PPOA Week in Review: Jan. 14, 2022

Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy Darnell Calhoun

End of Watch: January 13, 2023

We were heartbroken to learn of the line-of-duty death of Riverside County Deputy Darnell Calhoun. The 30-year old deputy was responding to a domestic violence call in Lake Elsinore yesterday when he sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The suspect was then shot by a second deputy and is now reported to be in critical condition. Deputy Calhoun joined the Riverside County Sheriff's Department in 2022 after serving two years with the San Diego Police Department. He is survived by his pregnant wife.

This is the second fatal shooting of a Riverside County deputy in the last three weeks, after Deputy Isaiah Cordero was fatally shot in Jurupa Valley on December 29th.

PPOA expresses sincere condolences to the Calhoun family and all of our brothers and sisters with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the Riverside Sheriffs' Association.

PPOA Board of Directors Meeting

January 8: The monthly Board of Directors meeting took place on Sunday. This meeting was hosted during the annual planning session which provided board members with an opportunity for in-depth discussions about priorities and current issues while mapping out PPOA's 72nd year of member representation. Directors in attendance included President Nancy Escobedo, 1st Vice President Jay Chapman, 2nd Vice President Tony Coleman, Secretary Christopher Lee, Treasurer Joyce Kato, and Board Members Joel Barnett, Gerry Garcia, Tony Romo, Jose Salgado, Jim Schallert and Joe Walker.

Welcoming New Custody Assistants

January 9: PPOA representatives spent time with 35 new Custody Assistants at Biscailuz Center during their first day of orientation. 2nd Vice President (C.A.) Coleman was joined by President Escobedo, Executive Director Wayne Quint Jr. and union staff in speaking with Class 108.

Note of clarification: 2nd Vice President Coleman was also present for last week's Meet and Confer with LASD executives to discuss a possible schedule change at Inmate Reception Center. In the January 7th Week in Review, his name was mistakenly left off the list of PPOA representatives who participated in that meeting.

COVID-19 Legal Meeting

January 10: PPOA reps hosted their weekly teleconference to discuss the continued impact of COVID-19 on our membership. Meeting participants included President Escobedo, Executive Director Quint, Senior Labor Rep. Venise Wallace, Labor Rep. Teresa O'Neil, Intake Rep. Kevin Thompson and PPOA legal counsel.

Click here for LA County daily COVID-19 data.

Supporting Health and Fitness for Members

January 11: PPOA staff delivered a treadmill and sanitizers to the Training Bureau at STARS Center for use in the staff gym. In a continuing effort to support members, PPOA's Star & Shield Foundation teams up with New Life Cardio Equipment (NLCE) each year to secure a limited number of treadmills and ellipticals for employee gyms at facilities throughout the County. The machines are purchased by the Star & Shield Foundation at discounted pricing and delivered by PPOA to units in need of new exercise equipment. We've also arranged for NLCE to extend special pricing to any PPOA members interested in purchasing cardio equipment for personal use at home. For more info, call New Life Cardio at (800) 401-2446 and tell them you're a member of the Professional Peace Officers Association.

Welcoming New Sergeants

January 12: PPOA representatives proudly welcomed more than 40 newly-promoted LASD Sergeants to this Association. The Department's newest supervisors reported to the Sherman Block Building in Monterey Park to pick up their new badges and were joined by President Escobedo and PPOA staff members in order to answer questions and ensure the Sergeants would be protected by union representation. They will begin reporting to new assignments tomorrow and will soon be scheduled to attend their two-week "Super School."

California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations

January 12: Labor leaders representing the California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations (CCLEA) participated in a meeting to discuss issues impacting public safety employees around the state. Executive Director Quint represented PPOA at this meeting.

CCLEA is the state’s largest law enforcement organization, with more than 40 law enforcement associations and 150,000 peace officers. For more information, visit CCLEA.ORG

Fraternal Order of Police News Update

PPOA members have long benefitted from our longtime affiliation with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the world's largest organization of law enforcement officers, with more than 364,000 members in more than 2,100 lodges nationwide. All active PPOA members are part of California FOP Lodge 1. Click here to read the latest CAFOP news update.

An important note regarding FOP membership for retired PPOA members: Once a sworn PPOA member retires, and he/she wishes to reactivate their FOP member/benefits, the following steps must be taken:

To reactivate your membership as a retired peace officer, you will need to pay FOP annual dues of $40 for 2022. The link below is available to pay online should you wish to expedite the process. If by check, the mailing address is:

LA County FOP Lodge 1

P.O. Box 6919

Buena Park, CA 90622-6919

Credit card link below:

FOP Los Angeles County Lodge 1 (unionly.io)

Please make it a point to check out Washington Watch — a weekly update provided by the National FOP. We encourage PPOA members to stay up to date on the legislative news and activity impacting public safety personnel nationwide.

Click here to read this week's Washington Watch.

Boxes of Hand Sanitizers Available to PPOA Members

A local warehouse has donated pallets of hand sanitizers to PPOA for distribution to members. If you would like to pick up a box (24 bottles in each), please send an email to rescalante@ppoa.com. Use subject line "sanitizers" and include your full name and phone number.