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A Tribute To Over 35 Years Of Faithful Service To The Phoenix Police Officer Members Of PLEA
In Remembrance

Arlene Venturini ( the “ Link ”)

A Tribute To Over 35 Years Of Faithful Service To The Phoenix Police Officer Members Of PLEA

BY GORDY LANGE , CO-FOUNDER & PAST PRESIDENT , PLEA ; RETIRED PPD

During the 1970s , there was a new organization on the block — the third one to try to represent the Phoenix street cop . The old organization had failed ; this new one , the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (“ PLEA ”) with little more than 200 members , would now try to represent the more than 800 Phoenix Police Officers . At the time , the leadership team members of PLEA were all street cops trained to deal with the criminal element of the city , not to run an effective representative organization .

At the 1975 official organizational meeting of PLEA ( which at the time consisted of approximating 20 members ), I , as one of the founders and visionaries of PLEA , ran for President and tied the vote with another member . The tie was settled with the toss of a coin . Those of us Police Officers who had
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