Are the police on Long Island overpaid? (insurance, salary)

[ClarkStreetKid]

Originally Posted by clamboy

If we could send SCPD to OT rehab..we could swing a few more feet on the street.

C

In regards to the FBI data just remember that Suffolk has a population of 1,419,369 and Nassau 1,334,544.

[Keeper]

Please get back on topic.. discuss the issue ONLY..
No name calling or personal attacks will be tolerated.

[NY62]

Originally Posted by catlaw1

This appears to be a thread to tread lightly in, nevertheless...

Look I like having the police on my beat live in our neighborhood. (Frankly I feel the same way about Assistant District Attorney's...) Anyway, if you want them to live here, they have to afford it. Hence the salaries are competitive. Where the fault lies is in the overtime and in the assignment of special squads such as Highway or DWI. No there is no extra money in it on its face but if you are on a special DWI patrol you have the extra money from having to attend DMV refusal hearings and court hearings are far more available in DWI enforcement, trials too, which leads to overtime.

Many of the other special units get these "perks" too. In all however if we want a better police force, we need more civilian employees doing administrative work and less officers inside buildings. I believe we could probably hire former police officers as consultants after they retire, and pay far less than they get while actively in uniform.

Yes I know there is civil service and unions etc. but when a police officer is making more than a judge, it is time to review the policies. NY Supreme Court Judges make less than 150k per year, and that is usually after nearly 20 years or more as lawyers. Police make 120k after about 8 years (including overtime.)

More over in addition to a generous pension plan, Nassau County shells out an average of 250k in "severence pay" (I know it's not called that but it is in effect the same thing. It is the time the police are allowed to pool by not taking holidays/vacations off near the end of their careers.) They also average a 40 week work year. Thats 12 weeks off for those math impaired.

Here is an idea, if you are serious about needing the overtime, offer it to the younger officers so that they have a little more rather than to those about to retire so it increases their retirements. In fact, how about we take OT out of the retirement equation completely and base retirement on a straight up and down three years of set salary at the end of a career? How about no storage of more than 3 vacation/sick days a year for no more than 5 years?

The Nassau/Suffolk job, is a serious job. It is not as dangerous as the PBA would like us to believe but it is a job that is not for everyone. A fair base pay is key, double and triple time in a so called public service job is not called for and isn't fair to the taxpayers who mostly cover these numbers. Separation/termination pay needs to be no more than the average salary at the end of a career times the number of years worked. One week salary at its highest without overtime counted, for each year of service, and a nice watch.

If the union and the county and the arbitrators got real, the police budget could be greatly reduced without effecting the ability of our police to recruit qualified candidates and without reducing their ability to live among the people they serve.

IMHO

12 weeks Off???? They are like school teachers. have them spray mosquitos also. problem solved.

[nancy thereader]

And please read the following about variables affecting crime.
Variables Affecting Crime - Crime in the United States 2006

I noticed that climate is a variable in crime. Is that because more people are outside in warmer places, do you think?
Is there more crime on LI during the summer?

[josephchiarello]

TIME TO TURN THE PENDULUM

For the past year, I have sent to every Republican, Democratic, Suffolk County Officials, Town Officials, and Southampton Village Officials, and more importantly every Local Newspaper on the East End to look into the outrageous Salaries, Benefits, and Retirement Program for all of our Police Departments including the County, Town, and Village Police Departments.

To this day no one has even remotely addressed the Issue. The Salaries, Benefits, and Retirement Packages of all of the Police Departments in Nassau and Suffolk are the laughing stock of every other Police Department throughout our Country. If you do not believe me go on to the Internet and GOOGLE “Overpaid Police in Suffolk’. There is a great article by the NY Times a few weeks ago that backs up my/this Article.

I, as a Layman and Taxpayer, began to look into this outrage after I heard that most of these Police Departments get over a $100,000 per year not including their lucrative overtime packages, have (74) Paid Holidays/Vacation Days/Sick Days/Personal Days per year and if not used they can accumulate and bundle them for future gold. They have full Family Medical, Eye, and Dental Insurance, and after only (20) years they can retire at 50% Salary and after another (5) years they get full Salary (manipulated buy creative Day’s off not taken) each year per the Taxpayers Pockets.

Based upon these numbers, I estimate that each Police Officer including paying for his 20 to 50 years in retirement costs the Taxpayer – that’s you - approx. $350,000 per year. Our Police Departments are the highest paid Police in the lowest crime area in our Country. Period. We are the joke of the Nation. Period. The PBA (Police Benevolent Association - why does the word Benevolent make me want to throw up) in 1998 targeted Nassau and Suffolk as a Model of Salary, Benefits, and Retirement Packages that they would like the entire Country’s Police Departments to have. Few other US States, Counties, Towns, and Village Police Departments have followed this Model due to their elected Officials going nose to nose with the PBA in their area.

