 Volume 19, Number 1 Winter 2004/2005 Page 1 of 6 |
SPRING NEWSLETTER DEADLINE |
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Volume 19, Number 1 Winter 2004/2005 Page 1 of 6 |
SPRING NEWSLETTER DEADLINE |
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Mark Webb Winter has arrived throughout the Nation and from my various conversations with Agents across the country, we are all extremely busy. I sometimes wonder if we are not our own worst enemies...the more we do, the more that is expected of us. It seems that on a very regular basis I receive a notice of another Agent retiring, and the majority of them prior to mandatory retirement age. I have been advised that the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) does not plan to have a new Agent class in 2005. This means another year that we will all be expected to step up to the plate and take on additional responsibilities/duties due to the fact that we're shorthanded.
Maybe the general public, NGOs, other
government agencies, and our state counterparts need to be
made aware of the fact that we are unable to respond to all
of their complaints, reports of violations, or requests
for assistance because there is just not enough hours
in a day for our shorthanded staff to respond.
During our next annual meeting we will be discussing the use of electronic transfer of our quarterly newsletter. Even if the magazine becomes a reality, there will be a need to update our members on the activities of the association. It is proposed that each member supply an email address to the association to advise them to go to a protected section of our web page to view newsletter information or items of interest. If you have thoughts on this subject or would like to assist in any manner, please contact a Board Member or Dick Hart our Webmaster.
The efforts to reintroduce a commemorative Sig Sauer handgun for the FWOA members is almost complete. I have seen the first pistol to be delivered and believe that those of you who ordered a handgun will not be disappointed. It is expected that the weapons will start being mailed out within the next few weeks, if they have not already done so by the time you read this. FWOA is still in need of developing a
promotional packet/brochure to assist in promoting FWOA to
potential new members and sponsors of our
programs. We have been very successful in promoting FWOA
to a handful of major sponsors who have assisted us
in some of our efforts, but a glossy, colored
brochure would be a real asset in these efforts. I continue to receive requests from members on the procedures for FWOA to pay for credentials of retired Special Agents who are active members of the association. The current process is for the retired SA to submit the required form to Circee Peters with full payment and then submit a request for reimbursement to our Treasurer Bill Anderson. It is still unclear how the FWS, Office of Law Enforcement, is planning to deal with the need for retired SAs to qualify with their weapons in order to meet the qualifications required to carry a concealed weapon under the new recently passed federal law. Current policy prohibits all FWS firearms instructors from providing instruction to our retired Agents. We will pass along any information we receive from the Chief in future newsletters. A recent change in "In-Lieu-of-Days" has been
established within some Regions of the FWS. As has
been the case in the past, with supervisory approval, an
Agent could work on Saturday and take an
in-lieu-of-day off during the same week, meaning the
previous five days. Under the new policy, an Agent is also
allowed, with RAC and SAC approval, to work
Sunday and take an in-lieu-of-day off during the next five
following days, meaning within the same work week.
It has been recently learned that the Service has upgraded Flyway Biologists from field grade GS-12 positions to GS-13 positions to compensate them for the additional responsibilities associated with being a pilot. With several of FWOA's members being in dual function agent/pilot positions, the board is currently looking into the potential of having those positions reviewed and upgraded utilizing the same criteria used by the Flyway Biologists. If any of the current Agents/Pilots would like additional information or would be willing to assist in this effort they should contact me. The Fair Labor Standards Act class action lawsuit filed
on behalf of many of our members by Bernstein and Lipsett is finally
drawing to a close. The Government settled with the Agent/p\Pilots and
GS-9s and GS-11s several years ago and I recently learned that
settlement has been approved for the 1812, GS-12 positions. Federal
District Court Judge
Bush heard the case and found in favor of our Agents. I have been advised
that payment should be made by March 22, 2005. If any member would like
a more current update, please call Bernstein and Lipsett's update
hotline at 202-296-7222.
It has been learned that SA Ken McCloud is scheduled for additional back surgery on his spine in an effort to reduce the pain he's currently experiencing as a result of the injury he received while performing his job. Surgery was scheduled for January 26, 2005 at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek, CA. We will all be praying for a successful surgery a speedy recovery for Ken.
It was with great sadness that I learned of the tragic car accident that took the life of John Webb's son-in-law. John has been a great asset for the Office of Law Enforcement and has provided a great deal of legal guidance for many of Agents over the years. A trust fund has been set up for John's grandson, Brandon. FWOA has made a donation to this fund. If any of our members would like to make additional donations, they should be sent to: SunTrust Bank
If any of our members have
questions/concerns/issues they would like to see discussed at our
upcoming annual meeting, please forward them to your Regional
Rep and/or a Board Member. For those of you
that unaware of who your regional rep is, following is
an updated list:
This year's Memorial 5K Torch Run/Walk sponsored by FWOA at the North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association is scheduled for Wednesday, July 13, 2005, in Penticton, British Columbia. The members of the Canadian Wildlife Officers Association have offered to assist with the meal following the event. Assistance from our members is always welcomed. If you plan to attend the conference and would like to help, contact Mark Webb.
