Conference Spotlight

Be sure to register for the 2012 MACP Mid-Winter Conference

 

Now More than Ever: Understanding the Legislative Process and Your Role in Assisting Your Municipality and Legislative Update

Presenters:
Ms. Summer Minnick, Director, State Affairs, Michigan Municipal League;
Ms. Samantha Harkins, Legislative Associate, Michigan Municipal League
Chief George Basar, Howell PD, MACP Legislative Chair

Last spring the Michigan Municipal League presented a seminar to the MACP Board of Directors and MACP Legislative Committee detailing the Michigan legislative process and how to best involve yourself effectively to assist your governmental unit. The program was simply excellent. This session will uncover the mystique of how a bill becomes law and how you can influence the outcome.

2012 MACP Mid-Winter Training Conference Program as of 01-19-12 PDF_red2

President's Message

December 2011Board-TimothyBourgeois

MACP members, As you are aware, administratively we are in a period of transition. Tom Hendrickson retired as our executive director after over 32 years of dedicated service and leadership to our organization. Tom had a great send off on the evening of September 27th at the Lexington Hotel in Lansing. He was thanked and honored by a number of individuals and organizations for his innumerable contributions to policing and police administration. Among his many honors was being named Executive Director Emeritus of the MACP. It is good to know we can still call on Tom for information, guidance and to tap his vast institutional knowledge of our association.

Our new executive director, Bob Stevenson has hit the ground running. I know you will be excited and pleased by what Bob will bring us in the weeks and months to come. Bob will be attending the many regional association meetings to introduce himself and discuss what MACP can do for you.

Your board of directors felt this transition was a perfect time to have a focus session to review what we have accomplished and make specific plans for the next year and beyond. Thanks to Chief Dave Hall and the Meridian Township Police Department for hosting us on November 2nd. I believe it was very productive and well worth the effort. I am asking Bob Stevenson to provide details about our session, which will likely take place during the 2012 Mid-Winter Training Conference February 8-10, 2012.

As a part of our discussion at the focus session, we reviewed things we thought provided value to MACP members. One of the first items mentioned was the MACP list serves. I couldn’t agree more. With just an email, any MACP member has the collective resources of the entire membership at his or her disposal. The list serve provides not only a place to ask questions, share policies and discuss issues but also a means for rapid communication of breaking information. With the pace of change in Lansing not likely to slow in the foreseeable future, this reliable, instant communication forum helps us keep our members not only informed but able to take immediate action in response to help our voice to be heard on matter of vital importance. A second list serve, limited to chiefs and directors of agencies provides a forum for issues which are more appropriately discussed in that venue. Once again, we thank Eastern Michigan University, Past President and retired Chief John McAuliffe and EMU DPS Lt/Assistant Director Jeff Nesmith for graciously providing this service for us.

A few suggestions for success on the list serves: Remember that like any written business communication, the information on the list serve may well be subject to release under FOIA and or discovery in civil actions. Use appropriate discretion. Sometimes it may be easier and better to respond to a post via direct email (not through the list serve), or by personal contact. This works well on sensitive or complicated issues. The value of the list serve depends on members’ willingness to participate. I know we are all incredibly busy (and likely to only get busier!) but taking just a few minutes to review posts and responding when you can does a lot to ease our collective workload. In most instances, somebody has done what you are trying to do, or at least has some helpful information or advice. If it is more helpful, you can receive the information in a digest format rather than receiving individual emails. If you are currently not on the list serves just click on either the MACP-L or CHIEF-L in the box next to this message titled “Members Only”. The links will take you to the page to sign up for the lists. Your request will be forwarded to Jamie Foster for verification of membership and status. You are usually approved within a few hours. If you have any questions or problems with the list serves contact Jamie at 517.349.9420 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for assistance.

Be sure to mark your calendar for the 2012 Mid-Winter Training Conference, February 8-10, 2012 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids. Exhibitors and Sponsors have been signing up since Oct 1st and we are looking forward to another excellent exhibitor and training conference. More details will be coming within the first two weeks of December but I urge you to try and make this conference.

With the holidays right around the corner I wish each of you a safe and Happy Holiday Season!

Message from Chief George Basar, MACP Legislative Chairman

It is no secret that things have changed in Lansing.  We have a new Governor, with new ideas and for all practical purposes, essentially a new legislature.  Unlike the past many years, with the new Legislature comes the dominance of one political party that Chief_GeorgeBasarnow controls the Senate, the House of Representative and the Governor’s office.  This dynamic alone makes for interesting politics.

Governor Snyder has embarked on an aggressive reform agenda.  That agenda has lead to the demonizing and vilifying of public sector employees and has their wages, benefits and pensions squarely targeted for some measure of legislative reform.  Unfortunately, there appears to be absolutely no recognition or acknowledgement of the reforms and concessions that many of our  police and fire departments have already made and continue to make as we maneuver through these difficult financial times. [ read more ]