Our Rape began one day in 1998 when a few ambitious, greedy, and ‘the hell with the public’ Lawyers, PBA Union Reps, Local Officials, and Politicians huddled in the Devil’s Closet and emerged with their new strategy. All those in the Devil’s Closet emerged quite wealthy while you and I grew poorer with no one willing to send these criminals back down to Hell.

Prior to 1998 the PBA had little influence in any of our Police Negotiations and final Agreed Police Contract but since that day in the 1998 Devil’s Closet, the PBA has been able to shove whatever they want down the East End Taxpayers throats with each Official saying “Well that is the way it is”.

If it were up to me, I would unwind the past 9 years of the PBA’s raping the Taxpayer and prohibit them in our County. Why can not we make them go to hell and get out of our hard earned pockets? They only have a 9 year history. I sent letters to Steve Levy and he replied that these Contracts occurred prior to his taking office. Doo Doo. Stop it. I bet I can find a number of Individuals that would be willing to work for 66% of the Salary and Benefits that now our Police bathe with froth in. And they would be willing to work 30 years instead of 20 years before they could retire. These Members/Police of our Community who are dedicated to serving us mainly by writing Speeding Tickets as they hide behind Shrubs and Lemonade Stands when for that brief 8 minutes per day when there is no Traffic that they snag a speeder who at the time of being apprehended is so overwhelmed with Joy that the 10 mile bumper to bumper daily Traffic, that they finally could go faster then 11 miles per hour.

What are our Elected Officials, County, Town, and Village Officials, The Southampton Press, The Easthampton Star, Dan’s Paper, and The Independent so afraid of that they have not followed up on my Story that I have sent them over 4 times this year? Now I am the one out there all ALONE and exposed for the Police to perhaps come after me. If they do, it will be a Day when our Democracy will shed a tear.

[NY62]

yea they would be happy with 66% to start, but give em 5 years and they would be pissing and moaning how they dont make enough to live on the island. Sorry but that is the truth. Everyone is pissed at what the other guy gets paid. Get over it and get off your soapbox. I am not a cop either. 100k is not alot to be a cop, we have lawnboys that bring more then that home. Dont give me the avg salary of people on the island crap either,when alot get paid cash and that never gets figured in the avg. How many mini home improvement co are there ? they get alot of cash. Auto body ? mechanics at your small shops all cash. Folks 100k is not alot for putting your life on the line and the rest of the work they do. Who is the first at an accident? the cops are, they see the kids decapitated , limbs severed and so on. They arive at your home if you are haveing a heart attack, it is not all about being in a high crime area. What do you do for a living? are you under or over paid? everyone will say they are under paid. I doubt the cops are going to be after you , your giving yourself to much credit.

[pdcnret]

Originally Posted by NY62

yea they would be happy with 66% to start, but give em 5 years and they would be pissing and moaning how they dont make enough to live on the island. Sorry but that is the truth. Everyone is pissed at what the other guy gets paid. Get over it and get off your soapbox. I am not a cop either. 100k is not alot to be a cop, we have lawnboys that bring more then that home. Dont give me the avg salary of people on the island crap either,when alot get paid cash and that never gets figured in the avg. How many mini home improvement co are there ? they get alot of cash. Auto body ? mechanics at your small shops all cash. Folks 100k is not alot for putting your life on the line and the rest of the work they do. Who is the first at an accident? the cops are, they see the kids decapitated , limbs severed and so on. They arive at your home if you are haveing a heart attack, it is not all about being in a high crime area. What do you do for a living? are you under or over paid? everyone will say they are under paid. I doubt the cops are going to be after you , your giving yourself to much credit.

Amen. You've expressed the two most important points beautifully: 1) cops' salaries are not out of line when compared against the employment spectrum in the metropolitan area; and 2) most people have no idea what cops really do ... it's all about the ticket they once got or how quick the crime gets solved on CSI.

[pdcnret]

Originally Posted by josephchiarello

TIME TO TURN THE PENDULUM

For the past year, I have sent to every Republican, Democratic, Suffolk County Officials, Town Officials, and Southampton Village Officials, and more importantly every Local Newspaper on the East End to look into the outrageous Salaries, Benefits, and Retirement Program for all of our Police Departments including the County, Town, and Village Police Departments.

To this day no one has even remotely addressed the Issue. The Salaries, Benefits, and Retirement Packages of all of the Police Departments in Nassau and Suffolk are the laughing stock of every other Police Department throughout our Country. If you do not believe me go on to the Internet and GOOGLE “Overpaid Police in Suffolk’. There is a great article by the NY Times a few weeks ago that backs up my/this Article.

I, as a Layman and Taxpayer, began to look into this outrage after I heard that most of these Police Departments get over a $100,000 per year not including their lucrative overtime packages, have (74) Paid Holidays/Vacation Days/Sick Days/Personal Days per year and if not used they can accumulate and bundle them for future gold. They have full Family Medical, Eye, and Dental Insurance, and after only (20) years they can retire at 50% Salary and after another (5) years they get full Salary (manipulated buy creative Day’s off not taken) each year per the Taxpayers Pockets.