LET'S BE CAREFUL OUT THERE! Submitted by Charter Member Mark Webb The FBI reported recently that 132 police officers were killed in the line of duty in 2003, with guns and traffic accidents claiming the most lives.
Of the total (which is eight more deaths than in 2002), 49 were killed in traffic accidents and 45 slain with firearms. Thirty-one of those killed with guns were wearing body armor at the time.
In all cases, the average age of the officer killed was about 37 and average level of police experience 10 years. The totals translate into one officer death every 2.8 days nationally, the FBI estimated.
Authorities solved all the cases in 2003 of officers who were shot to death or otherwise intentionally killed. Thirty-eight suspects were arrested, 14 were killed by police and six committed suicide, according to the FBI.
About half of the officers killed intentionally were making traffic stops or arrests. Ten were slain while investigating disturbance calls, and nine were ambushed.
Twenty-eight of the 52 intentional killings and 37 of the 80 accidental deaths took place in the South, by far the deadliest region.
In addition to the officer deaths, nearly 58,000 officers were assaulted in 2003 while performing official duties, with more than 16,000 suffering injuries. Eight out of 10 of these attacks involved hands, fists and feet.
The report was culled from information submitted by more than 10,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies.
This should serve as a wake-up call for all of us to be as careful, physically fit, and well trained as possible. The FWS has not lost an Agent in the line of duty for many years, and I hope to see it remain that way. |
MAGAZINE UPDATE Doug Goessman, Vice President
Editor and Writers Throughout the Summer of 2004 we received a number of résumés, emails, and telephone calls from several people inquiring about the editor positions with the FWOA magazine. We made the decision eventually retain one person with the title of "editor" for the magazine. Robyn Huggins was asked to serve as editor for the FWOA magazine for the first year. The writers who submitted résumés and expressed an interest in writing and submitting articles for the magazine are still in demand once the magazine starts. So don't get discouraged because you haven't heard from us. There has been a lot going on with the actual "setup" of the magazine, as you can see when you read on through the rest of this article. Also, the writers will be compensated by the FWOA for each story accepted by the magazine. In this way, we can have the writers doing what they do best, writing and not worrying about format, editing, etc. The articles will be mailed, emailed, or faxed to the editor. The editor can then produce what is called a "blue sheet" which will contain the final edited copy of an article along with any photographs. Many thanks to Kevin Ellis, also an outdoor writer, for giving us some ideas on how articles are submitted, what prices are paid for articles and how magazines solicit articles. Conflicts of Interest The FWOA overcame a major hurdle when, in July 2004, our attorney, Matthew B. Tully, advised Mark Webb:
• It appeared that the FWOA, a non-profit corporation, is not forbidden from entering into a publishing contract. • It did not appear that a publishing contract would be a violation of federal ethical rules/regulations/policies. • Even though the FWOA consists of many DOI employees, the FWOA is not associated, in contract with, or any other way affiliated with DOI or any other government entity. • It would be unwise for federal law enforcement officers to attempt to solicit advertisements or sponsors for a magazine. Doing Business Nationwide Once we received advice from Mr. Tully, I contacted the publisher, Paul Dinerman, and asked that he provide us with a draft proposed contract.
In August 2004, Mr. Dinerman injured his back and was confined to a bed and then to very limited work activity. In September he finally advised the FWOA his attorney was researching the status of the state and federal "do not call lists". In December, Mr. Dinerman advised the FWOA that his attorney was 99 percent sure that Brent-Wyatt West publishing (BWWP) could contact businesses on behalf of the FWOA and would not be restricted by any state's do not call list. However, Mr. Dinerman did have a concern about BWWP, a for profit business representing a non-profit organization, telephoning/contacting businesses throughout the U.S. and soliciting advertisements for the FWOA magazine. As Dinerman explained, a number of states have statues that require a for profit business to register and/or obtain a license and post a bond before soliciting business in the state. Dinerman was concerned that if BWWP had to post a bond and pay for licensing fees in too many states the cost would be too much for BWWP to pay. In order to get an idea as to how many states may be contacted about advertising in the magazine, each of the FWOA Regional Reps was asked to spend some time on the Internet and start compiling a list of major manufacturers, by name, state, and product, so we could get an idea of how many different states BWWP may actually be contacting. BWWP could then determine what costs they would have to incur for doing business in those states. A big "Thank You" to Regional Reps Kenny Kessler, Gary Young and Secretary Ellen Kiley who did an outstanding job, and all of the work compiling a list of over 170 manufacturers with their names and products. After some editing it looks like there are about 150 major manufacturers in 33 states that could be contacted. The manufacturer information has been forwarded to BWWP. I have a meeting scheduled with Paul Dinerman in February to determine if BWWP can handle the licensing costs and logistics of contacting the manufacturers in the 33 states. I'll update everyone at the AIS in April. Names for the Magazine Thanks to everyone who took time to submit their recommendations for a name for the FWOA magazine. Below are suggested magazine names we have received thus far. If anyone has any more names they would like to suggest for the magazine please forward them to Ellen Kiley. Notes from the Field Thanks and stay safe.
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