Franklin Police Association

Hello everyone.
First, I would like to introduce myself. My name is John Maloney and I am the current President of the Franklin Police Association. I have been a member of the Franklin Police Department since February of 2006. Prior to joining the Franklin Police Department I was a member of the Needham Police Department for three years. I was recently elected to the position when former president, Officer Rick Grover, stepped down after many years of tireless and dedicated service to the Franklin Police Association………Thanks for all of your hard work Rick!!
I would also like to apologize for the time gap since our last posting. The past several months have been extremely busy for the Franklin Police Association. The Franklin Police Association, after working more than 14 months without a contract and after several “negotiation” meetings, recently aggreed to a three year contract with the town which will expire in June of 2010. Last month members of the Franklin Police Association, as well as other members of the Franklin Police department, once again did a terrific job organizing and hosting the Halloween Haunted House and Festival…..I would like to thank all invovled for a job well done. I would also like to thank the citizens of Franklin who showed there support by attending the event and enjoying the day.
As you are all aware the Holiday Season is upon us. The Franklin Police Association is once again sponsoring our annual toy drive to benefit the chidren of Franklin. If you are interested in supporting this event please bring in any new unwrapped toys to the Franklin Police Department, located at 911 Panther Way, from now until December 20th. Gifts are needed for ages infant to teen. If you would like to assist this event with a monetary donation please make checks payable to the Franklin Police Association. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Nicole Connors or Chris Spillane at 508-528-1212.
If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns please fell free to contact me by phone at 508-528-1212 x557 or by email at jmaloney@franklinpolice.com.
Thank you,
John Maloney

The Franklin Police Association has begun our annual fund-raiser.  We have employed All-Pro Productions to run our fund-raising campaign.  After months of careful review and recommendations from other Unions, the Association has selected All-Pro to conduct solicitations.  As in the previous years, we have stressed to All-Pro that we expect nothing but professionalism and courtesy to the citizens of our community, as the Officers here strive for.

Over the years, through donations made by businesses and citizens of Franklin, we have been able to return that back to our community.  We will continue to support all community organizations, and the citizens who live here.  This has been and is the primary concern of the Officers in the Franklin Police Association.

On April 18, 2008 at the Milford Sheraton Ballroom, we are hosting a comedy night with 4 of Boston’s top comics.  The doors open at 6:30pm and the show will start at 7:30pm.  This event is an 18 and over event.  Tickets are available at the door the night of the event.  We look forward to seeing you all there this year for a great show.  Come down and have some laughs with your Police Officers.

During our fund-raising campaign, should you have any questions, concerns, or problems, I ask that you please call me at 508-528-1212 X566 so I may address any issues or answer any of your questions.

Thank you for your time and generosity,

Rick Grover

President

FPA

The Franklin Police Association is sponsoring our annual toy drive to benefit the children of Franklin. From now until December 20^th please bring in any new unwrapped toys to the Franklin Police Department at 911 Panther Way. Gifts are needed from infant to teen. If you would like to give a monitory donation please make checks payable to the Franklin Police Association. Any questions please contact Nicole Connors or Jen Mitchell at 508-528-1212.

On Sunday October 28th, 2007 the Franklin Police Headquarters was once again the site of another great Halloween event. The Police Department’s Safety Division, with financial support from the Franklin Police Association, held its annual Halloween party for the families of Franklin.

Officer Jennifer Mitchell heads up a dedicated group of volunteers to make this a success year after year. We estimate that close to two thousand people came to visit us this year and take in the haunted house, the hay ride, and all the food and contests.

We would like to especially thank and acknowledge not only the members of the FPA, but also Lieutenant Lynn Bruce, and Lieutenant Thomas Lynch who also gave up their free time to volunteer on Sunday, as well as help with the many hours of set up needed. Without this team effort the day would not have been possible.

The haunted house in the station was a new addition this year and we must thank the members of the Franklin High School theatrical club for their many hours of set design, costumes, and their help in playing the roles of the scary beings inside the haunted house tour. Many of the props and furniture we constructed and donated by the F and P Molla Construction Company of Franklin.

We hope that everyone enjoyed the day as much as all the officers who donated their time and efforts enjoyed having you here.

I want to start out by saying that we wish the graduating seniors all the best in there upcoming years and congratulations on there upcoming graduation. Well Done. We wish you well with your future endeavors. Be safe, and be happy.

A few days ago the town held an election for an override and presented it to the citizens of Franklin for vote. The vote has passed. I want to thank those of you who voted yes to the override. Thank you for keeping the town from digging further into our budget than it already has. To those of you who voted no, thank you as well. Thank you for recognizing that there are likely places the Town could do better in managing it’s funds.

