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What's cheaper, hiring an officer at $60,000 plus benies, or paying your current 20 officers $4,000/yr in OT each? lol
OT will always be the cheaper alternative. What so many fail to realize is that after a certain point, it takes it's toll in the health and attitude of the employee. Working 12 hours a day six days (or more) eventually will destroy the productivity. It was clearly seem right after 9-11. Seven day a week, 12 hours or more a day. Work/sleep/work doesn't work. All those big OT numbers sound great. But as the advent of caller ID has made trying to find someone to even cover the shifts, it now becomes the norm to just not let the working employee leave. Makes for a great attitude when plans are destroyed with no compensation.
Christie's easy fix is smoke and mirrors. In time, the process is going to break down. Politicians spent many years screwing up the state. Thinking that a few months will fix it???? Keep dreaming.
Not really you need 25 years for the medical coverage and truth be told if I needed to call police I don't want Grandpa showing up..police & firefighters are a young man's career...
Ok, that's fine. Raise the pension age and let 'em do some other career in the meantime. It's still a lot better than what most people get.
One area where I think the police can save money (and this is the root of a lot of NJ issues) is consolidation. There are many small communities that are all clustered together and each of them maintains their own complete police forces. There is no reason why we couldn't see more consolidation among police departments as well as various other municipal forces.
this is done in smaller towns in PA. there are tradoffs, but it works pretty well there. i was surprised when i moved here to see every town (i think) has their own police force
Bottom-line is officers in suburbs are paid very well while risk is there it is not great as of officers in urban environments. Is that so hard to admit?
Another typical fallacy popular by the uninformed. At least check your facts first.
New Jersey (http://www.odmp.org/browse.php?abbr=NJ - broken link)
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Ok, that's fine. Raise the pension age and let 'em do some other career in the meantime.
That's really bright. I guess you would have them work a job, then quit at what, 35 or 40? Then apply for the job? No wonder CA is so screwed up. Guess they should do that for the military. Let's get pilots in the cockpits at 50 or 55. Better yet, a 60 year old infantry.
By the way, if you bothered to check, entry into the pension system must be made before the 35th. birthday. I think your theories need some additional work.
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It's still a lot better than what most people get.
Probably because for year too many came out of school thinking the world owed them a living. Party for years in school, then expect to walk into a cushy job. The jobs so great...yet for years traveling around the country was required to attract applicants. People looked down on the job. now it's such a great job? wow, I missed the transition period.
Probably because for year too many came out of school thinking the world owed them a living. Party for years in school, then expect to walk into a cushy job. The jobs so great...yet for years traveling around the country was required to attract applicants. People looked down on the job. now it's such a great job? wow, I missed the transition period.
i don't think it's fair to pick on those of us who went to college to get jobs vs those who chose a job in public service or other non-college jobs. not a lot of my college classmates believed they were owed a living. also did not expect a cushy job. we work hard too. just because some people in private take shots at you guys, don't take shots back. we're not all of the same mindset!
If you check the vast number departmental requirements, most require college. So going for a four year degree doesn't mean you're going into the private sector. In fact, a good deal of the private sector jobs don't require a four year degree. Past years the popular route was comuter operations. Need a degree? Nope. Many areas of the health indursry? need a degree? Nope?
To say that many come out with that degree are qualified for much of anything is getting to be a streach. Sadly, too many come out not much smarter than when they went in. Some degrees aren't worth the paper they are printed on. Who in their right mind would put any faith in the Online College Degree? Their selling point? I attend classes in pj's? That's really putting forth a true effort.
Police agencies weren't imune from the effect either. Seems the past few years the attitude of some were not that great to start with and never got any better. they, like much of the general public thought the job was what they saw on their favorite tv shows. when they found it wasn't, they were disapointed to say the leats. But when I have to listen to a employee on the job less then six month complain because he couldn't get Christmas off and when denied, when to his favorite politician to try to force the issue, then yes, they expect a cushy job.
Unlike TV it isn't car chases and shootouts. It's probably 80 percent service calls. Getting a call at 3am because a tenants heat doesn't work...well, who else would they call? That's a big part of the job. Plus marriage councilors to the world. Unfortunatly, they are the events that can turn deadly in a heartbeat.
i don't think it's fair to pick on those of us who went to college to get jobs vs those who chose a job in public service or other non-college jobs
Huh? I guess you haven't researched Job Requirements for public service positions then. Any agency I know of requires at LEAST a 4 Year degree for any position beyond Senior Clerk.
I think a big issue that a lot of people have with public sector jobs is that nepotism is alive and well in a sector that should be as blind as the scales of justice. Nepotism certainly exists in the private sector as well, but I think it is more tolerable as it is the 'private' sector.
I know far too many local cops who have their jobs do to their family connections than do to their qualifications. Case in point, an old family friend of my parents used to be the police chief in our town. Both of his sons were accepted to the academy right out of high school and currently have nice suburban police jobs. Another friend of mine has an influential father. How else would a 22 year old with no college education get accepted to the academy and now be posted in a nice quiet suburb. Oh and his fiancee, also with no college education works in the county clerks office.
All of these people are good at their job to my knowledge, but they certainly didn't get the job because of their qualifications and most certainly were hired over other more qualified individuals. This kind of treatment, that is very common, leaves a bad taste in a lot of peoples mouths when it comes to public sector employees. It's almost like a club that you need to invited into. So, in some ways the sour grapes are warranted when not all of us have an equal chance to get those jobs even if we wanted them.
I think a big issue that a lot of people have with public sector jobs is that nepotism is alive and well in a sector that should be as blind as the scales of justice. Nepotism certainly exists in the private sector as well, but I think it is more tolerable as it is the 'private' sector.
I know far too many local cops who have their jobs do to their family connections than do to their qualifications. Case in point, an old family friend of my parents used to be the police chief in our town. Both of his sons were accepted to the academy right out of high school and currently have nice suburban police jobs. Another friend of mine has an influential father. How else would a 22 year old with no college education get accepted to the academy and now be posted in a nice quiet suburb. Oh and his fiancee, also with no college education works in the county clerks office.
All of these people are good at their job to my knowledge, but they certainly didn't get the job because of their qualifications and most certainly were hired over other more qualified individuals. This kind of treatment, that is very common, leaves a bad taste in a lot of peoples mouths when it comes to public sector employees. It's almost like a club that you need to invited into. So, in some ways the sour grapes are warranted when not all of us have an equal chance to get those jobs even if we wanted them.
Sorry, but I don't agree with you, here. I feel nepotism is rampant no matter which side you look at. Believe me ... it's alive and well in private industry, as well as in public service. But I think you have a point (bolded-above), in that in public service, one must also be "good at their job" to hold onto the position. In private industry, it really doesn't matter that much.
Last edited by pvs; 09-22-2010 at 12:40 PM..
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