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Welcome To The Official C.O.P.S. Website

C.O.P.S. was formed in 2004 for the specific purpose of servicing the needs of Public Safety employees throughout Connecticut.

The mission of the organization is simple;
We are dedicated to servicing your everyday concerns, and protecting your rights twenty-four hours a day.

We realize your continued membership is earned through personal commitment to your issues, responsiveness to your questions, and providing quality legal representation.



Message from the Desk of Ronald Suraci
C.O.P.S. Director

With the new year now upon us, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank our members for their support throughout this past year.

2007 proved to be a successful year for COPS and its members both at the bargaining table and as well in our day to day representation on your behalf.

COPS successfully concluded a number of contracts for our members including agreements in Fairfield, Darien, Branford, Clinton, Old Saybrook and Stonington.

We successfully fought and won numerous grievances.

Through our combined efforts we secured numerous benefits for our members such as new retiree medical insurance, substantial pay increases, as well as increases in longevity and time off. We were as well successful in containing increases in the medical cost of our members.

Significant time was spent changing contract language and issues that were negotiated by the units’ former unions. The issues that were not clearly defined and were open to interpretation in many cases were clarified to protect our members’ interests.

We have been able to create union management relationships that work for our members. We can now meet with management and try to resolve important union issues at the first step. While not every issue can be resolved at this level, many are.

Ultimately, when a resolution is not reached, we can take the next step and proceed to the arbitration process. C.O.P.S. prides itself on presenting cases on behalf of our members that are well prepared providing us the ability to resolve most issues and when not resolved, putting ourselves and our members at an advantage in a mediation hearing.

C.O.P.S. is always prepared to address your concerns and protect the interests of our members around the clock.

Wishing you and your families a Happy and Healthy New Year!

We look forward to continuing to fight for your rights.


Fraternally yours,

Ronald Suraci
Executive Director
C.O.P.S.
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· USA : City, retirees discuss settlement
Source: Omaha World Herald


Top Story: Detective Refuses to Give Up on Attempted Murder and Rape Case
Posted on: Apr 10, 2007 - 08:34 PM
Top Stories
6398 Reads
By DAWN A. MICELI - THE JUSTICE JOURNAL Correspondent

This was a case that hit home for the young female detective -- a particularly brutal sexual assault that nearly left the victim dead. The single, 20-something woman did not die -- and neither did Det. Kerry Dalling’s resolve to put someone away for the heinous crime.
“It just weighed on me because he really hurt her, he really brutalized her,” said Dalling, a 10-year veteran on the Fairfield Police Department. “I guess I was empathetic to her because she was about my age and single like me.”

Please read this incredible story (PDF reader required)


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Notices: To All, We are all very proud ...
Posted on: Apr 05, 2007 - 10:59 PM
Important Notices
6437 Reads
We are all very proud of our Officer Jim Pauciello.

Please pass the word and vote for him in the Americas' Most Wanted All Star Contest during your next break.
Click here to vote for him on the Americas' Most Wanted All Star Website. Please Read More for details.


James Pauciello
Patrol Officer
Fairfield Police Department
Fairfield, CT


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Top Story: Dispatcher saves 9 from death
Posted on: Apr 05, 2007 - 10:50 PM
Top Stories
6646 Reads
Michael Gannon and Michelle Tuccitto, Register Staff 07/10/2005

BRANFORD — The groggy, confused voice on the other end of the phone line just didn’t sound right to dispatcher Kim Massey.

The caller to 911 at 5:59 a.m. Saturday said a woman in the house wasn’t feeling well. A few moments later, the man said everything was all right and hung up.

Massey had no way of knowing that, at that moment, nine members of two families were close to death as a colorless, odorless killer creeped into their Chestnut Street two-family house.

But Massey suspected carbon- monoxide poisoning and called the man back. A few seconds later, firefighters and police were racing to the house.

"After enough years on this job you can develop a sixth sense. She determined that there might be a carbon-monoxide problem and dispatched police and fire," said Deputy Fire Chief Ron Mullen.

Mullen credited Massey with saving nine lives.


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Top Story: Man Who Shot Police Officers Gets 20 Years
Posted on: Feb 04, 2007 - 05:09 PM
Top Stories
5985 Reads
4:13 PM EST, January 29, 2007
By ARIELLE LEVIN BECKER, The Hartford Courant

CONNECTICUT NEWS

The man who shot two Old Saybrook police officers who tried to remove him from a motel room in 2005 was sentenced to 20 years in prison today.

