The adage goes, “timing is everything.” Indeed.

Recently, the Command Officers’ Association (COA) felt the need to send an inaccurate message “reminding” their members of Article 2.4.1, Section A of our MOU. This Article provides a perfunctory process that allows Directors to speak to the membership at roll calls or other Department meetings. The COA message makes it a point to add in all capitals that Directors must receive “APPROVAL” from the commanding officer prior to speaking at roll calls/Department meetings.

The message goes on to say that if there is any “…lack of adherence to this section, please notify a COA Board member immediately.” Given that our Annual Captain Assessment & Organizational Morale Survey is currently open for LAPPL members to complete and Directors have been promoting the survey at roll calls, the timing of the COA missive is no accident.

Several long-tenured LAPPL Directors have never seen a similar attempt to squelch the League’s ability to disseminate information to our members. This is clearly one of several clumsy attempts by some COA members to discredit, distort, and deceive when it comes to our survey. Between our staffing crisis, rising violent crime, and the selection of a new COP, it’s hard to believe that LAPPL Directors speaking at roll calls rise to the top, priority-wise, for the COA, but hey, they get to choose to focus on the issues that matter most to them.

The MOU Article that the COA is all hot and bothered about states that:

“Any League Director wishing to address Unit employees at a roll call or other Department meeting shall obtain prior approval from the concerned division commanding officer either directly, via the on-duty watch commander, or through the Department Operations Center (DOC). If the request is not approved, the Director may appeal the decision to the Employee Relations Administrator, whose decision shall be final.

The League and its Directors will not be intimidated by the COA and this lame attempt to interfere with our union's prerogatives and priorities. Now, on to an update on our survey.

Thus far, interest and participation have been high. This survey already has more responses than the 2016 Captains assessment. There is still time to take the survey; the cutoff date is Monday, July 8, at Noon. Please encourage your partner, members of your unit, and others you know or interact with to take the survey.

We know some of you have questions and want additional information about the survey. We remain committed to getting you those answers and that information.

To start, if we are denied the ability to speak at any roll calls, we will immediately appeal that denial, per our MOU, to the Employee Relations Administrator. We will also post the Division and Commanding Officers’ name on the LAPPL website and send a member message so you will know we will not be able to address you at roll calls pending the outcome of our appeal. We will find alternative ways to answer your questions.

If you are reading this email but can’t locate the survey email, please check your spam/junk/promotions folders. A new invitation will be sent to all who have yet to complete a survey today.

If you still are unable to locate a survey, please email [email protected] with your serial number to receive a contact us form. There is an informational video at the top of the form if you need further direction. Once you submit the form, the LAPPL staff will review your membership status and reach out to you personally to ensure that if you are eligible you will get a survey.

If you have not filled out a survey, please do. As you can see, the COA is certainly taking our survey seriously. If you have completed the survey, thank you! We appreciate your participation.

For any questions, please contact Director Richard Mendoza at (909) 992-9412.

Very Truly Yours,

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Los Angeles Police Protective League