President Tony Wieners’ Message



PBA President Wieners Joins Congressional Press Conference on Police Funding

State PBA President Tony Wieners joined a bipartisan Congressional press conference in Washington, D.C. today that included Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr, (D-8) and Congressman Jon Runyon (R-3) to thank members of law enforcement for their commitment to public safety and to highlight recent efforts in Congress in support of law enforcement, such as the National Blue Alert Act, the passage of the COPS amendment and the RISS amendment to the Commerce Justice Appropriations Act, and support for the Byrne-JAG Program.  The event caps off National Police Week and further solidifies the New Jersey State PBA’s role in pushing for greater federal support of law enforcement to prevent police layoffs and cuts to public safety programs.

“The need for Congress to invest in the law enforcement community is now more critical than ever before”, President Wieners said at the event.  “Law enforcement has been asked to do more with less and less funding means fewer officers protecting our communities.”

Citing the importance of the bi-partisan nature of the event, President Wieners commended Congress for the recent passage of bills designed to increase COPS funding and the overwhelming passage of the National Blue Alert Act.  President Wieners urged Congress to pass reauthorization of the federal Bulletproof Vest Partnership program which provides grants to local law enforcement. 

“Officer Safety is an important issue that needs to continue to be at the forefront of the legislative agenda”, Wieners concluded pointing to the loss of 177 police officers in the line of duty in 2011 and the rise in crime in New Jersey and around the nation.

 

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  • V.P. Keith Dunn's corner

     

    On behalf of the Superintendent, I am pleased to notify you that the Division of State Police will accept applications for the state trooper position from May 7, 2012 to May 29, 2012.  The initiation of an applicant selection process represents a critical undertaking for our agency.  From the present date through May 29, 2012 we will be fully engaged in an active recruitment drive seeking an applicant pool of qualified applicants representative of the state’s rich diversity.   

    The Division recognizes that there are potentially many qualified candidates in the pool of laid-off New Jersey police officers.  We ask that you notify laid-off officers of the opportunity to submit an application for the state trooper position during the open application period. You can support our efforts further by encouraging other interested candidates to apply.

    Attached are two brochures outlining eligibility criteria and the selection process.  Additional information can be found at www.NJtrooper.com. 

 

Rob Nixon's legislative news

 

Sick Leave Bills Developing

The Senate and Assembly continue to trade concepts to pass a bill limiting the cash out for unpaid sick and vacation time.  The New Jersey State PBA has been actively engaged in this process and are currently tracking 2 bills that are of greatest likelihood for consideration, Assembly Bill 1179 (Lampitt) and Senate Bill 1564 (Sweeney).  In each of these bills, time that is earned by the effective date or at the end of an existing collective bargaining agreement are considered a “property right” and would be retained by the employee upon their retirement.  These bills therefore do not prohibit a member from receiving compensation for unused sick or vacation time and would only prohibit payment for the accumulation of future time earned.  Assembly Bill 1179 contains slightly different language regarding future time earned after the bill becomes law.  Unlike Senate Bill 1564 which eliminates the cash value for future sick and vacation time, Assembly Bill 1179 establishes that future sick and vacation time would have a negotiated “value” that could be applied to post retirement medical costs.  The dollar amount of  this value and other uses for this time are still under review by the sponsor.

We are anticipating some action on this subject in the next few weeks and will provide updates as the situation develops.

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From the desk of John Hulse



Now that our magazine, NJ COPS is up and running, we need the help of our Locals more then ever. This magazine will contain a great deal of information about new laws, proposed legislation and situations relating to and affecting our working conditions. But more importantly, it will contain news and photos from our individual Local Associations.

Promotions, newly elected Local leaders, charity events, all of the happenings within your communities are great news items that we should share with everyone reading our publication.

Please send your articles and photos to me at news@njspba.com