2/1/2010 Second Chair's View

When I ran for the POA Board of Directors, I did not expect to wind up in the Vice President's position a year later. I was humbled by George's confidence and trust in me and honored by the Board of Director's endorsement of the pick. That being said, none of you voted for George to be our President and none of you voted for me to be your Vice President. George and I are acutely aware of that fact. Less than a year from now, we may or may not run for these positions and at that time you will have an opportunity to make your own call on who leads this Association.

Whether or not we run and whether or not we are elected, George and I are proceeding as if we will be here for a few years. To that end, we are bringing about many internal changes to improve communications within the Board and the General Membership. To that end, please make sure that the POA has your private email on record, not your City email. We will send out occasional mass emails to keep you more timely updated on events. We actively backed younger members of the Association in running for the Board of Directors. Our goal is to establish a succession plan and develop the next generation and the generation after that of involved Directors.

As an introduction to those that don't know me I'll begin by telling you that I have never been comfortable talking about myself. Of my 44 years on this Earth, 21 have been with this Department. I have worked in MERGE, was promoted to sergeant about 12 years ago and then worked FVU. I am currently working NCI. George did not pick me to be his Vice President because of my outgoing personality. To some, I may not appear to be the most approachable person. That perception is not accurate. I am admittedly introverted and I can understand that people can misread that. My strengths are my work ethic, organizational skills and my ability to see a project through to completion.

The economic news continues to worsen and the challenges ahead of us are daunting. I'm not going to address those issues this month but will in the months ahead. I can tell you that the current Board of Directors is an involved and hard working group that will represent you well. George and I have instituted monthly training for the Board on a wide ranging list of topics. Board Members have taken on a new level of responsibility that I will lay out in an upcoming article.

We are all frustrated, tired and angry about the way that we have been characterized by our detractors. Our organization does a lot of good work in the community and we are exploring ways to get that message out. There is no better police department than the SJPD. I am proud to work here. The vast majority of the citizens of this city support us and we will, over time, give them a voice.

Look out for each other and be safe.

Jim Unland #2666