Superior Court Judge Frank A. Iannotti imposed his sentenced on Michael L. Harris, 51, after both officers testified and requested that Harris serve a longer sentence. But Iannotti, who indicated in November that he would sentence Harris to 20 years if he pled guilty to the charges he was facing, stuck with the sentence, offering an explanation of his thought process . . .




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Top Story: Concern for cop sparks idea for monthly ‘care packages’ to Iraq
Posted on: Dec 28, 2006 - 12:25 PM
Top Stories
6307 Reads
Stan Fisher - New Haven Register Correspondent

-CLINTON — The idea, says emergency communications dispatcher Ellen Vece, is to do something so that friends in faraway and dangerous places will know they’re not forgotten.

The particular friend for Vece is police Officer Glenn Smith, an Army reservist who has been on active duty in Iraq since October and is serving with a military police unit made up of Connecticut soldiers.

Read original article here.


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Top Story: State Makes Town Rehire Officers
Posted on: Oct 07, 2005 - 11:07 AM
Top Stories
6819 Reads
By CLAUDIA VAN NES - Hartford Courant Staff Writer

October 4, 2005

OLD SAYBROOK -- In a decision long in coming, the state labor board has ruled the town must rehire four officers who were laid off in June 2003.

"I'm thrilled. Justice has been served," Cindi Huckel, one of the four officers, said Monday. Huckel, now a police officer at Southern Connecticut State University, wouldn't say whether she would return to her job.

The town, in an action called outrageous by the police union, laid off Brian Ziolkovski, Robert Scavello, Larry Smith and Huckel. The union claimed the layoffs were in retaliation for union activity.

Read more...


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Top Story: Labor Board Certifies C.O.P.S As The Exclusive Bargaining Representatives for five New Unions…
Posted on: Aug 25, 2005 - 10:22 AM
Top Stories
6449 Reads

Click on the following to read the Labor Board decisions for yourself:


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Top Story: Police Finally Get 'OK' To Switch Unions
Posted on: Aug 22, 2005 - 08:36 PM
Top Stories
6629 Reads
By Erin Lynch - Fairfield Citizen - elynch@bcnnew.com ...

After nearly 25 years of representation, the Police Department’s labor union severed its ties with the International Brotherhood of Police Officers.

The quarter-century relationship, according to Officer Grant Dalling, police union president, has ended due to a recent “lack of representation.” The defunct IBPO Local 530 is now known as the Connecticut Organization for Public Safety Employees Local 550, but the labor union switch didn’t run smoothly, in fact it took about five months of litigation with the state Board of Labor Relations to finalize.

Read more...


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Top Story: C.O.P.S. Becomes The New Choice For Public Safety Personnel
Posted on: Aug 10, 2005 - 12:31 PM
Top Stories
7318 Reads
Five Unions overwhelmingly elect C.O.P.S.
C.O.P.S. becomes the new choice for Public Safety Personnel


Election ballots were opened and counted at the State labor Board on Thursday August 4th 2005.
As a result of the elections, C.O.P.S. clearly established that they are the member’s choice for Union representation.

Five public safety unions from around the state had their votes counted, and voices heard, when the State Labor announced C.O.P.S as their new Bargaining agent. The Fairfield Police Department, Stonington Police Department, North Branford Police Department, as well as 911 Telecommunications Technicians from Branford and Clinton, are now new members of C.O.P.S.
Executive Director Ronald Suraci and Union Representative Kevin Potter attended the counting of the Ballots.

This is another positive step in the right direction towards making C.O.P.S. the leader in the representation of public safety personnel. C.O.P.S firmly believes in a member’s right to choose their representatives.

C.O.P.S. overwhelming defeated the International Brotherhood of Police Officers (IBPO) SEIU, and the Connecticut Independent labor Union (CILU) in the five elections.

All of us here at C.O.P.S. thank you for your support. We will continue to strive to make your Union the best in the state. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the elections and for showing your support for C.O.P.S over the past several months.

Thank you,

Fraternally yours,

C.O.P.S. Union Representatives
and
Ronald E. Suraci, Executive Director


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Legal: Labor Board orders election ballots be opened and counted for certification by Labor Board
Posted on: Aug 09, 2005 - 10:24 AM
Legal Department
7221 Reads


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C.O.P.S. - Connecticut Organization For Public Safety Employees, Inc.
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At C.O.P.S., we are committed to protect the Labor Rights of all the men and women who work every day to make the world a safer place to live.

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The Connecticut Organization For Public Safety provides this web site as a service for its members for informational purposes. This web site is continually under development. While we try to keep the information timely and accurate, we make no guarantees. We will make every effort to correct errors brought to our attention. Users should be aware that the information available on this web site may not reflect official positions of all our members.

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