MOFOP Update - 3.19.20

Missouri FOP

Update

MOFOP

March 18, 2020

From The State Lodge

Brothers and Sisters,

I wish I were writing to you under better circumstances, however we have several topics to

consider.

Officer Down

First and foremost, we lost a brother this week. During an active shooter incident Monday

night in Springfield Officer Chris Walsh was shot and killed when he responded to locate the

shooter and aid the victims. Chris was 32 years old, married, with an eight-year-old

daughter. He had been on the department for roughly 3 ½ years. Also shot during the

incident was Officer Josiah Overton, 25 yoa. Officer Overton is recovering and I understand

his vest stopped a round above his heart.

Table of Contents 
From The State Lodge  1 ..........................................
Officer Down  1 .........................................................................
Services for Chris Walsh - 3/21/2020  3 ..................................
National Board Meeting Canceled  3 .......................................
MO FOP Board of Trustees Meeting - Canceled  3 ..................
Coronavirus (COVID-19)  4 ......................................................
COVID-19 Resources  5 .............................................................
Additional Articles and Information  5 ...................................
Additional Cancelations  6 ......................................
Day On the Hill - Canceled  6 ...................................................
Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial - Canceled  6 ..............
Police Week in Washington D.C. - Canceled  7 ........................
Trustees Meeting, April 4th - Canceled  7 ................................
Should You Cancel Your Local Lodge Meetings & Events?  7 .
Legislative Update  7 ...............................................
Missouri FOP Scholarships  7 .................................
Don’t forget about the FOP Free College  8 ............
Stay Up To Date - MOFOP.org  10 ..........................
June 5th & 6th, 2020 (CURRENTLY STILL ON AS PLANNED)  10 ..................................
Preliminary Agenda:  11 ........................................................................................................
Legislative Report  11 ...............................................
COVID-19 Causes Session Slowdown  11.................................

Our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Walsh’s

Family and our Lodge #22 brothers and sisters in

Springfield.

ODMP - https://www.odmp.org/officer/24490-police-officer-

christopher-walsh

Officer Christopher Walsh

Springfield, MO Police Department

End of Watch Monday, March 16, 2020

Services for Chris Walsh - 3/21/2020

Because of the quarantine and State of Emergency guidelines, the services for Officer Walsh

are private. The private services will be held Saturday, March 21st, at the Walnut Lawn

Funeral Home at Kansas & Walnut Lawn in Springfield. However, the procession and the

graveside service has received approval from the governor to include all those who would

like to attend. The procession will be at 1430 hours. The graveside service will be at

Rivermonte Cemetery at 4500 S. Lone Pine Rd. in Springfield. Because of the difficulties

with the COVID regulations, these plans are subject to change.

National Board Meeting Canceled

Along with everything else in the country the National Board meeting in Kansas City has

been canceled. The National Board and President Yoes were concerned for the health of our

board of trustees and made this difficult decision to protect our members and the order. We

successfully canceled all the events and hopefully we will get some consideration to host the

National Board in the near future.

MO FOP Board of Trustees Meeting - Canceled

After talking with some of you and given the state restrictions, we will have to postpone the

Trustees meeting. I will be sending out additional information in hopes of finding a time

that we can re-schedule. We may have to explore conducting the meeting by tele-conference

as the National Board of Trustees is having to do.!

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

As I write this our Country, State, and a number of County and City governments have

declared a state of emergency. I hope at the moment everyone and their families are healthy

and weathering the storm so far. Every day brings new information and every day it appears

this episode is getting worse. There are a lot of pundits online and on social media

downplaying the significance of this outbreak. However, to us this couldn’t be more real.

Not only because it affects our families too, but because we will be out in the middle of it

dealing with it on a daily basis. Not only being exposed to the virus, but we have to deal with

the stress and anxiety of the public who are unsure about the direction this is headed.

People have become paranoid about the virus, about money, employment, their mortgage,

their families, food, and even toilet paper. We’ve never experienced anything like this and

anxious and desperate people act irrationally. This spells difficulty for our members on the

street.

We have got to focus at this moment on how to protect our officers. Sadly, we have yet to see

most departments in our area come out with a solid plan on how to deal with officers

responding to calls for service. Most do not seem to have enough (or any) Personal

Protective Equipment (PPE) on hand for the officer’s use. Most appear to still be in the

planning stage and are relying on the CDC’s recommendations for police officers response

and contact with the public. There has been little done for our officers in the way of

education and direction, other than “wash your hands.” Any exposure or department

required quarantine or time off should be considered part of a work related injury and you

should be covered by the department and/or workers comp. We are working on model

policies and guidelines we think should be recommended to our departments. Because of

this, you must REPORT ALL POSSIBLE EXPOSURES! It’s also imperative that if you are at

a higher risk of severe illness from the virus, you request an ADA exception so you may be

reassigned to limited duty.

