Handful of Detroit Police Officers Stage Sickout

[Zacha341]

What the heck? And this on the northeast side: 48205? An already rough area [[deadliest zip code)?

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...ut-20111118-ms

[lilpup]

Not too long ago the police academy trained an entire class that then couldn't be hired due to budget constraints. There are plenty of recruits who can replace assholes who don't like their jobs and the recruits will be at lower pay...

[Ravine]

Yeah, that's right, don't pause for five minutes and take a sober look at the situation, don't even bother getting at the cause or figure out what kind of leak has sprung in the morale, no no, hell no, just fire 'em all and throw some fresh meat into a grinder that somehow tainted the previous batch.

[oldredfordette]

Let’s hire the cheapest cops! What a great idea! And when they get burned out at the horrible work at WalMart wages, we’ll fire them and hire some more! Why stop there? Let’s not give them health insurance. We could just hire security guards and then -- we’ll give them guns!

[Buy American]

I don't agree with the blue flu. This was not necessary, but...here's my take.

A class graduated from the academy in 2010. There is another class going on at this time. These are dedicated people who want to do some good for Detroit because it's certainly not the pay, nor is it the benefits that they receive from Detroit to encourage them to be cops. The recruits are trained by the finest people in the Department and the training is rigorous and detailed.
No one mentions the fact that the Police/Fire have given up pay and benefits long before being asked by Bing recently. Meijer isn't lowering their prices, DTE rates are going up; Consumers Energy only gives discounts to the elderly; the cost of living each day is higher and higher and yet all City employees are asked to make more and more sacrifices. Detroit starts policemen out at $30,000 a year. Now, with the cuts being asked by Bing, they will lose approx. $3,000 a year in pay and pay more in health care benefits, lose furlough days, etc. These recruits will be asked to go out on the streets with broken equipment, no computers in the cars, work days, afternoons, midnights and risk their lives for pay that equals WalMart in some instances.
Where are the sacrifices from Puke, Brown, Tate and all the rest of the clownsil? What is Bing doing to cut the fat in his office? Sell PLD; City Airport and get rid of the friends and family program that has been perpetuated in Detroit for years and years. The money is there but the pockets are deep in the administration...and they don't want to sacrifice that!

[Gannon]

Absolutely.

What crap to not notice there is a problem, and it is NOT likely due these brave officers willing to stand up...or in this case lay down...for themselves.



Funny how some reveal their programming when things like this arise...the Protestant work ethic gone berzerk. There is NO good to be had with those blinders on...all brain and no heart...certainly no soul.


How can one be SO unempathetic or unsympathetic to real troubles? It is not easy for any blue to break rank. The peer pressure is too great. These did, we need to learn WHY...and fix the real problem.


Sincerely,
John

[stasu1213]

I don't blame the police officers for doing it. This is the most violent city in America and the second and third in the world. How are the mayor and council going to cut the police's pay more. They should give them a raise and figure out way to get more money to hire more officers for this "third most violent city in the world".

[lilpup]

Fine, just privatize the police then. This shit doesn't fly in the private sector.

[Gannon]

Fine, just privatize the police then. This shit doesn't fly in the private sector.

Yeah, your cherished 'private sector' is doing SO well abusing their employees, too. Everyone I know in any corporation is being worked 50-60 hour weeks, with the same stupid fucking threat...there are thirty to three hundred clamoring to take your place.


That is nothing but bullshit bully-speak. Anyone who says anything like that is a thug.


Cheers!

[stasu1213]

Fine, just privatize the police then. This shit doesn't fly in the private sector.

The private sector would do everthing that it can to make sure that police, fire, and ems are taking care of and not having them to work for peanuts for the dangerous jobs that they do

[stasu1213]

The Mayor had found money to give incentives for police officers to move into East English Village but can't or doesn't want to find money to pay the police. Think about it

[stasu1213]

The private sector would do everthing that it can to make sure that police, fire, and ems are taking care of and not having them to work for peanuts for the dangerous jobs that they do

Don't misunderstand me. I am not for privatization of any service.

[Buy American]

The Mayor had found money to give incentives for police officers to move into East English Village but can't or doesn't want to find money to pay the police. Think about it

I hadn't thought about that one....you're right! Money is there for Bings pet projects but not for ANY City employee.

[Lowell]

Aren't there officers on the Mayor's personal guard? If so maybe those could fill in the gap until things get worked out.

[illwill]

Perhaps if they were required to live in the city they wouldn't be so quick to walk off the job? If their families and homes were at stake they might think twice. This is part of the reason Detroit needs the residency rule for city employees. Individuals being paid by the city should have a vested interest in the city.

[313WX]

Perhaps if they were required to live in the city they wouldn't be so quick to walk off the job? If their families and homes were at stake they might think twice. This is part of the reason Detroit needs the residency rule for city employees. Individuals being paid by the city should have a vested interest in the city.

Agreed.

