Will interviews Angie Salvato and Dr. Vidisha Barua Worley, Esquire on the current state of recruiting and retaining quality law enforcement officers. The interview covers: The changes in general nature of prospective officers they’ve seen over time and why they think these changes have occurred. How the changes have escalated post-George Floyd. How students and…
Will interviewed Chicago Pasquale “Pat” Fioretto regarding an important arbitration decision between the City of Chicago and the Chicago FOP Lodge 7. Pat represented the FOP in this case, which dealt with the issues:
Will Aitchison interviews Sergeant Will Milam, president of FOP Lodge 112 in Prince George’s County, Maryland and vice president of the Maryland State FOP Lodge. The two discuss what happened in Maryland that brought about the repeal of the country’s first state police officers bill of rights and what procedural job protections are currently in…
Will interviews Dr. Michelle Lilly about the prevalence of PTSD among first responders with a specific focus on dispatchers. Dr. Lilly is an associate professor of psychology at Northern Illinois University and is the director of the Trauma, Mental Health, and Recovery Laboratory. Mental Health Training and Intervention: A Critical Component of Police Reform
Jeremy Conking of the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association and Keith Olson of the Yonkers Police Benevolent Association speak with Will Aitchison about challenges facing police unions today and how they are dealing with them.
Are you interested in the Fair Labor Standards Act or FLSA, as it is commonly known? Do you ponder over the Garicia decision? Daydream about Department of Labor regulations? Does thinking about what needs to be included in the regular rate of pay make you feel tingly all over? Then boy, do we have the…
Fire Chief Dan Kerrigan talks about how to minimize the risk factors to firefighter health and how they can achieve and maintain what he calls functional fitness. This interview focuses on firefighters but is applicable to all public safety employees and employers. Topics covered: New awareness of the importance of firefighter fitness (00:02:35) Cardiovascular risks…
Will Aitchison interviews Ron DeLord, the founder of Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT). In addition to being an attorney and experienced contract negotiator, Ron is a published author and respected historian of the law enforcement labor movement. Timestamp Topic 0:00 Introduction. 04:10 Ron’s background. 07:15 Founding of CLEAT. 11:28 The unique approach to…
What is resilience, how do emergency personnel develop it and how do departments foster it? Will discusses this important topic with psychologist Stephanie Conn in this special podcast. Topics covered: Dr. Conn’s book Increasing Resilience In Police And Emergency Personnel (00:02:44) What is resilience? (00:06:56) The four-part formula for resilience (00:11:58) I. Organizational resilience (00:14:38)…
Will interviews Rae Gross and Sarah Kuehnel of the management-side law firm Ogletree Deakins about physical agility tests (PATs). Using a recent blog post on the topic the two attorneys authored as a starting point, the discussion includes the following topics: Why is it that PATs can raise issues under federal law (Title VII, the…
Will Aitchison interviews Los Angeles Police Protective League Director Mark Cronin and Judge Steve Siemers on how the LAPPL and LAPD are using alternative dispute resolution, or ADR, to resolve workers’ compensation claims. Timestamp Topic 03:56 About the LAPPL 05:38 What inspired Mark to become involved in the ADR process? 07:40 What were the problems…
Using the Fort Worth, Texas Firefighters as an example, Will discusses health care trusts as an option for delivering health coverage for public safety employees. Michael Glynn, president of the Fort Worth Firefighters, talks about why the association considered a health care trust, how they got the city to buy into the idea and what…
Will discusses body cameras with Mike Rains and Rocky Lucia of the law firm Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC. They look at the history of body camera use in California, body cameras and criminal prosecutions of police officers, privacy matters, and what issues regarding body cameras are typically negotiated between a department…
Will and attorney Peter Brown, a partner in the law firm of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, the state of public sector bargaining and negotiations in California. LISTEN
The current presidential administration is undoubtedly conservative. This is reflected in the pro-management position its judicial appointments and the Department of Labor have taken on labor and employment issues. As a result, many municipalities, counties and states have passed laws and implemented rules more favorable to labor. Using the new Oregon family leave law as…
Will interviews Tenari Ma’afala and Vladimir Devens of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO) about the state’s unusual collective bargaining law, how they fixed their recruitment and retention problem, arbitration stories, and the standard of conduct differential. LISTEN
Will interviews Las Vegas Police Protection Association president Steve Grammas about developments in the Nevada legislature strengthening the Public Safety Officer Bill of Rights. They discuss the details of Nevada Senate Bill 242, how it was passed and if it can be a model for similar legislation in other states. LISTEN
Will interviews Isaac Kaufman of Law Enforcement Labor Services about a case out of Richfield, Minnesota involving the public policy exception. The case started in arbitration and eventually ended up in the Minnesota Supreme Court, where Kaufman and his client prevailed. DOWNLOAD ABOUT ISAAC KAUFMAN Isaac Kaufman has served since 2008 as General Counsel for…
Will interviews attorneys Stacy Bunck and John Stretton of the management-side law firm Ogletree-Deakins on the Family And Medical Leave Act. They cover the basics of the FMLA, what the employer’s obligations and responsibilities are with respect to things such as health insurance and payment of premiums, life and disability insurance, accrual of paid leave,…
Will asks arbitrator Margaret Brogan the questions you were afraid to ask — or maybe didn’t know you need to be asking. How much credence do you really give hearsay, anyway? Would you rather see a brief and/or a closing argument and why? What are the five things that irritate you as an arbitrator? Are…
Will interviews attorney Christina Carroll of the law firm Robein, Urann, Spencer, Picard & Cangemi, APLC who represented the New Orleans Firefighters is a suit involving the department’s move to allow the Fire Superintendent to promote anyone on a promotional exam list instead of being required to chose from the highest scores.
The inaugural LRIS Premium Podcast features an interview with Will Aitchison and noted FLSA attorney Greg McGillivary. Will and Greg discuss how the FLSA is applied in the public safety sector and go over some common misunderstandings of the nation’s wage and hour law. DOWNLOAD
