NPU Family,
Now that we are almost through January, I hope everyone had a great start to the new year. Some things in this newsletter: updates on arbitration for pay and personal day, upcoming negotiations for Units G and L, upcoming political endorsements and elections, membership benefits, website and phone app and more…
If you follow our socials, we posted about the TV show, Nevada Wild. I’ve almost finished watching the docuseries that follows the Game Wardens of the Nevada Department of Wildlife, and it has really opened my eyes to exactly what Nevada’s Game Wardens do on a day-to-day basis. I had an idea, but this really was a great education for me. I want to give a huge shout out to all the Game Wardens featured in the series, many who are current NPU members and some who are former members who have moved onto to different endeavors. NPU Vice President, James Mortimore, Jason Jackson (former NPU Board Member), John Anderson, Ben Turner, Nick Brunson, Zach Blackwood (NPU Steward), Quinn Hesterlee, Chris Walther, Sean Flynn, Buck Tingle, Fred Esparza, Zach Bowman, Perry Miller, Connor Friel, Brittany Ruiter, Victor Jordan, Alea Lehr, Travis Chapman and Evan Markham. You all did a fantastic job and represented Nevada extremely well. Thank you all for a job well done! If you haven’t watched it, I encourage you to do so it is playing on Animal Planet and HBO Max.
Collective Bargaining
As many of you know, in the last legislative session (not the special session), AB356 was passed. This is the bill that changed the timelines for collective bargaining. We can start negotiations starting in April, which is right around the corner. NPU has advised the State that we want to start negotiations as soon as possible. We look to put out a survey sometime in mid-February to our membership asking for ideas for our next CBA (both Units). We already know that we need raises…that’s a given. We were extremely disappointed with the results of the legislative session and the funding, or lack of, for our contracts. I am optimistic that the new law and timeline change will help alleviate this issue. We will be able to get all negotiations, and possibly arbitration if we can’t come to an agreement with the State, done prior to the end of the year, which allows the Governor to add our contracts to his budget. That is where my work begins. I plan on meeting with the Governor several times this year to make sure he knows our issues, and how the PERS contribution really set us back. We negotiated a good contract and won in arbitration, and our hope is to get those contracts funded and more. Fingers crossed. You all probably know, I’m already hard at work with meetings with Legislators and other important decision makers.
I was invited to join the National Trooper’s Coalition (NTC) Legislative Committee in their upcoming trip to Washington DC the week of March 16th. NTC has already scheduled meetings with Nevada’s US Senators and Congressional representatives, as well as other key US Legislators. This will put Nevada’s State law enforcement in the national spotlight. Admittedly, I’m a bit nervous, but excited as well.
Mediation
Recently, NPU VP Jimmy Mortimore led the way during a mediation session with the State to hopefully get some resolution to a couple of our grievances. The main grievances discussed were the funding of our CBA’s (both units) as well as the “personal day” for Unit G. Major progress was made thanks to Jimmy and our attorneys. We came to a tentative agreement with the State. As soon as I am able to give details, I will let everyone know. Until we get the agreement paperwork signed from the State, it is confidential. Sorry. NPU has always believed the State has the ability to pay our contracts. Our attorneys also believe that the State entered a contract and has a duty to honor that contract.
Endorsements/Elections
First week of February I will be in Las Vegas for the first round of endorsement interviews with PSAN. For those that don’t remember, we joined PSAN (Public Safety Alliance of Nevada) for candidate interviews. PSAN consists of NPU, LVPPA (Metros line level Association), LVPMSA (Metros Supervisor Association), Clark County School District Police Officers Association, Las Vegas Police Officers Association (Marshals Office), Washoe County Sheriff’s Deputy Association, RPPA (Reno PD’s Association), Carson City SO’s Association, Douglas County SO’s Association, North Las Vegas Officers Association and Washoe County School District Officers Association. I may have missed 1 or 2 associations. The group interviews candidates for judicial and non-judicial elected positions. This ensures that any candidate that gets the PSAN endorsement has Nevada’s law enforcement in their best interest. These decisions are based on what is best for police in NV, not on political party affiliations. PSAN represents over 75% of all CAT I police officers in Nevada and is a political powerhouse of sorts. PSAN will be holding candidate interviews four times in February, March and April (2 in LV and 2 in the North).
Membership Benefits
We are adding two, possibly three, new membership benefits for NPU members this month or in February. I have been working on something with AT&T (FirstNet)(check out the flyer here: AT&T-First Net.pdf), Verizon, and possibly T-Mobile for a while, but the hangup was trying to get all three to get us some sort of deal for members. The hiccup was that the companies wanted to be exclusive; however, with the vast difference in areas in Nevada, some of the networks work much better in some parts of the state but aren’t very good in other parts.
I’m working on identifying some mental health/well-being services for our members outside of the State system. I’ve had conversations with some that have expressed their concern about trusting the State and/or departments if they asked for assistance and that the info wouldn’t remain confidential. Mental health and well-being are a crucial part of living healthy, and we see how important it is. The situations we deal with and things we see on a daily basis are not normal and will take a toll on our lives and our mental health. Stay tuned for more updates about this.
We are also partnering with Data Hound who will give NPU members a 20% discount for their services. Data Hound removes an officer’s personal data from hundreds of online sources including people finder websites and data brokers. We recently had an officer “test” it out, and he was quite happy with the results. For more information about this service check out their website at: www.data-hound.com . If interested, let us know by emailing info@nvpolice.org so that we can connect you with Data Hound to receive your discount.
Are you thinking of retiring in the next 5 years? This workshop being held March 6, 2026, may be of interest to you. Topics include: what you need to know before you go, deferred compensation planning, Nevada PERS, financial planning, retiree health benefits and other informative topics if you are planning to retire soon. Check out the flyer here for all the details of this seminar:PORAN-Retirement Workshop
NPU is offering tickets for sale for the NPU table at the Evening in Blue event on April 25, 2026. $100 per ticket, let us know at info@nvpolice.org if interested in buying seats.
And lastly, don’t forget John Faulis at Vegas Dream Homes offers NPU members a special deal on buying or selling a home. Check out his video here: Vegas Dream Homes-John Faulis.MOV
I know I’ve been talking about our phone app for almost a year. This has proven to be a bit more difficult than expected. We have switched platforms to a different provider that is almost done with building the app. It’s gonna be AWESOME! The backend of the app is built into our website, so you won’t notice any changes, except it will be better. It really is the key to better communication with our entire NPU family.
Final Thoughts
On the disciplinary front, we have seen an increase in driving policy violations. I want to take a second to remind everyone to use extra caution out there. It doesn’t matter what agency or division you work for; we want everyone to be extra cautious and be safe. For those that have gone through the Below 100 prevention, remember WIN. What’s Important Now?
I know that NHP Troopers were just issued state cell phones. Other agencies and divisions already have them. Again, I’m reminding everyone to read your departments’ policy on cell phone use. Over the last 15 years representing people, there have been several OPR/Investigations involving the misuse of state cell phones. Make good choices.
Lastly, I want to express my appreciation and gratitude to each and every one of you for trusting me as your President. It is my honor to represent Nevada State Police officers from every department and division within NPU. Although this position is extremely time consuming, I love the job. I love the conversations I get to have with you all either face to face, phone calls, or texts (most of you know I’m a talker..not a texter!). As usual, I’m always here to help, answer any questions and especially here to hear your ideas. The answers I give may not always be the answers you want to hear, but they are sometimes the hard truth. I am, to a fault, extremely transparent.
Stay safe,
Dan
775-781-5859
