Dallas County Sheriff's Association
DCSA Newsletter 
October 2008
October Annual
Meeting
Please come
join us for the Annual Meeting in October at our new offices. The board will be
accepting nominations for all board positions except president, who has one more
year in his term.
DCSA Has a New
Location
Beginning
October 1, 2008 the DCSA will be located at 6060 North Central Expressway, Suite
560 in Dallas. The building is located behind the Radison Hotel between
Mockingbird and Yale. There is plenty of free parking, so come join us at our
next meeting.
September 2008
AFLAC Notices
Many members
recently received notices from AFLAC. Please disregard these notices. We have
been in contact with AFLAC and there will be no changes to your account.
Each month we
have to reconcile their bill for accuracy. Because there is a large number of
DSCA members enrolled in AFLAC and due to the many policy changes, reconciling
the statement can be a tedious process. If we overpay AFLAC, they won't give us
a refund or credit. So, it is very important that we check the bill carefully.
This has caused us to get behind on payment, and the AFLAC notices. We apologize
for any inconvenience this may have caused but please remember that your DCSA
handles this as benefit to you. The DCSA Treasurer does not receive any
compensation for the time she spends working on this each month.
October Annual
Meeting
Please come
join us for the Annual Meeting in October at our new offices. The board will be
accepting nominations for all board positions except president, who has one more
year in his term.
DCSA Has a New
Location
Beginning
October 1, 2008 the DCSA will be located at 6060 North Central Expressway, Suite
560 in Dallas. The building is located behind the Radison Hotel between
Mockingbird and Yale. There is plenty of free parking, so come join us at our
next meeting.
August 2008
DCSA Endorses
Lowell Cannaday
During the
special general meeting held Tuesday, August 19, 2008, the DCSA board voted
unanimously to join our fellow law enforcement employee groups and endorse
Lowell Cannaday for Sheriff in the November General Election. It is the belief
of the DCSA board that Mr. Cannaday is the best person for the job and will
bring back much needed leadership to our department. Mr. Cannaday has a long
history of successful law enforcement leadership in our community. Our
department can't afford another four years of bad management. Our
community and our department deserve a Sheriff who will bring us integrity
instead of constant lies.
Deputy Michael
Monnig is Reinstated
The Dallas
County Sheriff Civil Service Board voted to reinstate Deputy Michael Monnig on
Thursday, August 21, 2008. Deputy Monnig had been terminated by Sheriff Valdez
for failing to heal from an on-duty injury within 24 weeks. During the hearing
it was reveled that Sheriff Valdez refuses to make decisions on employee
injuries. She will not make any decision regardless of the type of injury, how
it occurred or whether the employee will recover. When asked what would happen
to an employee who was shot in the line of duty, Chief Herrera, who was assigned
the unenviable task of representing the administration, stated "they would be
terminated after 24 weeks." The Sheriff then refers the person to Civil Service
to make them decide if they can keep their job. In other words, the Sheriff is
passing her responsibility on to Civil Service and forcing them to make the
decision for her. This shows a complete lack of regard for employees by Sheriff
Valdez. Her inability to make a decision and her lack of support for her
employees can only be construed as bad management of this department. She
has demonstrated this time and time again by passing her responsibilities on to
others. She has turned over all employee issues to County Human Resources and
Civil Service. She has turned over all construction issues to Facilities. She
has turned over jail health to Parkland. She has turned over Sheriff's
Department management to the Commissioners Court. None of these people
understand the complexities of law enforcement. They do not understand the
safety and security issues. That is the responsibility of the Sheriff. That is
what she was elected to do and what the citizens expect of their elected
Sheriff. She has turned over law enforcement responsibilities to the Constable
offices and the DA's office. She is turning over communications to Homeland
Security.
Without a
Sheriff capable of making decisions, we end up wasting millions of dollars on
law suits, poorly designed facilities that we will be stuck with for decades and
unnecessary medical expenses. Why would anyone terminate an employee who has
documented proof that they are capable of fully returning to work in a
reasonable amount time after we have invested tens of thousands of dollars
training and equipping him. Especially someone who strives to train people to be
the best that they can be! It's time for new management.
Sheriff's
Policy Chooses Revenue over Safety
Sheriff Valdez
shows Dallas County citizens that she is more concerned about writing them tickets
than protecting them. By eliminating the Patrol Section and moving those
deputies to the Traffic Section, she is clearly sending the wrong message to
Dallas County residents. The residents of unincorporated areas of Dallas County
must feel completely abandoned by Sheriff Valdez 's decision. Without any patrolmen anywhere in the vicinity to
quickly stop them, criminals will have it easy. I guess the sheriff is unaware that it is her responsibility
to protect these people and their property. Your not much of a deterrent to crime if
you are on a highway miles away. Is this the type of law enforcement management
decisions we should expect from our sheriff?
Is It Really
About The Money?
DA
investigators are on the professional pay scale which is higher than the law
enforcement pay scale. Deputy constables are on the same law enforcement pay
scale as deputy sheriffs but they do not share equipment like deputy sheriffs
do, which makes them more expensive per capita. If you consider that a deputy
sheriff is the least expensive of all other county law enforcement officers,
then why does the county continue to cut deputy sheriff positions and increases
the more expensive DA investigators and deputy constables to perform the work of
deputy sheriffs? So far this year, Dallas County has added DA investigators and
deputy constables to serve warrants while our department has cut the number of
deputy working warrants. If you are in a budget crisis, then why would you hire
more expensive officer to do the work already being done by less expensive
officers? Is it really about the money?
How We Spend
Our Money
Is it really
the best use of our money to pay an outside contractor to strip and wax the
floor in the Intake Section while the trustees sit and watch? Two weeks ago we
paid an outside contractor to strip and wax the floors in the Intake Section.
