Mesa, AZ cops are sueing - Page 2

tre5 · 06-24-2008, 09:51 PM

So now I act like an a**hole, great.

Just kidding, and I know you were too. I didn't know that it was such a widely used phrase. Next time I promise to use a better one.

**chunko** · 06-24-2008, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 37L1

Ever hear the saying: "you get what you pay for?"

If you pay like crap, you will find you won't get the best of the best and those that are good will be smart enough to go where the pay is something one can live on. Those that aren't so good will be tempted to do things they shouldn't just to pay the bills that every family experiences.

You want good people in law enforcement then they have to be treated like you want them to stick around. That means paying them competitively with other professions that require special expertise and abilities.

Cops in my area currently make about 25-30K and most have a second job. There's a problem with that, don't you think?

I still don't agree with the pay to change out. Seek better pay in other areas of contract negotiations. This one just makes them seem, greedy, lazy and spoiled, JMO.

Government is bad with metrics... and increased pay rarely coincides with better performance. It just increases the number of arbitrary, bureaucratic hoops they can put in to weed out applicants.

The private sector is much better at ensuring higher pay brings in better applicants...although its still not perfect.

Besides, doesn't it cost like 5 bucks for a house down there? 35K can go a long way.

37L1 · 06-25-2008, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adavis99

Government is bad with metrics... and increased pay rarely coincides with better performance. It just increases the number of arbitrary, bureaucratic hoops they can put in to weed out applicants.

The private sector is much better at ensuring higher pay brings in better applicants...although its still not perfect.

Besides, doesn't it cost like 5 bucks for a house down there? 35K can go a long way.

Well they all don't cost $800,000. However, look at the national poverty line and see where a family that makes 25K a year falls.

Competitive pay usually keeps you from losing your highly sought after workers to other departments who pay better. If you don't pay, you just become a training ground for those other departments and on your dime too. In California the hiring process + the academy + the Field Training + the one year probation = 2 years usually before an officer is fully trained and considered a "permanent" employee. If he transfers to another department for better pay/benefits, you've just lost part of your staffing and 2 more years to fully fill the position.

If you don't pay competitively you lose money through training and attrition, meaning your staff works short which leads to the remaining officers having to work a lot of overtime, another drain on the budget, and causes staffing/morale problems when big things happen or people get ill/injured, (which happens frequently in that line of work).

Mesa is close to Phoenix and Scottsdale. Personally I don't see their issue as their pay appears to be competitive:

Phoenix PD Starting salary: $45,094

Mesa PD Starting Salary: $48,401

Scottsdale PD Starting Salary: $50,897

I think there is probably more to the change out pay issue than meets the eye.

**chunko** · 06-25-2008, 02:02 PM

Good point.

GlendaleTitan · 06-28-2008, 10:10 AM

They should go work for sheriff Joe!

scwoody · 06-29-2008, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlendaleTitan

They should go work for sheriff Joe!

he dont pay his guys ****. some i have talked to say they got to buy there uniforms, tazers, gun, ect.

**loufish** · 07-04-2008, 09:32 AM

I didn't see/read the article, but I'm will to guess the time used (15-45 minutes) isn't the real issue. Many occupations that require special equipment have you change on the clock. It's not just a pair of pants and shirt which you can throw on before you leave the house.
Don't think uniforms, think special equipment...

I don't know how many people realize for many years it was common for Police to lose part of their lunch for a call, or to have to write last minute reports on their own dime...

The FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) has reduced many of the above issues at least here in Los Angeles but for years our boys and girls in blue got screwed...

Paid to answer a Blackberry?....Most of "those" guys are on salary...

vilim12 · 07-04-2008, 11:20 AM

Half the time I see cops around here in SWFL they`re either posted up at the 7-11 doing absolutely nothing or theres two of them parked next to eachother in the median talking with their lights on. I see them literally floor it at every stop light cause its not their gas. They need to stop complaining about that 15 minutes and need to start working on being productive the rest of the time.