Summer 2008

Greetings to my fellow SFAPOA members,

Wow, eighteen months have past since being elected and I am happy to report that our Association has continued in our tradition of volunteering for many community events. I want to commend our member volunteers for all the work they have done addressing our yearly commitments and to their personal devotion and loyalty.

During this term, our Executive board has met formally once a month at a district station or other city location to discuss with our members, Department information, concerns and other Association activities. We continue to hold our meetings at other district stations so that we are accessible and for the convenience of members that are 10-8 in the district. At the request of our members, our Association meetings have been scheduled for the first Wednesday of the month at 1300 hours. Meeting locations, past meeting minutes, and our activities schedule is posted on our website at www.SFAPOA.org. This posted information is accessible to members 24/7.

In 2008, the Department administration made positive changes in its staff makeup and assignments. Change is always a positive step and we must continue to grow and be flexible with these changes. For the benefit of our members, the board’s attendance at the Police Employee Group (PEG) meetings includes speaking presentations on behalf of our organization and positive and professional dialogue with our administration.

We continue to have meaningful dialogue and work relationships with our in-house representatives such as the S.F. Police Officer’s Association, Officer’s for Justice, Latino Peace Officers Association, Emerald Society, Golden State Peace Officers and the Women Officer Network. Our affiliation with our brother organizations, Northern California Asian Peace Officers Association (NCAPOA) and the National Asian Peace Officers Association (NAPOA) are stronger because of our renewed bonds with them.

Professional relationships and interaction with our Command staff on a frequent basis keeps our organization in a positive light as we continue to impress upon our community, our presence as positive role models and our dedication to our profession.

We continue to be available as volunteers for Academy recruit mentoring and counseling. This is vitally important to new recruits who would benefit from experienced and senior officers who have shown that with demonstrated determination and peer support they will be successful police officers for San Francisco.

National training conferences, member seminars and in-house classes assist us in updating our training and promotional opportunities. The upcoming national training conference sponsored by the National Asian Peace Officers Association (NAPOA) will be presented from August 25-29, 2008 in Washington, D.C. SFAPOA is part of this organization and actively partners with many of their local functions. NAPOA‘s President, Regan Fong has requested SFAPOA to invite our members to this conference. We will be joined by other Asian law enforcement associations and together present a unified body in Washington, D.C.

This is a great opportunity to meet and dialog with other Asian law enforcement officers from all over the United States. Limited financial assistance will be provided by the SFAPOA. Additional information of this upcoming conference, tuition fees and hotel information at www.napoaonline.org.

Several social events have been planned and are just around the corner. Our recruitment and membership drive is planned for Sunday, June 29, 2008 @ noon at Burlingame Prime Restaurant (more information at www.sfapoa.org) and the upcoming annual SFAPOA Scholarship Dinner will be here in just a few months! As always, we welcome our member’s participation to volunteer and support our group efforts to present a unified and professional demeanor to these events. Please feel free to contact us by phone or by Department mail at:

David Tambara GTF, days 553-1137

David Kamita CSI, days 553-9262

Al Wong SID, days 553-9664

Henry Seto GTF, swings 553-9144

On behalf of the SFAPOA Executive Board, we wish you continued good health and renewed spirit for you and your loved ones. Be safe!

Respectfully,

Al Wong

Secretary, SFAPOA

Mission Statement

The internal objectives of the SFAPOA will be to promote career development of its members within the San Francisco Police Department and establish a representative body to work with the Asian and Pacific Island communities with the City and County of San Francisco. The external objectives of the SFAPOA will be to promote inter-community communication through affiliation with existing groups and / or organizations with the city and County of San Francisco and provide assistance with activities, programs, and services that our cultural, educational, recreational and vocational.