ThePulse

Hispanic Police Officers AssociationApril 15, 2009

HispanicHispanicHispanic Police

Officers Association

1470 N.W. 107th AvenueSuite P

Doral, Florida 33172

Phone 305.594.1173Email: Bill@hpoadade.org

The Hispanic PulseWe are on the Web:www.hpoadade.org

We are available 24Hours

Next MeetingApril 27, 2009May 25, 2009June 29, 2009August 31, 2009

Association Attorney'sMark SeidenTim MartinTony SotoJoel KaplanAl MilianJeff Cohen

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENTBill Hernandez

There have been many things going on the last couple of months, as you can see fromreading the rest of the newsletter. Your executive board has been working non stop toensure that this organization runs as smooth and professional as possible. In the lastseveral months we have put together the Valentine’s Dance, the picnic, the assessment

portion for the promotional exams, the upcoming domino tournament, and the conclusion of the founda-tion just to name a few. However, the largest accomplishment is that the HPOA has now reached beyondits boundary’s of the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD). After several meetings with each of therespected entities, we have received membership from Miami Gardens, Doral and School Board. TheHPOA is growing exponentially and with our new members spreading the word of the quality work theHPOA does and has done in the past, who knows what the future might bring for our association.

The future holds many exciting things for our association. Our members are receiving their Master’sDegree due to the efforts of the HPOA, and Nova Southeastern University. In addition, our members willbe trained to succeed in the promotional process, while future Leadership workshops will receive the nec-essary skills to be better managers, leaders and supervisors for our Department. The HPOA is committedto providing avenues for its members to advance not only within MDPD, but personally.

As your President, I feel it is my responsibility to help guide the HPOA into the future. Develop boldstrategies and turn them into reality, while ensuring our members they are being lead by the right person.As President, I believe our organization is heading in the right direction to make those changes.

With two Majors recently retiring (Tony Galindo and Frank Bocanegra) and five expected to retire beforethe end of next year, the HPOAwants to help mentor its members, give them a clear understanding of theneeds of the Department, and provide a clear vision as to what they need to do to be the next leaders onthis Department.

As a leader of a unit, bureau, or district, that individual needs to have a clear vision of what needs are andwhat needs to be accomplished. Creating the right compelling vision will allow each Major to easily directthose who work for them. The HPOA is striving to help assist those who want to lead, become Major’s,and do it for the best interest of the Department and those who work for them. For this reason the HPOAis in the process of putting together “Leadership Workshops” to help promote our members and provide aclear vision of the needs of Miami-Dade County and MDPD. We anticipate that this program should startduring the latter part of this year.

Our members need to continue to do the right things, stay positive even if the choices made for promo-tions were not your favorite. Members please understand that politics play a part of promotions. All theHPOA can do is make suggestions, promote fairness, and give our members the best education possible tohelp them obtain their goals. I assure you as an organization we are doing what is right for its membersand with your support we can make a difference.

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“LA LIGA CONTRA EL CANCER”

League Against Cancer / Liga Contra el Cancer was founded inMiami 1975 as a community-based, not-for-profit organization pro-viding free medical care to needy Cancer patients. More than 350Florida physicians, who are board-certified in their specialties, volun-teer their services to the League Against Cancer. The dedication andsupport of volunteer physicians and on-going assistance of volunteersmaintain administrative costs at about 12% of operational budgets.

League Against Cancer is the last resort for cancer victims who haveno financial resources or health insurance. Since 1975, more than50,000 low-income, uninsured men, women and children havereceived world-class medical treatment, screenings and support fromthe League Against Cancer, which represents a very significant eco-nomic saving to the State of Florida. Expenses incurred by the LeagueAgainst Cancer for Cancer treatments can amount as much as$50,000 per patient. Patients receive the appropriate medical treat-ments at no cost to them.

The HPOA has been a major contributor to “La Liga Contra elCancer” since its beginning and we take great pride in helping such aworthy non for profit organization. This event takes place Sunday,June 7, 2009 and as always, the HPOA is committed in helping themwith security. If you are interested in donating your time to help sucha worthy cause, please contact Eric Garcia at eric@hpoadade.org orat 305-594-1173.

