The Measure of an Association
Every member has the right to ask an important question:
What should a great law enforcement association be?
It’s a fair question, and one I believe deserves more than a simple answer.
At POAM, our first responsibility has never changed. Every day, our Business Agents, on-staff attorneys, and staff negotiate contracts, protect due process, represent members through grievances and disciplinary matters, advocate in Lansing and Washington DC, and stand beside Michigan’s law enforcement professionals when they need us most.
That work is not glamorous. It often happens behind closed doors, long before anyone hears about it. It is the work our members expect from us, and it remains the foundation of everything we do.
But I have also come to believe that a truly great association cannot be measured solely by the contracts it negotiates or the grievances it wins.
- It should also be measured by its character.
- It should be measured by whether it shows up when people need it most.
That philosophy has guided POAM for more than four decades.
It is why we recognize extraordinary courage through our Police Officers of the Year program. It is why we bring local leaders together each year at our Annual Convention to conduct the business of this Association, strengthen relationships, exchange ideas, and prepare for the challenges ahead. Strong organizations aren’t built through emails and conference calls alone. They are built by people working together toward a common purpose.
That same philosophy is perhaps best demonstrated each May during National Police Week in Washington, D.C.
Although POAM represents only Michigan law enforcement professionals, for more than twenty years our Business Agents, staff, and members have traveled to our nation’s capital to stand alongside families as officers from across America are added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
We are there for Michigan families.
But we are also there for every family experiencing unimaginable loss.
We are there because we understand that the badge creates a bond that extends beyond state lines.
Something Remarkable Happened
The Tune Inn became known not because of a building, but because of the people inside it.
For thousands of officers, retirees, survivors, and family members, it became a place where they knew they would find a familiar face, a listening ear, and people who understood the unique sacrifices of this profession. It became a place to reconnect, remember fallen friends, celebrate lives of service, and remind one another that no one carries this burden alone.
Some may see a restaurant.
We see something entirely different.
We see fellowship.
We see healing.
We see families who, for just a little while, don’t have to explain what they’re feeling because everyone in the room already understands.
I often find myself asking a simple question:
Shouldn’t every law enforcement organization strive to create a place where officers and survivors know they will always be welcomed during Police Week?
If POAM has earned a reputation for providing that welcome, then I consider it one of the accomplishments of which I am most proud.
Because when the ceremonies end, when the crowds disperse, and when the television cameras leave, the relationships built during that week remain.
Those relationships remind us that while we may wear different uniforms, serve different communities, and belong to different organizations, we are ultimately one profession and one family.
Beyond Police Week
For more than a decade, POAM members organized donation drives and personally visited wounded service members recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Those visits were never about publicity. They were about reminding men and women recovering from life-changing injuries that they had not been forgotten by those who also chose a life of service.
While those visits came to an end during the COVID pandemic, the mission itself never ended.
Today, that same spirit continues through Defender Mobility, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing custom all-terrain wheelchairs to disabled law enforcement officers and military veterans.
Defender Mobility is intentionally different.
- It has no paid employees.
- It has no salaries.
- It has no administrative overhead.
Every dollar donated goes directly toward purchasing mobility chairs that restore independence, dignity, and quality of life to disabled officers and veterans.
The need is far greater than any one organization can meet and, there are countless deserving recipients still waiting.
That is why we welcome everyone, individuals, businesses, community partners, and every law enforcement organization, to join us in this mission. Supporting disabled officers and veterans is not about organizational logos or affiliations. It is about doing the right thing for people who have already sacrificed so much for others.
Throughout all of this, one responsibility remains constant.
POAM members trust us to be responsible stewards of the resources they entrust to this Association.
That responsibility is not something we take lightly.
- Every program should serve a purpose.
- Every investment should reflect our mission.
- Every decision should strengthen the profession we represent.
That is the standard I hold myself, and this Association, to every day.
There will always be different opinions about what a law enforcement association should do.
I respect that. But my belief has never changed.
A great association doesn’t stop serving when the contract is signed.
- It doesn’t stop serving when an officer retires.
- It doesn’t stop serving when a family loses a loved one.
- It doesn’t stop serving when a veteran returns home with life-changing injuries.
- It doesn’t stop serving because the work becomes difficult or inconvenient.
It simply keeps showing up.
That has been the philosophy of POAM for more than fifty years. It is the philosophy that guides every decision we make today. And it will remain the philosophy that guides us well into the future.
On behalf of our Executive Board, Business Agents, attorneys, and dedicated staff, thank you for allowing us the privilege of serving Michigan’s law enforcement professionals.
It is a responsibility we never take for granted.
James Tignanelli
President, POAM