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Much more than “ 24 hours from Tulsa ” Jim Bayliss visits his son and pulls in some IPA networking Jim Bayliss , Central Scotland

I have just returned from a visit to the USA, which was primarily to visit family members who now live there. However, I took the opportunity to meet up with local IPA members. W hilst visiting St Louis with my wife Lorna and grandson Aidan, we met up with a few locals. We first met in a local restaurant where we had a meal, a few drinks and a lot of talking. Bob Schure was our main contact and, together with Jack Gaffigan, he arranged the evening. Most of the members were retired officers with a few still serving in one form or another. To commemorate our meeting, I presented an IPA UK pennant to the group and we exchanged challenge

Jim Bayliss, Sergeant Dan Cunningham, Bob Schure

coins and patches. Thankfully, our waiter for the night took a photograph of all who attended before throwing us out so that they could close up for the night. Before leaving, Bob Schure, a retired State Trooper from the St Louis Highway Patrol, said he would pick us up from our hotel for a visit to the Highway Patrol HQ. We were greeted there by Captain Stephen Ferrier, who I presented with an IPA pennant and coin. In return I was given a commemorative shoulder patch and photograph telling the history of the Missouri Highway Patrol. We were shown around the complex, visiting their Control Room, Range and Vehicle Maintenance Department. Afer leaving the Highway Patrol HQ, Bob took us to the airport where we were shown around the St Louis County Police Department Metro Air Support Unit. Sergeant Dan Cunningham, the Supervisor and Chief Pilot, showed us around the helicopters and gave us a well informed talk about the unit. Towards the end of our visit to our son in Tulsa we were lucky enough to meet up with David Stone and his wife Teri. David is a retired Deputy Sheriff in Tulsa County, Oklahoma and is an IPA member and also a long time member of the Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club. David and Teri travel extensively for Blue Knight events. On the night we met up and had a meal and drinks with them they had only recently returned from the Blue Knights’ European Rally in Italy, where they had met Police World Editor, Neil Hallam, who is also a Blue Knight. After a lovely evening sitting overlooking the Arkansas river, we exchanged coins and patches and I presented them with an IPA UK pennant. We are now back home in Scotland with lots of photographs and fond memories of new friendships made. We look forward to meeting up again with some of these friends from the USA when they come to visit Scotland. In the mean time with other members visiting Scotland in the near future, I am sure we will be able to extend a welcome to all.

Jim Bayliss, Capt. Stephen Ferrier, Bob Schure

David, Teri Stone, Lorna, Jim Bayliss

POLICE WORLD Vol 63 No. 4, 2018

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