Over the last several years, we have seen the Town of Franklin grow. With a population of nearly 33,000 residents and a daily population that eclipses that, we have seen a growth in areas that concern us. For example the number of motor vehicles that travel our roadways has grown. According to published numbers in the annual Town report in 2003 the Franklin Police reported 3,518 motor vehicle violations. During the same period of 2006 we recorded 6,142. This is almost a 50% increase in three years.

This is only one example of the increased volume of calls for service. Calls to the schools have increase, property breaks, domestic calls in 2003 were 136, in 2006 this number was 560, alarms calls were 537 in 2003, and in 2006 jumped to 1,355.

You may be asking why we are pointing out all this information. This is because as the number of incidents rise, and more serious crimes present themselves in our community, the number of officers responding to these has not. You as citizens of Franklin are getting more work from less officers. We do not complain about the workload we incur, as this is the job we love and are dedicated to do. Like every other department in Town, we need help too. We need more officers and more resources available to us to assist us in completing these tasks. Currently the Patrol or Uniform Division of the police department is operating with 27 officers to cover three 8 hour shifts for 26 square miles. The four officers in the Safety Division are responsible for school safety, and answering over one thousand calls for service at our schools. That is over two hundred and fifty calls a year for one officer average. Our six officers assigned to the Detective Division are investigating over six hundred crimes a year. These crimes include sexual assaults, property investigations, identity theft, and many more. These cases take time to investigate properly, and they are short staffed.

As the years have passed, the number of officers has declined. Thanks only to the dedication of the officers we have been able to keep control of the growing call volume. All the good will and dedication will eventually be overtaken by pure call volume. There will not be officers available to respond to your emergency with the same timeliness as you enjoy today. Simply said, the Police Department needs more officers.

Residents can be assured that every Franklin Police officer working today has the best interests of the Town of Franklin in mind. We will continue to provide you with the best service we can.

Thank you,

Rick Grover

President

FPA

On Friday May 11, 2007 the Franklin Police Association all-stars played a basketball game against the celebrity basketball team.  After 4 long periods the Franklin officers came up short.  We want to thank the Barry family for their participation in the game.  Thanks to their participation in the game, we came close to beating the celebrity team.

Over the last several weeks that the Franklin Police Association has conducted our annual fundraiser. Calls on our behalf were made to the citizens and businesses of Franklin. The support we received was overwhelming. We wish we could thank each of you individually, we will have to settle for a collective “thank you”.  The support you provide us is appreciated by every officer. If you were not able, or were not contacted directly and would like to show your support, it’s not to late. Please see the ABOUT US section on the main page of this site.

We hope that next year we will be able to appeal for your support without having to interrupt your busy days with phone calls. We are exploring alternative methods of fundraising that we hope will be less intrusive. More on that at a later time when we have some details to share.

Again thank you all for your generosity and support.

Respectfully,

Rick Grover

President

FPA

On Tuesday March 13, 2007 the FPA will be conducting our yearly fundraiser.  We have employed the services of Eastern Advertising to run this campaign.  The FPA has used Eastern Advertising for several years now, and have had a very good working relationship with this company.  I have personally spoken with the owner of Eastern Advertising, and have been assured that they will maintain the level of professionalism that we as your patrol officers strive for. 

Over the years, through the generous donations from the businesses and citizens of Franklin, we have been able to return back to our community.  We will continue to support the community as well as the citizens who live here.  This has been and will always be the first priority of our association.

On May 11, 2007 at 7:00pm the FPA all-stars will be playing a basketball game against former and retired sports players.  The game will be played at the High School field house.  We look forward to seeing everyone there.

During our fundraising campaign, should you have any questions, concerns, or problems, I ask that you please call me at 508-528-1212 x566 so I can address any issues. 

Thank you for your time and generosity,

Rick Grover

President

FPA

The Franklin Police Association would like to shine a spotlight on Officer Brian Johnson for his diligent and hard work on a recent case involving stolen credit cards. Officer Johnson has been employed with the Police Department since 1993 when he was hired as a dispatcher. He performed his duties with immaculate details, and a few short years later was offered a full time position with the police department as a patrol officer. In December 1998 he was hired by the town and began the rigorous and demanding police academy. Upon successful completion of the Academy, he performed the required break-in time with a field training officer. After completion of the field training, Officer Johnson was assigned to the 6p-2a patrol shift. Due to the reduction of our police force, and elimination of shifts, Officer Johnson is now assigned to the 3p-11p shift.

During his tenure here at the police department, Officer Johnsons’ knowledge and experience in computers, has landed him with the title as Information Technology Manager. Officer Johnson is required to maintain and update the computer systems that are located throughout our station, as well as the computers that our fellow officers use in our patrol cars. This task is very demanding as we know how quickly things regarding computers change. He has been an extreme asset to the department and his fellow officers.

On December 12^th, Officer Johnson spoke with a victim reporting a theft of credit cards. During Officer Johnson’s investigation he discovered the stolen credit cards were used at the Home Depot and Wal-Mart in Bellingham. Officer Johnson met with both store’s loss prevention and was supplied surveillance video of two men making purchases with the stolen credit cards.

