Help with Contact at National FOP Lodge

[Tim Dees]

We (the staff at Officer.com) are trying to make contact with the National FOP Lodge office in Nashville to see how we can assist with the relief effort directed at cops who have been victims of the Katrina disaster. I'm not having any luck getting through their answering machine robot. The outgoing message refers to their absence from the office through the first week of August for their national convention, and there is no referral to anyone else. Does anyone have a contact number or person that we could reach? We have a powerful communications tool here and we're willing to put it at the disposal of the relief effort. If anyone has contact information, please communicate with me directly at [email protected] .

[Chopshopcop]

I just now pulled this link off of the Grand Lodge website

http://www.grandlodgefop.org/newsinfo/katrina.html

[email protected] is the listed e-mail for President Chuck Canterbury

[Bodie]

I am with the lodge and fop.org gets you there. I have a password for restricted section if you need to get that far I can relay info.

[Tim Dees]

I've sent an e-mail to [email protected], but have not yet received an answer. If anyone has any better or faster method of contact, please let me know.

[Bodie]

As a very active FOP member it sometimes takes two or three days to get a reply from national so your's is coming. I am going over there to see what's up

Have Press Relaese will try to copy it to here

[Chopshopcop]

Tim,

I just received this in an e-mail from the Grand Lodge.

St. Charles Parish will serve as the staging point for officers that are able to volunteer time to serve in New Orleans and assist their police officers. Contact the Sheriff's Office in St. Charles to find out about gear requirements and the like.


St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office
P.O. Box 7
Hahnville, LA 70057

Telephone: (985) 783-6237
Fax: (985) 783-6497

http://www.stcharlessheriff.org/

F.O.P. to Send Relief to Officers in New Orleans


Chuck Canterbury, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, announced today that the F.O.P. would be coordinating with Louisiana law enforcement officials to provide volunteer officers to the New Orleans area in relief of their brother and sister officers, who have been working ceaselessly since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf coast last week.

[Tim Dees]

There is now an organized relief effort from the FOP. We have received a bulletin asking for volunteer officers to asisst in Louisiana, and later today will be sending this out as a special "e-mail blast" to over 70,000 of our list subscribers. The link to the bulletin as it appears on the Officer.com web site is here. Please note the requirements for officers who wiish to go to Louisiana to assist.

I appreciate the efforts of several forum members here who contacted me with information on how to reach the National FOP Lodge. We have now connected with them and are obviously working with them to get out the word.

[carriedevorah]

AID FOR OFFICERS IN NEW ORLEANS being directed by NAPO and National FOP

Tim, hi

I respect I may have breached my agreement by posting here. The information you are seeking in contained in the information I put into a few other threads.

My apologies but the information is crucial.
Any questions or further assistance needed please contact my cell
562 688 2883 and I will see what contacts I can help out with. I have also spoken with Linda and donated pictures I took at NLEOM week to fundraise with. Some currently already being used on the NLEOM site.

Carrie
CCIA, profiler, CA-BSIS


Hi, I received a press release from Sam Katz at NYC Detectives Endowment advising the NAPO is leading with and requesting assistance be sent to New Orleans officers many of whom worked throught the Hurricane without knowing or learning the fate of their families. As we are learning with this morning's news, officers are down, and dammit there will be more names on the NLEOM wall come April when they are etched.

There are many charities out there collecting but to make sure the money gets to officers give directly to the officers families or the adresses contained within.

Yes I am a journalist but I worked inside a PD building a crime analysis department. 911, I went to work and quarterbacked my PD. My next piece was intended to remind people about the First Responders who gave their lives in the line of duty. It will be that, even more so. I will take on the media suggesting officers abandoned their posts. Google me, eventually that piece will come up. But for the moment, get this press release out to others, media, etc and strongly remind people who officers are- there where you need them.

I also spoke with Linda Sevilla at National FOP. Here is the information from her.
Officers are down in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Linda Sevilla, of
FOPLODGE1 here in DC, says donations to officers and their familes will be
directed by National FOP. Donations can be made online or by mailing
checks to NATIONAL FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE, 711 4th Street, NW,
Washington DC 20001. It is important to remember, says Carrie Devorah (a
CCIA), that when an officer is on the street helping us in catastrophic
situations, their families are home dealing with the catastrophe without
them.

For whatever it is worth, which seems so miniscule in light of the email from the officer, I sent copies to my contacts in a local paper read by most legislators, my contact with Senator Frist and my contact with CNN's Larry King who is doing a 3 hour show on how to help. People forget about officers. Take time to remind him during his show.... newstip line number (they will not appreciate this but...) heck, (producer on duty) 404 827 1509. CNN's crack about officers leaving needs rebuttal....

Sincerest Regards
Carrie Devorah


NYC's Detective's Endowment Association executive, Sam Katz writes the NAPO, National Association of Police Organization's
Relief Fund, is the most appropriate place to send donations for New
Orleans "beleagured police officers and their families." The NAPO, founded
in 1978, is a Washington DC based coalition of police unions and
associations from across the United States. Michael Palladino, President
of NYC's Detective Endowment Association and Vice President of the NAPO
says this fund was set up years ago to aid in such emergencies. Palladino
says "officers in New Orleans are carrying a double burden; the job of
trying to maintain law and order in a devastated major American city, all
the while trying to cope with their own pain and loss-of their homes,
families, friends and their town. This is the words imaginable scenario
police officers can face." Palladino urges individuals seeking to aid
officers, the NAPO is working directly with the Police Association of New
Orleans to ensure donations go directly to their members in need.
Donations can be made at www.napo.org or sent to NAPO Relief Fund, c/o
NAPO, 750 First Street, NE, Suite 920, Washington DC 20002-4241.

