Executive Director’s Message
by Thomas W. Bahr

Comments and letters can be sent to Executive Director Tom Bahr at WPPA, 340 Coyier Lane, Madison, WI 53713, or e-mail bahr@wppa.com.

As the weather gets warmer, everyone’s schedules seem to get busier and busier. There are several upcoming events which are just around the corner that you may want to take note of. Starting with the commencement of Police Week in May, the 14th Annual NAPO TOP COPS® ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 12. If you are planning to be in Washington during Police Week, please consider taking in this event to celebrate the accomplishments of our fellow officers from across the United States.

Here in Wisconsin, the 17th Annual Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony will be held at noon on May 18 at the State Capitol. Those wishing to participate in the squad processional from Olin-Turville Park to the Memorial are requested to arrive at the park no later than 11:30 a.m. Prior to the ceremony, the WPPA will again host a pancake and sausage breakfast at Olin-Turville Park. The breakfast will be free of charge, although there will be an opportunity for those attending to make a contribution to a local food pantry. The WPPA has committed to making this an annual event to recognize all Wisconsin law enforcement officers – both active and retired – during National Police Week. We will begin serving at 9:00 a.m., and we invite everyone to attend.

I would like to welcome Andrew J. Schauer to the staff of the WPPA. Andy joined us in February as a staff attorney, and will represent our members and assist the business agents in those legal matters that require our attention. Andy received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2003 and, prior to coming to WPPA, practiced with a Milwaukee law firm representing both employees and unions.

Welcome To The WPPA Members-Only Forum

A strategic planning committee comprised of Directors from your WPPA Board have studied several matters relating to the WPPA’s overall service to its members and how we might improve those things we already do or create new programs.

Out of these discussions came a variety of ideas, one of which was a plan to create a tool that would allow WPPA members the ability to come together in one place on the Internet, discuss matters of mutual interest, and interact with fellow members wherever they may live and work in Wisconsin or Upper Michigan.

The WPPA has created such a tool in a Members-Only Forum which is located at http://www.wppa.com. This is a secure site, available only to our members, and it is quite easy to participate.

Once at the WPPA website, click on the WPPA Members link. This link will take you to a registration screen, which will require you to fill out certain basic information: username, e-mail address, and password. Additionally, I would urge you to also fill out the profile area in such a manner that both the administrator of the Forum and other participants may see that you are indeed a member. Once the registration form is completed, submit it and it will be reviewed and approved.
While we have taken several measures to ensure that this site is secure for our members’ use, please use your discretion when discussing anything that might be of a sensitive nature. If the subject is such that it could not or should not be discussed at work, at home, or on the street, then perhaps it should not be posted on the Forum.

In closing, don’t forget to make plans to attend the WPPA’s 75th Anniversary Convention May 19-21, which will again be held at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. The Convention Committee has been working very hard to make sure that this year’s event celebrates the first 75 years of the WPPA’s accomplishments and, hopefully, through the convention seminars and presentations, provide our members with the necessary tools to begin the next 75 years on the best footing possible. I look forward to seeing you there!