A Message from Our President. Mike Tacker Named TSPA Central Regions Director. OUR NEW ADDRESS IS

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1 A Message from Our President By John Mulloy, TSPA President I hope this issue of the newsletter finds everyone well. I want to address the issue of TMPA vs. CLEAT. This ugly dog keeps sticking it head up. The Texas System Police Association works with both TMPA and CLEAT to achieve our goals. We are an association of employees working for police department chiefs in colleges, universities, and ISD s. We are not a subsidiary of TMPA or CLEAT. We are a separate organization with our own goals and objectives. It seems there are a lot of people that cannot grasp this concept. They continue to bad mouth our association and say we cannot help them. We can help them, but they need to join first. We cannot help them with their problems if they are not members. We invite both TMPA and CLEAT to our meetings. How more impartial can we be. Enough said. I want to thank all the members that continue to spread the positive word about our association. I also want to thank all the members that are working behind the scenes on different projects for the association. You are greatly appreciated. We are growing and it is evident we will be a powerful political force in Texas politics in the near future. Take care and be safe. Mike Tacker Named TSPA Central Regions Director Mike Tacker, Assistant Chief at The University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center, has been named as the TSPA Central Regions Director. As Director, he will head up TSPA operations in the central part of Texas Austin, Waco, San Antonio, Houston, etc.. Mike was the driving force behind the creation of the TSPA. Mike has worked hard to move campus officers toward parody with other state police officers in terms of salary, retirement, and working conditions. He was always very supportive of our organization when he served as Assistant Director of the UT System Police. Mike has a lot of great ideas and the gumption to see them through. Reach out to Mike if you have any ideas or want to help him in his efforts at mike.tacker@yahoo.com. TSPA is very fortunate to have him as our Central Regions Director. OUR NEW ADDRESS IS texassystempoliceassociation@gmail.com

2 Bring in a New Member! Get $25 TSPA NEEDS YOUR HELP! We are going to try something new. For each new member recruited we will pay a one time referral fee of $ Just make sure the new member writes the referring members name in the referral spot on the application. Referring members need to be in good standing and their dues paid current. If you do not want the referral payment we will send it your favorite charity. Payments will be made after the new member has completed 2 months with TSPA. We are going to do this program thru August 31, Hopefully this will give some of our members the incentive to help recruit some friends and coworkers. Every new member recruited increases our ranks and increases our political influence. We need a very large number of members to achieve our goal of pension reform. It does not happen by its self. TSPA Board Elections 2012 The Texas System Police Association Board of Directors positions of Vice President I, and Secretary are open for election this year. These seats are elected in even numbered years. Any person requesting to have their name on the ballot for one of these positions please contact John johnmulloy@hotmail.com or Heath The elections will be held on August 15, "The offices of President, Vice President I, and Vice President II, shall be held by members licensed as Peace Officers by TCLEOSE holding the active rank of Lieutenant or below. If a Board Member is promoted above the position of Lieutenant they may continue to serve on the Board of Directors. Continuous terms of service are not required. The positions of Vice President III, Secretary, and Treasurer can be held by any employee of a police or security department at the active rank of Lieutenant or below." A 12-Hour Shift Question Sgt. Kris Ramirez from UT Arlington ed and posed the question below regarding 12-hour shifts. I thought this would be a good opportunity to open the discussion. You can send your comments to hcariker@yahoo.com. TSPA Regional Directors Needed!!! Anyone in this group considered asking about 12 hour shift possibilities? The whole reason that it is not allowed in the UT System (or A&M system) is that only those two educational entities are grouped with state employees under Insurance Code 1601(E)( )(B). This defines that employees eligible for insurance premium redirect are those working 40 or more hours a week. That phrase would need to be changed to working an average of 40 or more hours a week. This would have to be amended in the legislature. It would not only give police departments more flexibility, but other departments that run after house such as facilities (in campus environment) Dallas /Fort Worth - East Texas - West Texas - Houston TSPA is looking for Regional Directors. A Regional Director is appointed by the Board of Directors and the current terms expire on August 31, The duties are recruiting and fund raising. Regional Directors also make recommendations to the Board of Directors and will have direct involvement in working on new legislation. Please send an to texassystempoliceassociation@gmail.com if you are interested in applying for one of these positions. 2

