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May/June 2018 MEPD Newsletter

Hello MEPD. Welcome to our May/ June newsletter. We have a wealth of exciting MEPD related items for this busy month of Star Wars and a moment of sadness. Check out Dutchy's updates for our current CRL's and the possible new CRL's coming from Solo. There is also the exciting new trooping incentive program announcement! Make sure you sign up and track those troops. Congrats to the new PO and SWAT members and the Troop Spotlight. Finally, we have a sad farewell to our fallen brother, MEPD Police Officer TD-83314 Art Liu. Word From DL Fallen Trooper Memorial Main Topic: Muddy Brothers from Solo SWAT and PO New Trooping incentive: Emperor's Roughnecks Troop Spotlight Happy May the fourth be with you or the fifth or the 17th ..hahaha, having said this it’s time to zoom in on what has was noteworthy the last period. Well I don’t have a lot to talk about but one issue struck me and that is the case of the merchandising officer of the FISD. Lots of things were discussed about this case and I would like to refer you all to the 501st forum where you can read all about it. In a nutshell, we as the 501st aren’t allowed to make a profit on merchandise runs. But exciting times again for the MEPD for sure as a lot of us are looking forward to the new Solo movie and the characters that can be seen in it. My money is on the Mimban Trooper as a potential candidate of armors that can be added to our ranks. Let’s hope that we can announce some good news soon, for now hold on tight! As I am writing this I immediately have to think about our current CRL’s and than specifically the one for the TD. I’m currently looking into making some changes to make it clear what is accepted for each level as there are still some grey areas or items that can/ could be free for interpretation. To make these changes I have been talking with our Deployment Officers to find out what they would like to see changed for the better of the CRL . This all so we can keep demonstrating excellence. On the IT side we are making good progress as well, Damon even got Tapatalk up and running again! There is also an interesting new program in the making of which we are now dotting the I’s and crossing theT’s. Later in this issue it will be explained what it exactly is, but I am excited to have such a program within the MEPD as it will boost morale for sure! One other thing that I would really like to ask special attention for is the piece in this edition that zooms in on a very special trooper that showed personal perseverance and courage!! Your Detachment Leader, Dutchy/ Justus Troops, It is with deep sorrow that we announce that one of our brothers, MEPD Police Officer TD-83314 Art Liu, from the Taiwan Garrison passed away. Art was a pilot with Mandarin Airlines and accordingly to news report, became very ill just as his flight was about to depart. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3392861 Art joined the 501st Legion in Auguest 2016 with TD as his primary costume. Other than being a Sandie, he is also a TI, IC, ID and SL (Darth Revan) . He was deployed as a Police Officer on Oct 17, 2016. His thread can be found here. Art is a good friend and we trooped together on 2 occasions last year, the first ever Star Wars Run in Asia held in Singapore and Star Wars Day at Legoland in Malaysia, both took place in May 2017. He also attended Star Wars Celebration in Orlando the month before as well. Art is an outgoing person who is a joy to be with. He brighten up the party whenever he is around. He will be dearly missed. Buckets off. - Gordonator Hello again dirty troopers. As this year flies on by, we find ourselves with another exciting Star Wars film premiere. This time, it’s the prequel tale of the Rebel Scum who just barely slipped away from us at Docking Bay 94, Han Solo. That’s right, Solo: A Star Wars Story is coming in just 3 weeks. The anticipation is high. The trailers look beautiful. The fans are all ready for premiere night. And here at the MEPD….. We see some potential new CRL’s to add to our growing list of troopers. New Dirty troopers! The first new trooper in our sights is the Mimban Stormtrooper. According to the information we have so far, the Mimban Stormtrooper gets its name because they are deployed on a planet named Mimban, in the Expansion Region of the Star Wars universe. While we have only gotten quick glimpses of these troopers, the action figures are showing up and offering a better look. Both Hasbro and Bandai have shown versions of this new trooper in their respective toy releases for this year. White armor and a cape. Correction….dirty white armor and a cape! What’s not to love? There are even some rumors of Mimban troopers with backpacks. That’s even better. The next trooper who looks like a possible candidate for the MEPD is