More Officer Groups Vote to Join IBPO
Officers from Maryland, North Carolina Join the Fold
November 30, 2009
Officers in Suffolk, Virginia have voted to leave IUPA and join the IBPO—joining several other groups in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern U.S. to become part of the IBPO.
IBPO National Vice President Paul Birks swears in Ross Thompson as the new president of the Virginia State Police IBPO local.
(L-R) Local Vice President John Wood and President Carl Klaplaska receive their charter for their new IBPO local in Anne Arundel, Maryland from IBPO National Vice President Paul Birks.
IBPO Local President Steve Guerchio of the Department of Defense police in Hampton Roads, Virginia, receives his charter from IBPO National Vice President Paul Birks.
More than 150 members of the Suffolk police local voted in late November to become part of the IBPO. They are the latest officers to make the switch, joining officers from Anne Arundel, Maryland, Department of Defense police in Hampton Roads, and officers from Richmond and Chesterfield, Virginia and Readsville, North Carolina in joining the IBPO recently. The new groups represent more than 750 officers in total.
“We’re happy to welcome these officers into the fold,” said David J. Holway, IBPO national president. “I know they’ll be happy with the level of service we provide, and we value the participation and perspective new members bring us in helping improve conditions for police everywhere.”
“Suffolk is more rural than some of the other departments we represent, but they’ve seen an increase in crime lately,” said Mike McKenna, IBPO national executive board member and organizer, about the latest group to join. “The officers know that their jobs are getting harder, so they need better representation than they’ve had—that’s why they joined us.”
“Officers from these areas are discovering that the IBPO can offer them better representation than what they’re used to,” said Paul Birks, IBPO national vice president. “As their work becomes more difficult, between departmental budget cuts and rising crime, they’re now realizing that strong representation is more important than ever.”