected. The only leave
that is protected is by using V-days.
This is covered in the MOU
under Art. 8 Sec. G and H. If a member wants to protect leave there is
only two ways that can be done.
First, to place one or more V-days
between Jan 1st and Feb 10th. Any
other leave (P,PL, and H days) which
are obviously attached to the V-days
would also be protected, example
(V,H,H). The second way is to block
your leave. Leave requested after
Feb 10th is in the first come, first
serve basis. A block is a minimum
of 5 days, in a said block, you must
have at least 3 V-days plus 2 P or PL
days together to make the block,
example (V,V,V,P, and P). These are
the only two ways under the
MOU that your leave will
be protected.
I also have been asked questions on
officers being drafted to work over
past there regular shift. This is covered under Art. 24 Sec. K Mandatory Overtime Assignments.
The Police Department can hold
officers over and the department
shall make every effort to solicit volunteers from within the member’s
assignment. There are some exemptions from this such as: day care,
family illness, schooling, approved
secondary, and pre-paid social
events, to name a few. The Police
Department also has the authority
JOINT LABOR MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Have you ever said, “I wish
Command knew (fill in the blank)
was going on out here on the street?”
Have you ever thought, “There is a
better way to (fill in the blank) that
would really work for the BPD?”
Have you ever taken a concern to
your FOP District Representative
only to be told that your issue is not
grievable or contractual? Don’t give
up hope just yet!
Some situations, while not eligible
or appropriate for a grievance, may
still be important or systemic
enough that they should be brought
to the attention of our Department’s
leaders. As your Joint LaborManagement Committee Chair, it is
under the City Administrative
Manual 205-2 under, “overtime and
call back work.“ It has been past
practice that supervisors hold officers 4 hrs past there shift.
However, supervisors Can Hold You
8 hrs passed your shift.
Remember we are one blue family
on the street. All we have is each
other to count on for our safety and
support. I do believe better days are
ahead of us. Our pride, respect, and
professionalism starts with each one
of us. As my old Lieutenant used to
say, “loyalty above all else, except
honor.“ Be safe and back each other
up.
Fraternally,
Sergeant Brian Atwood
3rd Vice President
Grievance Chairman
MERCHANDISE
COMMITTEE
my responsibility to ensure such
issues do not remain unaired or
unaddressed. While not all concerns
– or ideas — warrant immediate and
drastic action, information from
members like you has resulted in
changes to policy and procedure, as
well as upgrades in equipment and
training.
Sometime ago I wrote asking if anyone was interested in coming up
with
some
suggestions/recommendations as to what
items the police personnel would
like
for
the
Merchandising
Committee to purchase and/or have
on hand.
Forward your valid complaints,
concerns or ideas to me at Bryan.
[email protected], for
consideration.
Currently, I am in the process of
ordering Under Armor clothing, and
it will be available on a daily basis,
Monday through Friday, for your
convenience.
Bryan C. England
Chair, Joint Labor-Management
Committee
I am here to do whatever is needed
to make sure the merchandise is
what the membership wants and not
just have it on display without moving it.
Jerry Heid
F.O.P. Chairman
Merchandising Committee
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IMPORTANT NUMBERS
Lodge Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 243-9141
Lodge Office (Toll Free) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-800-785-8352
Lodge Office (Fax) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 467-1643
FOP Lounge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 889-3388
Hall Rentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (443) 528-9567
Law Firm/Legal Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 685-2022
Law Firm (Fax) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 783-4771
Stress Program (PCA). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 828-6062
Job Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 396-2550
Pebco Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 484-5448
Optical Plan (City) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 396-3777
F&P Pension System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 497-7929
F&P Pension System (Toll Free) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-888-410-1600
Car Buyer Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 522-5000
Employee Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 396-5830
Dental Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 337-7577
BPD (Long Distance). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-800-223-2525
Signal 13 Foundation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (410) 335-1056
Web Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.fop3.org
Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]
f
OPEN MONDAY – FRIDAY
FOP #3 LOUNGE
General
Membership
Meetings
Fourth Monday
of Each Month
(Except December)
Next Meeting
September 26
7:00 p.m.
3920 Buena Vista Ave.
Free Food and Drink
Following the Meeting
4:00 PM – 2:00 AM
LOUNGE SPECIALS:
HAPPY HOUR • 4PM – 7PM: 50¢ OFF Bottled Beer and $1 OFF Liquor Drinks
LADIES NIGHT • WEDNESDAYS: $1.00 OFF ALL Liquor Drinks
KITCHEN SPECIALS:
(All Specials are Dine-In ONLY)
MONDAYS • 40¢ WINGS (Ordered in Batches of 10)
WEDNESDAYS • ½ POUND BURGERS $4.95
THURSDAYS • STEAK NIGHT Hand Cut 10oz NY Strip & 2 Sides $10.95
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR NEW FOOD ITEMS AND MENU
JOIN US FOR KARAOKE – LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH
HALL and/or LOUNGE ARE AVAILABLE FOR RENT
CONTACT TAMI CLARK @ 443-528-9567 FOR DETAILS
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Fraternal Order of Police
3920 Buena Vista Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21211
ROLLCALL
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Baltimore, MD
Permit No.
5209