Just for the record, our trustees do a better job and they cost a whole lot
less!
Honor 19 Ride
Saturday,
August 16, 2008 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
The DCSA
encourages everyone to participate or contribute to this worthy cause! You don't
have to ride to participate.
Click here for
more information on how you can help.
HONOR19.COM
The Rumors Are
True
The Dallas
Morning News reported the loss of more deputy positions. Sheriff Valdez gives up
deputy and sergeant positions rather than giving up the $82,000. a year Public
Information Officer position she created. This position used to be filled by a
deputy at much lower cost. According to the last award ceremony memo, we now
have two lieutenants supervising PES. It is no wonder why the commissioners take
away positions.
No Raises for
2009
It looks like
no raises for 2009. In 1998, the Commissioners Court agreed to keep the
employees of this department in pay parity with our local law enforcement
community. Not only have they not done this but they have not even produced the
salary survey they are supposed to generate each year! Last August, your DCSA
board met with Sheriff Valdez to ask her for help to get the Commissioners
Court to honor the HELP agreement. Sheriff Valdez stated that the HELP agreement was between her predecessor and
the Commissioners Court and she was not bound to it. And in
nearly four years as sheriff, Sheriff Valdez has not once helped in this matter.
The sheriff likes to take credit for pay increases during her term. The fact is,
she had very little to do with any pay increases. If the sheriff was truly interested
in fair pay for her employees, she would have supported this associations
efforts to have the commissioners honor what they agreed to in the HELP
agreement. Pay parity wasn't only for the years when it was affordable, it was
designed to retain good employees every year. And by the way commissioners, the cost of
gasoline and food has gone up for employees too! But we can't tell the grocery
stores and the gas stations to cut their budgets by 5%.
July 2008
Fallen Deputy
Memorial
Captain Mark
Howard is currently working on a project to establish a permanent Fallen Deputy
Memorial. Captain Howard has setup a fund for donations to the project and
several fund raisers in the near future. We look forward to seeing everyone
during the upcoming events and ask that everyone support this cause. To make a
donation, contact Captain Howard's office or a DCSA board member.
Injured
Employees
Dallas County
continues to show employees how much they value us by terminating Deputy Michael
Monnig for his on-duty injury. One of the most notable examples of this policy
was the termination of DSCA President Senior Sergeant Stan Thedford for
expending the sick time he had accrued during his long career at the sheriff's
department. Obviously, Dallas County Human Resources believes we are expendable
and not worthy of their loyalty. Currently, Dallas County allows you to be out
for no more than 24 weeks regardless of your injury. And only if they choose to
grant you an extension beyond 12 weeks. And there is no guaranty that Sheriff
Valdez will support you either. Apparently, her policy is to decide your fate on
a case by case situation whereby, your employment status could be determined as
much by your popularity as by the facts surrounding your particular situation.
With the increased violent nature of our community and the tasks that we
perform, the chances of being out on an injury that requires more than 12 or 24
weeks of recovery time increases exponentially. It is very disheartening to
think that most of our employees who have been injured in the line of duty in
the last few years, have had to worry about whether they would have a job by the
time they recovered from their injuries.
June 2008
June Newsletter Page 1
June Newsletter Page 2
If didn't receive a copy of the
June Newsletter by mail, please update your address information. It's easy, just
click on the link on the home page.
May 2008
Administrative
Decision
How many times
are the same deputies going to be transferred!
April 2008
More
Administrative Mishaps
Once again the
administration of Sheriff Lupe Valdez proves that seniority or job qualification
are of little concern to them. Job assignments continue to be decided for
reasons other than seniority or experience.
7th Annual
DCSA Golf Tournament
The 7th Annual
DCSA Golf Tournament will be on May 30, 2008 at the Country View Golf Course in
Lancaster, Texas. Contact a DCSA Board Member or Delegate for more information.
Come join us for a great day of food, fun and golf. We look forward to seeing
you there.
Lowell Cannaday
Wins
Republican
Sheriff candidate Lowell Cannaday wins the Republican nomination for sheriff of
Dallas County during the April 8, 2008 runoff election! See the news section for
the Dallas Morning News article.
March 2008
The Association
Endorses Lowell Cannaday
During the March
general meeting a request was made from a member in attendance to endorse
Republican Sheriff candidate Lowell Cannaday. The board then voted unanimously
to endorse Lowell Cannaday against Jim Bowles in the April 8, 2008 Republican
Primary Runoff.
February 2008
The Board
Welcomes a New Delegate for the Technical Services Bureau
Detention Service
Officer Julie Jacob was unanimously elected to be the Technical Services Bureau
delegate. Julie works in Release - Classification on Third Watch. Julie brings
with her a wealth of technical knowledge to the board and we all look forward to
her insight.
Tax Info for
Home Owners
Deductions for Home Owners
Homeowners can claim a slew of write-offs to lower
their tax bills -- as long as they itemize. There
are deductions for mortgage interest, mortgage
points and real-estate tax payments. And if you sell
your home, most likely you won't have to pay taxes
on the profit. If you bought a home last year, you
might even get to write off expenses you didn't pay.
So make sure you get all the tax breaks you have
coming.
Be sure to check out our other
taxopedias.
What's Deductible? -- A to Z
A
B
C
D
E
H
I
L
M
P
R
S
T
V
Acquisition debt. See
mortgage
interest.
Boats as homes. A boat that has eating, sleeping
and sanitary facilities can qualify as a first or
second home, so you can deduct mortgage interest
paid on the loan secured by the boat to buy it.
However, if you are subject to the alternative
minimum tax, this write-off is not allowed.
