FIESTA WEEK 2021
BELOW IS THE WEBSITE FOR THIS YEARS EVENTS
https://fiestasanantonio.org/official-fiesta-event-calendar/#
BELOW IS THE WEBSITE FOR THIS YEARS EVENTS
https://fiestasanantonio.org/official-fiesta-event-calendar/#
 SA Fire and Police Pension Fund Seminar
Contact Pension Office to sign up. 210-534-3262 (Ext. 200) Friday, June 04, 2021 from 100pm - 330pm Topics: Financial Planning, Review of Benefits, Medical Insurance Spouses Welcomed. Space is Limited  Prayers for
Jorey Smittick - Rudy Gonzales has received word that Smittick has been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer  Prayers for Retired Officer Ernie Celaya
Recovering from an operation at home in Fredericksburg, Texas  James D. Hodges - Retired SAPD
Passed away on 04/19/2021 Please go to "Final Tribute" page to learn more about this good man.  Matthew Lee Morris - Son of Retired SAPD Officer Mike Morris
Passed away Sunday, April 18, 2021. We will celebrate his life with a memorial service Saturday, May 8, 2021 at 10:00 AM at Spring Creek United Methodist Church in Boerne. Matt is survived by his parents, Mike and Penny Morris, and his sister, Megan Hoffman (Ryan), as well as numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. Flowers are always appreciated, but those desiring to make a memorial contribution to honor Matt’s memory are encouraged to donate to the Hill Country Animal League. Arrangements are under the care and direction of the staff of Holt & Holt Funeral Home of Boerne.  Thomas Wettstein - Retired SAPD - November 19, 1951 - April 21, 2021
Thomas Lynn Wettstein, age 69, passed away on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. Thomas was born in Red Oak, Iowa on November 19, 1951 to parents Bobbie Joseph Wettstein and Mary Jo Thompson. On June 7, 1974 Tom graduated from the San Antonio Police Academy. He dedicated 28 years to the San Antonio Police Department serving in the Patrol and Traffic Divisions, Traffic Investigation Unit, and finished out his career at Growden Pound. Outside the department, he was an active member of the Texas Association of Accident Reconstruction Specialists and a certified Texas Commission on Law Enforcement instructor. The family will receive friends from 5:00-8:00 p.m. for a visitation on Saturday, May 15, 2021 at Porter Loring Mortuary North. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The 100 Club of San Antonio or Blue Cares - SAPOA Outreach. MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE IN THE "FINAL TRIBUTE" PAGE.  Retirees Qualification Date - May 24,2021. Monday.
There will be a morning qualification at 0900 and an afternoon qualification at 1400 for each date. All 2021 dates will be on MONDAY. Please let me know if you have any questions or need any additional information. Call this number to sign up 210-207-6231  TO MEMBERS OF THE
FIRE AND POLICE HEALTH FUND May 1, 2021 I have come to the conclusion that if you don’t stay busy at home during this Covid-19 pandemic, you will become a raving lunatic by the time this is all over. I Have read many articles that refer to the many ailments that have sprouted up amongst elderly people that are confined to their homes. You can only walk from room to room, over eat, watch T.V., dream of what was and what it is now. Physical and mental willingness ebbs from a person’s body. You become lethargic and lazy; you wait for this pandemic to be over. Someday it will be over; will you be in shape to continue to do what you used to do? You have to energize yourselves. You have to do what you did before the pandemic; will you be ready? We as a people have to conquer this pestilence; we have to overcome this scourge. You must make up your mind to fight this menace. I think you may be getting an idea where this pep talk is going. Exercise can counteract the negative effects of isolation and confinement stress on the immune function. It is also known that exercise improves the immune responses to infections. I want everybody to receive the absence of Covid-19 with a clear mind and a good working physique. You know that I have written many exercise and health issues in the past. I have written these reports ad nauseum. I intend to continue writing these reports because I want you to be healthy. I’ve told you many times that the first 5-minutes are the hardest. Once you go through the first 5-minute start you will be limber and your mind will coax you to continue. I don’t want you to say that you’re tired, you just finished eating, your knees hurt or that you have a head ache. I’ll give you a personal example of hurt. Both my knees are bone to bone; even walking, the pain is excruciating. My right shoulder had major damage when I dislocated it and the first 5 minutes are very hard for me to start. In spite of all my problems and my aches and pains, I still work out 7 days a week. I work out with weights for and hour and fifteen minutes. After that I walk one mile and sometimes two miles every day. I’m at my computer 6 or 7 hours every day. I just finished writing a 300-page biography of my life. This book is my legacy to my children. I just started writing another book titled; “people that greatly influenced my life.” I am looking forward to a knee replacement on my left leg