Dear Mesa Mayor and Council,At the May 27th special Council session, a Councilmember stated she understood hundreds apply and even heard one thousand applicants apply for every single police officer position. The City Manager said there were over 520 applicants for the 36 positions in the police academy class right now.

For the year 2004, the number of Mesa applicants who showed up for testing in February 2004 (two recruiting drives) was 182. Another single recruitment drive in May 2004 yielded 82. The total of candidates is 264 for 42 total allotted positions. Why didn’t Mesa fill all 42 positions? Because they can’t get enough qualified applicants to apply!

The Chandler Police Department tested once at the same time as Mesa’s February drives. They had 2 allotted positions and had 250 applicants show up. This makes Mesa’s ratio about 6 candidates per position (actual 6.29) and Chandler’s ratio 125 candidates per position.

Mesa’s City Manager said he looks to Phoenix because “they are the big players in terms of recruitment.” He said he does not look at turn-over rates as justification, but instead at what potential candidates see when they look to other cites, including salaries and benefits. What do potential candidates see when they research their career options?

Phoenix Officers have a higher base salary and Phoenix Officer’s take home $4211.82 to $11,874.28 more than Mesa Officers. Mesa is not competitive. Mesa needs parity or it risks becoming the police training and proving ground for Phoenix PD and other emerging valley police departments. We look forward to working with the Mayor and Council to provide parity.

Respectfully,

The Mesa Police Association

MPA WINS EMAIL CASE

The superior court judge hearing the email investigation case has ruled in favor of MPA members. The judge agreed with every one of the points made by the MPA attorneys.

MESA OFFICERS GET CANCER COVERAGE

On May 1st, 2007, Governor Janet Napalitano signed into law the admission of Peace Officers into the Fire Fighter’s Cancer Fund; soon to be dubbed the Fire Fighters and Peace Officer’s Cancer Fund. This is a culmination of years of lobbying work done by the Arizona Police Association (APA) and our lobbyist at Williams and Associates. This is a HUGE, HUGE win for Officers!

According to the Journal of American Medicine Association (July 11, 2003 & reviewed 8/31/2005) the average cost incurred by cancer patients with insurance is $35,418. These are costs not covered by insurance. For Officers and Firefighters, now this cost is greatly diminished. It is retroactive to June 2007. The APA and its lobbyist deserve kudos.

LAPD JOINS FSLA DONNING & DOFFING LAWSUIT
LAPD’s Police Protective League is moving forward with a class action suit against LA regarding FSLA (Donning & Doffing), Nunez et al v. City of Los Angeles. They are using the same law firm that handled California Highway Patrol’s FSLA claim. LA has been served and the process has begun. This is the largest Police FSLA issue in years. San Luis Obispo PD and Oakland PD also filed claims.

MPA members have long ago filed their FSLA Donning/Doffing suit, which is pending against the City of Mesa. MPA worked hand-in-hand with Phoenix PD (PLEA) who also filed their claim with the same attorneys, Napier Law Firm P. C. Only the MPA recognizes the need to protect your rights regarding this FSLA claim. We shall again professionally and competently represent and protect your legal rights. Simply reply to this email with any questions.

EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT TO MPA MEMBERS ONLY
American Police Beat (APB) is the most informative front-line U.S. police magazine in circulation these days. It completely informs you on current police issues. During our training seminar at Harvard University Law School, we had the opportunity to discuss law enforcement issues with the publisher of APB. We negotiated and secured a personal one time offer for a yearly subscription for MPA members only of $12.00. This is nearly $5.00 off the normal price. This is a phenomenal one time only deal! If you want to subscribe, send or inter-office your name and mailing address with a check or $12.00 cash to Sergeant Fabian Cota (Dobson Station) ASAP. We will only wait a short time before submitting all our subscriptions. Don’t miss out.

American Police Beat Website

AZ POST TRAINING- Public Safety & Homeland Security

The APA is sponsoring AZ POST training. With each passing day, we learn how important it is for public safety agencies and officers to have a firm understanding of the challenges and issues related to Homeland Security. The Arizona Police Association has brought together experts in the areas of finance and planning for public safety response, terrorism, and the emotional and physiological responses victims and public safety workers are likely to experience in highly stressful incidents. If you or your agency wants to be prepared for the next attack, make certain you attend this seminar.

DUES INCREASE ON AGENDA
The cost of legal defense, defending your pension, benefits and pay has gone up. A dues increase to address this will be discussed at the May 14, 2007, 1730 hour meeting. Please, attend and provide your input.