Casualty loss. If your home was damaged or
destroyed -- by fire or storm, for example -- you
may be able to get financial help from Uncle Sam by
deducting a casualty loss on your return. Your
deduction is generally the total of your
unreimbursed loss reduced by $100 and further
reduced by 10% of your adjusted gross income. Those
restrictions do not apply to losses caused by
Hurricane Katrina.
Depreciation on home. Profit due to depreciation
claimed on your residence before May 7, 1997 --
because you had a home office, for example, or at
one time rented out the property -- qualifies for
the rule that lets you treat $250,000 of home sale
profit as tax-free income. (The limit is $500,000 if
you're married and file a joint return.) Profit due
to depreciation after May 6, 1997, is taxed at 25%,
unless you're in a lower tax bracket, in which case
that rate applies.
D.C. first-time homebuyer credit. If you bought
a home in the nation's capital during 2006, you may
be eligible for a $5,000 tax credit. It doesn't
really have to be your first home ... just the first
home you purchased in the District of Columbia after
not owning one in D.C. for at least one year. It
doesn't matter if you have owned a home elsewhere.
This break phases out as income exceeds $70,000 on
single returns and $110,000 on married filing
jointly returns.
Energy credits. You can claim a credit for
energy-saving home improvements made in 2007 -- 10%
of the cost of skylights, outside doors, windows,
pigmented roofs and high-efficiency furnaces, water
heaters and central air conditioners installed this
year in a primary home. The maximum credit is $500,
and no more than $200 can be attributable to
windows, and no more than $150 claimed for furnaces
and water heaters. There's a bigger credit for those
who installed solar units used to heat air or water.
Home-equity debt. Interest on up to $100,000 of
debt secured by your first or second home -- using a
second mortgage, say, or home equity line of credit
-- can be deducted, regardless of how the money is
used. The use of home-equity debt gives homeowners
an opportunity to skirt the rules that generally
block the deduction of debt used to buy automobiles,
for example, or pay for vacations.
Home-office deduction. You can deduct the costs
of a home office that you use exclusively and
regularly for business. This includes depreciation,
utilities and insurance for the office portion of
your home. To qualify for the tax break you must
either meet with clients there regularly, or the
home office must be your principal place of business
(unless it is not attached to your house).
Home-sale exclusion. Up to $250,000 of profit
from the sale of your home can be tax free; $500,000
if you are married an file a joint return. To
qualify, you must own and live in the house for
periods totaling two years out of the five years
leading up to the sale. A reduced exclusion is
available if you fail the two-year test due to
unforeseen circumstances such as a move resulting
from a job change, for example, or divorce. You can
use this exclusion any number of times but no more
frequently than once every two years.
IRA payouts for first-time
homebuyers. You can withdraw as much as $10,000
from a traditional IRA early (before age 59½)
without penalty if the money is used to buy the
first home for yourself, a child or grandchild, or
your parents or grandparents. Although the payout
avoids the normal 10% early-withdrawal penalty, it
is taxed. If a Roth IRA is involved, see
Roth IRA payouts
for first-time homebuyers.
Loan prepayment penalties. If your lender
charges you a penalty for prepaying your mortgage
early, the charge is deductible as mortgage
interest.
Mortgage interest. You can deduct interest on up
to $1.1 million of loans used to buy or build or
improve your first or second home and secured by the
property. Up to $1 million of such debt is called
acquisition debt, which must be used to acquire or
improve the property, and up to $100,000 more is
called home equity debt, which an be used for any
purpose.
Mortgage interest credit. If you received a
mortgage credit certificate from a state or local
governmental agency, you can claim a tax credit of
up to $2,000 of mortgage interest paid.
Moving expenses. If a move is connected with
taking a new job that is at least 50 miles farther
from your old home than your old job was, you can
deduct travel and lodging expenses for you and your
family and the cost of moving your household goods.
If you drive your own car, you can deduct 20 cents a
mile for 2007 moves. If you moved to take your first
job, the 50-mile test applies to the distance
between your old home and your new job. The
deduction is allowed even if you do not itemize
deductions.
Parsonage allowance. For members of the clergy,
the value of a home provided by the church is a
tax-free fringe benefit. A housing allowance is also
tax-free.
Points. Points you pay to get a mortgage for
your principal residence are generally fully
deductible in the year paid, even if you persuade
the seller to pay your points for you. They are not
deductible if paid as part of a refinancing; in that
case, you deduct the points over the life of the
loan.
Presidentially declared disaster. If your home
was damaged or destroyed in an area that the
President declared a disaster area, special rules
apply to the casualty loss deduction. You may choose
to deduct your loss in the year it occurred or the
previous year, whichever is more advantageous.
Property taxes. See
Real
estate taxes.
Real estate taxes. You can deduct state and
local real estate taxes paid during the year on any
number of personal residences you own. (If you own
rental properties, real estate taxes on them are
deducted on Schedule E where you report rental
income.)
Real estate taxes when you buy a home. If you
bought a home during the year, check the settlement
sheet to see if you reimbursed the seller for
property taxes he or she prepaid for a period you
actually owned the home. If so, include that amount
in your property tax deduction for the year.
Recreational vehicle. If your RV has cooking,
sleeping and sanitation facilities, interest on a
loan used to buy it can qualify as deductible
mortgage interest on a first or second home. If you
are subject to the alternative minimum tax, interest
on an RV loan is not deductible.
Refinancing points. Generally, points paid when
refinancing are deducted over the term of the loan.
But if you refinanced a loan that you previously
refinanced, you can deduct in full the as-yet-undeducted
points remaining on the prior loan. There's a catch,
however: If you refinanced with the same lender, the
remaining points must be amortized over the term of
the new loan.
Rehabilitation credit. If your residence is
certified by the government as a historic building,
you can claim a tax credit for 20% of the cost of
renovating it. The renovation must be substantial,
and the expenses must be incurred within a 24-month
period.
