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Old 12-31-2008, 04:15 PM
 
143 posts, read 298,603 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nancy thereader View Post
Didn't Levy actually run unopposed the last time? That's really unusual.
Yes... his approval rating is through the roof. I think the public is happy to FINALLY have a county exec willing to take on the unions and reign in the costs of the civil servants.

 
Old 12-31-2008, 04:40 PM
 
939 posts, read 1,839,820 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeyc4582 View Post
Nooo way... let's keep steve in Suffolk for another term... he still has a lot of work to do reigning in the SCPD. Taking highway patrol away from them was a real shrewed move. He has my vote and the vote of my entire nieghborhood. I guess that's the reason the republican party won't even contest him in an election.

I think police compensation should be discussed. We are paying for them... why should we just have to deal with that given the current economic climate?
You can discuss police compensation all you want. It is the subject of a binding contract between the county and the police union. As I said before, you can get as indignant as you want, you can rant and rave, jump up and down and stamp your feet, but you can't change a thing. And remember, it takes two sides to make a contract. Levy has been county exec for many years -- where was his outrage during the years that all of the contract provisions were negotiated by his staff? Political grandstanding and nothing else. Discussion over.
 
Old 12-31-2008, 04:46 PM
 
143 posts, read 298,603 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pdcnret View Post
You can discuss police compensation all you want. It is the subject of a binding contract between the county and the police union. As I said before, you can get as indignant as you want, you can rant and rave, jump up and down and stamp your feet, but you can't change a thing. And remember, it takes two sides to make a contract. Levy has been county exec for many years -- where was his outrage during the years that all of the contract provisions were negotiated by his staff? Political grandstanding and nothing else. Discussion over.
From what I remember Levy has always had an issue with police compensation, but with home prices rising and people's incomes rising there wasn't much of a budget crunch. Now that we are in economic turmoil, seeing the police with compensation packages equal to senior executives of for profit firms (yes the yearly salary isn't ridiculously high but the price of the benefits and job security increase the overall compensation significantly) is not something we as a county can financial withstand. Additionally, no one here wants to stomp their feet or jump up and down. The question is asked to find out what exactly can be done to end this travesty. Thanks.
 
Old 12-31-2008, 04:54 PM
 
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Just curious when the contract expires?
 
Old 12-31-2008, 04:56 PM
 
939 posts, read 1,839,820 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeyc4582 View Post
From what I remember Levy has always had an issue with police compensation, but with home prices rising and people's incomes rising there wasn't much of a budget crunch. Now that we are in economic turmoil, seeing the police with compensation packages equal to senior executives of for profit firms (yes the yearly salary isn't ridiculously high but the price of the benefits and job security increase the overall compensation significantly) is not something we as a county can financial withstand. Additionally, no one here wants to stomp their feet or jump up and down. The question is asked to find out what exactly can be done to end this travesty. Thanks.
Before you get all upset about what you can afford, take a look at your tax bill and see how much you pay for police services. And then compare that to your school taxes (which are primarily personnel costs.) And then let's talk about whether we as taxpayers can afford our educational system.

There is no "travesty" here. These are lawful and legally binding contracts between two parties. The benefits have been part of police compensation for years and years. The cops have a contract and there is nothing you -- or anyone else -- can do to change that. You need to get over it.
 
Old 12-31-2008, 05:06 PM
 
143 posts, read 298,603 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pdcnret View Post
Before you get all upset about what you can afford, take a look at your tax bill and see how much you pay for police services. And then compare that to your school taxes (which are primarily personnel costs.) And then let's talk about whether we as taxpayers can afford our educational system.

There is no "travesty" here. These are lawful and legally binding contracts between two parties. The benefits have been part of police compensation for years and years. The cops have a contract and there is nothing you -- or anyone else -- can do to change that. You need to get over it.
I understand the education system isn't optimal, but this is a thread about the benefits of the suffolk county police department - please stay on topic.

There is certainly a travesty here. 6 weeks of vacation is insane. No one in my company gets 6 weeks vacation unless you are a c level officer. We get 4 weeks, and that is considered high by most standards. We cannot bank our vacation time either and get a pay out at retirement. It's a "use it or lose it" policy. I'd love to bank my vacation and get a pay out. I'm sorry, but that is a travesty. We, John Q. Taxpayer are paying into a program of benefits that maybe worked in the 1950's but do not work in today's day and age. If it's a non-issue, then why do major publications write articles about the scpd police compensation or have news broadcasts? I will assume you are a cop or a relative of a cop and that's why you are defending these benefits. Obviously you benefit from this system because if you had no affiliation and worked a normal job in the for profit sector you would see how ridiculous these benefits are.