I bet Former Emperor Engler and Company would be the same ones to cry bloody murder if a non-military US federal worker was living the high life in another country, or if a state of Michigan worker was living the high life in another state.

Yet it's ok if the taxpayer's of Detroit can pay for someone to live the high life in Southfield or Harper Woods or Sterling Heights.

[GoGrixdale]

Privatization, in context, is not the answer, but the sentiment I can get behind. As a shareholder in Detroit I just want profits. Social and economic profits.

I also understand what the officers had to show us, their fears are important too.

But now that these 16 have the floor, I hope they use it wisely. If the message is just money say it. If it's safer working conditions and leadership they can get behind say it.

Efficient service, done cheap is not fast.
Efficient service, done fast is not cheap.
Fast service, done cheap is not efficient.

[GoGrixdale]

Perhaps if they were required to live in the city they wouldn't be so quick to walk off the job? If their families and homes were at stake they might think twice. This is part of the reason Detroit needs the residency rule for city employees. Individuals being paid by the city should have a vested interest in the city.

Addressing this might be a way to make this work. Are DPD & DFD union members exempt from the residency tax?

[artds]

Wasn't this the plot of the movie Robocop?

[shovelhead]

The private sector would do everthing that it can to make sure that police, fire, and ems are taking care of and not having them to work for peanuts for the dangerous jobs that they do

Private sector is based on profit. The lower the expense, the higher the profit. Private sector is not giving anything away either. As an earlier poster stated, employers look at employees as replaceable because of the amount of job seekers out there. I can see the problems there, someone may meet the qualifications, you don't like them for whatever reason, but they get hired because they can work cheaper.

And with a privatized police department I can see a couple of problems there. Look up MCOLES regarding certification and licensing,and the CPL laws. Pistol Free Zones come to mind. And unless things have changed, licensed LEO's in Michigan are exempt from having a CPL due to their status of being a sworn officer. Once they retire, they are required to obtain a CPL to carry. The only difference between theirs and a citizens CPL is they are allowed to carry in a Pistol Free Zone due to their previous status as a sworn LEO.

So, my interpretation is that, and I'm no lawyer, a private police officer could not enter a school, entertainment facility seating more than 2,500 people, any bar/restaurant that does more than 50% of it's business selling spirits, any hospital, place of worship or any place that bars CPL holders carrying because open carry laws are similar to CPL'S on prohibitions.

That is unless state laws are changed. And I could see problems with a "for hire" department in mutual aid or in pursuit of a violator across municipal boundaries. Liability concerns for neighboring departments for one.

It seems a better answer is for Detroit to fix the root of the problem than lopping off branches and limbs. Unless they are going for a Pontiac solution with the Sheriff's Department.

Not to beat a dead horse, but the older [[in age) members here should remember WHY the MSP took over patrolling the freeways in about 1975. Detroit was unable to due to shortages in manpower and due to several highly publicized attacks and at least one rape the State Police took over. Until that time MSP had a "hands off" policy in patrolling the freeways and surface streets despite having a post at Seven Mile and Grand River in the city limits.

The hands off policy was told to me by a Trooper back then.

[Buy American]

Addressing this might be a way to make this work. Are DPD & DFD union members exempt from the residency tax?

All city employees [[union or non-union) who live outside Detroit pay a non-residency tax to the City...not quite sure what the percentage is.

[Occurrence]

Easy way to get around that residency tax if you don't live in the city is find a friend or relative in the city if you have any and see if you can use their address. That's what my brother in law used to do.

I support the police on this. Their salary shouldn't be cut. Start at the top by reducing city council salary and the number of staff members they have. They don't get shit done anyways. Onward Christian solider.

[Bham1982]

I can't believe that they want to drop the starting salary to 27k. I'm hardly a union sympathizer, but that is an insanely low salary for this type of difficult, dangerous work.

How could anyone take this job for less than 40k? An entry level office position usually starts around there.

The city needs a state takeover. Sell City Airport, get out of the subsidizing everything downtown business [[example- Detroit taxpayers frequently help pay for restaurants and hotels to open downtown), sell Manoogian, shut down non-essential departments [[Planning, Health, Cultural, Parks, Community Centers) and rebuild from scratch.

Also get rid of the tax breaks, the property tax exemptions, and even consider raising the commuter and residence taxes. There's been no increase for decades, and a slight increase won't make a major difference.

[Occurrence]

How many police officers are used to handle crowds for sporting events? Do the owners of those teams pay into that sort of thing, or does the city handle that bill?

[Danny]

'Let Detroit Die! And the let those majority poor and low-income black folks die with the city' sez.... some bad critic. Detroit will go into to recievership. City unions will have to go. City Council can't say nothing. Monies will be capped. D-DOT will be privatized. Crooked city leaders will be investigated. Evil ward like systems will be established. Deliquent Detroit taxpayers will have pay their bills in full or lose their homes. OCP like corporations from Compuware to Quicken Loans will seize control from Downtown to its inner cities ghettoes. It's not going to look pretty for Detroit The Coleman Young years is over!