The Professional Law Enforcement Assistants' Association

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, July, 2004 by Debra S. Beebe, Joy Rikala

Members agreed that continual or life-long learning constitutes an important aspect of PLEAA. Because members' positions in law enforcement are unique, they have found it difficult to receive relevant training from the private sector. For example, not only do PLEAA members serve as administrative assistants but some are in charge of their department's property room, serve as record clerks, perform human resource functions, and even work on their departments' reconstruction projects. Further, some members search female prisoners in the absence of female officers and others have transported children in crisis to the local children's crisis center. Assistants' positions in law enforcement do not stay the same; changes in the courts and prosecutor's offices and adjustments that come with transitions in police administrations often impact their job-related duties.

PLEAA views networking as an extension of training. Members contact each other for help with specific issues, as well as to identify new ideas to bring back to their agencies. Training sponsored by PLEAA, as well as member networking, has greatly improved services to departments and communities. An added dimension to the training--scheduled field trips to a crime lab, a new county detention facility, the medical examiner's office, and a firearms range--has given members insight into areas previously unknown to them. Many of these employees had processed paperwork relative to these four law enforcement functions, but never had the opportunity to observe what happens outside the confines of their departments. The field trips offered PLEAA members a tool to network with individuals they have daily contact with and enabled them to understand the necessity for the large volume of paperwork/reports needed by each site. For example, the visit to the crime lab gave them a clearer understanding of the importance of properly handling evidence. Each member gained a new perspective and more respect for each of the agencies visited. They saw firsthand 1) how the medical examiner's office deals with victims and surviving family members, 2) the difficulties at the jail associated with properly guarding prisoners incarcerated for long periods of time, and 3) how well their own officers are prepared and properly trained at the firearms range.

PLEAA uses other networking/training tools as well. For example, the association publishes a quarterly newsletter, Information PLEAAse, and one PLEAA member writes regular columns that provide useful professionalism information. PLEAA distributes a yearly roster of all its members that includes their agency addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses, which helps everyone stay in touch. Both the newsletter and roster constitute key elements in PLEAA's networking process.

Results

PLEAA currently has approximately 250 people on their mailing list, consisting of 165 dues-paying members from 80 Minnesota agencies in 2003. PLEAA does not exclude people from attending their training session if their departments either will not or cannot pay the yearly membership dues. The only difference is that nondues-paying members pay a slightly higher registration fee for training sessions.