20070429 Carroll Co. FOP Lodge # 20 support for LEOPS for Carroll Co. Sheriff's Department

Carroll County FOP Lodge 20 supports LEOPS for Carroll County Sheriff’s Department

April 29, 2007

{Editors note: For a response to this post please see:
20070518 County Benefit Administrator responds to Sheriff retirement issue}

The letter attached is written by John Shippee, President of the Carroll County Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 20.

The members of this lodge publicly support Sheriff Kenneth Tregoning in his attempt to acquire an industry standard retirement for the deputies of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office.

For further information please contact Carroll County FOP State Trustee Rex Scott at 443-277-2717 or 443-375-6346.

FROM: John Shippee, President, Fraternal Order of Police, Carroll County Lodge # 20.

SUBJECT: Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.

During recent weeks there has been much written concerning the future policing in Carroll County. The recent budget hearings involving the requests from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) and MSP concerning the resident trooper program has fueled this debate.

What has unfortunately been lost is the actual issue, which is a fair and standard retirement and disability plan for members of Sheriff’s Services, not who will be primary – CCSO or a County Police Force.

The current resident trooper program will be phased out, as indicated in the past by Superintendent Tim Hutchins. To implement a county police force is a matter to be addressed by the Board of Commissioners and the Citizens.

The most sensible and cost effective option is to utilize a resource they have used for the past several years, the CCSO, a full service law enforcement agency, which has obtained accreditation through CALEA. The savings of utilizing the CCSO vs. a County Police force is estimated in the millions of dollars.

However, as stated by Commissioner Gouge, her main concern with using the Sheriff’s Office is that the Commissioners cannot control and appoint a Sheriff, but they can control the Chief of a County Police Force. As a citizen of Carroll, a taxpayer and voter, Commissioner Gouge will have a difficult time selling that idea.

Law Enforcement is a profession based on commitment to the citizens of whom they serve, sacrifice and protect. All police officers, as with our fellow fire fighters and EMTs, are specially trained and continually place themselves in harms way.

Police must undergo a physical agility test, a thorough background investigation, a polygraph examination and a battery of psychological tests. They must master certain objectives and pass requirements of the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission. In order to remain a certified police officer they must annually train within requirements set forth by the training commission. In short it is not an average career.

Members of the CCSO have been conducting primary law enforcement duties for the citizens of Carroll County and working hand in hand with all agencies within the county for many years. All of those allied agencies have a law enforcement retirement and disability plan.

Sheriff Tregoning and the men and woman of the CCSO only request what is fair and reasonable from the County Commissioners. An industry standard defined benefit retirement plan, to include a disability and survivor death benefit.

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For previous posts about Law Enforcement Matters see:

Carroll County Sheriff’s Office

Law and Order

LEOPS (Law Enforcement Officers Pension System)

Maryland State Police

Westminster Police Department

Carroll County FOP Lodge # 20