Reverse mortgage. Amounts received under a
reverse mortgage -- either a lump sum payment or
periodic payments -- are tax free. Interest that
accrues on a reverse mortgage is not deductible
until it is paid, and then only interest on up to
$100,000 of debt can qualify.
Roth IRA payouts for first-time homebuyers.
Because the rules for the Roth IRA allow you to
withdraw contributions at any time without penalty,
the Roth can be a powerful tool for saving for a
first home. Say you and your spouse each put $4,000
a year into a Roth for five years. The entire
$40,000 could be withdrawn tax- and penalty-free for
a down payment and, because the accounts have been
opened for at least five years, up to $10,000 of
earnings can be withdrawn tax- and penalty-free if
used to buy your first home.
Serial refinancers. If
you refinanced in 2007 and paid off a home mortgage
you acquired when refinancing to pay off an earlier
mortgage, any as-yet-undeducted points on the
previous refinancing can be deducted on your 2007
return. See
points.
Tax-free profit. See
home sale
exclusion.
Tax-free profit on vacation home. Because you
can use the home-sale exclusion repeatedly, it's
possible to make profit on a vacation home tax free.
If you move into the place and live there for two of
the five years prior to selling it, you can qualify
to claim up to $250,000 of profit tax free (up to
$500,000 if you are married and file a joint
return).
Tax-free rental income. If you rent out your
home for 14 or fewer days during the year -- when
there's a major sporting event or political
convention in your hometown, for example -- the
rental income is tax-free, regardless of how much
you make.
Vacation home. Mortgage interest on your second
home is deductible, just as it is for your principal
residence. Property taxes can be deducted on any
number of homes. If you rent the place for 14 or
fewer days during the year, the rental income is
tax-free to you. If you rent it for more than 14
days a year, you must report the income but also may
claim deductions for rental expenses.
See our other
taxopedias.
Meet the Candidates
As I am sure
everyone is aware, the upcoming primary elections for the position of Dallas
County Sheriff is Tuesday, March 4, 2008. This list of candidates vying for
both party's endorsement can be located under the
Candidates section of this website. The DCSA is not making any candidate
endorsements for the primary elections but we are talking to all of the
candidates about their plans for the department if they are successful in the
election. Your association board met with Republican candidates Lowell Cannaday,
Jim Bowles and Charlie Richmond during the last meeting of our association on
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 and all four of the Democratic candidates during the Tuesday,
February 19, 2008 meeting. Republican candidate Catherine Smit as unable to
attend. The following is just a quick overview of what we heard during those two
meetings.
Candidates
(Click Here
to Listen)
With a week left before the primary, it’s anyone’s guess who will come away as
their party’s choice for Sheriff. During the past two meetings of the association
board, the board has hosted seven of the of the eight sheriff candidates. I was
impressed by each candidate’s desire to be our next sheriff!
The overall tone at the meetings was simple; we want a sheriff who has vision
and leadership ability. A sheriff who will listen to the employees who do the
job. The department is looking for a sheriff who knows where
to lead the department and has the experience to get it there. Although the
association has decided not to endorse any primary candidate, mainly out of a
desire to not be retaliated against, it is clear that some candidates standout as having a vision for the department and true
leadership ability.
All of the candidates expressed the importance of bringing the jail into
compliance but it was a very short list of candidates who believe that jail
compliance should not come at the expense of enforcement. Candidates for the
office of sheriff need to remember that the Sheriff is equally responsible for
the preservation of peace and the protection of the public as they are of
running the jail. Just because the Sheriff has exclusive responsibility to
manage the county jail, does not in anyway relieve them of their responsibility
to protect the public. Even in a large metropolitan county like Dallas.
The Sheriff is responsible to all of the citizens in the county, not just the ones
who live in the unincorporated areas. The Code of Criminal Procedure does not
limit the Sheriff's responsibility to the unincorporated
areas of the county.
Here is a little of what the candidates had to say in the order that they spoke:
Democrats
Sheriff Valdez touted the pay raises the department has received and the number
of promotions within the department since she took office. It was however very
distressing to hear the sheriff claim to have “expanded the warrants.” When
asked to clarify this point, she talked about partnering with the constables and
the probation department to reduce the warrant backlog.
Candidate Shulte discussed his desire to implement a strategic plan which he
refers to as his 2020 plan, which will be his vision of where the department
should be in twelve years and his unique experience as a police officer,
prosecutor and defense attorney.
Candidate Allen talked about his leadership and law enforcement experience. He
hopes to develop a good working rapport with the commissioner’s court and the
community to achieve the needs of the department.
Candidate Williams said his singular experience as jailer and deputy sheriff
within the department makes him the best candidate for sheriff. He desires to
improve morale by implementing a ten hour four day work week department wide.
Republicans
Candidate Cannaday touted his extensive leadership and law enforcement
experience. He states that he has a long term strategic plan to lead the
department from day one of his administration. He also says that he will bring
the jail into compliance but not at the expense of enforcement. He wants to
reduce officer waiting times in Intake and submit realistic budget requests.
Candidate Bowles said his extensive experience as sheriff and his desire to
return the department to a position of prominence within the law enforcement
community was his reason for running. Although former Sheriff Bowles made a good
speech, I believe the department is looking for new leadership and not the
return of a former administration.
Candidate Richmond talked about his law enforcement and military experience. He
wants the department to be trained by I.C.E. to detect illegal aliens and to he
wants an aggressive illegal alien policy in the jail.
I would like to commend each and every candidate, for the time and effort they
have expended to run for sheriff. The dedication to run a campaign of this
magnitude must be a very daunting task and very tiring.
If you have been
reading the news section, you will see that the Dallas Morning News has endorsed
Republican Lowell Cannaday and Democrat Pete Shulte.
