The Alabama PBA holds annual division board meeting
Oct 1, 2012
On September 15, 2012 at 10AM in a conference room at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach Alabama, the Alabama Police Benevolent Association gathered for their annual board meeting. In attendance was: Donald Scott (President of the ALPBA), J.D. Hobbie (Executive Director of the ALPBA), Chris Skinner (President of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association), John Riley (President of the State Law Enforcement Officers Chapter and ALPBA Secretary), Joe Benson (Mobile Chapter President), Lance Price (ALPBA Senior Vice President), Adam Hadder (Walker County Chapter President), J.T. (Butch) Cartee (Northeast Alabama Chapter President and ALPBA Vice President), Jerry Whetstone (Tallapoosa County Chapter President), Terry Mears (Central Alabama Chapter Vice President), Mark White (Shoals Chapter Vice President), and Clark Hopper (Etowah/Cherokee Chapter).
There were many issues discussed facing Alabama law enforcement. The current piece of legislation that the ALPBA is working on is the protection of information about law enforcement officers, judges, and district attorneys. Currently, police officer’s home addresses, telephone numbers and other personal information is all listed as public records. This puts officers in harm’s way. Many citizens use this information to seek vengeance and harass officers. The ALPBA’s goal is that this information is protected and the dissemination of information be controlled.
The ALPBA has also decided to partner with the Police Benevolent Foundation and create personalized PBA member tags. The tags are in the process of being approved. If approved, the tags would be available to ALPBA members for $50. Minus the funds that it takes to create the tag, $46 of every tag would go directly to the Police Benevolent Foundation to benefit the families of fallen officers and help officers and their families restore normalcy after a tragedy.
At this meeting, the ALPBA presented two awards. The first award went to J.D. Hobbie, the Executive Director of the ALPBA. He was honored for his work lobbying the Blue Alert Bill to Alabama legislature. A Blue Alert is activated when a local, state or federal law enforcement officer in Alabama has been killed or seriously injured and the perpetrator is at large. The Blue Alert system was modeled after the Amber Alert System, which is now nationwide, and Georgia’s current Blue Alert System. Donald Scott said that, “J.D Hobbie was an instrumental part of getting the bill passed in 2012 Alabama Legislative session.”
Next, the ALPBA presented the ALPBA Member of the Year award to Juan Rodriquez, the current president of the Jefferson/Shelby Chapter of the ALPBA.
“Rodriquez was chosen because of his outstanding leadership that he brought to the Jefferson/Shelby Chapter. He led the chapter back to where it needs to be,” said Donald Scott.
The ALPBA had a great annual meeting and is looking forward to another productive year.
Southern States PBA
