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Facts Matter Moments

Terry Trueblood Interviewing Keith Turney, National Sergeant at Arms | Facts Matter Moments Podcast

In this episode of Facts Matter Moments, Terry Trueblood is interviewing officer and FOP National Sergeant at Arms, Keith Turney. Keith also comes from Illinois and can give us a national perspective on a lot of the current issues going on in the state of Illinois as well as the United States. Terry and Keith discuss House Bill 3653– new training standards, how to use cameras, and losing qualified immunity. One of the biggest concerns is with community safety issues, especially if we are seeing less police, funding and equipment.

“The initiatives that we are seeing in House Bill 3653 is also happening across the country. There is a concerted effort to “depolice” policing across this county.” – Keith Turney, FOP National Sergeant at Arms

Keith Turney

National Sergeant at Arms

Keith was elected Sergeant at Arms at the 63rd Biennial Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Keith has been a member of the Fraternal Order of Police for over 40 years and is the current Second Vice President of the Illinois FOP State Lodge. Keith spent 31 years as a Joliet Police Officer in the State of Illinois and retired at the rank of Commander in 2009. Keith spent much of his law enforcement career specializing in the field of crisis negotiations, ultimately leading a team of 15 professional negotiators. As a police commander in a post-9/11 world, he was the incident commander at Chicagoland Motor Speedway in Joliet, responsible for the safety and security of nearly 100,000 patrons.

Upon retirement Keith joined the Illinois FOP Labor Council as a Field Representative where he negotiated contracts, administered grievances and represented members in disciplinary matters. In March of 2018 Keith agreed to represent the National FOP in the Collaborative Reform Initiative – Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC), a consortium of nine major law enforcement organizations working with the COPS Office and the Department of Justice to provide needed free training to state, local, tribal, and campus law enforcement agencies.

Keith has extensive lobbying experience on a local, state and national level and is a current member of the Illinois Police Professionalism Commission and a recent member of the Illinois Law Enforcement Standards and Training Board—both gubernatorial appointments.

Keith is a Past President of Joliet FOP Lodge 58 and the Joliet Police Patrolman’s Union and has been a member of the Illinois State Lodge Board of Trustees since 1992. In 2000 he was elected to the office of Second Vice President. Keith is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, session 206, and holds a Master of Arts Degree in Organizational Leadership.

The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police – Our History

The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), founded over 100 years ago in 1915, is the largest enforcement organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. With a proud tradition of officers representing officers, the FOP is the most respected and most recognized police organization in the country. The Illinois FOP is the second largest State Lodge, proudly representing over 33,000 active duty and retired police officers – more than 10 percent of all FOP members nationwide.

The Illinois State Lodge, chartered in 1963, is run by a highly dedicated Board of Trustees and staff who are committed to elevating the law enforcement profession, protecting members’ rights, promoting fraternalism, and raising the value of membership. The Fraternal Order of Police serves as the national and state legislative voice of those who dedicate their lives to protecting and serving others. In addition, ILFOP members benefit from a variety of FOP programs and services, including legal defense, accidental death, and disability insurance, peer support, education scholarships, chaplaincy, education and training, and much more.