HPOA SCHOLARSHIP

It’s that time of year when we seek out those member’s chil-dren who have excelled in High School and now are look-ing for assistance in paying for college. The HPOA ispreparing to give out its Annual HPOA Scholarship to thosedeserving students. If you have never been awarded anHPOA Scholarship you are entitled to apply. If you haveapplied in the past and were not awarded a scholarship, weencourage you to apply again.

If you would like to apply please log on to our web pagewww.hpoadade.org, download the Scholarship Applicationlocated on the side menu under Documents. Please adhere tothe requirements and ensure that you do not submit past thedeadline date of Friday, May 1, 2009.

For those members who have received a scholarship in thepast, we are seeking volunteers to establish a ScholarshipCommittee. These individuals will review all applicants,ensure guidelines were met and present their recommenda-tions to the board. If you are interested in giving back,please call me at 305-345-6592 or email me at bill@hpoad-ade.org. I will be coordinating the committee and will needyour commitment no later than Friday, May 1, 2009

HPOA MONTHLYCONTRIBUTIONS

Air Base Elementary Golf Classic TournamentRaymond G. Bush and Associates Police ChaplainMetro Dawgs Domino TournamentJuvenile Diabetes Research Foundation DonationPolice 0fficer Assistance Trust 2009 Golf TournamentMetro Softball Association Corp. Florida Law GamesPembroke Lakes Optimist Club USSSA Boys U12 &Cooperstown Dream Park TournamentS.E. Police Motorcycle Committee, Inc. 16th AnnualMotorcycle Rodeo

Congratulations to Tony Galindo and Bill Press

This past month two long time members of the HPOAretired. Tony Galindo with 27 years, while Bill Press with36 years to our Department. The Department and HPOA Iwant to personally thank them both for their commitment,leadership, and their loyalty to us. I wish them both manyyears of enjoyable, quality life and always know that theyare HPOAmembers for life. Good Luck and may God blessyou in your future adventures.

ANNUAL HPOA PICNIC

This years HPOAAnnual picnic was the best one ever. It was heldon Saturday, April 4th, 2009, from 11:00am – 5:00pm, in TropicalPark, Shelter 1. We have been doing this for years and we believethis picnic was one of the best ever. Remember, this is a free eventwith food, games and rides such as dominoes for the adults, a DJ,pony rides, rock climbing, face painting, slides, bounce house, cot-ton candy, snow cones, and popcorn. So make sure that you don’tmiss next year’s HPOA picnic!

The Hispanic Pulse Page 3

HISPANIC POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATIONMeeting MinutesFebruary 23, 2009The February 2009 meeting of the Hispanic Police Officers Association (HPOA) was held at the HPOA Office (1470 NW 107 Ave, Suite P – Doral, FL).President William Hernandez called the meeting to order at 7:37 p.m. and welcomed guests and members of the Association that were present.Board MembersPresent: William Hernandez, Alex Alfonso, William Gonzalez, Marcos Martinez, and Bobby Fortich.Absent: Eric Garcia.Others Present:B. Rox was present and asked for a $500.00 donation for the Police Reserve Officer Program and Chaplain’s Gala. The motion was made by B. Rox, second-ed by A. Alfonso and passed without any opposition.ProceedingsPresident’s Report – William Hernandez welcomed the Executive Board and the 8 members and guests that were present. The following was presented anddiscussed:

• The Sergeant prep course was discussed and it was mentioned that Gillett might be called again to head it for this years test.o It was mentioned that Eric Garcia and Bill Hernandez would be able to do it for less.o Major Nanny would also be contacted to see if he would be interested in doing the in basket portion of the test.o Bill Hernandez will head the committee to assist in correcting the on-line exam.• Valentine’s Day was a success. Next year we will be looking to change the band to lower the cost.• The golf tournament will be again headed by Robert Fortich. We are looking to change the venue to a more cost friendly location. We alsoneed to find more sponsors for the tournament to include sponsoring the individual holes.

