President's Message
The Golf Outing
Legislation
Elections
Help with the Newsletter
FOP Webpage
Report from Trustees
June Honorees
Next meeting

President's Message

This past weekend we celebrated July 4 "Independence Day," when brave men of this country stood up for their beliefs, for freedom of speech, freedom of religion and teh right to self-govern. Our guest speaker last month was the Reverend William Kalaidjain, a New York City police department chaplain of over forty-one years, the most senior chaplain.  He was asked to leave the job he has worked and loved for over half his life...why?  The Revered Kalaidjain was holding an awards ceremony for law enforcement officers and their families when he referred to a prosecutor who was pursuing bogus charges against one of his honorees as a "liberal fag."

A guest at this private function who is a member of the NYPD's gay officer association filed a complaint against the Reverend.  The Mayor and police commissioner called the Reverend an embarrassment to the department. This man of God who helped officers and their families for over forty-one years never discriminating against anybody, always available to help, was now an embarrassment to the department whom they wanted to remove. The Reverend Kalaidjain decided that working for a department that now feels he's an embarrassment was not one of his goals anymore and he has decided to retire. At our last meeting, the Reverend Kalaidjain gave us a sampling of how his experience and compassion has helped officers and their families over the years. He will be missed very much by the members of the NYPD.

Fortunately, Reverend Kalaidjain informed us he will be back at our next meeting July 13 and whenever he can in the future. He stated he willbe our 'Reverend Al' - if there is a cause for law enforcement, he will be there! For years the gay movement has fought to voice their option, not to be discriminated agianst, and to be accepted into society.  Not only have they reached their goals but have reversed the discrimination where the Reverend is an embarrassment to society and not they.

There will be a petition at our next meeting for the Reverend Kalaidjain asking the Mayor to reconsider his position by asking the Reverend Kalaidjain not to retire.  I ask all our members to come to the next meeting July 13, sign the petition, and stand up for what you believe in like out foundign fathers did. Let's show that freedom of speech and freedom of religion is not dead in this politically correct world! 


And Now....The News!

THE GOLF OUTING
On the morning of our meeting on July 13th at 8:30am, the First Annual Jason D. Conklin Memorial Golf Outing is being held at the Stony Ford golf course in Montgomery. The Fraternal Order of Police will be on hand to assist the Conklin family in the running of this memorable event which is already sold out. You can still show your supposer for this event by getting a business or your department members to sponsor a Tee for $100 or a Green for $50.  Contact David Conklin at the Tuxedo Police Department at 351-5111. At our next meeting that same evening at 8pm, the Conklin family will award this year's recipient with the Annual Jason D. Conklin Scholarship Fund.  Come out an support this event. 

LEGISLATION
PERB is not dead.  The Senate will reopen before the legislative year ends.  I urge all our members, their families, and friends to contact the Honorable Joseph Bruno, Majority Leader NYS Senate, 909 LOB, Albany NY 12247.  Write a letter asking him to allow senate bill #6436 to the floor for a vote.  Lodge member Ralf Caruso from Senator Bill Larkin's office came to our last meeting to inform us that Senator Larkin supports the bill.  He explained that the bill will take away all the exceptions which excluded certain departments access to the Public Employees Relation Board to known as PERB, which settles contracts when there is an impasse between the PBA and the employer.  Under the Taylor Law, police departments cannot go on strike or have a job action.  Therefore, PERB was formed to keep things fair.  Unfortunately, some Mayors of omitted departments have taken full advantage of this and given their police officers ZERO. 

ELECTIONS
Our by-laws call for an election at our August meeting. If anyone is interested in a position on the board or feels can help the Lodge in any way, please contact Lodge President Neil O'Riordan at 469-2345. 

HELP WITH THE NEWSLETTER
We would like to have out newsletter done at a printers and sent out monthly, however, this is very expensive. Do you know a business or an individual who would want to support us? Our newsletter will go out to every department in Orange County, as well as most NYPD precincts in the Bronx and Manhattan.  Business sized cars are $100 each, double the size $200. Go say hello to your local merchants and let's get this up and running. The advertisements will run from September 1998 to September 1999. 

FOP WEBPAGE
https://members.tripod.com/~NYFOP957
email the Lodge at fop957@yahoo.com, or email Elisa and webmaster with comments or suggestions at ebh6@acpub.duke.edu
Elisa Hirth came to our last meeting with her laptop and showed the board and members the web site.  It was wonderful to see all teh pictures of opening night, our meetings, and awardees.  There are great links to other websites, including Elisa's site dedicated to Patrolman Jason Conklin for whom our lodge is named in remembrance of.  Visit the site and leave a message for Elisa, thanking her for the wonderful job she has done. 

REPORT FROM TRUSTEES
The City of Newburgh PBA is having a gol-fest on Monday August 10th at Osiris Country Club in Walden.  The cost of the event is $95 per person which includes registration, green fees, carts, refreshments on the golf course, adn lunch adn a buffet dinner.  Contact Bob Silva at 914-561-3131.


June Honorees
The Fraternal Order of Police, Jason Conklin Memorial Lodge #957, recently honored three local police officers, including New York City Police Sgt. Dennis Churn of Highland Mills, NYPD Sgt. Henry Knoop of Monroe, and Wallkill Officer Robert Kammarada. Churn and Knoop, both of the 50th police precinct in New York, receieved awards for their part in the investigation and arrest of a juvenile wanted for the attempted murder of a police officer who also worked in their precinct. Both sergeants were on the scene of an arrest when a 10 pound clay flowerpot was thrown from an apartment above, striking an officer on the shoulder and resulting in serious injury. Had the flowerpot struck the officer on the head, he would have been killed. Members of the lodge thanked both sergeants for the speedy arrest of this juvenile, who lodge President Neil O'Riordan said showed such "blatant disregard for human life and the law enforcement community." In 1993, police officer John Williamson was killed in a similar incident, when he was struck by a 10 pound bucket of spackle thrown from a roof in the Washington Heights section of Brooklyn. Kammarada received his award for saving the life of a newborn baby whom had stopped breathing. After receiving word from the dispatcher, Kammarada was on the scene within two minutes to assist by performing CPR on the infant and saving his life. "It is situations like this, the emotion one feels after helping another, that is why we become law enforcement officers," O'Riordan said. Kammarada and his wife Katy thanked the lodge for rewarding him and all the officers from Orange County who are deserving of such awards. 



The next meeting of the Jason Conklin Memorial Lodge will be July 13, 8 p.m. at the Ancient Order of Hibernians Hall on North Main St. in Monroe.  The guest speaker will be Mike Sheehan of FOX 5 News, a former NYPD detective and member of the NYPD honor legion. Honorees at the July meeting will be Village of Monroe police officers Marc Miller and Robert Compasso, and Town of Woodbury police officers Richard Campora and Warren Decker. The officers will be awarded for their excellent work in the Monroe-Woodbury School District DARE program. Additionally, Sgt. James Hanes of the 28th precinct in New York City will receive an award for his off-duty arrest of two suspects in the Town of Warwick. 


return to top