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For the third year, PLEA Charities was a sponsor of AZTV’s Stuff the Bus drive in August, which provides back-to-school supplies for children and educators from communities in need across the Valley. In addition to PLEA Charities’ $10,000 donation to the campaign, members helped collect donated items, stuff backpacks and visit schools to distribute them to kids. We are so thankful to be part of this program that allows us to give back to those we serve by supporting education and equipping students for success!

In 1975, under the guidelines set forth in the City of Phoenix’s Meet and Confer Ordinance, a core group of forward-thinking Phoenix police officers established the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association. After an election process, PLEA became the sole certified bargaining unit for Phoenix police officers and sergeants. On January 10, 1976, in a meeting held at the First Federal Savings and Loan, the following were elected to the Board of Directors: Gordy Lange, Pat Pezzelle, Frank Startzell, Robert Ketelaar, Steve Wieland, James McKay, Joe Petrosino, Ernie Bakin, Jerry Licata, Tony Macarle and Richard Kerger. The 11 original Board of Directors were elected to one-year terms, with the vice president presiding over the Board. One of the original purposes of the newly formed PLEA, as stated in the original incorporation documents, was “to promote better relations, working conditions, benefits and wages of Patrolmen and Sergeants working for the City of Phoenix Police Department.”

In the same articles of incorporation, Mike Napier was appointed as PLEA’s lawful agent, and has continued as our legal counsel to this day. No organization I can think of can say they still have their original law firm representing them. That is a testament to the relationship and level of unwavering and professional representation PLEA has enjoyed throughout the years.

We are committed to working hard to represent you in all matters with the same level of pride, professionalism and drive you exhibit every day.

Gordy Lange served as PLEA’s first president. As PLEA evolved and became more prominent within the inner workings of the city, the mayor and council felt it was not in their best interest for the officers and sergeants to be represented by the same organization and amended the city charter, leaving the sergeants no choice but to leave and form a separate bargaining unit.

PLEA’s primary mission has been to promote the positive role of the police profession and to protect and secure members’ rights and benefits through effective representation and professional relationships with the community and local, state and national governments. From our inception, PLEA has represented officers in tens of thousands of administrative investigations and has informally resolved a relatively equal number of cases.

Operating in a nonbinding arbitration environment, PLEA relies on relationships to garner benefits and mitigate discipline for the membership. From the very beginning, PLEA has been successful in creating an MOU that includes a multitude of enhancements for all Phoenix police officers. In the July/August 2021 issue of the Phoenix Law Enforcer, former Vice President Toby Sexton outlined from the very beginning the benefits that have been obtained by PLEA for the membership over the years. It is quite a fascinating and impressive read, if you are so inclined. You can find it archived on our website at azplea.com/article/what-plea-does-for-its-members.

In addition to pay, benefits, grievances and working conditions, PLEA also represents the membership on a wide variety of departmental committees along with the PSPRS Local Pension Board, Healthcare Task Force, Deferred Compensation and PEHP Board, Public Safety Advisory Committee and Block Watch Advisory Board.

The bottom line is this: The plethora of benefits that have been obtained over the years, to include this latest MOU, comes from having a Board of Trustees and representatives who understand the complexity, dedication and hard work put in each and every day by Phoenix police officers and detectives — men and women who are serving and have served right beside you. In recognition of this, we are committed to working just as hard to represent you in all matters with the same level of pride, professionalism and drive you exhibit every day. In addition, PLEA has been able to build such a positive and professional reputation that many throughout our community seek our endorsements. No other organization has been able to do for Phoenix police officers and detectives what PLEA has done in the last 48 years and will continue to do for years to come.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, I can be reached at the PLEA office or by email at dkriplean@azplea.com.

We are thrilled to announce that PLEA has been presented with a Communicator Award of Excellence from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), the largest and most competitive awards program honoring outstanding work in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and design. A prestigious global panel of leading industry professionals selected the Phoenix Law Enforcer for recognition from a field of more than 3,000 entries from within the U.S. and around the world.

