Page 17 - West BlueNote March April 2018

FOP Leadership Matters Training…

Continued from Page 13

Elected Local Lodge President-Now What?” He instructed on lodges having “checks and balances,” knowing
your lodge’s expenditures, keeping solicitation license updated, knowing the legal paperwork for non-profit

corporations, knowing your National, State, and local lodge constitutions and by-laws, lodge presidents

constitutional duties, rights of membership, keeping members informed, and tips on being a successful leader.
National Secretary Patrick Yoes instructed on “Success By Design.” He spoke about having a shared vision

for your lodge, our FOP structure builds success, we as the FOP are selling a relationship, and personal

leadership. Next, Instructor Neal Rossow with the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police presented a
training block on “Every Officer a Leader, Being Prepared to Lead.” I learned the difference between personal

and positional power, the seven types of power perceptions, and understanding how each power can be gained or

eroded. The last block of instruction involved how to engage younger members and how to recruit young officers,

from the FOP leaders.

I learned a great deal on how to be a better leader, better ways to keep our lodges financially safe, utilizing

social media more effectively, and ways to recruit younger law enforcement officers. I want to thank State Lodge

President Randy Hagler and the Executive Board for allowing me to attend this FOP training. We are never too

old to learn, we just need to have an open mind and a desire from within. I encourage all lodges to send your

lodge executive officers, and anyone desiring to become a lodge executive officer to this FOP Leadership Matters

training next year. I would also like to thank National President Chuck Canterbury, his Executive Officer staff,
and his administrative staff for doing a great job of hosting this presentation of “Leadership Matters 2018” and
treating our group like family while we were there.

Update on 25 Year Retirement

By Jeff Gray – Legislative Agent

Two bills very much of interest to law enforcement officer’s average final compensation to calculate their re-

were introduced this Session, both purporting to allow tirement pay. However, the monthly retirement benefit

for retirement after 25 years of service. Neither bill is a for an officer retiring with only 25 years of creditable

version of a 25 year retirement with unreduced benefits service because the officer would be working fewer

which has been introduced in the House and Senate six years, and therefore would receive less retirement money

to seven times by the FOP over the past 15 years. One per month.

of these bills, however, has been endorsed by the State The bill would also allow State and local law en-

Lodge Fraternal Order of Police. The other was not. forcement officers to collect their special separation al-
The first to be introduced was Senate Bill 199 “Law lowance after 25 years of creditable service. The officer

Enforcement Officer Retirement/25 Years.” It is sub- would still receive 0.85% of the officer’s most recent an-
stantially similar to the bills sought by the FOP in the nual compensation. The officer’s monthly special sepa-

past and would give law enforcement officers who are ration allowance benefit would be less because the of-
members of the Teachers and State Employees’ Retire- ficer would have worked fewer years, but the officer
ment System and the Local Governmental Employees’ would collect the benefit for five additional years. This

Retirement System the option to retire after completing bill was assigned to the Committee on Rules and Opera-

25 years of creditable service. (Currently, officers need tions of the Senate and saw no action thereafter.

to complete 30 or more years of creditable service in or- House Bill 284, “25-Year LEO Retirement Option,”

der to maximize their retirement benefit.) is in some ways similar to Senate Bill 199, “Law En-

State law enforcement officers opting to retire after forcement Officer Retirement/25 Years,” but this bill

25 years of creditable service would continue to use the would also create a provision that would allow, but not
current percentage of 1.8% of the officer’s average final require, any State or local government employer to offer
compensation to calculate their retirement pay. The a lump sum payout of an officer’s special separation al-

number arrived at by multiplying this percentage by the lowance to the officer if the officer chooses to take a re-
officer’s average final compensation would then be mul- duced retirement (such as the 25 year retirement option).
tiplied by the officer’s years of service to get the officer’s The lump sum payout by the employer would not be able

retirement pay. Local law enforcement officers would to exceed the total amount of money the officer would

continue to use the current percentage of 1.85% of the Continued on Page 21

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