Jerry DeFoor President HPROA
President's Message
It has been a great privilege being your President for the last two years. This
article is the last one I will write as your President. However, my service
isn’t completely finished. I will serve on the Board as Past President. In that
capacity I will finally be able to cast a vote! As you probably know, the
President can only vote to break a tie vote. There never was a tie during the
last two years, some were very close, but I never got a chance to vote. Now I
can make my voice heard by voting for the issues I stand for.
During these last two years, there have been a lot of good things accomplished.
No one person has ever accomplished anything without the help of others. Any
good that has been achieved has been made possible through the combined
effort of all your elected and appointed HPROA officials, as well as by the hard
work of committee members. And, we must remember the contributions made
by many other unsung folks who consistently volunteer their time, and money,
for the greater good of our fellow retirees and their families. As I look back, I
see that many people have been helped and our pension has been protected.
On the other hand, there have been challenges. The city, without even
discussing this with us, has seen fit to raise our insurance premiums at an
unfairly higher rate than for active employees. The firearms qualifications
process was changed without our being invited to comment or participate in
the decision. Obviously, communication with the various leaders of the City
and other employee organizations haven’t been as consistent as it should have
been. These, as well as others, are issues that need to be resolved.
Our association is a great organization dedicated to representing all retired
Houston police officers and their survivors. This is a serious responsibility.
However, our membership has not grown to include all those retirees who are
eligible. We have had a great Membership Chairman who kept our membership
roles growing. Our new Chairman has just gotten started and we must help
him in this effort. But, regardless of how hard this committee works, there are
some folks, in the DROP, the phase down programs and otherwise, who don’t
seem to know that they are eligible to join. And it seems there are some of our
brother and sister colleagues who are taking a free ride on your dollar. (I hope
they read this article and realize we need their participation.)
I believe the most important attribute to remember about all members of our
organization is that we are all equal veterans of our police department and are
equal members of our pension fund. No one can take that away or change this
reality. We should make every effort to ensure that all our members and their
families are given full and equal respect and consideration. We must strive to
build each other up and support one another. We should respect the memory
of all who have passed on from this world. This is the way to improve the lives
of all by treating each with kindness and respect.
Again, thank you all for your support. My thanks and respect is also given
to my fellow elected and appointed officers. I particularly thank Bill Elkin,
Cathy Buckles, our secretary, and especially Ed Brossman for taking care of
the meeting hall where our membership meeting is held each month. Most
importantly, I thank you for your support of the Houston Police Retired
Officers Association.