PLEA Secretary and Law Enforcer Editor John Maxwell’s January/February 2023 cover article “A Story of Survival” garnered the Award of Excellence for Writing in the General/Feature Article category. Maxwell interviewed Phoenix Police Officer Austin Peru, his fiancée and his parents about their memories of the day Peru was shot in the line of duty in February 2022 and their reflections on the event that changed their lives. The feature was also subsequently reprinted in the July 2023 issue of American Police Beat.

“John’s story about Austin Peru, part of his ongoing series of articles documenting the experiences of wounded officers, movingly captures the dangers our brothers and sisters face in the course of their work and the impact it can have on their loved ones,” PLEA President Darrell Kriplean said. “The goal of Phoenix Law Enforcer is not only to inform our members about association activities, labor news, legal issues and legislation, but also to highlight their own experiences and concerns on the topics that affect their work and their lives — and it’s rewarding to see our efforts being recognized at the highest levels.”

Phoenix Police Officers Honored at 2023 Top Cops Awards

During National Police Week, the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) honored law enforcement officers from across the country at its 30th annual Top Cops Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on May 12. Annually, members of federal, state, county, tribal and local agencies nationwide nominate their partners and colleagues for extraordinary actions taken during incidents in the preceding year. From the nominations, an independent committee of national law enforcement representatives selects one case for each of the 50 states and U.S. territories, and only 10 are named Top Cops Award winners.

Among this year’s honorees were Phoenix Police Officers Trisha Eskridge, Christopher Jones, John Noe, Austin Peru and Travis Spitler, who were recognized for their response to a tense ambush and standoff at a home in a southwest Phoenix neighborhood on February 11, 2022.

The incident began when Morris Jones called 9-1-1 in a panic, telling the operator that armed intruders had broken into his home and shot his girlfriend, Shatifah Lobley. Officer Peru arrived within five minutes of the call and found Jones waiting for him at the front doorway of the home. Jones quickly gestured for the officer to follow him inside. As Peru cautiously approached the front door, Jones pulled out a handgun he had been concealing and opened fire on Peru, striking him multiple times and seriously injuring him.

Unable to return fire immediately, Peru sought cover, running down the street while being pursued by Jones. Peru radioed responding officers about what was transpiring, but unbeknownst to him, his equipment had been shot and was inoperable.

Officer Jones arrived on scene shortly after Peru had been shot. He fired his duty weapon at the shooter, striking him and causing him to retreat back inside the home. At this time, Peru, who was losing a massive amount of blood and going in and out of consciousness, was rushed to the hospital, where he immediately started receiving lifesaving care.

Over the next few minutes, more Phoenix police officers arrived at the home and established a perimeter. A helicopter was also called in to survey the scene from above. Despite the increased police presence, Jones jumped in a car in his garage and attempted to escape, but his plan was thwarted by a police vehicle blocking the driveway. He ran back inside the home.

Minutes later, another occupant of the home, later identified as Lobley’s brother, walked outside holding 1-month-old girl in a baby carrier. Officers shouted at the man to put the baby on the ground and walk backward toward them. The man complied and was immediately detained. Officers Eskridge, Spitler and Noe then rushed toward the front of the home to save the baby, but as they got close, Jones reappeared, opened fire and struck the officers. The officers were unable to retrieve the baby.

Eventually, officers from the Phoenix Police Special Assignments Unit (SAU) arrived on scene with an armored vehicle. Officers were able to use the vehicle and their ballistic shields for cover to rescue the baby, who was later confirmed as Jones and Lobley’s child.

Soon after, SAU negotiators called Jones via cellphone to encourage him to peacefully surrender; however, he was uncooperative.

Left with no other recourse, SAU officers fired tear gas into the home to force Jones out. But there was no response. Officers cautiously entered the residence and found Jones dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. They also discovered that Lobley had tragically succumbed to her wound. It was later determined that she was shot by Jones and not by home invaders.

In all, five officers were shot during the incident and four more were injured by shrapnel or ricocheting bullets. Fortunately, all the officers survived the attack.

Officers Eskridge, Jones, Noe, Peru and Spitler were among the Phoenix officers who put their lives on the line to stop a man intent on killing police, causing violence and terrorizing the community. These officers went above and beyond the call of duty, and their actions truly exemplify what it means to be a top cop — as well as illustrating the immense dangers and sacrifices that come with upholding our oath to protect and serve. PLEA is proud of these officers for representing our Department at our nation’s capital. We thank them for their commitment and service.