3 TEXAS SYSTEM POLICE ASSOCIATION Protect your honor and protect your rights. The Texas System Police Association promises to aggressively protect you. All University, College, and Independent School District Police Officers, Guards, Dispatchers, and Administrative Personnel are encouraged to belong to the Texas System Police Association. Contact any member listed below to learn about this great opportunity and have your questions answered. The mission of the Texas System Police Association is to encourage esprit de corps and cooperation within all University, College, and Independent School District Police Departments, promote professionalism and training, enhance benefits, support the mission of Texas Law Enforcement, and give a voice to its members. TSPA project goals: Changing campus police officer retirement within the Teachers Retirement System, thus allowing officers to retire at a reasonable age with more money. Currently an officer in TRS will retire with an annual income about $10, lower than an officer in ERS. Better pay for all employees of campus police departments. TSPA ongoing goals: Support and be an advocate for all police employees when they are not being heard. Provide legal assistance to members. Create better working environments for police employees. Foster fellowship and cooperation between the individual departments. TSPA and its members are represented by the law firm of LYON, GORSKY, HARING, GILBERT & LIVINGSTON, L.L.P., of Dallas, TX. They have agreed to represent our association and our members. TSPA and our attorneys will represent any member involved in an employer/employee dispute in which the employee faces a developmental counseling or written reprimand that they feel is unfair. TSPA pays up to $ in legal fees. NOTE: TSPA is not a replacement for TMPA or CLEAT. Any employee of a University, College, or Independent School District Police Department may be a member of this organization. The cost of membership is $7.00 per month using credit card draft or 2 payments of $42.00 per year or an annual payment of $ TSPA offers its members a $ death benefit effective after one year of membership, in the advent they were to die for any reason. This check will be delivered A.S.A.P. upon confirmation from the member s Chief or Assistant Chief of Police. TSPA is a young organization that is growing quickly. There are many areas in which our members can assist in our development, and we encourage all members to take an active role in this organization. Thanks for your interest in TSPA. Take care and be safe. If you have any questions contact one of the TSPA officers listed below. John Mulloy UT Southwestern johnmulloy@hotmail.com Heath Cariker Trinity Valley Community College hcariker@yahoo.com Michael Seale UT Tyler mseale65@yahoo.com Tammie Freeman UT Southwestern flint@acedemicplanet.com David Glick UT Southwestern mongoose1020@version.net JOIN TODAY! 3

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5 Contact the TSPA If you have any questions about the TSPA or our newsletter, feel free to contact either John or Heath. John Mulloy Heath Cariker LYON, GORSKY, HARING, GILBERT & LIVINGSTON, L.L.P. A Partnership Including a Professional Corporation Bob Gorsky has been representing law enforcement officers for over 32 years. Firm attorneys have over 100 years of collective experience representing law enforcement officers and their families. In addition to our representation of law enforcement officers in all types of employment cases, we also represent law enforcement officers and their families in the following legal matters: automobile accidents trucking accidents wrongful death defective products criminal defense wills family law Contact: Bob Gorsky Toll free Emergency pager McKinney Avenue, Suite 100, Dallas, Texas Bob Gorsky, Mark Gilbert and John Haring have been named as Texas Super Lawyers and Christopher Livingston has been named as a Texas Super Lawyer Rising Star by Law & Politics magazine!! NO consultation fee for TSPA members and their families. GET IN TOUCH WITH TSPA! TSPA would like you find out what s happening on your campus. If you would like to submit an article or other items for the newsletter, contact Heath Cariker - hcariker@yahoo.com. 5