Updates from NYSTPBA President Tom Mungeer, August 26, 2022

NYSTPBA Newsletter Updates from NYSTPBA President Tom Mungeer In Memoriam The thoughts and prayers of the entire NYSTPBA membership go out to the family, friends and former coworkers of retired Sergeant F. Brent Chomyszak, who passed away on August 23, 2022, at his home in Punta Gorda, Fla. of an illness as a result of his response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He became a member of the State Police on March 30, 1987 and retired on May 31, 2011 from Troop D. His death will be considered LODD. Arrangements are pending at this time, but a Celebration of Life is being planned in Syracuse in mid-September. Our thoughts and prayers also go out to the men and women of the Tennessee Highway Patrol as well as the Marion County Sheriff's Department after the tragic deaths of Sergeant Lee Russell and Detective Matt Blansett, who were killed in an on-duty helicopter crash this week in Marion County. Sergeant Russell had served with the Tennessee Highway Patrol for 12 years. Sick Leave Call I am being told that my friend Ray Salvie is currently “under the weather.” As I have written numerous times in this newsletter - Ray, 97 years young - is a proud member of the Greatest Generation. He joined the State Police on Nov. 1, 1954 and retired from Troop D - SP Lafayette as a Senior Investigator on Nov. 25, 1979. As a member of the Marine Corps, he fought in and survived the Battle of Iwo Jima. Ray, I know your daughter reads my weekly musings to you, so I want you to know that you are an inspiration to the entire NYSTPBA membership, and our thoughts and prayers are with you. You are truly an American hero. Thank you for your service, my friend. National Troopers Coalition Picnic – Thursday, September 8, 2022 – Buffalo, NY Please purchase your NTC picnic tickets ASAP so we can get an accurate head count for food and drink. Please use this link: Fall Picnic Polls, Polls and More Polls If you believe a recent SurveyUSA poll taken on behalf of WNYT-TV in Albany, Gov. Kathy Hochul has a 24-point lead over her challenger Lee Zeldin (55% - Hochul, 31% - Zeldin, 14% - Undecided). The Zeldin camp remains unfazed with its spokeswoman Katie Vincentz stating, “Our pollster, John McLaughlin, is currently tracking the race at an 8-point difference.” On the bright side, there are just 11 more weeks of polls. Quote of the Week “I want law enforcement to be able to do their job without worrying about getting sued all day long personally by disgruntled people who they come in contact with. As governor, I would veto this legislation. Now it’s important for Kathy Hochul to tell the public exactly where she stands on this proposal. Is she for it or against it?” - Gubernatorial candidate Congressman Lee Zeldin at a campaign speech in NYC on Monday on the topic of potentially taking away qualified immunity for law enforcement officers. He does bring up a good point as I would like to hear her answer also. The best we’ve gotten is that her office released a statement earlier in the summer only that she will review any legislation if it passes both houses. For the record, no qualified immunity legislation advanced in either the Senate or Assembly this past legislative session and our legislative team is watching bills such as this closely. For his part, though, I am told that Congressman Zeldin told one of my contemporaries recently that he is against any changes to Tier 6 as it “would be irresponsible to the taxpayers.” To be continued… Death of a Salesman Continuing on the gender-neutral and kinder and gentler terminology train, Governor Hochul signed legislation into law this past week that replaced the word “salesman” with “salesperson” and also replaces instances of “his” or “her” with “their” in relevant statutes affecting the real estate industry. She also signed another bill that removes gendered references to officeholders in local legislative bodies — like councilman or councilwoman — in favor of councilmember. Apparently, things such as bail reform, raise the age and the economy have taken a backseat to stamping out Willy Loman. Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don’t In case you didn’t see it, this past week two officers with the NYCPD were allegedly chasing a reportedly stolen ATV at 2 a.m. last Friday when it traveled the wrong way down a street and collided with a tractor trailer, causing the deaths of both men on the machine. Both officers involved have been placed on modified duty pending an investigation. Of course, immediately afterward, a family member of one of the deceased stated, “They were just out for a ride, not harming anybody.” However, this is the same jurisdiction in which its mayor has been taking numerous photo ops and proudly bragging how he is cracking down on these illegal ATVs and dirt bikes and taking them off the streets. NYCPBA President Pat Lynch had the best quote in sticking up for his members - "The NYPD needs to decide whether enforcing quality of life issues is really a priority. These police officers and cops across the city have been told to prioritize getting illegal bikes and ATVs off the streets, because the community is sick of them. They should not be punished for doing the job they were sent out to do." Well said, Pat. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Attorney General As part of a recently released report following the investigation into a fatal shooting by members of the Rochester Police Department in June 2021 (non-SP), New York State Attorney General Letitia James is recommending that every police agency in the state deploy body-worn cameras. So be it, as we had the damn things shoved down our throats legislatively, but her follow-up quote almost made me spit out my morning coffee - “My office upholds the highest standards of transparency and fairness in every investigation we undertake. After a thorough review of the facts of this incident, we concluded that officers were justified in their conduct in this case…” I call foul. To be continued… On a side note, I think I’m running out of “Generals” to pick a fight with. Albeit, justifiably so. New York State Fair When you visit the State Police display, don’t forget to visit the NYSTPBA Apparel Store at the State Fair! Baseline Health Mobile Bus Screener – NYC The NYSTPBA’s State Trooper Surgeons Group is announcing an upcoming event with Baseline Health, which specializes in making it convenient to stay proactive with your health by bringing a full medical practice to the worksite via a state-of-the-art Medical Command Vehicle. This removes the inconvenience factors, such as commuting to an office and excessive wait times that typically prevent people from getting regular physicals. September 9 & September 16 NYS TROOPERS - SP ROCKAWAYS 2901 Flatbush Ave Brooklyn NY 11234 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. To schedule an appointment: https://baselineappointment.as.me/SProckaways This email is an automated notification, which is unable to receive replies. To send a comment to the NYSTPBA, please contact us at nystpba@nystpba.org .

The Police Benevolent Association of the New York State Troopers 120 State St. Albany, New York 12207 (518) 462-7448 http://www.nystpba.org