Deputy Exam
The scores for the
latest exam for deputy are in with some outstanding scores. The top score this
time was 99! The lowest passing score was a 69. Yes, you heard right. The lowest
PASSING score was a 69. Where were the powers to be when I was in school. I
remember getting a 69 one time and having to repeat the whole semester in summer
school. The physical assessment is scheduled for next week on February 14, 2008.
Good luck to everyone trying out! I just hope you weren't planning a large
Valentine's Day dinner with that special person.
Deputy Vacancies
There are currently
more vacancies in the deputy ranks than I can ever remember. The Warrant
Execution Section, I believe, is down 16 deputy positions after the last round
of promotions and transfers. Of Course, I believe all five of our county
constables have volunteered to assist us with warrant service. In fact, it
appears as if the constables would be happy to take over the entire section, if
given the opportunity. Of course, those of us who have been here a while have
seen what a great job they did with our Civil Section that was taken away from
us and given to them.
2008 Golf
Tournament
The date and
location for the 7th annual DCSA golf Tournament has
been set. The tournament will be at the Country View Golf Club in Lancaster,
Texas on Friday, May 30, 2008. Notices and reservation forms will be going out
in the next couple of months.
January 2008
Quartermaster
Has anyone tried
to get anything from the quartermaster lately? I recently had to place my right
leg and left arm on deposit to get the 4 sets of chevrons and small department
patches, I was told was "all your allowed to have". Let's see, if I put 1 set on
the used coat I just received to replace the 9 or 10 year old coat that I turned
in because of the broken zipper, and 1 set for my Class "A" shirt, I can outfit
1 Class "B" shirt and 1 Class "D" shirt. That must be in the section of the
General Orders written in invisible ink, because I still haven't been able to
find that section. Thank goodness for the sensibility of the local uniform
suppliers. I wish the best of luck to everyone else who was promoted!
Christmas Party
If you missed the
Christmas party, you missed a great time! Special thanks to Billy Fetter for
whipping up a great feast with a huge selection of desserts. Billy spent
countless hours preparing for the event. The big winner of the night was Steve
Smith who had the winning ticket for the laptop computer. We had several winners
but Dorothy Retta probably had the most gift certificate wins.
December 2007
Join us Saturday, December 15, 2007
for the Holiday Gathering!
November 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!
October 2007
Warrant Section Graduates SWAT Snipers
Warrant Execution Section Investigators Shane Chaddick, James Wise, David Robertson and Chris Smith successfully completed a course on October 19, 2007 to be certified SWAT snipers. This is part of the department's initiative to develop of full SWAT team. Other investigators have been certified as hostage negotiators in recent months.
TMPA Region 1 Law Enforcement Appreciation Event
TMPA will be hosting a law enforcement appreciation event at Rock Creek Ranch in Mckinney, Texas on Saturday, November 3, 2007 from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. They are going to have food, water, soda, a paintball competition, Texas hold-em tournament, dancing with a live DJ, jump houses, volleyball, horseshoes, hot air balloon display, fishing and softball. Admission is $1.00 per adult ticket with a law enforcement badge or identification. Click here for more details.
DCSA Member Shawna Turner wins Appeal
Thursday, October 18, 2007 DCSA member Shawna Turner won her grievance and was promoted to Senior Sergeant by the civil service board.
Civil service also looked at whether to allow new hires for deputy who had graduated from an approved academy to hire on without attending our academy. This measure was denied.
All nominations for the 2008 DCSA Board of Directors will be at the next General Meeting on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at the DCSA offices.
Nominations for all board positions, including President, will occur at this General Meeting.
The golf tournament has been rescheduled for Monday, October 29, 2007. Click here for details.
September 2007
Constables to Begin Serving Criminal Warrants 
According to the Dallas Morning News article on Thursday, September 20, 2007, (click here for complete article) the Dallas County Commissioners at the request of county budget director Ryan Brown, agreed to change the way deputy constables are staffed and he wants them to serve criminal warrants, including felonies.
It is curious why warrant service has suddenly become a priority since the warrant section has been requesting new positions for at least the last 10 years. Mr. Brown also fails to mention that the 58 investigators assigned to the warrant section received as much as 47,992 warrants (1998) and served as many as 18,035 warrants (1997). For fiscal year 2003 warrants received 37,549 warrants, executed 10,285 warrants, at-larged 20,424 warrants, made 7,759 arrests, and conducted 115 forced entries.
As of yet, no comprehensive plan has been published outlining just how this will be done. I am highly skeptical that a comprehensive plan will be developed to address all of the areas of concern before this plan is initiated. There are several major areas of concern about this plan.
Foremost is safety, I am not aware of any constable who places their deputies into a documented Field Training Program any where close to the field training program provided by the sheriff's department. There are a large number of people who have multiple warrants. Having two separate entities looking for the same person at the same time can be potentially very dangerous.
Secondly, is the interference in warrant section normal operations. Having deputy constables or any other law enforcement entity not specifically trained and experienced in warrant service serve the same warrants as the sheriff's department will make it much more difficult to catch wanted people. If warrant service is not done properly, it makes the person much more difficult to catch and potentially much more dangerous.
Thirdly, is the unwarranted disruption to the general public. Without proper diligence on the warrants, innocent people will be disturbed unnecessarily because more than one agency is working on the same warrant. This was recently experienced when the City of Dallas initiated their "Operation Disruption". Because of "Operation Disruption", the warrant districts within the City of Dallas were "disrupted" to the point that it was very difficult to locate wanted people who fled their normal locations and went into hiding. Without proper diligence, anything that a deputy constable does in an effort to serve the warrant will be a complete waste of time unless the person is arrested.
