At the February meeting, I was given the honor to serve as Vice President by the Board of Directors for the 2008 year. I will be completing the final year of a two-year term.

In the capacity of an elected board officer, I intend to support President Ernie Carrillo, and the entire Board, in the representation of the membership. I am succeeding former Director and Vice President John Mercer in the office. I say succeeding, and not replacing, because you cannot replace a John Mercer. He holds the record for the longest tenure on the board, as well as over 30 years in law enforcement. His experience and wisdom will be missed, but be sure his legacy will not be forgotten. I can only thank him for the help and advice he has given me over the years, as well as, his support and encouragement.

I will also be serving as chair of the Political Action Committee (see report elsewhere in this issue for a quick rundown of our program) and of the Legal Defense Ccommittee.

Last month, our attorney Rick Pinckard put out a call for Legal Defense reps in this magazine. I could not have stated it more passionately or eloquently than he did, and I will not try. I can only echo that the need for committed reps is still there, and I urge you to get involved. Please contact me, President Carrillo, or Rick Pinckard if you have an interest. To repeat what was stated last month, you will be given excellent training, and will not be thrust into the lion’s den. There will be ample opportunity for you to go on “ride-alongs” with an experienced rep to be brought up to speed.

The Legal Defense Plan manual is currently undergoing a revision. With the help of John Mercer, (we’re not letting him get away without taking advantage of all of his experience) and Brad Fields, the manual is being rewritten to be brought up-to-date.

The plan itself is not actually changing, but the current manual does not reflect its current state. There are also a few issues which needed clarifying such as the Brady list and dual representation. As soon as the manual is completed, the membership will be notified and copies will be made available.

This month’s report is necessarily short, as it is due just a few days after my selection as vice president, and I have not had the opportunity to do much. Hopefully, I’ll have more to report in the next issue.  Until then, be safe. 