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Nearly 14 years ago, the Michigan Police Legislative Coalition was created with the goal of providing its member associations with unprecedented "strength in numbers" that would pay dividends in the political arena. The bold concept quickly became reality and the MPLC has been such a tremendous success that it no longer exists. The coalition is very much alive, but it is now called the Michigan Association of Police Organizations (MAPO) - a title that much more accurately expresses its greatly expanded scope of operations. "The change was made to better reflect the overall nature of the organization," explained MAPO Executive Director Scott Reinacher. "We started out with an exclusive focus on legislative issues that affect law enforcement, but there's a lot more involved now. "For years, the former MPLC has been constantly expanding its range of services. While there's still a very strong focus on the legislative area, so many more services have been implemented that the original name became too limited in how it described what the organization is all about. "That's what led to the title change. Everything else is the same. We're still moving forward, enhancing our work in all areas." The term "all areas" include such vital services as health insurance, banking, legal and real estate programs that are available to some 14,500 active officers and retirees. This figure means that two-thirds of the 22,000 certified officers in Michigan now benefit from their associations' membership in the organization. MAPO's member groups are some of the largest and most prestigious law enforcement labor unions in the state. These are, in addition to MAP, the Detroit Police Officers Association, The Detroit Lieutenants and Sergeants Association, the Michigan State Troopers Association, the Michigan State Command Officers Association, and the Warren Police Officers Association. "The name change to MAPO communicates a vital characteristic of the organization," said MAP Executive Director Fred Timpner. "The new title declares the fact that its services are comprehensive." |
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