Those who are higher risk of severe illness or mortality from COVID-19 include:

‣ Older adults

‣

People who have serious underlying medical conditions like:

• Heart disease

• Diabetes

• Lung disease

You should contact your lodge attorney for additional advice. We will also be sending out

additional information regarding these set of circumstances very soon.

Your department may also be facing manpower shortages, travel restrictions, canceled days 
off, etc… because of the situation.  Keep us apprised if you are being required to work under 
unsafe conditions and we will try to help. 
COVID-19 Resources 
Some of the resources available from the CDC & IACP are: 
• What Law Enforcement Personnel Need to Know about Coronavirus Disease 2019 
(COVID-19). 
• LE Visor Card (COVID-19) 
• COVID-19 LE General Information Fact Sheet 
• COVID-19 Resource - Staying Healthy as a Police Officer 
• The IACP - Law Enforcement Information on COVID-19 
• Health & Safety for LE Families 
Government & Medical Resources on COVID-19 
• Missouri Dept. of Health 
• Center for Disease Control 
• Johns Hopskins - Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates 
• Harvard Medical School - Coronavirus Resource Center  
• Whitehouse - Corona Virus Guidelines for America 
Updated Maps for Tracking, etc… 
• Missouri Coronavirus COVID-19 Cases 
• Missouri Coronavirus Hospital Tracking 
• Johns Hopkins Worldwide Tracking and Statistics 
• Worldwide Tracking and Statistics 
Additional Articles and Information 
• Why Everything Is Closing For Coronavirus: It’s Called ‘Flattening The Curve’ 
• https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/who-gets-hospital-bed/
607807/ 
• Concerned Physicians Unite 
• Police One - Law enforcement planning for coronavirus staffing impacts. 
• Police One - Infectious Control Articles 
Letters and Information From President Pat Yoes and the National FOP 
• National FOP Activity & Memo, Re: COVID-19 
• Memo Regarding Police Week 2020 
• President Yoes, Letter to POTUS – Re: COVID-19 
• President Yoes, Letter to Dept. of Labor - Re: Health & Safety of Officers 

Take the information and use it how it best suits you. If your department is not protecting

you or your fellow officers, please let us know. Local governments have a duty to provide you

with protection and to provide for you if you suffer a work related injury or illness. We will

be working on an appropriate response and place for your State Lodge in this situation.

Please let us know if you have any suggestions or needs from us. Everyone please be safe &

Healthy!

Fraternally,

Rick Inglima, President

Missouri FOP

ringlima@mofop.org

(816) 509-7911

Additional Cancelations

Day On the Hill - Canceled

The capital has asked that all groups cancel their visits, again due to the outbreak of

COVID-19. We will not be able to reschedule this and will have to miss it this year.

Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial - Canceled

The Law Enforcement Memorial Board has made the difficult decision to cancel or

indefinitely postpone the State Candlelight Vigil and the LE Memorial Ceremony. This was a

difficult decision to make. However, they felt it best in order to ensure the safety of the

participants and our surviving family members. With or without the ceremony, we will

remember our fallen.

ANNUAL MISSOURI LAW ENFORCEMENT MEMORIAL CEREMONIES

POSTPONED INDEFINITELY

FROM: Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial Board

DATE: March 18, 2020

Due to COVID-19 and the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to utilize social distancing to

help prevent the spread of the virus, the Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial Board has decided to postpone indefinitely the

annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service and Candlelight Vigil, which were scheduled for the first week of May in Jefferson

City.

The board felt it was important to make this decision now in order to give families and law enforcement members as much

advance notice as possible to cancel hotel reservations and adjust their plans.

These services are an extremely important tradition within Missouri’s law enforcement community as we remember those who

made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the citizens of our state and honor their friends and loved ones. The board looks forward

to holding these services later in the year, once we have clarity on the COVID-19 situation.

Police Week in Washington D.C. - Canceled

We also received word yesterday that the National LE Memorial service and the surrounding

police week are also canceled. This is the first time since it’s inception 39 years ago that the

service has been canceled. See the below info from President Yoes in regard to this

decision:

• President Yoes Letter - Re: Police Week

• President Yoes Video Explaining the Decision

Trustees Meeting, April 4th - Canceled

After talking with some of you and given the state restrictions, we will have to postpone the

Trustees meeting. I will be sending out additional information in hopes of finding a time

that we can re-schedule. We may have to explore conducting the meeting by tele-conference

as the National Board of Trustees is having to do.

