From the Chairman - LELDF Vol 1, No 3

In This Issue - Vol 1, No 3 (Winter, 1999)	Officer Pena Files for Reinstatement
Rodney King Film	Update: Sears to Face Grand Jury
Profile of Alfred S. Regnery	Chairman's Letter

From the Chairman

Many thanks to all of you for your generous contributions to the LELDF.

Without your support we could not have come to the aid of officers like Ramiro Pena, Walter Budzyn, and Todd Sears. Ramiro was acquitted and we are very thankful for that. He is challenging his dismissal and we are hopeful that he will be reinstated. The indictment against Todd was dismissed, but we face another grand jury in January 1999.

Our most recent case is a civil matter that should never have been brought to the courts. As reported on page one, retired Officer John Futrell has been sued by the estate of a bank robber killed in the most bloody bank robbery-shoot out in history. John is deserving of our support in this civil case, which will cost him many thousands of dollars in legal fees and expert witnesses. Our motto "Justice for All" includes law enforcement officers sued civilly.

We are proud of our funding of the documentary "The Rodney King Incident: Race and Justice in America" which is scheduled to be aired on The Learning Channel on February 27, 1999. I believe that those of you who contributed to make this film possible will be pleased with the result, and you will be receiving your own copy very soon.

The film won an award, and that makes it doubly satisfying for its contribution to the understanding of how difficult it is to be a police officer in today's environment. If you want to receive a copy of the video, please forward your tax-deductible $50.00 contribution to the LELDF at the address below.

It has been an exciting and very productive year for us at the LELDF. We supported the successful defenses of deserving police officers such as Ramiro Pena and Blake Hubbard. Unfortunately, Walter Budzyn was convicted of manslaughter, but luckily he was sentenced to the time that he had already served.

I recently attended the annual meeting of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the LELDF has been asked to join as an associate member. This is an additional way that we will be advancing your views with the law enforcement leadership of our nation -- especially the need to provide more support and back-up for officers who make the tough decisions on the street to use force when necessary.

I trust that you all will have a happy and successful 1999. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

David Henderson Martin

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