In response to Constable Ben Adamcik's comment that his deputy constable's are more familiar with their areas than the sheriff's department, I am curious what basis he has for making this statement. Most warrant investigators have many years of experience in their district. They are very familiar with their districts, the wanted people who live there, the hazardous locations and drug locations. Without any disrespect to Constable Adamcik, he needs to become more familiar with the sheriff's department before making any blanket statements about the knowledge our investigators possess. I feel it also necessary to remind him that the sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of the county and the only law enforcement entity that has county wide original jurisdiction. Constables only have original jurisdiction in their precinct. He may also want to read 2.16 of the Code of Criminal Procedures.
As of yet, I have not spoken to any deputy constables who have said that they are bored due to a lack of work. On the contrary, most of them complain that they already have more work than they can accomplish. There is a huge backlog of truancy warrants for which the constable offices are responsible for serving. By law each peace officer in the state is responsible for executing all lawful process issued to the officer by any magistrate or court (2.13 CCP). Each department needs clearly defined responsibilities.
If Mr. Brown is truly concerned by public safety and warrant service, he should recommend that those 40 deputy constable positions be moved to the sheriff's department's warrant section. He should also approve more detention officer positions to accommodate the increase in people being arrested on their warrants and to assist with jail booking to enable the warrant investigators to return to their districts more quickly.
The 2007 Family Picnic 
The 2007 family picnic at Towne Center Park in Sunnyvale was a huge success! There was a bounce house for kids, volleyball, fishing, basketball, tennis, a play ground and a ton of good food. We had a great turnout including Sheriff Valdez, Chief Flores, Chief Herrera, Chief Downes and State Representative Thomas Latham. The following people were our winners during our prize drawing:
| 32" Visio HDTV | Oscar Young |
| Char Broil Gas Grill and Grill Set | Tim Davis |
| 5 Disk Audio System | Alex Ortiz |
| DVD VCR Combo | Kelsi Solis |
| 50 QT 5 Day Cooler | Andy Phelps |
| 50 QT 5 Day Cooler | Ryan Evans |
| Samsung USB Direct Player | AJ Terrell |
| Micro Digital Camera | Tim Davis |
| Micro Digital Camera | Mike Jesttes |
| 9 in 1 Outdoor Game Set | Veronica Ortiz |
| 9 in 1 Outdoor Game Set | Danny Downes |
Join us for the next general meeting on Tuesday, October 16, 2007, which will be our annual meeting for board of director nominations.
August 2007
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Discipline Matrix 
The Sheriff has presented her discipline matrix to the civil service board for approval. The new matrix will establish standardized discipline procedures for the department.
The DCSA has forwarded some recommended changes to the civil service board after being reviewed by one of the DCSA attorneys.
2007/2008 Pay Raises 
Commissioners appear set on across the board pay increase of 4% for all county employees with an additional 1% for clerical staff grade 5 and below. The association will continue to push for pay parity based on our salary survey.
INSIDE AMERICAN JAIL debuts on COURT TV THURSDAY, AUGUST 2nd, 2007 at 8ET/PT.
COURT TV will air the first 2 EPISODES back-to-back, featuring segments taped with the men and women of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office/Orient Road Jail; Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department/Clark County Detention Center; Tarrant County Sheriff's Office/Green Bay Facility; Hamilton County Sheriff's Office/Hamilton County Justice Center; and the Pierce County Sheriff's Department/Pierce County Detention & Corrections Center.
Each of the first season's 13 episodes features an assortment of departments, so if you don't see your department listed; it will be featured in one or more upcoming episodes.
July 2007
2007/2008 Pay Raises
Sheriff Valdez has agreed to meet with the board of directors of the DCSA to discuss the salary survey we conducted. The survey indicates that we are far below other local agencies in both starting pay and top pay. The DCSA board will continued to strive for pay parity for the Dallas Sheriff's Department.
Retirement
Here we go again! Once again the Dallas County Commissioners Court has refused to change our retirement system from "Fixed" to "Variable". We are the last county in the state of Texas to remain in the fixed retirement system. A variable retirement system would have opened the door to such things as:
Raises in retirement.
75 Points instead of 80 Points.
20 years and out option.
TCDRS made a good presentation to the court. Even, the Texas legislature took up the cause. But at the last minute, Dallas County was excluded from a bill specifically written to do accomplish this.
BCOC Academic Awards 
This year, your DCSA has begun awarding a gift certificate to the two top graduates of the DSO Basic Corrections Officers Course.
A Response from the Secretary/Treasurer
Well we made it… front page, above the fold…
Kevin Krause has learned that our newly hired employees are forced to wait months “before undergoing any formal training.” He was compelled to critique our practices and in turn I must critique the slight inaccuracies in his observations.
The crucial training he addresses (4 week BCOC academy) is the learning objectives taught in order to pass the state licensing exam. Many other occupations require state licensing and they too perform duties within the scope of their employment prior to being licensed.
Regarding our department and its training program; these facts might have been helpful
- Life safety training occurs the day they arrive at their assigned facility.
- Training Officers attend a forty hour school to promote effective training.
- Detailed evaluations are completed on each trainee on a weekly basis, any deficiencies are immediately addressed and corrected.
- November 26, 2002 the Court authorized 58 DTO positions, by the end of 2005 that number had increased to 80. Currently there are less than ten of the original 129 positions approved in 2002 that remain vacant. These positions should be filled by the end of the year.
- Steps were taken to schedule an accelerated BCOC program, running simultaneous classes during day and evening shifts. The plan was to fill the class half full with the most senior pre-academy trainees and the other half with the most newly hired employees. Man hours to implement this included putting all learning objectives into power point presentations, recruiting more instructors to accommodate the varying hours of the classes, and scheduling over 250 employees into these classes while projecting numbers regarding new hires. The program would have had every DSO licensed by the end of June, 2007, with the exception of those hired after that date. There was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and effort shown from all participants. Unfortunately, staffing was a more crucial issue and the plan, once laid, was terminated.