Based upon these numbers, I estimate that each Police Officer including paying for his 20 to 50 years in retirement costs the Taxpayer – that’s you - approx. $350,000 per year. Our Police Departments are the highest paid Police in the lowest crime area in our Country. Period. We are the joke of the Nation. Period. The PBA (Police Benevolent Association - why does the word Benevolent make me want to throw up) in 1998 targeted Nassau and Suffolk as a Model of Salary, Benefits, and Retirement Packages that they would like the entire Country’s Police Departments to have. Few other US States, Counties, Towns, and Village Police Departments have followed this Model due to their elected Officials going nose to nose with the PBA in their area.

Our Rape began one day in 1998 when a few ambitious, greedy, and ‘the hell with the public’ Lawyers, PBA Union Reps, Local Officials, and Politicians huddled in the Devil’s Closet and emerged with their new strategy. All those in the Devil’s Closet emerged quite wealthy while you and I grew poorer with no one willing to send these criminals back down to Hell.

Prior to 1998 the PBA had little influence in any of our Police Negotiations and final Agreed Police Contract but since that day in the 1998 Devil’s Closet, the PBA has been able to shove whatever they want down the East End Taxpayers throats with each Official saying “Well that is the way it is”.

If it were up to me, I would unwind the past 9 years of the PBA’s raping the Taxpayer and prohibit them in our County. Why can not we make them go to hell and get out of our hard earned pockets? They only have a 9 year history. I sent letters to Steve Levy and he replied that these Contracts occurred prior to his taking office. Doo Doo. Stop it. I bet I can find a number of Individuals that would be willing to work for 66% of the Salary and Benefits that now our Police bathe with froth in. And they would be willing to work 30 years instead of 20 years before they could retire. These Members/Police of our Community who are dedicated to serving us mainly by writing Speeding Tickets as they hide behind Shrubs and Lemonade Stands when for that brief 8 minutes per day when there is no Traffic that they snag a speeder who at the time of being apprehended is so overwhelmed with Joy that the 10 mile bumper to bumper daily Traffic, that they finally could go faster then 11 miles per hour.

What are our Elected Officials, County, Town, and Village Officials, The Southampton Press, The Easthampton Star, Dan’s Paper, and The Independent so afraid of that they have not followed up on my Story that I have sent them over 4 times this year? Now I am the one out there all ALONE and exposed for the Police to perhaps come after me. If they do, it will be a Day when our Democracy will shed a tear.

Your assessment of the benefits and costs of retirement is way off base. To begin with, the maximum retirement benefit under the state pension system (the system that all Long Island police departments belong to) is 67% of a three year salary average --- not full salary. And once the officer retires, he's no longer on the municipality's payroll -- his retirement benefits come from the state of New York. (Yes, his medical benefits are paid by the municipality, but that is the product of a collective bargaining agreement.) As far as the number of days off they get and can accumulate, those are capped. Although sick pay provisions may be generous, police officers who use all of their sick leave in any given year are likely to be designated as abusers and subject to sanctions by the department. Police Officers who are on sick leave are closely monitored and are restricted to their homes during the period they are sick and can be subject to a visit from a superior officer to verify the illness. (Does your job monitor you when you're ill ?) Not such a great perk.

And while you're complaining about traffic tickets, the purpose of of traffic enforcement is to reduce accidents and save lives. Perhaps your life has been saved by a police officer doing his job. You may never know.

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by NY62

yea they would be happy with 66% to start, but give em 5 years and they would be pissing and moaning how they dont make enough to live on the island. Sorry but that is the truth. Everyone is pissed at what the other guy gets paid. Get over it and get off your soapbox. I am not a cop either. 100k is not alot to be a cop, we have lawnboys that bring more then that home. Dont give me the avg salary of people on the island crap either,when alot get paid cash and that never gets figured in the avg. How many mini home improvement co are there ? they get alot of cash. Auto body ? mechanics at your small shops all cash. Folks 100k is not alot for putting your life on the line and the rest of the work they do. Who is the first at an accident? the cops are, they see the kids decapitated , limbs severed and so on. They arive at your home if you are haveing a heart attack, it is not all about being in a high crime area. What do you do for a living? are you under or over paid? everyone will say they are under paid. I doubt the cops are going to be after you , your giving yourself to much credit.

If we are to complain about how were addicted to spending,shouldnt we at least test the market to see if we could attract qualified candidates for less?

Wouldnt you agree that a 75k base is more than attractive by anyones definiton?
Especially when you factor that OT will take them well over 100k with a retirement plan thats second to none?

C

[pdcnret]

There seems to be this incredible obsession with police overtime. First off, while it is a fact of life in policing, it is far from guaranteed. Second, while it may be beneficial to the individual officer in boosting his salary, it is of far more benefit to the municipality. It is significantly cheaper to pay overtime that it is to hire more cops. That's the long and short of it.

And before someone chimes in about making cops exempt employees (ie, no overtime) read the federal Fair Labor and Standards Act. Under federal law, cops are entitled to overtime. Period.