Election Update
We want to inform you that two members have nominated themselves for the position of Troop A Representative:
- Sgt. Devon Surain
- Tpr. Paul Higgins
The election will be conducted electronically on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, from 0700 to 1900 hours.
Additional details regarding the voting process will be shared closer to the election date. Please ensure you participate and make your voice heard.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
Election Committee Chairperson
Sgt. Anthony Carriere
Letters of Intent
Troop A Personnel,
For those of you that I have not had the opportunity to meet and work with, my name is Devon A. Surian. I am a member of the 82nd Recruit Training Troop and am newly assigned to State Police Newbury.
I write to you, the members of Troop A, to announce my candidacy for the position of Troop A Representative. While I was most recently assigned to Troop H, I have previously been assigned to Troop A for several years having served at both SP Medford and SP Revere. Having lived in Troop A for my entire life, I possess an in-depth understanding of the geographical area, which I believe will allow me to be an effective representative for our Troop.
I bring over 13 years of law enforcement experience working as a Police Officer in the Commonwealth. My career with the University of Massachusetts Lowell Police Department in 2011 following graduation from the Lowell Police Academy. Subsequent to that, I transferred to the Revere Police Department where I served until October of 2015. I then began employment with the Massachusetts State Police as a Trainee with the 82nd Recruit Training Troop. Most recently, I was assigned to H-9 SP Tunnels where I served as the SPAM Barracks Representative. While assigned in this capacity, I took the concerns of the barracks and put ideas and words into actions. I was tasked by the Troop Representative to attend Executive Board Meetings and to attend to other Troop issues in his absence. I implore each and everyone of you to reach to friends or classmates assigned to H-9 to inquire about my performance and service as the Barracks Representative. If you take the time to do so, I am confident you will be satisfied with what you will hear in return.
My personal experiences both on and off the job make me an ideal candidate for this position. I have firsthand experience dealing with harsh treatment and brutal tactics from within the department, and rather than backing down, I stood my ground and fought to preserve my rights. I want to personally assure each of you that the tactics mentioned above WILL NOT be used against any Troop A member if I am elected as your Troop Representative. This personal experience, has fueled my passion for holding the department accountable and enforcing our rights under the collective bargaining agreement. Many of the current Barracks Representatives in Troop A, including the longest tenured Barracks Representative in Troop A, have expressed a great deal of support for my candidacy. Troop A deserves a Troop Representative that is educated, experienced, motivated, and most importantly, someone who has a proven track record of delivering results.
I fully support the restoration of an education incentive for all, increased wages, increased night shift differential and a detail rate that is competitive with our municipal counter parts. I will commit to being a fierce advocate for the aforementioned as a member of the Executive Board. I am a proud husband and father like many of you, I truly understand the unique challenges and difficulties of raising a family while juggling the stressors of being a law enforcement officer in 2024.
In closing, I humbly ask for your support in this upcoming election and encourage any and all to contact me directly at the telephone number or e-mail address affixed below. With any comments, questions, or concerns surrounding my candidacy. Thank you, and I wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday season.
Respectfully,
Devon A. Surian #4047
978 – 888 – 3259
[email protected]
Fellow SPAM member,
My name is Paul Higgins currently assigned to the Detail office in Danvers. I am running for A Troop Representative and I’m asking for your support.
I am a member of 79Th RTT. Prior to working for the State Police, I was employed as a correctional officer at the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office. I started my career in C-Troop, breaking in at SP-Leominster, before working in SP-Athol. Years later I was transferred to SP-Medford. I am currently assigned to the detail office at AHQ.
With approximately 20 years in law enforcement. I have been a Trooper long enough to have worked under several administrations and their imposed working conditions. I understand the needs of the next generation of Troopers. With MSP’s reputation and our membership constantly under scrutiny by the public, it is time to proactively restore our reputation as one of the premier law enforcement agencies in the country. Thus creating better working conditions for Troopers which directly affect our members’ home lives.
I believe in equal pay for equal work. I will lobby representatives to establish a new pay structure for members excluded from the Quinn Bill which would include shift differentials, increase hazard pay, weekend and holiday stipends. I will attempt to introduce longevity pay, as well as a revolving detail rate set by the pay rate of a fully vested Sergeant receiving Quinn, set by union contract raises, not the Colonel. Lastly, lobby for pay raises that exceed the current inflation rates.
I will fight for safer work conditions and continue to push for Collective Bargaining for management enacted policies which are being implemented without it.
I will advocate for a more structured schedule of discipline based on legal standards, case law and past practice that establishes accountability from the top down, where non-union members are held to the same standards as accused union members. For those who know me. I have firsthand knowledge of how these punishments are handed out. With P.O.S.T now having the ability to drastically determine your career, this has become imperative to have proper representation regarding discipline, constitutional issues and unjust suspensions to our membership.
In closing, my decision to run for Troop Rep. is to improve communication and information flow with management and you the member, address your concerns as they arise, offer support at a time of need, and offer some new ideas to benefit the union membership. I would appreciate your vote.
Respectfully,
Paul Higgins #3448