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On August 8th of 2012 I had the opportunity to talk to the Republican National Committee Platform working group on the issues that the National Fraternal Order of Police considers priorities and to see what, if any, of our issues could be used in their formulating of the Republican Party Platform. The Platform will be presented at the upcoming National Conference in Tampa, Florida.
The call was very cordial and I felt like the interviewer was attentive and interested in our positions. With that said, all of our issues were heard and with the exception of two issues we received no commitments or even an inclination of support.
The first issue I addressed was the National Collective Bargaining Legislation. The interviewer was quick to say I am sorry—collective bargaining would not be in the RNC platform.
Our other main priorities are considered too specific for the Party Platform, but she did report that personal due process would be part of the proposed agenda, but in a broad sense in line with the thinking of Ron Paul. She stated that our issue was much too specific for the agenda but wanted me to know they would address the issue of due process in society.
The Federal Officer issues of pay equity and statutory arrest authority are also too broad—she did not see any place in the platform where they would work.
On the issues of funding, the FOP positions of Byrne, JAG, and Homeland Security grants were also too specific. I asked if Homeland Security would be addressed; she felt it would, but not in the context of funding at the State or Local Level.
Lastly, I discussed the preservation of defined benefit pension programs and was informed they would be addressing the dire straits of State and Local Pensions and would in fact be supporting defined contribution pension plans.
As previously stated, they were very cordial and wanted to know the FOP positions but, after talking to their interviewer, I felt that none of our priorities would align with the platform that will be approved in Tampa.
It is vitally important that we use this information and the answers to our questionnaires when making our decisions when it is time to endorse candidates for all Federal Offices.
Chuck Canterbury
National President
Fraternal Order of Police
Download:
 July 2012 E_News.pdf
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