Inaugural Police vs. Fire Charity Flag Football Game a Success

The inaugural Police vs. Fire Charity Flag Football Game benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) of Arizona was held on May 19. PLEA Charities and United Phoenix Firefighters Association Charities teamed up to put together this fun football game. The idea to have a charity flag football game came from one of our members who participated in other charity events with Phoenix Fire, such as the Police vs. Fire basketball and soccer games.

In the previous games, Fire was victorious, and the rivalry continued gearing up for Friday night lights. There were approximately 21 players on each team. The teams wore custom T-shirts with the LLS logo on one sleeve and their respective charity on the other; the PD blue shirts had the PLEA Charities logo, and the FD red shirts had the United Phoenix Firefighters Association Charities logo.

North High School (NHS) in downtown Phoenix gladly opened its football field to hold this charity event; the stadium featured large grandstands and an amazing field. NHS was very accommodating and even offered its concession stand for food and drinks for guests. We encouraged guests to wear their teams’ colors of red or blue to show support.

The gates opened at 6 p.m. and kick-off was at 7 p.m. Tickets were sold online at pleacharities.org for a reasonable price of $10 for adults and $5 for children 11 and up.

PLEA Charities was able to collect and raise $2,653.15 in proceeds. That money was then donated to our friends at LLS.

The final score of the game was 41–14, with the PD team taking another loss. (The police team is already talking about a rematch next year.) The game ended with a large group photo of all the players on the 50-yard line. It was great to see the bond that we have with our Fire brothers and sisters.

PLEA Charities is here to support public safety personnel across the state of Arizona. We continue to help other nonprofits and foundations like LLS. If you know of any opportunities that we can contribute to or know someone who is in need, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at charities@pleacharities.org or call the PLEA office.

As police officers, we are continuously analyzing situations and striving to do the right thing. Whether as a patrol officer answering calls for service or a detective investigating a crime, we are committed to providing a high level of service to our community.

Many of you know that PLEA has been working with Human Resources for over a year to try to eliminate Personnel Rule 15g2. We believe it is problematic. For those who are unfamiliar with this rule, it reads as follows:

“15g2. Merit Pay Increase: Time taken on industrial leave or light duty assignment, not in excess of thirty working days, shall be allowed as creditable time in determining eligibility for a normal merit pay increase. If the time exceeds thirty days and the circumstances of the injury so warrant, the employee may receive a merit pay increase on their anniversary date with the recommendation of the department head and approval of the City Manager.”

Even though there is an antiquated personnel rule in place that provides the Department and the City an out, is that the right thing to do?

This rule applies when an officer is injured or pregnant and requests a light-duty assignment that extends longer than 30 days. In such instances, the officer’s PMG date is extended by a period equal to the time the officer worked in a modified duty assignment and their merit increase is delayed.

Here is the issue: Most officers who are in a modified duty status are working somewhere within the Department. They perform a job that the Department deems important enough to have personnel assigned to further the overall mission of the Department and, in most cases, are supervised by a sergeant. It is absurd to think that you are going to be denied your PMG and merit increase because your current work assignment is not what you were doing prior to the pregnancy or injury. 

So, it comes down to: What is the right thing to do? Even though there is an antiquated personnel rule in place that provides the Department and the City an out, is that the right thing to do? This issue is not exclusive to just the Police Department. This rule applies to every City employee. If an employee who is injured comes to work and performs a task for the City, why is it so difficult to evaluate them on the performance of the tasks they are assigned and, if satisfactory, give them their earned merit increase? It is the right thing to do. It demonstrates that the City and the individual departments value their employees and the work they perform. It creates a sense of pride in the employee, who feels valued. It increases morale. It helps the families of the employees with an increase in salary. It fosters a positive work and home environment. I just cannot understand the downside for the City. 

Some elected officials tout that the greatest assets the City has are its employees. Maybe it’s lip service and provides a good sound bite. Maybe saving a few dollars is worth affirming what many already feel, which is that, as employees, we are nothing more than a line-item expense on a budget sheet. 

Just because it has always been done this way does not mean that it must or should continue. The City should do the right thing.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact me at the PLEA office or by email at dkriplean@azplea.com.