POAG EXECUTIVE MINUTES - January 2006:  

The Executive Committee of the Peace Officers’ Association of Georgia, Inc. held a meeting at 10 A. M., January 20, 2006, Peace Officers’ Association office, Reidsville, Georgia.   Committee members attending included President Gary Hill, Vice President Jimmy Jones, Board Member Thomas A. Alley, Legislative Chairman Homer Bryson, Secretary-Treasurer John Conley, and Executive Director Marion Conley.  Board Member Mike Fordham is deployed and was unable to attend.  Chaplain Rick Lanford and Attorney Frank Childs were also unable to attend.  

President Gary Hill called the meeting to order and gave the invocation. 

Legislative Chairman Homer Bryson led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

  A motion was made by Homer Bryson, seconded by Thomas Alley and passed to approve the minutes from December, 2005.   

   Jimmy Jones made a motion, seconded by Thomas Alley and passed to approve the financial reports for the months of November and December, 2005. 

President Hill had talked with Professor Kevin Gil Martin’s office and learned his fee for a speaking engagement is $3,400.00 plus transportation costs from and return to Arizona.  After a discussion, the Committee decided to postpone asking Professor Martin to speak until possibly the 2007 convention.  The Committee decided to ask Vice President and General Manager of WTOC TV in Savannah, William Cathcart to be the featured speaker on Monday afternoon at the convention. 

Special Agent Garry Moore with the GBI is aware that we hope to have 20 hours of POST certified training available this year at the convention. 

Meals for the convention were discussed with it being decided to have a low country boil Sunday night, have Big Bad Wolf Barbeque cook Monday and Tuesday night and ask Pabst Blue Ribbon to sponsor a noon meal on Tuesday. 

Marion Conley reported having heard from The Southern Lawmen.  They will be available for the Monday night dance.  The Committee then decided to ask D. J. John Edwards to perform Sunday night and D. J. Mike McDaniel to perform Tuesday night. 

Since COPS and POAG have been working together on health benefit coverage for surviving dependents of peace officers killed in the line of duty on the Federal level, they have now decided to approach the State legislators with the idea of providing health coverage to all surviving dependents of peace officers killed in the line of duty within the State of Georgia.  A motion to this effect was made by Thomas Alley, Jimmy Jones seconded the motion and the motion passed. 

            The family of deceased POAG member Johnny Robertson has been communicating with the office about possibly furnishing a scholarship through POAG for a dependent of a retired or active POAG member.  The office will continue to communicate with this family about this possibility. 

            A recommendation for a city officer appointment to the POA&B Board needs to be made to Governor Perdue.  John Conley made the following recommendations:  Chief of Jesup Police Department Wayne Herbert (Butch) Hutcheson, Chief of Pooler Police Department Clarence Edgar Chan and Chief of Leesburg Police Department Charles Ray Moore.  This motion was seconded by Homer Bryson and passed. 

            The Committee was asked by President Hill to continue to search for funding so that our sponsorship of Alcohol Free Prom night may be continued. 

            The February meeting will be set when a date is determined that the Legislature can honor our “Officer of the Year for Valor from 2005”.  Hopefully, we can schedule the meeting the evening prior to meeting with the Legislature. 

            Legislative Chairman Homer Bryson reported he has written Burke Day, Chairman of the Public Safety Committee on the Open Records Act discussed in last month’s meeting. 

            A motion was made by Thomas Alley, seconded by Jimmy Jones and passed to adjourn to lunch.