- Training in restraint and handcuffing techniques is done in the academy as it is a strict training environment. Promoting that type of training on the floors is less formal and could result in an unsupervised situation where injuries could occur.
The comments from experts in the article included a quote from a Tarrant Count Executive Chief who “isn’t sure it is a good idea to put new people in a jail where a lot of things can happen.” However, it was a common circumstance when he worked here, at Dallas County.
Bottom line, the purpose of attending the academy is to pass the TCLEOSE exam. To assume passing that exam will prepare one for working a floor in a maximum security facility is ignorant. Proper training, which we provide, will give an employee the knowledge and experience necessary to be productive and effective in their assigned duties.
Commissioner Price stated that we are “managing well under extremely dire circumstances.” His acknowledgement of our situation is appreciated, for him to accept responsibility for a part of those circumstances would be equally appreciated.
June 2007
Personnel
The first personnel to be returned to their normal assignments will occur on July 7th according to a memorandum issued by Chief Flores.
Recovering
Second sergeant-at-arms John Ludwigs is recovering from surgery due to injuries he sustained when his squad car was struck. See the DMN story in the NEWS section. Deputy Ludwigs has been less than pleased with Dallas County workmans comp.
May 2007
Promotional Testing
As of this date, Dallas County has been unable to find a vendor to administer the written portion of the sheriff's department's promotional exam. So far, Dallas County has been unable find a vendor who is willing to place a bid. Chief Deputy Edgar McMillan is working to find a solution to this problem. He met with representatives from all of the employee groups for their additional input.
Intake Section 
On May 9, 2007, the new area of the department's Intake Section opened with a large number of people concerned about the changes that were made. The Intake Section will have open seating for inmates being processed and an expanded medical area. Inmates will now be seated in an open area with TV's. The old holdovers will be used for overflow and securing uncooperative inmates, as well as, for single cells.
Although the remodeling was obviously very expensive, the initial response from Intake Section personnel was not very favorable. Much more time should have been allocated for planning.
So far, even though the medical staff has a completely new and larger area, it takes longer to process through and there is a much greater chance of them finding a medical issue that they cannot handle. Let's hope that this will change after they settle in.
Administration meets with labor groups.
On Friday, May, 4, 2007, most of the sheriff's department administrative staff met with representatives of the department's labor groups concerning the ongoing staff realignments.
Several weeks ago, 50 deputies were temporarily reassigned to the Detentions Bureau to meet mandated staffing levels.
According to DCSA Chairman of the Board, Greg Porter, Executive Chief Deputy Jesse Flores was unable to give an exact date when the deputies could be returned to their original assignments but he did assure Greg that he would return them as soon as possible.
State jail inspectors and the U.S. Department of Justice continue to require more personnel in housing. Although the Resource Development Division has hired a large number of new employees and continues to process a large number of applications, employee retention and the need to get new employees through the Basic Corrections Officer Academy necessitates not returning the detached deputies to their original assignments. The majority of jail personnel are now either pre-academy or fairly new to the department.
Examination by County Doctor 
Representatives of all of the employee groups met with Dr. Mauldin-Taylor, the director of county personnel and the county doctor to negotiate a settlement to the county's proposed plan to require all law enforcement personnel to be examined by the county doctor if the employee is out ill or injured for more than 10 consecutive days. Currently, Dr. Mauldin-Taylor has agreed to extend the requirement to 30 days. See the draft proposal below:
Draft Proposal by Dr. Mauldin-Taylor
Warrant Execution Section
The department's Warrant Execution Section has been the most adversely affected by the staff realignments. The section was reduced from approximately 24 two-person squads to 7 two-person squads. Although warrant investigators strive to do more with less, on-hand warrant counts continue grow due to a lack of personnel and now total more than 12,000 warrants.
Many rumors have surfaced about the duties of the Warrant Section being transferred to the various constable offices. Chief Flores has stated that those rumors are untrue and the administration will strongly oppose any such initiative.
April 2007
Welcome to our new and improved website!!
We hope that as members of this association you will continue to take advantage of this resource that we shall continue to upgrade and maintain for all of our members benefit. We will continue to post articles and updated information as it becomes available.
Our new board is up and running, and has been very busy right away. We have begun planning for our social events for this year, including the restart of what was once an old tradition- our annual summer picnic. This will take place September 15, 2007 (a Saturday), and will be held at the Towne Center park in Sunnyvale. We will get out all the necessary details as we finalize our preparations for the event. Keep on reviewing the website.
Our annual golf tournament will again be held at Creekview golf course on June15, 2007 (a Friday). All information along with flyers will be finalized very soon. We again look forward to this annual event that provides a competitive venue for ALL department members along with folks from other agencies as well. And please remind folks that you don’t have to be police to play. The general public is more than welcome to participate as well.
The board will also introduce a brand new members benefit this year. Some time back, our predecessors established a scholarship endowment fund with El Centro College. It was to be used for students enrolled in their Criminal Justice program. The problem was, however, that as the endowment matured, El Centro discontinued their Criminal Justice program. No problem. The board will establish new criteria, which will allow members or immediate family of members to use this scholarship for programs in the other DCCCD campuses. We will post eligibility and application information once all redesign has been finalized.
Board members have also recently been involved in some issues concerning changes that are attempting to be made to our civil service by county human resources. We are preparing arguments as this article is being written to bring forward to the civil service board that we hope will retract some items that have been passed without our being aware ( and therefore having the chance to oppose). We will post results as soon as all this is finally resolved.
