Wisconsin Professional Police Association

Serving Wisconsin's Finest Since 1932

Wisconsin Professional Police Association (WPPA)

About

WISCONSIN PROFESSIONAL POLICE ASSN INC

660 John Nolen Drive, Suite 300; Madison, WI 53713

608-273-3840 • Office Hours: M-F 8:30 – 5:00

In Case of a Critical Incident, call us immediately!

Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Since the Wisconsin Professional Police Association (WPPA) began serving the needs of law enforcement personnel statewide in 1932, we have developed expertise in employment relations, collective bargaining, legislative lobbying, and legal assistance for law enforcement personnel.

Currently serving over 10,000 active and retired members from almost 300 locals, WPPA is a non-profit IRC Sec 501(c)(5) Labor Organization.

We stay in touch through our board of directors elected by our members and comprised of law enforcement officers from every area of the state. We meet the needs of our membership by utilizing the experience of many individuals—business agents, attorneys, and others whose collective expertise best serves the short- and long-term goals of our membership and the organization as a whole. We are the only organization in Wisconsin that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to the inevitable emergency situations of our members.

With over 85 years of service to Wisconsin’s law enforcement personnel, the WPPA is recognized as the leading law enforcement association in the state and a strong voice at the national level. WPPA Executive Director, Jim Palmer, currently serves on the executive board of the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO).

General Membership Opportunities

Since law enforcement work is a high-stress occupation, WPPA also serves the important function of providing social opportunities for members. General membership activities such as golf, bowling, and shooting tournaments give members a chance to relax, enjoy, and network with their colleagues. Members can also engage in WPPA-sponsored benevolent activities throughout the year, in addition to attending the annual WPPA convention. Other benefits to members include: WPPA-sponsored insurance plan for group rates on home and auto insurance; annual pocket calendars; and the quarterly Wisconsin Police Journal. All members are also eligible to participate in the WPPA Extended Legal Protection Plan.

Legislative Lobbying

Through the WPPA, our members have lobbyists working on their behalf on a wide variety of criminal justice, labor, and professional matters before the state legislature. Along with the passing of the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights, which established “just cause” as the standard of review for discipline against officers by employers, some of our more recent accomplishments include laws that:

  • Require employers to pay the legal fees of officers who are exonerated in criminal proceedings arising from on-duty conduct.
  • Hold people accountable for injuring an officer while trying to escape.
  • Require an independent and transparent investigation into any officer-related death.

Employment Relations

WPPA provides employment relations advice, assistance, representation, or referral on issues of compensation, insurance, contractual disability benefits, fringe benefits, individual rights cases, and other matters involving affirmative representation.

Supervisory Officers Relations Division (SORD)
This division of the WPPA assists supervisors in negotiating working agreements, administering those agreements, and representing supervisors in disciplinary matters.

Civilian Employee Relations Division (CERD)
This division of the WPPA was created to parallel the services offered to members in the Law Enforcement Employee Relations division and the Supervisory Officers Relations Division.

Law Enforcement Employee Relations (LEER)
This division is the collective bargaining arm of the WPPA for non-supervisory employees. Through collective bargaining, LEER works with and for law enforcement personnel to ensure rights and protect interests. In addition, LEER’s comprehensive, skilled representation in all areas of labor relations provides superior union power. LEER provides full-service representation on: contract administration and negotiations; job security (protection in grievance matters, arbitrations, disciplinary cases, and unfair labor practices); and other specialized services in areas involving wages, hours, and conditions of employment.

Wisconsin Police Journal

The Wisconsin Police Journal (WPJ) is the official publication of the WPPA. The WPJ is published quarterly and contains a wealth of information on professional issues, collective bargaining, and governmental relations—as well as general information relevant to our members. Members may contribute articles of special local interest for the benefit of other members of the organization.

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