Let me ask you this... how about the 5 on 2 off 5 on 3 off policy? This means a suffolk cop works 5 straight days and then gets 2 days off. That seems fair... I work monday through friday and get sat and sunday off. But then the suffok cop works 5 days and gets 3 days off. huh? Why is that? When I work 10 days I get 4 days off (2 saturdays and 2 sundays). When a suffolk cop works 10 days, they get 5 days off! Nevermind all of the vacation time and sick time they get which they can bank. And the chart days. Wow... if this isn't a complete and utter travesty I don't know what is.
 
Old 12-31-2008, 05:19 PM
 
939 posts, read 1,839,820 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeyc4582 View Post
I understand the education system isn't optimal, but this is a thread about the benefits of the suffolk county police department - please stay on topic.

There is certainly a travesty here. 6 weeks of vacation is insane. No one in my company gets 6 weeks vacation unless you are a c level officer. We get 4 weeks, and that is considered high by most standards. We cannot bank our vacation time either and get a pay out at retirement. It's a "use it or lose it" policy. I'd love to bank my vacation and get a pay out. I'm sorry, but that is a travesty. We, John Q. Taxpayer are paying into a program of benefits that maybe worked in the 1950's but do not work in today's day and age. If it's a non-issue, then why do major publications write articles about the scpd police compensation or have news broadcasts? I will assume you are a cop or a relative of a cop and that's why you are defending these benefits. Obviously you benefit from this system because if you had no affiliation and worked a normal job in the for profit sector you would see how ridiculous these benefits are.

Let me ask you this... how about the 5 on 2 off 5 on 3 off policy? This means a suffolk cop works 5 straight days and then gets 2 days off. That seems fair... I work monday through friday and get sat and sunday off. But then the suffok cop works 5 days and gets 3 days off. huh? Why is that? When I work 10 days I get 4 days off (2 saturdays and 2 sundays). When a suffolk cop works 10 days, they get 5 days off! Nevermind all of the vacation time and sick time they get which they can bank. And the chart days. Wow... if this isn't a complete and utter travesty I don't know what is.
As you have stated, cops don't work a normal job. Their shifts change weekly, they don't have weekends off, they work holidays and on and on. They also wrestle with drunks, get spat on and shot at and pull lifeless bodies out of car wrecks. Not a normal job, but somebody's got to do it. And they deserve to be compensated for the crap they have to put up with from a largely unappreciative public.

Don't complain about the career choices that others have made. If you are so enamored with their "perks and benefits", try becoming a cop. If that's not your thing, then continue to work 9 to 5 with your weekends off and complain to everyone how the cops are raping the system. And if this is your idea of a "complete and utter travesty", you need to do some more living.

By the way, I wouldn't hold up the NY Post as a "major publication" writing about SCPD benefits. They didn't get it right either.
 
Old 12-31-2008, 05:23 PM
 
249 posts, read 512,456 times
Reputation: 308
You people must be on drugs to believe the bull being thrown around on the radio and papers from the Levy camp.It's all a political smoke screen.

Anyway, some things brought up in this thread.
Cops working holidays get paid time and a half? Nope, not true. They get paid straight time whether they work the holiday or not. They get paid separately for 13 "negotiated" holidays.
- You applaud Levy for going after the unions? Did you take a very close look at your tax bill lately? What part of that bill brings attention? The police?...at $894 a year, it may be a bit high but I can live with it. I never had a problem with them assisting me when I called upon them.
The "County General fund" at a whopping $89 a year supports the Suffolk County Correction officers salary. And, as I may guess no one here realizes, those officers have been working on 2003 wages thanks to Mr. Levy. Yup, no contract or raise for 6 years....not even that happens in the private sector.
My fire district gets $536 a year. Considering that only covers my town (as opposed to the tax for the cops that covers most of Suffolk County), I consider that too high.

