| BOARD SPOTLIGHT
By Dave McFarland, Second Vice-President  Well, I hope by the time you’re reading this the snow is gone and spring is here, but as the last couple weeks have shown us: living in Iowa, anything is possible. I recently had the opportunity and privilege of representing the Iowa State Police Association (ISPA) at the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) Pension and Benefits Seminar in Orlando. (Talk about a temperature shock — going from 80 degrees and sunny in Florida, then returning to Iowa’s wind, snow and 30-degree weather.)
During the conference, NAPO had several speakers talk about the trends and the status of pensions across the United States. One of the speakers talked about the increasing number of people failing to plan for retirement. A recent survey found 45 percent of all people have zero dollars saved for retirement. He said more families are buying lottery tickets than investing for retirement. He went on to say because employees can’t afford to retire... |
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| LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
By Paula Feltner and Mike Heller, ISPA Lobbyists
 The 87th General Assembly first legislative session has been unusual in many ways. Riding high after a wave election that granted them total control of the state legislature, Iowa Republicans now control the House, Senate and governor's office for the first time in 20 years. Republicans took control of the state Senate with a 29-20 advantage (there is one independent this year), and expanded their lead in the House to 59-41. The spotlight has been focused squarely on the Republican-dominated House, Senate and governor’s office to see how they handle their new power, and trends have emerged this session. There has also been a very sharp focus on cost containment in ...
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| SLOW IT DOWN: NO ONE EVER GETS IN TROUBLE FOR GOING TOO SLOW.
By: Greg Erie, Waterloo Police Department
 Greetings to all. I hope this finds you all doing well and staying motivated. It’s hard to stay motivated during these trying times in the law enforcement community. No matter where an incident happens in this country, if it’s perceived to be bad by the main stream media and pundits who support them, there is a ripple that is felt across the country. It’s like throwing a rock into a pond. “Bad” incident on the East Coast? We feel it in Iowa. “Bad” incident on the West Coast? We feel it here, as well.
There are many articles in circulation today with catchphrase used by people who don’t truly understand what it means and when it should be done: de-escalation. This is a hot button in today’s main stream media. Is there some validity to it? Yes, there is. Read More |
LAW ENFORCEMENT NEWS
20 golden principles for prevailing on the street Trooper brings injured bald eagles to safety Police employ drones for search-and-rescue, suspect pursuit Police: Robber breaks leg, calls for help, gets arrested
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