Hello all,

So here we are staring at a fresh year, 2009… wow! The BMPA adopted new bylaws whereby new and fresh ideas can be introduced into the governing of the body which I think is absolutely necessary. Thusly I address you now as taking the Board seat of Past President, an honor upon itself. I wish I could begin this missive with information extolling the wondrous amount of Officers that are flooding the market banging down the doors to serve in this capacity… but no. The problems that have faced law enforcement in Texas have not gone away, but the BMPA continues to strive toward solutions, and locally have made an enormous impact. I can tell you that through the efforts of the BMPA and with your (the Citizens) support we have doubled the manpower on the streets without having to increase the number of Officers allocated to the Brownwood Police Department. We were able to devise and ultimately implement a scheduling structure that better utilized that which we already had. You should also be infinitely happy to know that we have slashed our overtime expense by at least two thirds!

The Brownwood Bulletin reported our startling drop in crime during the last reporting period after the BMPA’s structure was adopted and more Officers were there to serve you. The hours are longer and the hardship upon the Officers a little bit more but nearly every one of them was willing to give that extra bit in order to better serve you and this Community. Foregoing that which is guaranteed every other worker in America in the way of overtime beyond a 40 hour work week. Such selfless dedication to a higher cause is hard to find in today’s world and I take intense pride in serving alongside these men and women.

Of particular interest is the two pronged approach that BMPA took towards the mega problem facing all Texas agencies… that of attract and retain. Through the efforts of the negotiating team and City Government (and with the Citizen’s support) we were able to catch up significantly with the market value for Texas Peace Officers. We still have much work to do to remain competitive but it will not be such a huge hiccup when it comes around this next time. Currently we are only 2 Officers short and we have a new hire in the wings for one of the spots. Of particular interest should be the fact that we had more experienced and pre licensed Texas Peace Officers test for us than ever before. Forgive me for this little indulgence but every time I hear that experienced Officers are testing, that our crime rate is down, that Officers are planning long term goals with our Agency, that our morale is up…. I smile and say… “The BMPA’s vision is working”. It is all about driving down training costs, keeping your assets, and attracting higher caliber assets, in other words being market competitive. We have another test scheduled for March and it appears that we already have some pre licensed, experienced Officers signed up to take it. Again…. It is working.

On a local level that is where we sit. Now on a State level it is just starting to heat up. The 2009 Legislative session is just now swinging into full gear and this is always a critical time for law enforcement. For it is during this time that new laws are introduced, that old laws are sunsetted, and that addendums slide by to make things ridiculous.

The BMPA is well known at the Capitol as our Board of Directors stands willing to sacrifice family time and vacation to ensure that we are there to testify to the various committees on any and all bills that we are needed for. We will continue to do so not only to serve you but to increase Professionalism across the State. Currently in the wings are a number of laws that would make it virtually impossible for your Officer to solve problems in the field. This only hampers your ability to soothe your family and get back to your bed at 3 in the morning. We at BMPA stand firmly against a number of these ridiculous laws and are supporting laws that will increase the professionalism of Peace Officers State wide. There are too many bills to mention in this missive but they are many, we remain vigilante, and we shall bring to bear all our resources to ensure that the laws we need will remain so that we can continue to best serve you. The BMPA continues it’s partnership with TMPA at the Capitol as well. Together we are pursuing that lofty goal of unilateral professionalism in Texas law enforcement whereby minimums of eligibility are established. In other words, no matter where you live in this great State the Peace Officer that answers your call for help will be at the same professional level as any other no matter what size community you live in.

In closing I would like to thank all that supported me during this long run as President of the BMPA. Together we have accomplished unbelievable milestones and have shown the naysayer's that working together accomplishes so much more than working against one another. I would like to ask that the support you have shown me be extended to my successor James Fuller and his VP Aaron Taylor. They share the vision and the visceral embodied call to serve Brownwood and its Citizenry.

Serving you humbly;

Mitch Slaymaker
President BMPA