...but, the one tax that no one here seems to have a problem with but makes up OVER 50% of my tax bill is the damn schools!!! Why aren't the folks in Suffolk County up in arms about this? Are you stuck feeding on the bottle of "It's for the Children"? Well, let me let you in on a little secret.....it's NOT for the kids, it's for school "administrators". You know, the assistant to the assistant to the assistant....
This has gotten WAY out of hand and these school taxes should be CUT IN HALF for starters. The school districts should be combined (we have WAY too many districts) and the administrative staff should be greatly reduced. Last I checked, there's 25-27 kids per class. For the children?...my ass !

Want to talk about the cops and their days off? Did you ever consider the days off a teacher gets? Last I know, they get off EVERY HOLIDAY and EVERY SUMMER. Not too shabby if you ask me. So, before you **** and moan about some days a cop gets, take your head out of the sand and look around.

Did any of you people read the article snoozday did on our schools vs schools in Fairfax Va ? Before you defend the school taxes here, please read that article.

http://www.cgr.org/docs/2007_A_tale_of_2_suburbs.pdf

Last edited by Dregg; 12-31-2008 at 05:58 PM..
 
Old 12-31-2008, 05:30 PM
 
249 posts, read 512,456 times
Reputation: 308
Ok, i posted before those 2 replies came down the pike. To Mr. "5 days a week", ever go to work on the weekend or holiday while the rest of your family is gathered around the dinner table or at a BBQ? Yeah, probably not. Those rotating 5-2, 5-3 schedule will do that to your family. That 1 extra day in a 2 week span is reasonable.

And Mikey, how much money do you really think we, as tax payers are saving with the Deputies taking over the Hwys? I'm here to tell you it's probably costing us more money. How you ask? Well, the Sheriffs dept moved Deputies out of other assignments to fill the Hwy's but left those other areas understaffed. Those other areas are now covered by OT. Yup, at time and a half to the poor tax paying public like yourself. Yes, the Deputies are a bunch of good guys and gals who do a terrific job but at the tax payers expense. Oh, don't worry, they'll do an even better job once they get all the proper equipment for the task at hand (more patrol cars, push bars, radar guns, hwy safety light bars, vehicle laptop computers, accident scene rescue trucks with all the lighting, and more training)

I'm not trying to knock you but, you, and the others that take what the papers and radio give us as gospel, need to really investigate the problems at hand. Steve Levy sounds good on paper but...... Take your tax bill from the years he's been in office and tell me if you saved any money. I don't know about you but, i'm dying over here.
For example, I just happen to have (2) tax bills from the years (03-04) and (06-07) at hand. Lets see.....total tax in (03-04) = $5,028.36 and for (06-07) it's $7,592.79. That's a $2564.43 increase.
Of that, the cops got an extra $202.94. The "General fund" went up an additional $28.19. Wow, cigarettes for the week!!

The schools?...well, they got an additional $1771.10
Can you spot the robbery?

Last edited by Dregg; 12-31-2008 at 05:48 PM..
 
Old 12-31-2008, 05:38 PM
 
143 posts, read 298,603 times
Reputation: 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by pdcnret View Post
As you have stated, cops don't work a normal job. Their shifts change weekly, they don't have weekends off, they work holidays and on and on. They also wrestle with drunks, get spat on and shot at and pull lifeless bodies out of car wrecks. Not a normal job, but somebody's got to do it. And they deserve to be compensated for the crap they have to put up with from a largely unappreciative public.

Don't complain about the career choices that others have made. If you are so enamored with their "perks and benefits", try becoming a cop. If that's not your thing, then continue to work 9 to 5 with your weekends off and complain to everyone how the cops are raping the system. And if this is your idea of a "complete and utter travesty", you need to do some more living.

By the way, I wouldn't hold up the NY Post as a "major publication" writing about SCPD benefits. They didn't get it right either.
Newsday, NY Post and the New York Times have, at one time or another, written stories about the exhorbitant compensation packages of the scpd and or ncpd.

I'm not complaining about my career choice at all. I'm just saying some benefits and perks have become outdated. Pensions and full free medical being just 2 examples. I don't begrudge that the cops have a tough job... but now who's complaining about their career choice? No one forced cops to enter that profession. They signed up knowing the risks. However that doesn't mean we should continue to overpay for them. The troops in iraq aren't getting near the compensation as the scpd, yet face significantly more danger. Also, keep in mind I need a graduate degree to even be considered for my job. From what I've read, the SCPD doesn't even need 1 college credit. All that's needed to qualify is a HS diploma or a GED.

I just think the benefits and perks, along with the high salaries are a little out of control. Apparently the county exec, and the print and tv media and most of the public agree with me.
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