Officer Johnson then took police work to the next level. He decided to use one of the most popular Internet websites out there. He took the surveillance videos and posted them on the Internet website “YouTube”.

Within a few hours of Officer Johnson posting the videos on YouTube he had a positive ID on the two men that used the stolen credit cards. Officer Johnson received information from the several law enforcement agencies, which identified the two males as John Terrio and Matthew Terrio of Brockton.This case also was featured in stories by The Boston Globe, Fox 25, and New England Cable News.

Officer Johnson then applied for warrants for both men’s arrest through the Wrentham District Court. Those warrants are currently still outstanding.

This is just one example of the dedication and aggressive police work that our members do every shift of every day. We hope that this will be the first in a series of officers we will highlight. Every member of the Franklin Police Department brings dedication and skill to benefit the community. These officers are assets to the community, and help make Franklin the great place to live that it is.

Last week the Milford Daily News published an article about the FPA’s upcoming contract with the Town. Unfortunately the news made some editorial remarks which do not reflect the FPA’s feelings.

Specifically the FPA understands and supports all of the other collective bargaining units in Town. We also understand that while each department has their own specific job function which is challenging, the Town’s comparison of its Police Officers against what some other departments do is inaccurate, and unfair. Not only is this unfair to us, but also unfair to other bargaining units in Town.

Our brothers and sisters at the Franklin Fire Department have what could be seen as the closest job function to us. They are 24/7 employees who represent a major piece of the public safety response for the citizens of Franklin. They are also charged with protecting lives and property just as we are. However they would also explain that while we share many things in common,there are just as many nuances’ in their job that are specific to the fire service, and do not apply to the police department.

We believe that all Town employees want to make our community better. We understand that each department has to bargain with the same Administration that we do, and many of them share the same frustrations. It is our goal to highlight the differences and challenges that we as your police officers face.

It is never our intention to be rude, disrespectful, or unreasonable. It is our goal to educate and inform the public who often do not know what happens at one of the largest and most visible Town departments.

After the last elections all voters were able to pick up a copy of the annual Town Report. This document contains information on each department, as well as a short narrative about what they accomplished in the last year. One of the most viewed areas of this book is the Town Payroll. As public employees our salary is public knowledge. We often hear right after this publication comes out the comments “wow the police make a lot of money”. While it’s true that this profession allows an opportunity to earn a fair wage, it is not accomplished by working “40 hours”. With the cost of living, and health insurance increasing regularly officers must seek to better their financial situation, just as any working person would.

Police officers that you see on the roads working details, and those who elect to work overtime are going beyond the forty hour work week. In essence these officers are working second and sometimes third jobs to bring home enough pay to provide for their families. There is also a price paid in time away from family, missed events, and loss of personal time. Police officers often work in a fast paced and high stress environment.

It is necessary for them to also have some “decompression” time away from the job. Sadly many officers cannot afford to take that break because it will mean they will not be bringing in that extra money to keep supporting their families. Police officers working extra duty do not do it because they want to; they do it because they need to.

As always the Franklin Police Association is eager to hear directly from the community we protect. If you would like to send us your thoughts or ideas please email us at info@franklinpoliceassociation.com . I look forward to hearing from you. You can also contact your Town Council members and let them know that you support the men and women of the Franklin Police Association.

Thank you,

Rick Grover

President

FPA

The Franklin Police Association would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.  As we look back on this year, we thank the citizens of Franklin, and businesses who have supported us.  Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated.  We look forward to working with you in this upcoming year. 

This year has brought us a variety of physically and emotionally taxing incidents.  We have been confronted with the challenges of a mass casualty incident and the nightmare every officer dreads, the taking of a citizen’s life in the line of duty.  Officers have responded to countless motor vehicle crashes, alarm calls, and domestic disturbances.  We have seen a significant increase in these types of calls, and your officers have responded with professionalism and courage in the face of trying circumstances. 

This past year the Franklin Police Association has been privileged to be able to sponsor and be part of numerous community events.  Over this last year the FPA has made donations to youth sports, community safety programs, and organization and charities whose ideals and community spirit mirror those of the FPA.  We also had the privilege of sponsoring our annual Seniors Dinner, and the FPA toy drive which provided toys for dozens of families in need this holiday season.  Throughout the year we have also returned thousands of dollars to help better our community.  It is because of your generous financial support that we are able to continue to give back to the community.  

We look forward to continuing our mission of serving the residents of Franklin in this upcoming year 2007.  As previously noted, this year is a contract year.  We look forward to our upcoming meetings with the Town, and hope that you will let your elected officials know you support the men and women of the Franklin Police Department.

If you have any questions or comments, please email me at the address below. Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Rick Grover

President

FPA

Email: info@franklinpoliceassociation.com