Saturday, December 4, 2010

De facto salary cut for cops

From the NY Post:

A new NYPD crackdown will ban cops from working during paid vacation time — a policy that could put a crimp in crimefighting during times when it’s needed most, The Post has learned.

The NYPD’s Office of Management Analysis and Planning directive goes into effect Jan. 1, and is estimated to save the city an annual $4.1 million.

But one angry cop official noted the policy will effectively cut cops’ salaries — and union officials predict it will hurt patrol numbers during the crime-busy holidays when most officers usually take their "working" vacations.

The cost-cutting comes as part of Mayor Bloomberg’s order that every agency tighten their belts to trim the deficit; the city is estimating savings of $1.6 billion over the next 18 months with various cost-cutting directives.

The NYPD’s ban is one way it’s offering savings: The cops have been traditionally allowed to work through one week of their paid vacation every year — picking up both their vacation dough and straight-time working money.

"[The ban] effectively is a salary cut for a lot of cops and detectives," said one angry police official.

The "working" vacation was first devised during New York’s fiscal nightmare in the mid-1970s — and widely accepted as a win-win for cops and the department.

Hundreds of officers traditionally picked the last weeks of the year to take their "working" vacations, sources noted.

And while the cops got to make extra dough, the department would have the staffing for a period when crime tends to soar.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

If your on vacation you stay on vacation. Scheduling is at the SGT level and knows OT on top of vacation time is attractive for many. It' way late but these are practices that must be forbidden and precinct Commander is ultimately to blame, since it apparently goes on with his blessings at taxpayer expense.

Big Hairy Balls said...

Just as with teachers being a police officer is a thankless job. If a PO had vacation time/pay coming & chooses to work instead we're all better off anyhow. More police on the streets means less crime and less crime should be the priority. The cutting starts with teachers pensions then it progresses to closing fire houses then it morphs into reducing police hours. All of these are bad ideas and in the end we all pay for this penny wise dollar foolish budget slashing. A better idea would be to start slashing ALL forms of welfare. End welfare! Death to the Palestinians! Long live Israel! Long live free speech!

Anonymous said...

"Death to the Palestinians! Long live Israel! Long live free speech!"


A better solution would be to mandate they every man woman and child be able to recite EVERYWORD of the Protocols of The Elders of Zion by heart.

Anonymous said...

why are you fighting long distance from the middle east?
get going,your country needs your valor.....

your comments are in overkill mode.....

Big Hairy Balls said...

To the second anon poster. It has nothing to do with valor. It is supporting a country that supports me & my views as a Christian. I'm an American not an Israeli. I'm leaving Tuesday, BTW. If you're lucky I'll post from the Holy Land but only if you're lucky. End welfare! Death to the Palestinians! Long live Israel! Long live Rev. Hagee!

Big Hairy Balls said...

To the first anon poster: GET A JOB! End welfare! Death to the Palestinians! Long live Israel! I'll miss you, kiss! Oh yeah the Protocols were written about Jews. I'm a Sothern Baptist. You are a ding-a-ling & a wanker, as the English would call you.

Anonymous said...

Big Hairy Balls said...A better idea would be to start slashing ALL forms of welfare. End welfare! Death to the Palestinians! Long live Israel! Long live free speech!"

Old Jew foaming!