Thank you to those of you who have called to remind me that I needed to update the WPA webpage! I updated this letter in December 2010, and the next thing you know it is May! Where does the time go? I’m sure you all know what I mean….
Part of my current whirlwind is due to another hat that I wear – that of President of the Anchorage Chapter of the Alaska Peace Officers Association and Chair of the 2011 APOA Crime Conference in Anchorage May 16-20. As is customary, not to mention specified in our By-Laws, we will have our annual meeting during the crime conference on May 16, 2011 from 11:30 to 1:00 at the Glacier Brewhouse, 737 W. 5th Ave in Anchorage. I hope to see many of you there – I see a complimentary crème brulee in your future!
If you cannot attend the entire crime conference, a one day class you may want to consider is the Career and Tactical Survival for Women Officers that is part of the Winning Mind Seminars® and will be taught by long time Caliber Press Street Survival® instructor, Betsy Brantner-Smith. Registration for the class, or the entire conference, may be done on the link at www.apoaonline.org.
2011 ELECTION OF OFFICERS:
Our most pressing current business is our biennial election of officers. In order to save money, I will be sending out the ballots electronically to your e-mail. If you have recently changed your e-mail or for some other reason do not get a ballot, please contact me at michele.logan@womenpoliceofalaska.org.
Ballots will be sent out the first part of May so that we may install the officers at our annual meeting.
Here are some of the things we are doing at WPA:
HANSHEW CRIMINOLOGY FAIR
I recently presented a program during the Hanshew Middle School Criminology Fair to the middle school students in Anchorage. We have been fortunate in the past couple of years to be able to participate in such programs as well as law enforcement recruiting fairs, including the now annual Women in Law Enforcement recruiting fair at the University of Alaska Anchorage, which we are in the early stages of planning for the first week in October 2011. We encourage all our members to participate in such events in their communities and then send me a note and/or some photographs so I can recognize your efforts.
CHARITABLE GAMING PERMIT:
Board member Andrea Jacobson and I are currently working on the laundry list of requirements by the State of Alaska to obtain a charitable gaming permit for the Women Police of Alaska. Jack Powers, the owner and operator of Tudor Road Bingo in Anchorage has graciously agreed to play our permit when we obtain it. Andrea and I actually went to Tudor Bingo one evening at the end of December and played bingo and other games (a first for both of us!) and had an enjoyable time. Jack runs a tight ship and fun and caring operation and is not among those less-than-stellar charitable gaming operators who occasionally receive bad press and shed a bad light on charitable gaming operators. We hope to have all the requirements and paperwork submitted in the next few weeks so that we can begin to share in the proceeds and help bolster our ability to provide mentoring programs, scholarships and training for our members.
I hope to see you at our Annual Membership Meeting in Anchorage May 16!