by David Leonhardi
This month, I’d like to bring some attention to one of the DSA’s lesser-known benefits and provide a general update on some newsworthy stuff that is approaching.
As new deputies, many of us remember a DSA representative coming to speak to us near the end of the academy and encouraging us to become members of the DSA. They probably spent about an hour talking about the benefits and all the great reasons to be a DSA member. We still give these presentations today, and most deputies end up signing up for membership and leave with the peace of mind that they have legal defense coverage (which, in my opinion, is worth the cost of membership alone).
But most of the other minutiae from the presentation are quickly forgotten, even some of the more critical details about those benefits you hope you never have to think about, let alone tap into. I tell recruits and members alike that, along with legal defense and salary relief, the death benefit is one of the most valuable benefits the DSA has to offer. The DSA death benefit provides $10,000 to your beneficiary in the event of your death or $5,000 to you upon the death of your spouse or dependent.
I find myself reflecting on this a little more lately because we recently lost a deputy in our department to some health complications. Unfortunately, that deputy was not a member of the DSA. The circumstance is tragic – and the DSA board of directors wants nothing more than to support that deputy’s family – but the DSA’s bylaws prevent us from being able to do much financially. If the deputy had been a member, the DSA death benefit would have kicked in immediately, providing his beneficiaries with a check for $10,000.
The last thing a family should have to worry about after a devastating loss is an immediate financial concern. During my time as president of the DSA, I have made calls to spouses and members after the loss of a loved one. It’s uncomfortable calling people during a time of tragedy to offer help, but it’s even harder making that call knowing that our financial help is needed, but we cannot provide it because the deputy involved is not a member. So, while there may be disagreements about the direction of our association or even some of the financial decisions at times, I encourage each of you to remember the most important things for which our association exists.
Changing gears, over the next year-and-a-half the DSA will focus attention on two very big issues: the Sheriff’s race primary election in June and a general election in November. We are also a year-and-a-half away from the expiration of our contract. We have already assembled a qualified negotiations committee and will be working towards our never-ending goal of improving the pay, benefits, and working conditions for all deputies. While we have a diverse negotiations committee comprised of deputies working all over the department, we intend to survey all active DSA members to get a better idea of what they think the priorities should be for our next contract.
Another big change on the horizon involves the Silver Star. We’ve decided to change from a monthly publication to a bi-monthly (every other month) publication. Our hope is that this will improve the quality of content for everyone. We are also negotiating with vendors toward offering the magazine on a digital platform and allowing members to choose how they receive the Silver Star. If you’re concerned about the mailman knowing you’re a deputy, we hope to have a solution very soon.
If you have any other ideas for improving the Silver Star or the DSA in general, we’re all ears and would love to hear from you. Stay safe!⭑