Star & Shield Magazine

When I first joined the PPOA Board, I remember walking into the boardroom, scanning the seats around that large conference table, and settling into one without much thought. By pure happenstance — or maybe something greater — I found myself seated next to a man whose name carried weight, whose reputation preceded him, and whose heart beat for this Association: Art Reddy. From that first meeting forward, I had the honor of working with Art on our PPOA Board. Read More

A mentor is often defined as a person who gives a younger or less-experienced person help and advice over a period of time. In February of 1999, I quickly began seeking help and advice from retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Arthur (Art) J. Reddy. I was a mere 38-year-old sergeant with 17 years of law enforcement experience at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. I had just been elected to the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs (AOCDS) board of directors and began my first two-year term as president. Read More

Only a couple of people involved with PPOA go back as far as Art Reddy and myself. I first met him when he congratulated me in December 1992 as I was sworn into the PPOA Board. I was only the second “nonsworn” person ever to sit on the Board, and I had no idea back then that he and I would have a personal and professional relationship that would last 33 years. Art was the president of PPOA at the time. It was a much smaller organization back then, but a very different dynamic existed, and it was definitely an “old boys club.” Read More

I met Art Reddy when I was a child. He was the “cop who lived across the street.” To this day, I still have fun with it during retiree functions. I jokingly tell people that Art used to pay me to stand by his radio car and listen for his unit number to be called. Then, I would knock on his door and ask his wife, Judy, to wake him up. At 7 years old, I earned more at a nickel per time than my older brother made on his paper route! Of course, none of that is true. But it always brings laughter to the room, and Art loved that story. He even told it himself as if it were true. Read More

Hello, partners. In late March, the Department notified us of the plan not to renew several contracts throughout County Services Bureau. Sure enough, as news spread of the closures, so did the rumors. We hosted Zoom meetings in early April to quash rumors and allow members of the affected locations to ask any questions. Read More