Lexington Conference and Hurricane Irene

I have been back from the Conference just a week and it already seems like it's in the distant past. Saw some old friends, made some new ones. The training classes were excellent (so I'm told) and the Kentucky Horse Park was great!! The beer in Kentucky is good too, I'm not a beer drinker but I took a survey and that's the info I got. I am so proud that Region 2's member Chief Diane M. Sorantino, City of Cape May, New Jersey was named as the IAWP 2011 Officer of the Year, way to go Diane!! I hope that we will see her at many more conferences.

We beat it home on Friday Aug 26th to batten down the hatches for Hurricane Irene, hoping that it wouldn't hit hard. It didn't in Yonkers, New York but our house upstate was without power for a week. It seems insignificant when you look at the photos, etc. of all the devastation in the surrounding towns, some of which are completely wiped out. If anyone knows of a Region 2 member who needs any assistance due to the Hurricane or the floods in it's aftermath please let me know. We had Helen Rawlings as a house guest and traveling companion and she did get to go home on Monday Aug 29th as scheduled, after a wait on the tarmac due to plane problems. One of her suitcases, however, decided to spend more time in the US and didn't arrive in England until a day or two later.

That's all I have for now, if you have any news that you would like me to publish, good, bad or indifferent, let me know! Be Safe Out There!!!!

IAWP Conference, Lexington, KY

I am getting prepared for the Conference in Lexington, KY and I can't wait to get there! As most of you know, I am a horse lover and this is the perfect place for a conference as far as I am concerned, in the middle of some of the best horse country in the US. As well as the great location, the conference committe has some great training lined up as well as some good entertainment. There will be a special appearance by TV personality Angie Dickinson who will speak and sign autographs. I hope that many of you are planning to attend, especially since this is one of the conference we can all drive to. Hope to see you there!

9/11 Flag at Professional Bull Riding

On January 9th, 2011 Tom and I went to the PBR (Professional Bull Riding) at Madison Square Garden. When we got there a friend of ours arranged for us to carry the 9/11 flag out into the arena for the playing of the National Anthem. It was an experience that we will never forget! The 9/11 flag is one that survived the attacks on the World Trade Center and is being toured around the USA to sites of other disasters. They want to have it in all 50 states by the 10th Anniversary this year. If you know of any place in your state that this flag should go, please go to their web site, www.national911flag.org and let them know, you can also nominate a local hero or donate to their site. Thanks!

Retirement News

Leslie Houston, Deputy Chief of the Long Beach New Jersey Township Pd has just announced that she is retiring after 28 1/2 years. Her retirement is effective December 1, 2010. She has not been able to get to a conference since Saskatoon but she informs me that she is looking forward to being able to attend Lexington. I know everyone will join me in congratulating Leslie on her long career and wishing her well in her retirement.

Training Announcement

New Rochelle New York PD is hosting Career & Tactical Survival for Women training seminar on October 14th, 2010 for only $99.00 per student. This course is for women and those who train and supervise them, and will cover topics including Leadership regardless of Rank, How to Improve your Performance & Skills. The course is being taught by Ret. Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith who is a 29 year police veteran and has been training police internationally for over 20 years. For more information about this seminar go to, www.jdbucksavage.com. Thanks!

Hi there! I am finally getting the hang of this blog stuff and expect to keep up on it from now on. I just got back from the 2010 Conference in Minneapolis, where there were over 525 attendees from all over the world. We only had 6 from Region 2, I hope to see many more of you next year in Lexington, KY. Just to let you know, so you have time to save for the trip, the 2013 Conference will be in Durban, South Africa. I had a chance to talk to the representatives of South Africa at the conference, and to view their presentation for the bid, and they promise us a wonderful time, and the country looks just beautiful!

Please let me know of any news from your depts, etc., as I now have to write an article for every issue of the magazine. It doesn't have to be about an IAWP member, just something you think is newsworthy about a female officer in your area. Thanks!