PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

 January 1, 2011   

Hello,

          I hope my message finds you and your family in a state of good health, peace and good fortune.  

         I look forward to leading the Organizations in a manner honoring those Presidents before me.  The Committee of Police Societies (C.O.P.S.) is the governing and coordinating body for the various organizations. To date there are 30 officially recognized organizations by the Department, of which 27 are member organizations of COPS.  Representatives from the five (5) different Line Organizations along with a several Friends of COPS are also in attendance at these meetings.   Under the COPS auspices, the presidents or their designee meet monthly for the purpose of exchanging ideas and concerns, and to ameliorate any differences that may arise.  There are a multitude of issues and events that are coordinated and attended every year in an orderly and professional manner.  Events such as the Police Memorials at 1PP, Washington DC and Albany, the Police Academy fraternal day and International Row at the Patrolman's Benevolent Association conference just to name a few.  On occasion, mutual problems faced by all members are dealt with collectively by C.O.P.S.  

        These Organizations provide valuable resources for their membership ranging from the social to the spiritual.  Tangible benefits such as scholarships, death benefit insurance, promotional guidance and counseling are available along with the intangible benefits of camaraderie, fraternalism, socialization and personal satisfaction. There are another half dozen or so, awaiting recognition as fraternal, religious or ethnic organizations, and it is this uniqueness that sets us apart from the rest of the police departments in the world. 

          New York City is experiencing an increase in overall crime, while our ranks and resources dwindle. Classes are being downsized, pushed back or cancelled.  It is imperative as we move forward, to harness, share and reallocate the resources available to us to help our organizations grow and flourish and at the same time help control and push crime down again.  We all do what is needed to protect the City from the Criminals and the Terrorist both foreign and domestic.  We the members of the NYPD have been consistently doing more and more with less and less even before that was the mantra and the necessity.  

           We as a whole are experiencing difficulties brought on by a few members of the Department that had no business being in Law Enforcement. Our integrity is being questioned at every turn.  Having said this, there is a greater need now, more than ever to ensure that all understand that integrity must always be in the forefront of all their members’ actions as it has always been in the past.  There is no substitute for the Law and the Law to be applied fairly and impartially.  

          We have become an example of Zero tolerance policing.  We are an example on how to combat crime and terrorism.  Protecting the integrity and the image of the Department is everyone’s job.  As New York City is the symbol of American pride, so must the NYPD be the symbol and blueprint of the best Police Department.  We must always be vigilant, recall and remember The Departments Values, Four sentences that carry so much weight; it is the foundation of who we are and why we do!  Fidelis Ad Mortem! Not just a motto, it’s a way of life!

In partnership with the community, we pledge to:

• Protect the lives and property of our fellow citizens and impartially enforce the law.
• Fight crime both by preventing it and by aggressively pursuing violators of the law.
• Maintain a higher standard of integrity than is generally expected of others because so much is expected of us.
• Value human life, respect the dignity of each individual and render our services with courtesy and civility.

Fraternally
Eugene Canapi
President