Recommend joining PORAC?

[desertexplore]

The option has recently come up with my union and looks like a good deal. Anyone recommend or not?

Thanks

[P5Ret]

PORAC was a pia for us. We were a smaller department less than 50 officers, getting them to respond, and make call back's seemed like a back burner deal for them. I don't know for sure if it was a PORAC or the assigned attorney who was more of a flake it just seemed to take a while to hear back. COPS on the other hand was great, the attorney's would return call within hours. Now this was a few years back, so I don't know if PORAC has gotten their act together since then.

[IA300]

At my prior agency we had our benefits packages through PORAC and they were very good, never had a problem with PORAC. I was only sued a couple times and our legal rep was through Hadden and Silver, and I was pleased with them as well. I don't have any negative experience with them.
I can tell you, the benefit package at my current agency, not PORAC, sucks in comparison. But hey, I have a job, some seniority and benefits, so I am not complaining too much

[desertexplore]

My understanding is that it is "an association made up of associations" and we would retain our (great) current attorney. For like $7 a month, I am thinking its a cant lose?

[Ron-Solo]

I've never known anyone that was a member of PORAC. The only contact I ever had with PORAC was arresting one of their lobbyists for DUI.

[Falconis]

I've had a good experience with PORAC, but that could have been due to our assigned attornies from Rains, Lucia, and Sterns. Awesome firm BTW. Now since I broke myself, their coverage for membership and LDF should something bad happen in retirement is 74 bucks a year. You really can't beat that.

[rolncode3]

We are PORAC members. I can't make a good argument for, or against, but if you need legal defense coverage and their LDF is available, I'd say go for it. Our union has attorneys on retainer. I think LDF would handle criminal, and our union handled administrative - IIRC.

[ChamberCheck]

We were (are) a very small group of law enforcement investigators, and we chose PORAC and the LDF for our representation. None of our folks belonged to PORAC, so we had to become members to obtain/sign-up for the LDF benefit. While I can't speak to our folks having used them yet, this route seemed to work best for us in the coverage that we needed. We were able to choose which LDF firms we wanted, and we were able to choose some of the better known firms in the area.

Dave

[pdretired]

I have been retired for a few years, but PORAC tried to persuade our officers away from COPS. I was the POA president at the time and said no because I had personal knowledge of one of their contract attorneys. The attorney was just short of a crook. I would strongly suggest anyone wanting to do business with PORAC do their homework on the attorney group.

[gorn5150]

PORAC legal insurance is worth it's weight in gold if you need it. I paid in to PORAC for 30 years. It ended up being a waste as I never needed them. But if I had needed them it would have been well worth it.

Just the piece of mind having LDF coverage was worth what I paid. Looking back on it, and never having needed to use it, I wonder what nice guns I could have used the dues money for.

[jaysen]

I sit on our association board, and I am very much involved in our regional group - Inland Chapter. Like many others have stated, LDF coverage is solely worth its weight in gold. Some look at PORAC as just lobbyist group, which in fact they are (sorta), they look out for all law enforcement's interest regardless of membership. If you're a CALPERS, Charter, or 37 ACT city, PORAC has benefited you in someway with their Assembly/Senate bills they support in regards to PEPRA.

I have been in a few IA's and more recent OIS where I have used LDF coverage. Granted, they were clear cut, it was a relief to be able to use any law firm on LDF's.

If your association does decide to join, PM me and I can give you some pointers on what to do when selecting a retainer attorney for labor/contract negotiations and LDF issues (OIS/IA). It's been my experience that associations believe they can only use ONE attorney, their retainer labor/contract attorney, for LDF issues which is NOT the case...

To give you an idea, my association's union dues are roughly $77/month per member which includes LDF and LTD coverage. It costs more if the member opts for more benefits (aflac, etc) but thats

[jaysen]

double post

[Notorious]

I think I was in PORAC the whole time... but I am not sure... since I pay my dues and I never got the stinking PORAC magazine... but I was covered by LDF which is the most important part. Didn't really care about PORAC magazine anyway since it seemed more like a propaganda magazine about how management is always wrong and they write big long stories about their victories against departments... not what I cared to read.

Nobody I know who was in PORAC really gave a hoot about being in PORAC. Everyone only cared about LDF.

[CBR_rider]

Nobody I know who was in PORAC really gave a hoot about being in PORAC. Everyone only cared about LDF.

Exactly. If I could find affordable LDF somewhere else I would leave my association and PORAC tomorrow.

[AR15Man]

Check out the Fraternal Order of Police.

http://www.foplegal.com/