The new board hopes that the membership will revive their interest in Association activities. This includes attending general membership meetings. There will be some changes in meeting schedules, and also how your representation is met. Again this new stuff will be posted when finalized, however you don’t have to wait. Come to the meeting and be there when it happens! We look forward to new ideas that our members can provide, and as always, we want to know what’s on your mind, especially if it’s something we can help with.
What’s up with AFLAC??
A few years back, we, along with one other group, were proud to introduce a new opportunity for our members. AFLAC supplemental insurance, which has gone on to be a major success and wonderful benefit to our members, became available through board members hard work (yes, we are VERY involved in starting and maintaining these accounts for you). It seems though that as is the case with most every benefit, there have been a few hiccups. Most of these are related to members who discontinue their coverage.
Here’s the problem. The money that is taken out by payroll deduction to cover your premium payments DOES NOT go to AFLAC directly. It is sent to the Association, who in turn makes a substantially large payment each month to cover the all accounts. No money is made by the Association by the way, we are simply the middle man that provides the service. What has been happening is this: when an individual decides to stop their AFLAC, most contact them directly. That’s fine by them, but in doing so no one tells the Auditor to stop taking out your money. This leads to a continued payroll deduction, which the Association must refund once the problem is discovered.
The solution is this: when and if you decide to stop your AFLAC coverage (and we hope you never do) you must contact us at the Association, so that in turn we may tell the Auditor’s office to stop giving us your money. AFLAC will NOT contact us when you cancel with them. They just stop covering you. You MUST let us know when you want payments to stop. WE will take care of it immediately once we have been notified. If you have questions about this, give us a call or contact one of the directors.
Personnel Issue still topsey turvey, but things are looking up !!
By now, everyone is painfully familiar with all the activity involving covering manpower in the jails. This included shuffling people in from several enforcement sections, and then re-shuffling what was left over to cover calls for service we need to provide our Dallas County residents. And yes, it kicked morale square in the teeth. We ALL felt it. And we all know that there is a ways to go yet as far as righting the ship in Detentions.
But it’s going in the right direction. We need to keep our chins up and maintain our resolve to make this place what we know it can be.
Our Personnel section has been steadily hiring new people into those positions we have been telling those people across the street that we needed for the last sixteen (16) years (thanks for nothing Ryan). And we continue to get newer people trained and licensed. At the time of this writing, discussion is underway on how to start returning people to their original positions. And all this rumored nonsense about losing one of our most productive and useful sections to another county agency, well, we are fighting that wolf off at the door too.
And the bottom line here is this: our folks have stepped up and shown their worth. WE haven’t buckled to the pressure put on by those that want to see us fail (which would in turn make them look smarter, and they aren’t). WE are confident that when the dust clears we will be stronger than ever, and that we will also see it as those people over there across the street owing us one. And they do owe us one.
This certainly sounds a little rah rah , but coming strictly from your board, we are pretty proud of the way this group has held up. We commend those of you that have taken the attitude of just hunkering down and getting the job done. And we are also appreciative of the way Administration has looked to those that have been on the front line a long time to help find solutions.
Lets face it, this didn’t get broke in a day, and it won’t get fixed that quick either. Keep the right attitude though, and who knows where this will take us.
Something New Going On ???
If you have been a part of this Department for even a short period of time, then you are probably aware that there are internal organizations that work to protect and serve the front line employee. They are commonly referred to as labor groups, which is somewhat of a misnomer, but still gives the correct perception of what they do. They represent those that labor, in other words us working class stiffs.
There are actually five (5) that are established and active . They are (in no particular order) the Dallas County Sheriffs Association, which is the oldest and largest within our department, the Texas Municipal Police Association, which has several duel members from other organizations and boasts the largest statewide membership, the Dallas County Peace Officers Association, which started out with the larger Texas Peace Officers Association and then broke off and created their own well respected branch, the Latino Peace Officers Association, which again has local and statewide chapters that are affiliated with a National organization, and the Fraternal Order of Police, whose well established roots are on the east coast but continue to spread throughout the state and country..
Most employees of our department belong to one of these organizations for any one of several reasons, and if you don’t, you should. Each organization has offered their own respective benefits and representations, and all have served the employees well. Whether for internal representation, legal benefits and representation, or just the social nature of each, all employees are served well by the entities that each organization represents.
But here’s the kicker. Historically, each group has had an unflattering history of acting independently of the others. It has remained a known fact that in order to maintain any advantage over the power that our employees as a whole could present, the best way was to approach the leadership of each group individually. Divide and conquer has been the embarrassing yet undeniable downfall for employees here based on the fact that each group has simply let it happen. Until now. Maybe
There has been a new and unusual M.O around the Department that has coincided with some of the other current activities. Leaders from the current labor groups, and we won’t front them out by name because most folks know who they are, have been seen meeting and talking and maintaining what is best described as positive and productive contact. In other words, for whatever reason, these leaders look to be working together for common causes. Whether to address unjust decisions made by an uninformed civil service board, to assist Administration with personnel decisions, to confront Commissioners Court with what appears to be County HR subversive attempts to railroad personnel decisions, and even working together on issues being considered in Austin during this Legislative year, there appears to be a line of communication opened between these groups that has not been here before.
And not only at the troop level. Current administration should also be lauded for the attention and respect given to these groups that was missing in the prior administration. One can see the potential for positive accomplishments within the Department when the potential is there for having all cylinders firing at the same time so to speak. Pretty cool stuff if you are looking for some positive change. Not so good if you were one of those that liked cutting back door deals. Here is to hoping that the leaders of these groups continue to recognize the potential of what they seem to be building, and carry through to that potential. Here’s hoping that simple things like ego and self promotion stay out of this loop, and that the promotion of all employees in the department in tandem remain the focus for these leaders. Stay with it. Nothing but good can come from it. And all we have to look forward to if these leaders don’t hold together is the same old divide and conquer defeat that we have always faced until now.
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