Spokane Valley, WA

Fellow Members,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Here it is! We made it to 2020. I’m hoping this finds everyone well or recovering? Things are well with the Association. Our leadership team stays ready to meet their tasks. The LEOFF Retirement systems are performing as well as can be expected. This does not mean attempts will not be made for our excess retirement funds. Stay alert and informed. Pass the word to other retirees and keep us informed of what you hear.

Past President Mike Clements passed away. Mike was elected for the years 2015-2016. I knew Mike totally by accident as a brother-in-law to my old motorcycle partner a long time ago, before he moved to the Tri-cities area. Mike was a K-9 handler for Richland P.D. and served as a Sergeant. He will be missed. Mike and K.C. were very supportive in our efforts at the Annual Conventions. We owe them our gratitude.

Our local Christmas Party was lightly attended this year. It could be we’re just getting a little older or you didn’t remember. Santa made an early appearance, but was a little upset that there weren’t more people there.

YIKES!! I was hacked! Someone got into my email address and spoofed it with a different address that allowed them to transfer my email to them. They requested friends and members of the association to do me a favor by sending them “Google Play Cards” that could be cashed, then sending them the card numbers. Does this sound fishy, phishy? Well it certainly was. I would expect my friends and Association members to please call me when these sort of things happen. Trust me! If I want a loan or help, this is not the way I or anyone I know would do it. The amount of sales calls I have received has multiplied, so leave a message with your name and number. I do return calls but don’t answer my phone if I don’t recognize the number or name.

I got a phone call recently from my grandson requesting that I send him some money. The problem is I DO NOT HAVE A GRANDSON. Please remember! Do not give your personal information or credit card number to anyone who calls on the telephone. Those who request information over the internet or email are also bogus. Don’t use their callback numbers, use the public numbers that are provided by the services. These thieves get better at using official looking letterheads and documents every day. I shouldn’t need to tell old cops to be suspicious.

It’s dues time!

Please remember, if we can help you, that’s what this Association is all about. For those of you living alone, you’ve got friends that want to hear from you. Stay in touch, if we can help please call.

From the LEOFF 1 Coalition President

The State Actuary recently released its most recent State retirement fund data. It is good news for both LEOFF 1 and LEOFF 2 members as both pension plans are well funded. The LEOFF 1 plan is funded with a healthy surplus at 135%. The LEOFF 2 fund is at 108%, down from 109% due to the transfer of 300 million dollars from the surplus to the Benefit Improvement Plan. The LEOFF 2 Board is still developing how the benefit improvement plan will be deployed. The use of plan 2 surplus funds to fund the benefit improvement plan is an interesting precedent and has many LEOFF 1 members asking if we would also be able to have such a benefit. Both State and Federal laws state that pension funds can only be used for the exclusive benefit of the members so it should be possible for LEOFF 1 members to also receive some benefit from the surplus. There are a couple of issues however that make it more difficult. First, LEOFF 1 does not have a legislatively created retirement board like the LEOFF 2 Board. The LEOFF 2 Board is largely responsible for the development of the LEOFF 2 benefit improvement plan. The LEOFF 1 pension plan is overseen by the legislative Select Committee on Pension Policy. Since the legislature has demonstrated several attempts over the years to access and/or alter LEOFF pension plans, it is unlikely they would voluntarily offer LEOFF 1 a plan like the LEOFF 2 benefit improvement plan. Consequently, there has been discussion by several retirement groups to come up with our own legislation to create a benefit improvement plan for LEOFF 1 using our own surplus pension funds. The LEOFF 1 Coalition, Retired Fire Fighters of Washington and Retired Seattle Police Officers Association are all interested in such an effort though we have not yet been able to coalesce and work together. There may also be other retiree groups I am unaware of that are interested as well.

What this points to is a lack of coordinated effort on the behalf of all LEOFF 1 members. By definition, we are made up of law enforcement officers and fire fighters and while we all served in public safety, we are typically separated culturally while in service as well as in retirement. There are many subgroups amongst police and fire retirees, usually tied to the agency or area in which they served. Recently, the Washington Council of Fire Fighters adopted a resolution to become the representative organization for LEOFF 1 and LEOFF 2 retirees and the International Association of Fire Fighters has approved that effort. This creates a new opportunity for LEOFF 1 fire fighter retirees to choose between the WCFF, RFFOW or the LEOFF 1 Coalition but it still does not create a single point of representation for the law enforcement officers across the state much less the combined membership of LEOFF 1. Further, this new retiree organization represents both LEOFF 1 AND LEOFF 2 members. I have to admit that I worry about representation of two differing plans. While this would of course give the WCFF an even stronger political voice with the legislature, LEOFF 1 members will be significantly outnumbered in membership by plan 2 members and would certainly lose voice in matters that are strictly beneficial to LEOFF 1.