Should You Cancel Your Local Lodge Meetings & Events?

When considering whether you should be having your local meetings the National Lodge has

provided some guidelines that should strongly be considered when determining whether to

postpone meetings!

National Fraternal Order of Police - Meeting Activity In

Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

Legislative Update

We were excited about our legislative opportunities this year, especially since we already

had statewide residency bill pass the house last week. However, we’re not sure where

this will all stand based on the circumstances and the possibility that our Sate

Legislature may close down. See the latest report from our Lobbyist, Mark Bruns on

Page 11.

Missouri FOP Scholarships

Finally something good to talk about. It’s time to put in for renewals and new

scholarships for our kids. The lodge may award up to eight (8) scholarships or renewals

for $500 per year. Applications can be found here:

MOFOP Scholarship Application (Word)

MOFOP Scholarship Application (PDF)

Don’t forget about the FOP Free College

Stay Up To Date - MOFOP.org

This newsletter is again coming to you through our email system on the new website. "

Please, send this to all your members and get them to sign up for the site to access the

members only information. The site is full of features, information and applications for

communicating quickly and directly with our members, ONLY IF YOU SIGN UP!!! You will

be able to access collective bargaining contracts throughout the state to see what they

contain, pay studies, legislative updates, upcoming events, cop/family activities, officer

safety info, officer down reports, FOP merchandise and much more… Take the time to

Missouri FOP State Conference

June 5th & 6th, 2020 (CURRENTLY STILL ON AS PLANNED)

Our Biennial Sate Conference will be held June 5

& 6

, 2020 in Branson, MO. This is

the weekend that immediately precedes their yearly Law Enforcements Appreciation

week, “Branson Salutes.” This week

offers discounts and a variety of

gatherings and events, just for law

enforcement and their families. It’s

worth it to bring your family to the

conference and maybe even stay for a

couple days after the meeting to enjoy

the law enforcement discounts for the

week. A schedule of events is attached

below, and you can find additional

information on their website,

www.bransonsalutes.com.

We will be staying at the Westgate Branson Woods Resort this year and we think it

will be an excellent place for the conference, especially for family.

You can make reservations by calling the hotel at:

• 1-877-502-7058, then select option 1.

• Please be sure your guests use Group Code"S/O # 65-758 when calling.

• Reservations must be received by the Resort no later than""05/05/2020.

• All Group guest reservations require a minimum deposit equal to one (1) night’s

room & tax to be charged on a major credit card.

We do not currently have online room reservations for our block, but you can see the

hotel and it’s amenities at: http://wgbransonwoods.com.

Room rates are:

Traditional Guest Room - $98

One Bedroom Villa - $159

One Bedroom Grand Villa - $178

Two Bedroom Grand Villa - $279

Preliminary Agenda:

Thursday, June 4

• Pre-Conference Board Meeting (Evening)

Friday, June 5

• 1

Day of Conference (Day)

• Member Dinner (Evening)

Saturday, June 6

• 2

Day of Conference (Day)

• Awards Luncheon (Day)

You can bring as many members as you want to attend, but remember that your lodge

receives, ONE VOTING DELEGATE for every 50 members in your lodge. This does not

include your state trustee. Please start making your reservations now and get us a

preliminary idea of how many delegates you’ll be bringing.

Additional details on events, entertainment and scheduling will be provided shortly. If

you need help or have questions, please contact Sarah Hardin

(sarahhardin.sh@gmail.com) or Rick Inglima (rick.inglima@gmail.com). Sarah Hardin

helped us pick out a beautiful property for this year’s conference.

Legislative Report

MOFOP LEGISLATIVE UPDATE – WEEK 10

COVID-19 Causes Session Slowdown

On Wednesday evening, leadership in the state Senate announced they would adjourn on

Thursday and not be in session next week due to growing concerns of the coronavirus

pandemic sweeping the globe. The week of March 16 is the regularly scheduled legislative

spring break, so senators and staff members will have at least two weeks – and possibly more

– away from the Capitol. Senate President Pro-Tem issued a statement saying “A number of

our members, staff, and their families fall into populations that are at greater risk due to the

coronavirus. We asked legislators if there was anything so pressing that it required us to be

here now, while it is unclear what kind of viral exposure we may have already had, and the

answer was ‘no.’ As a result, we will be pausing nonessential legislative activity in order to

protect the people who work in the Capitol and to ensure we will have a quorum when we

return from break to complete the budget.”