[carriedevorah]

WIFOP is in touch with them. Here is what I received

F.O.P. to Send Relief to Officers in New Orleans
Chuck Canterbury, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, announced today that the F.O.P. would be coordinating with Louisiana law enforcement officials to provide volunteer officers to the New Orleans area in relief of their brother and sister officers, who have been working ceaselessly since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf coast last week.

?All of us have seen the pictures of devastation along the Gulf Coast, and our
hearts and prayers go out to those families--especially to the people of New
Orleans, which so recently hosted our National Biennial Conference,? Canterbury aid. ?Like all Americans, we want to help, and we plan to do so by getting additional officers down to the affected areas.?

In response to a request by Greg Champagne, Sheriff of St. Charles Parish, as well as F.O.P. National Secretary and active St. Charles Parish Deputy Sheriff Patrick Yoes, the F.O.P. will help to direct law enforcement officers willing to volunteer their time in New Orleans in order to assist the officers there. St. Charles Parish will serve as a staging area for these volunteer officers, and their deployment will be coordinated by law enforcement leaders in the affected areas.

?The law enforcement officers in New Orleans and other areas started working when Hurricane Katrina was still out in the Gulf of Mexico,? Canterbury said. ?They helped to evacuate the citizens before landfall, have been working to find and rescue those left or trapped in the storm?s aftermath, and now are turning their attention to restoring order to the city so recovery can begin in earnest.?

Working with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), Speaker of the House J.
Dennis Hastert (R-IL), and Terrance W. Gainer, F.O.P. member and the Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), a contingent of USCP officers will be among those
dispatched to St. Charles Parish in the next few days.

?We are grateful to the Fraternal Order of Police for organizing this critical
effort to help enhance the security, safety and recovery of the victims of Hurricane Katrina,? Senator Frist said. ?We are proud to dispatch our Capitol Police to participate.?

In addition, the District of Columbia Jerrard F. Young Memorial F.O.P. Lodge #1, has dispatched its mobile kitchen unit to the area to help get food and water to those who need it.

?I am proud of the officers in all the affected areas. An incident of this
magnitude means that they are going without sleep and are unable to be with their own families as they strive to save the lives of others,? Canterbury said. ?When a citizen calls for help, an officer will respond. Our officers have called for help now, and we will not let them down.?

Canterbury stated that law enforcement agencies wanting to send additional officers to help should contact the St. Charles Parish Sheriff?s Office directly.

The Fraternal Order of Police is the largest law enforcement labor organization in the United States, with more than 321,000 members.


Subject: Shelter for Cops Families
Date: Sep 01, 3:10 pm

If any cops affected by the hurricane need to house their families, The West Jordan lodge in Utah will house as many cop's families for whatever period of time is needed.

Subject: Re: Shelter for Cops Families
Date: Sep 02, 8:38 am
Same goes for Connecticut. If any cops affected by the hurricane need to house their families, The New Haven County Lodge in Connecticut will house as many cop's families for whatever period of time is needed.

Subject: Re: Shelter for Cops Families
Date: Sep 02, 8:46 am
The National FOP is keeping a log on these type's of offers and if the need arises and upon request we will act as a clearinghouse to get these members assistance.

From: [email protected]
Date: Fri, September 2, 2005 10:23 am
Hurricane Relief Update

The National Fraternal Order of Police is coordinating our relief efforts on two
fronts.

Funding:

Lodges, Members and the General Public are being requested to send money to the FOP Foundation, which is a 501 C3 charitable entity, which will be responsible for distributing funds on a needs assessment basis. There are hundreds if not thousands of members who have been displaced.


Personnel
Active Duty Police officers are needed to assist local officers.

Officers will be performing law enforcement duties to include, Patrol, Corrections, and Security, standing posts and just about anything in the gambit of law enforcement.

Officers who can respond to the New Orleans Area are asked to report to the St. Charles Parish Sheriffs Office who will be responsible for establishing a shelter for law enforcement volunteers.

Officers who respond should follow the following instructions:

Officers will need to bypass New Orleans and enter St. Charles Parish via Interstate 55. Officers should report to Destrehan High School in St. Charles Parish. All sheriffs

[carriedevorah]

How To Get Ham Communication Up And Running

UPDATE ON HAMS

I spoke with my friend...

www.arrl.org is the website for HAMS. According to him, FEMA, Coast Guard and others are not worth anything in this catastrophe for communication.
The Salvation Army network, SATURN, not sure of annacronym spelling is operational ONLY for emergency outgoing calls. Not calls for good and networks are being allowed. There were two HAM radio operators operating during the flood. They were not solar. They have since gone off the air. No one know what happened to them- living or fatality.
My friend says, police mobile systems can act as hams (didnt elaborate.) Police repeaters, he said are placed 30-60 miles apart. They are all down at this time.
He said there are 250 hams on location ready to go in but unable to due to the instability of the situation.
He agrees with my thought that a FIRST RESPONDER can carry in HAM equipment and try to get that stream of communication up and running.
He reinforced if enforcement is in need of communicators there are HAMS standing by who can be accessed by arrl. And he does repeat all officers can listen but must unplug microphones.

Best
Carrie