in the next few months. My greatest fear is that I will have to stop exercising for 1 or 2 weeks. I have sacrificed a lot in my life time; I want you to sacrifice a little of your time so that you can do your daily exercise. Don’t spend your time lamenting what you can’t do. Its just a state of mind; you are the owner of your body. Take care of it, nurture it, don’t let it stay dormant; since your body is a gift from God, you should use it as God intended. COURAGE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL VIRTUES, BECAUSE WITHOUT COURAGE, YOU CANNOT PRACTICE ANY OF THE OTHER VIRTUES CONSISTENTLY. Moral of the story: Courage and gratitude are two of the most important virtues available to man. Courage defines the true character of a man. Courage is what motivates man to forge forward and continue the development and advancement of mankind. It takes a daring man to dream and to persevere. Gratitude is the other virtue that goes hand in hand with the virtue of courage. The virtue of Gratitude is to give recognition and thanks to the individuals that helped you to dare; to dream and to act.  To My Fellow SAPOA Members,
Saturday night, we did what many said could not be done. With your help, we beat back an anti-police proposition at the ballot box. Recent election history on this topic has shown that voters have overwhelmingly approved any “police reform” measure regardless of police association opposition. Across the country, this type of proposition has never failed, always passing by a minimum of 18%. In fact, last fall, we were told by experts that if a police reform initiative got on the ballot, that there was no evidence that any police association in the country had figured out how to defeat it. Thanks to you and the great people of San Antonio, your association did. SAPOA achieved a historic feat in being the first police association in the country to stop an anti-police ballot measure. I want to first acknowledge your role. SAPOA members came out in force to vote and to volunteer to work the polls. I was out there and I saw your commitment, and I want to personally thank each and every one of you who came out to make a stand. This was the most important public safety election since collective bargaining was adopted in 1974 and the voters turned out in record numbers. They were very interested in Prop. B and what it would have meant for their safety and the quality of their police force. The Prop. B election was so important to the people of San Antonio, that it drew 1,318 more votes than the race for mayor. The wide gap in the mayor’s race shows that we were supported by a broad cross-section of voters, meaning that conservative, moderate, and liberal voters agreed with us that Prop. B was not good for San Antonio. This shows that our decision to stay focused on the ballot initiative and out of other races was the right one. Of course it was a close race, but we always knew it would be — our internal polling showed that. We were also facing many political headwinds coming into this election: a well-funded, well-organized opposition, local media bias against police in general and on this topic in particular, big name local “celebrities” coming out against us (Beto O’Rourke, Julian and Joaquin Castro, and Gregg Popovich), and wall-to-wall news coverage during early voting of the Chauvin trial in Minneapolis and other officer-involved incidents around the country. Nevertheless, we prevailed, and while I am grateful for this victory, I know that our opponents are not done with us. FIX SAPD has publicly declared their intentions to repeal local government code chapter 143 and almost all media outlets are supporting them. As you saw after the election, every news story and article on our victory talked not about SAPOA, but about FIX SAPD and how they had put our association “on notice,” and that “police reform” through the ballot box was inevitable. We have always known that the media is biased against police, but now we know that we can overcome that bias. We’re ready to deal with a new fight when and if it comes, but for now I just want to thank you, thank the voters of this city, and get back to the bargaining table to ensure that we get a good Collective Bargaining Agreement that ensures your rights and protects your benefits. Sincerely, Danny Diaz President San Antonio Police Officer’s Association From: Mike Trainor Attached are the Pension Fund’s election results.   FYI: 2021 Texas Police Games
The 2021 Texas Police Games will be held this year in South Padre Island, Texas, June 13-19, 2021  Get the lastest Issue of The Centurion Now
https://sapoa.org/centurion/ If you have an article please submit before May 21, 2021 Submit your story 500 words are less. PDF or Word to : jessica@sapoa.org  James Anderson Memorial Park
Only ONE picnic area may be utilized per member, with only fifteen (15) guests authorized per picnic area. Picnic areas are available on a first come first serve basis, EXCEPT for Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day. On the listed Holidays, reservations will be for one day prior to and one day after the Holiday and may be made thirty (30) days in advance by contacting the Park Caretaker, Dan Higginbotham, 210-870-9484. |