• Robert Fortich motioned attaining cigars, a humidifier and a lighter to have in the HPOA hall for members to enjoy. He mentioned thatthis could be done for $200.00. The motion was made by B. Rox and seconded by A. Alfonso. The motion passed without opposition.• Domino tournament was discussed. Marcos will lead the committee on this. The venue will be changed to the HPOA hall and the management company will be contacted to see if the parking lot space can be used to hold the tournament. A date will be decided on at a latertime. Also we will look into donations for the food and raffle tickets.• An idea to make a brochure with the HPOA information so that all outside agencies can see what we offer and what they will be gettingwith their membership.• HPOA picnic date was set for April 4, 2009 and will be held at Tropical Park Shelter 1.• Bill Hernandez will present Captain Bill Press with the HPOA medallion at his retirement party.• A $750.00 donation will be given to the Charels B. Stafford Golf tournament which will be held on March 20, 2009. It was motioned byBill Hernandez and seconded by Jose Lopez. The motion passed with out opposition.• A donation of $500.00 will be made to the County Manager Gorge M. Burgess 4th Annual Golf Tournament which will be held on April24, 2009. The motion was made by Bill Hernandez and seconded by Julio Padron. The motion passed with out opposition.• A donation of to the Enrique Camarena Memorial Golf Tournament will be made in the amount of $600.00. This tournament will be heldon April 23, 2009. The motion was made by Bill Hernandez and seconded by Julio Padron. The motion was passed without opposition.• A motion was made by Marcos Martinez to give a standard donation of $500.00 to the Blue team for the Police Olympics. MikeHernandez objected stating that a motion was made at previous meeting where people who are requesting money for a cause need to bepresent at the meeting. Bill Hernandez and Alex Alfonso agreed and the motion was placed on standby until the March meeting where arepresentative form the Blue Team would be present to request the donation.• A motion was made by J. Fernandez to have a donation for the Juvenile Diabetes Walk. It was seconded by Alex Alfonso and passed without opposition. The Donation would be made in the amount of $1500.00.• P.A.L Donation would be placed on hold until March Meeting.• Boy Scout Donation will be place on the monthly news letter. They will be contacted to determine what else they need from the HPOA.

Secretary’s Report – N/ATreasurer’s Report – as of February 23, 2008• Checking: $14,845.08• Savings: $22,636.02• Morgan Stanley 033882: $115,899.96• Scholarship 033883: $83,803.09• Smith Barney: $27,255.64

Total: $264,440.63

I. Unfinished Business: N/AII. New Business:III. Adjournment:The Board called for and invited an open forum for the members’ opportunity to speak about concerns and/or present ideas to appear on a future agenda.There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 8:21 p.m.

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VALENTINE’S DAY DANCE

Our Annual Valentine’s Day Dance was anight to remember. Our members looked likemovie stars as they entered the HiltonBallroom. Distinguished guest honored uswith their presence. Chief of Staff DenisMorales, Director Robert Parker, AssistantDirector’s Naim Erched and JD Patterson,Town Manager of Miami Lakes FrankBocanegra, Major Bernie Gonzalez andMajor Ariel Artime.

Judge Berti Soto started the evening byswearing in your new Executive HPOABoard. That followed by awarding this year’s“HPOAOfficer of the Year’ to Lazaro Ponce.In addition, Robert Fortich was recognizedfor his involvement in our Annual GolfTournament and Bernie Gonzalez and IggyAlvarez for their dedication to the HPOA instarting the Master’s Program at NovaSoutheastern University.

The evening was a huge success due to theentertainment of Hansel Martinez, who sangthe night away with a special guest appear-ance from his old partner, Raul. Of course wehad our very own DJ, Frank Penebab keepingthe dance floor full all night. In addition tothe music, the evening offered a full coursemeal, open bar, and a picture to commemo-rate.

So for those of you, who did not make it,please put in on your calendar for next year.You do not want to miss it again!

NOTE TO ALL MEMBERS WHOARE TAKING THEPROMOTIONAL EXAM:

You can now log onto our HPOAwebsitefor preliminary exam test at www.hpoad-ade.org. We will be providing a weekendseminar for the second part of the examsometime shortly after the results of writ-ten exam. We will keep you posted withany new information coming up. GoodLuck!!