""""""""""" In the House of Representatives, the Budget Committee is slated to meet on Sunday at

2:00 pm and again on Monday at 9:00 am. The committee will do final mark-ups on the

2021 state budget in preparation for bringing the budget before the full House next week. In

order to meet their constitutional duty of presenting a budget to the governor, House

members will be in full session on Wednesday and possibly Thursday next week, after which

they will recess for spring break. It is unclear at this time when they plan on returning to

Jefferson City, but some observers are predicting a two- or three-week absence for House

members until more is known about the spread of the coronavirus. The only thing certain at

this point is that many legislative priorities are now in jeopardy, with the exception of the

budget. ""

Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Advances

""""""""""" The designation of Missouri being the only state in the nation without a prescription

drug monitoring program may be coming to an end. After passing the House nearly a month

ago, HB1693 was brought before the full Senate on Monday for consideration. After a debate

that lasted nearly eight hours, a compromise was reached which allowed the bill to move

forward. At the heart of the matter for opponents were patient privacy concerns over a

government run database containing health information of thousands of Missourians.

Supporters of the measure countered that a statewide database could help turn the tide on

the ever-increasing number of opioid deaths."" The deal that was struck around midnight

would allow the implementation of a “Joint Oversight Task Force” instead of the Department

of Health and Senior Services to oversee the drug monitoring program. The task force would

be made up of two physicians, two pharmacists, one advanced practice registered nurse, and

one dentist. “The idea was to move it out from a governmental entity and make it more a

private-sector approach where the actual prescribers and dispensers would be in control of

the PDMP,” said Senator Tony Luetkemeyer, who handled the bill in the senate. An

additional piece of the puzzle was language that prohibits law enforcement from accessing

the program. Once those provisions were in place, those opposed to the bill ended their

filibuster and allowed a vote to take place. Ultimately, the senate passed the bill by a 21-10

margin when the bill was brought before the body for a final vote. The measure now returns

to the House for their concurrence with the changes made in the senate. It is anticipated for

the new version to pass easily and then head to the Governor for his signature."

ACTION ON BILLS OF INTEREST

Police Ofﬁcer Residency

On Monday, the House of Representatives took up HB1604 for a final vote before it heads to

the Senate. The bill states that no municipality can establish a residency requirement for

police officers any more restrictive than a one-hour response time. Several St. Louis area

Representatives rose to speak in opposition, but House leadership cut off debate with a

procedural motion, thus prohibiting opponents from speaking. When the votes were tallied,

the measure passed by a 105-41 margin. The bill is now in the Senate awaiting committee

assignment."

LEOBR

HB1889, which is the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights had been scheduled for a

hearing next Monday in the House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee.

However, due to the coronavirus scare, the hearing has been postponed. While this is a

setback, the sponsor of the bill, Representative Nick Schroer is actively looking for other bills

that can be amended with our Bill of Rights language. Additionally, Representative Ken

Wilson, chair of the Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee has said he will

reschedule our hearing as soon as activities at the Capitol resume.

Witness Protection

On Monday, the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee met to

consider SB857 sponsored by Senator Tony Luetkemeyer. The bill creates the “Pretrial

Witness Protection Services Fund”, which allows DPS to dispense money from the fund to

local law enforcement agencies for the purpose of protection of witnesses and their

immediate families. After a brief discussion, the committee approved the measure on a 6-0

vote. The bill now heads to the full Senate for additional consideration.

Tuition Reimbursement

The House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee met to consider HB2628 on

Monday afternoon. The bill is sponsored by Representative Lane Roberts and is designed to

provide a method for reimbursement of tuition and fees associated with attending a basic

law enforcement academy in order to achieve POST certification. The reimbursement would

be available to individuals who obtain certification on their own and also to government

entities that employ peace officers. The fund would be administered by the POST

Commission. We testified in support of the measure. No vote was taken on the bill.

Hearings of Interest

Because of the coronavirus precautions in the Capitol, there are no Senate hearings

scheduled for next week and only a handful of House hearings. None of the hearings deal

with bills impactful to the FOP. Please note that hearings may be added or changed at any

time. For an update of House hearings, click"here. For an update of Senate hearings,

click"here.

Report of ALL Missouri FOP Tracked Bills: https://www.mofop.org/

MOFOP_WK10_AllTrackedBills.pdf

Mark Bruns / Bruns and Associates, LLC!