Currently, the only way for any of the various groups to communicate with ALL LEOFF 1 members is through the Department of Retirement Systems. The Retired Fire Fighters of Washington and Seattle Police Retired Officer Association have announced that LEOFF 1 members will shortly be receiving a questionnaire from them via the DRS mailing list. They have not shared their intentions with the LEOFF 1 Coalition but LEOFF 1 members should expect to be receiving this questionnaire fairly soon and understand that their intentions are to gain a master mailing list of LEOFF 1 members in the well-intentioned effort to accomplish the unified LEOFF 1 organization which is what I have been advocating for all along and which the Coalition has been trying to provide. The problem with these other organizations is that they represent both LEOFF 1 and LEOFF 2 simultaneously. The LEOFF plans are both unique, should remain that way, and it can only happen if we are represented individually. The Coalition was originally created to be a watchdog organization to raise a hue and cry amongst all LEOFF 1 members across the State and to defend our retirement benefits when threatened, but we are not organized as a representative organization where all LEOFF 1 members belong. The Coalition is a 501C5 organization and we don’t charge dues operating strictly by donations, but because of that we are not eligible to access the DRS mailing list ourselves. In an effort to try to make the Coalition a truly representative LEOFF 1 organization for both police and fire fighters across the State, we are discussing whether we should re-organize, call for an election of officers and make ourselves more than a watchdog organization which would represent all LEOFF 1 members be they law enforcement, fire, or beneficiaries. Only then will we be able to galvanize and lobby effectively for a benefit improvement plan for LEOFF 1. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts at:   bill.dickinson@juno.com

Bill Dickinson

BRUCE’S BOOK REVIEW

We will be holding LEOSA / HR218 qualifications

from 0900 – 1300. We will have Range “E” Bay 5 reserved for the qualifications.

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Why do peanuts float in a regular coke and sink in a diet coke? Go ahead and try it.

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

How important does a person have to be before they are considered “assassinated” instead of just “murdered”?

Why do you have to “put your two cents in”… but it’s only a “penny for your thoughts”? Where’s that extra penny going?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why is it that people say they “slept like a baby” when babies wake up like every two hours?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They’re going to see you naked anyway.

Why is “bra” singular and “panties” plural?

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?

If the professor on Gilligan’s Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can’t he fix a hole in a boat?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Why did you just try singing the two songs above?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

How did the person who made the first clock, know what time it was?

Pierce County Deputy Cooper Dyson was tragically killed in a collision while in the line of duty.  Deputy Dyson was responding to an Officer Needs Help Call when he lost control of his patrol vehicle and crashed. He is survived by his expectant wife and their two-year old son.

Clara Beard. On October 3, 2019 Clara Beard passed away. She is the widow of retired King County Major Jackson Beard. They are now both together again amongst the angels.

Darlene Barr. Darlene is the widow of WSP Det. Mike Barr. Darlene passed away on October 20, 2019 at the age of 73. They were married for 54 years and lived in the Spokane area.

Laura Mahnke. Laura is the wife of retired Longview PD Captain, Hal Mahnke. Laura passed away on October 26, 2019 at the age of 72 after a battle with gallbladder cancer.

Larry Roberts. Retired WSP Trooper passed away on November 7, 2019 after battling an aggressive brain tumor.

Shirley Woodmansee. Shirley passed away on November 27, 2019. She is the wife of retired WSP Major Lynden “Woody” Woodmansee.

William Karl Ramm. Bill was a retired King County Sergeant. Most of his career, starting in the early 70’s, was spent working out of the precinct in Burien, and he finished up his career as a sergeant, working predominantly the Federal Way area. Bill passed away in December 2019 after a long battle with cancer.

Paul S. Jones. Retired Trooper from WSP, Paul passed away on November 14, 2019.

Tom Flanagan. Tom, retired King County SO sergeant passed away in Cle Elum on November 27, 2019.

Cary Mathews. Cary, a retired WSP Lieutenant, passed away on December 2, 2019.

Mike Clements. Mike was retired from Richland PD and was also a former president of our association (WSRDSPOA).

Connie Chase. Connie was a civilian employee for King County SO, she passed away on December 11, 2019. Connie is also the widow of retired King County Lieutenant Frank Chase, Frank passed away in 2014.

Joe Dawson, President: jsdawson@comcast.net (425) 392-4361 (C) (206) 817-8376

Ronnie Johnston, West Side Vice President: r7t9@aol.com (206) 595-6819

Don McCabe, Vice President East Side & Website Administrator: don.mccabe41@gmail.com  (509) 951-0399

Dawn Morrow, Secretary: queencat13@aol.com (509) 928-7182 (C) 509 464-9773

Jim Hill, Treasurer: christopher1987@truevine.net (509) 362-2025

Zbig Kasprzyk, West Side Executive Board Member: zkkasprzyk@gmail.com(206) 818-7476

Brent Beden, West Side Executive Board Member: brent.beden@comcast.net (C)  (206) 550-2809

Dennis Hooper, East Side Executive Board Member: drhoop38@gmail.com (509) 991-8259 (C) (509) 255-9156

Doug Partlow, East Side Executive Board Member: dougpart@aol.com (C) (509) 406-1017

Zbig Kasprzyk, Hot Sheet Editor: zkkasprzyk@gmail.com (206) 818-7476

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Please fill out this membership application form if you would like to become a member or to renew your expired membership. Print out your application using the Print button.

Today’s Date _________________

NAME ____________________________________

SPOUSE ___________________________________

ADDRESS ___________________________CITY ______________________STATE _____ZIP ________

Phone (____)_____-_____________

Cell (____)____-_________________

Retired from (Dept) ____________________________________________________________________

Retirement Date _____________ LEOFF 1 ___ LEOFF 2 ___ Surviving Spouse ___ Associate Member ___

Hobbies, Activities, Comments about family etc:

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Spouse E-mail__________________________________

 I agree _____ to add my e-mail address to the association directory which list only Name, e-mail and Dept.

Sponsored by: _____________________________________________

New member: _____ Renewal: _____ Dues run from January 1st to December 31st and are $30 per year for ALL memberships.

Associate Member: ____ NOTE – Associate members (persons other than LEOFF 1 or LEOFF 2 active or retired) must be approved by the Executive Board.

Make your check payable to W.S.R.D.S.P.O.A.

Mail to: W.S.R.D.S.P.O.A.   P.O. Box 13265   Spokane Valley, WA 99213

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