Page 5The Hispanic Pulse

OFFICER LAZAROPONCE RESCUES RAPEVICTIM

The Hispanic Police OfficersAssociation is proud to announcethat Officer Lazaro Ponce hasbeen awarded the HPOA “Officerof the Year” for 2008.

Officer Ponce has been a memberof our Department since 2004 andthe HPOA since 2005. He along

with Officer Lisa Goulden displayed true act of heroism.

On October 19, 2008, Officer Ponce was patrolling in thearea of North Miami Avenue and NW 19 Street when heobserved a red Ford Explorer, without headlights going thewrong direction on a one way road. He activated his emer-gency equipment and conducted a traffic stop. While inter-viewing the driver, Officer Ponce saw a woman in the frontpassenger seat gesture with her hand that the driver had agun. Officer Ponce immediately removed the subject andsecured him. The subject’s shorts were pulled down to hisankles.

Officer Ponce requested back up and another responded. Shebegan talking to the female passengers, who by now was hys-terical and saying that she was in pain. The officer calmedher down and discovered that the woman was the victim of asexual battery. The women said that the subject pulled up toher and pointed a gun, threatening to kill her if she did not getin the vehicle. After abducting her, the subject drove to thewarehouse district and proceeded to rape her. During thesexual assault, the subject saw the marked police car drivenby Officer Ponce and attempted to drive off, warning thewomen that if she told anyone she would kill her.

Further investigation inside the subject’s vehicle revealed asmall, realistic-looking, plastic toy gun in the rear seat. Theofficers contacted the City of Miami Police Department andtheir Sexual Battery Unit responded and took over the inves-tigation. The investigation also revealed the vehicle had beentaken in a carjacking that morning at NE 54th Street and 2ndAvenue.

Officer Ponce’s alertness and quick actions directly con-tributed to the rescue of a female victim who had just beenabducted, while the other officer’s interviewing skillsallowed the full gravity of the offenses to be realized. OfficerLisa Goulden was awarded the department EmployeeExcellence award. Thanks to the officers’ training and team-work, a violent robbery/sexual battery subject was appre-hended and the victim was rescued.

Congratulations Officer Lazaro Ponce on winning, theHPOA “Officer of the Year” for 2008.

DOMINO TOURNAMENT

Well, it’s that time again!!!! The HPOA will be holding itssemi-annual Domino Tournament on Saturday, May 16, 2009at 6:00 P.M. This time we will be hosting it at our very ownHPOA Hall; located at 1470 NW 107 Ave Suite P. Come andjoin us for a great time and bragging rights as to who really isthe best of the best when it comes to playing dominos.

Don’t want to play dominos? No problem! We have billiardsand poker tables and if you just want to relax, we have musicand TV’s to help you get there. As always, we will have anopen bar from 6:00 P.M. the end of the tournament.

We will be offering wings, pizza and dessert, so bring yourappetites. All the proceeds from this tournament will gotowards the HPOA Fallen Officer’s Fund. We are asking $10per person whether you play or just watch. Don’t miss out onthe fun!!!!

Any questions should be directed to Marcos Martinez atMarcos@hpoadade.org or call 305-594-1173

Hispanic

Hispanic Police Officers Association

1470 NW 107 Avenue, Unit PDoral, Florida 33172

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDMIAMI, FL.

PERMIT NO 1655

ThePulseHispanic

PROCLAMATION

The Hispanic Police Officers Association (HPOA) is a wonderfulorganization that was founded in 1979 with a mission to safeguardthe interest of minority Hispanic police officers within Miami-DadePolice Department; and since the inception of the Hispanic PoliceOfficer Association it has developed into a non-profit organization,that has offered assistance to the families of fallen law enforce-ments officers injured in the line of duty, has provided scholarshipsto the children of law enforcement officers who are members of thisassociation and has donated approximately $36,000 in 2008 tocharitable organization; and those affiliated with the HPOA realizethe value and necessity of giving back to our community.The HPOA board and I would like to thank Mayor Carlos Alvarez,Chairman, Dennis C. Moss, and Chief of Staff Denis Morales forpresenting us with the Proclamation. This Proclamation has beenplaced in the HPOA conference room along with the others that theorganization has received.