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I received
a flyer in the mail today from my favorite pizza place, with a special offer
of two large pizzas with two toppings for only $19.99. Since they threw in a
free 2-liter bottle of my favorite soft drink, I was hooked.
PBA has been protecting and serving officers in North Carolina for
almost 20 years. Back in 1986, PBA provided six automatic benefits including
a legal defense benefit that had no cap or limit for PBA covered matters.
The dues were $10 per month. Two large pizzas with extra toppings back then
was also about ten bucks. Nineteen years later, despite escalating increases
in legal fees and more than tripling our legal costs in North Carolina over
the years, PBA has expanded its service and benefits, but still offers those
same six automatic benefits with the same legal defense benefit with no cap
or limit. With the first dues increase in five years effective June 1, 2004,
the dues today are $18.50 per month. The dues are still about the cost of
two large pizzas with extra toppings. Most members don’t often think about
those six automatic PBA benefits, probably because these benefits cover the
kind of things that all officers think, or at least hope, will never happen
to them.
The fact is that no other law enforcement association in the southern
states does what PBA does for less or otherwise. Recent figures show that
criminal investigation of law enforcement officers engaged in law
enforcement duties is up 300%. Fifty-four percent (54%) of law enforcement
officers feloniously killed in the line of duty are killed in the South.
North Carolina ranks third (3rd) in the South and fifth (5th) in the nation
in law enforcement officers feloniously killed from 1994-2003. Over half of
all law enforcement officers assaulted in the line of duty are in the
South. North Carolina ranks 5th in the South and 9th of all 50 states in
assaults on law enforcement officers in 2003. In a recent survey done by
CBS News “Market Watch,” police officers ranked second among the most
underpaid and under appreciated occupation. Dishwashers finished first. In
North Carolina, if a police officer dies from a heart attack while on duty
or even struggling with a suspect, the death is not considered “duty
related”.
In North Carolina, if you are shot in the line of duty, while
recovering from your wounds, your department does not have to pay into your
retirement fund. If you are out a year, you have to work an extra year just
to get full retirement benefits. In North Carolina, a police officer can
lose his/her law enforcement certification and professional livelihood and
be criminally investigated and declared morally unfit to be a law
enforcement officer for receiving a parking ticket or failing to renew a
fishing license.
In North Carolina, if a police officer disobeys a departmental policy,
the officer can be criminally charged with malfeasance (NCGS 14-230), have
his/her law enforcement certificate revoked, and/or charged with murder for
shooting a suspect who attempted to kill that officer, even if the
departmental order is not consistent with law. In North Carolina, small and
large police departments can implement policies that are inconsistent with
state and federal law (which is unlawful) and state and local authorities
can use these so-called policy violations to indict police officers whose
actions were consistent with law and their sworn duties.
Back when PBA dues were $10 a month, these kinds of things were not
happening. PBA members were fired for joining PBA. The former city manager
of North Carolina’s capitol city wanted to fire a PBA board member for
simply going down to the legislature on his day off. The former NCPBA
division president was demoted four ranks for simply and legally pointing
out that his department had lied not once, but dozens of times during a
national accreditation process.
But, these incidents or matters like them, resulted in litigation all
won by PBA. It set the foundation for local chapter political efforts that
now find PBA leaders working directly with some of North Carolinas finest
and highest ranking officials. Twenty years later, PBA dues are $18.50 per
month, and while most of the public leaders we use to sue now work with us,
we now are defending members and keeping them out of jail for doing their
sworn duty. While North Carolina is a leading state in officers being
assaulted and killed, they are still being paid 15-30% less than officers in
any other region of the country.
NCPBA has never lost a criminal defense of a member. We are
overwhelmingly successful in plaintiff cases in representing members who
have been unfairly disciplined or terminated. We are the leading, and often
only, rank-and-file law enforcement association that introduces and
successfully passes self-initiated and authored state and local legislation
on behalf of our members and benefited by all law enforcement officers. PBA
owns and operates its residential fundraising raising ventures and works to
incorporate our citizen supporters into partnership with our members on
matters of importance to the law enforcement profession. 100% of citizens
supported contributions stay within PBA rather than the 20% or less left for
most other police groups after they pay a hired solicitor. PBA has added
many additional benefits and services over the years. PBA has won, financed
and supported successful litigation in every North Carolina and federal
court to improve the work life conditions of North Carolina’s law
enforcement officers in such areas as right of free association, longevity
pay, ticket quotas, Wage and Hour overtime, property and liberty rights
under the North Carolina and US Constitutions, personnel files and privacy
rights, disparate treatment, medical rights, retirement rights and benefits
under NC law, use of force and authority, right of free speech, and more. We
have litigated more cases and supported, authored, or initiated more
legislation to improve the work life of cops, than all the other NC police
groups, combined. Still, there is much more work to be done.
Yet, many PBA members do not even share, or acknowledge, their PBA
membership with fellow officers. Some have never asked a fellow officer to
join. If PBA members, and non-members, want to see the needed change in
these matters that plague their profession, joining PBA is the only
realistic option. If being a cop is what you can afford to be, then you
can’t afford not being a PBA member. As for the dues, whether its $10 per
month in 1986 or $18.50 per month in 2005, it’s still about the cost of two
large pizza’s with extra topping. Oh yeah, and a free 2-liter soft drink.
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