the Mudtrooper. What’s dirtier than mud? It seems like a natural fit…mud and sand. Based on the footage and toys released, the Mudtrooper has visual elements of troopers from other detachments. From what we have found out prior to the film release, the Mudtrooper is also deployed on the planet Mimban, but they work in the swamps specifically. These guys might land here, but they may also land in a different detachment. Time will tell. Of course there are plenty of other reasons to be excited about this next Star Wars chapter, and regardless of where these trooper CRL’s end up, we are pleased to see these latest editions to the Emperor’s ranks. - Punisha As we embark on our journey to 500 deployed members (we’re currently at 324), there are bound to be headaches, frustrations, and other problems along the way. In past newsletters, I’ve shared common questions new members or recruits might have as they begin their builds. These questions and answers are designed to help each of you make it to Police Officer and SWAT right from the get go. You can find the Q&A here - In order to further help those of you with your submissions, this newsletter I’m asking for help from each of you. I’d like to put together a list of what you struggled with and how you solved the problem. These list items could include weathering, armor fitting, obtaining pack parts, and/or whatever slowed you down or is slowing you down from obtaining your level 2 or 3. My hope in creating this list is to show what our current PO and SWAT officers have struggled with and how they fixed those problems so those of you currently working on your submissions can get ideas on areas you’re struggling with. I also hope that if you are currently working on a submission, please submit questions that you need help with so we can find how to help you achieve your next level. Submit questions, answers, pictures, and any feedback you have to me either via PM here or you can email me at kfolsom08@gmail.com. Thanks in advance to everyone for helping us on our road to 500. Let us send our congratulations to our newest Deployed Police officers! - Revolver Ocelot - March 20th - High Speed - March 21st - Roadblock - April 1st - Plainsrunner - April 17th - Olympus - May 10th - wozza8470 - May 14th Let us send our congratulations to our newest Activated SWAT Officer!! - talizman - May 10th Congrats and keep it up! With unquestioned loyalty, LoveMonkey, TD-18542 Troopers, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the Emperor's Roughnecks program. This program is similar to other detachments, such as the Ace program at JRS. We want to reward those troopers who get out, troop in costume, and spread the MEPD. What do you need to do? Head to the Tour of Duty forum and begin a new thread. Make the subject look like this: TD-##### Tour of Duty, (### arrests). Then reply to the topic anytime you attend an event in costume and post a picture from the event. Also include the troop event name and a small description of what the event was about. That way you can also be featured in the Troop Spotlight section here in the newsletter. What qualifies for this award? The event needs to be an official Legion event, where you appear in an MEPD costume. - Pictures are required...not just to prove the event happened but to entertain your fellow troopers around the precinct water cooler. - 25 events from the beginning of 2005 onward will be credited toward this award. Once you have 25 events in an MEPD costume, you will earn the Emperor's Roughnecks 25 award. You can also work towards the Emperor's Roughnecks 50 and Emperor's Roughnecks 100 awards. Why should I? Not only will you spread your love of the MEPD, but you’ll also be eligible to earn a certificate for your hard work. Command is also looking at doing merch runs later this year specifically for those troopers who have earned this award. You’ll also get the chance to have your awesome troop pictures featured here in the newsletter or on our social media pages. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. With unquestioned loyalty LoveMonkey, TD-18542 Troop Spotlight On April 29th, members of the Star, Mexican, Rancor Hunters, Mayan, and Skull Garrison gathered for the 2nd annual Training Day Monterrey. They conducted a 501st Legion parade which celebrated Star Wars and the friendship of 5 garrisons which totalled nearly 100 members walking through Calzada del Valle in San Pedro Garza Garcia, NL, Mexico. For the first time in Troop Spotlight history, a trooper has nominiated another trooper. Darth Mout/TD-9841 has nominated fellow Jundland Wastes Wolves Patrol member, Roberto Vilchis/TD-5516. Roberto has ALS and completed his first parade ever in full armor. This troop displayed a great amount of perseverance and personal courage. Well done and congratulations, TD 5516! - Airborne Trooper • TD-82573