Whoever said, “A few bad apples can bring the whole place down” knew what they were talking about. Here’s one story that certainly reinforces the that notion. According to The Boston Globe, 20 Massachuetts State Troopers are being investigated for theft of overtime pay. Reporters Mark Arsenault, Travis Andersen, and Shelley Murphy write: “In another black […]
Archive for October, 2016
A Police Union With Power!
The search is on for a new LAPD Chief, as Chief Charlie Beck is set to retire in June. Check out this interview on Fox News with Charlie Beck, the outgoing chief, and Robert Harris, director at the Los Angeles Police Protective league (LAPPL). The L.A. police union has been more than successful getting their […]
Stressed-Out Officers: Gone After Eight Years
High levels of stress and on the job injuries are among the top reasons police in South Australia are only staying on the job for an average of 8.7 years. Officers report they are seeking treatment for mental health issues which are forcing them to quit before retirement age. According to a story by Miles […]
More Union Members in 2017
No one predicted this great news but overall union membership rose by 262,000 workers in 2017, while union density stayed at 10.7 percent. The Economic Policy Institute’s Lawrence Mishel warns against reading too much into the numbers, but pulls out the following interesting data points: Union membership became more common among men: some 32 percent […]
Police, Fire Lose Court Fight Over Pensions
A recent federal appeals court ruling rejected an appeal by the Cranston fire and police unions in Rhode Island in effect upholding the state’s 2011 and 2015 pension plan changes that resulted in a loss of retirement benefits. According to an in-depth report by the Providence Journal, the court ruled that police and firefighters in the […]
Baltimore Discovers It Wants and Needs Its Police
Some Baltimore residents attribute the high murder rate in the city to less aggressive police patrols following controversial police actions like the Freddie Gray incident. But one local pastor, Rev. Kinji Scott, says they need more police in violence-plagued neighborhoods. “We wanted the police there,” Scott says. “We wanted them engaged in the community. We […]
VIDEO: Austin Cops Leaving in Droves
Four more Austin, Texas, cops resigned last week, bringing the total of those putting in their papers in the past year at 36. The turmoil comes amidst a bitter labor dispute between the city and the Austin Police Association In the CBS News report, Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday explains that Austin officers are […]
Off-Duty Jobs Scam Uncovered
It turns out that Jersey City (NJ) has had a problem with officers allegedly getting paid fort security details at a city housing project that they did not work. According to a letter obtained by The Jersey Journal, evidence exists that the Jersey City public safety director was warned four years ago about potential abuses by […]
Deputies Demand $500,000 In Back Pay
Four sheriff’s deputies have filed a $500,000 claim with the county, asking for money they say was promised to them when they were hired under what is now a defunct pay-increase program. According to a story from Caitlin Schmidt in the Arizona Daily Star, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department employees Therese Deschenes, Ricardo Garcia, John […]
Stressed Out Officers, Gone After 8 Years
Police in South Australia are only staying on the job for an average of 8.7 years. The reason for the high turnover? High levels of stress and on the job injuries are forcing more officers to see treatment for mental health issues. According to a story by Miles Kemp in The Advertiser, a South Australia […]
City Scrambles to Save Pensions
The latest pension debacle comes to us from Ft. Worth via a story in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram by reporter Sandra Baker. Like so many other municipalities across the U.S., the situation has become so dire that Moody’s just lowered Fort Worth’s rating on some general obligation bonds for a second straight year. It appears […]
Police Boss Gets Jail Time, Rank and File Up In Arms
The South China Morning Post reports that a 20,000-member Hong Kong police union has demanded a law be passed to exempt officers from criminal liability for actions taken during enforcement duties, saying members of the city’s judiciary do not have enough professional knowledge to judge use of force. The issue has blown wide open after […]
CONTRACT REJECTED! Younger Officers Upset With High Healthcare Costs
The Connecticut Post reports Bridgeport, CT, police officers rejected a new four-year pact, 152 votes to 133 votes, despite efforts by leadership this week to sell the deal as better than one imposed through state arbitration. “I knew it was going to be close,” Sgt. Chuck Paris, the union president, said. Paris attributed the contract’s […]
Police Pensions Protected (For Now)
by Timothy Talbot California’s First Appellate District has issued a published opinion in the legal battle between the Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association and the Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association. Bottom line? The decision recognizes and protects promised pension benefits for long term public employees in Alameda, Contra Costa and Merced counties. The Alameda decision […]
Let’s Support Firefighters; Cops Will Be Next
by Eric Siddall As California firefighters battle the Santa Barbara blaze, their pension rights are under fire in the courtroom. Opponents of organized labor hope to score a major victory against firefighters in Cal Fire Local 2881 v. California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). In Cal Fire, firefighters challenged a provision of the Public Employees’ […]
Man With a Plan
Joseph Gamaldi has a lot of work ahead of him. Elected by a 9-1 margin in late October, Gamaldi is now the leader of the Houston Police Officers’ Union on Thursday at a crucial time for the Houston Police Department. The New York native, just 34 years-old, is a passionate defender of the rights of […]
FBI Will Not Investigate Detective’s Homicide
The FBI won’t be taking over an investigation into the homicide of a Baltimore city detective who was slain amid a corruption investigation. Detective Sean Suiter was shot in the head with his own weapon on Nov. 15, a day before he was to testify before a federal grand jury investigating wrongdoing by fellow officers […]
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