|
| Author
|
Post |
 
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Sheldon Neeley will be on WFLT (1420) at 9:00 am tomorrow (Saturday).
He will be interviewing Kevin Smith, President of the Police Union.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Fri Jun 14, 2013 7:07 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
Fri Feb 22, 2013 8:37 pm |
|
|
BAH836
F L I N T O I D
|
| I wish I could listen as I understand some very interesting things may be discussed during this interview. |
|
|
|
Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:51 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Sheldon Neeley was on top of his game with this interview of Kevin Smith.
The new officers will only be making $15.00 per hour. Normally they would get "step increases" at say 6 months, 1 yr and yearly after that. When kevin Smith called Kurtz to ask about the step increases, Kurtz hung up on him. Brown will not speak to the union.Brown previously told the Police Union he did not have to deal with them so he wasn't going to speak to them.
The $100,000 figure per officer is incorrect. Their toatl cost would be $77,000 per year. I am not sure if that figure includes the 28% pay cut on officers mandated by Brown when he was Emergency manager.
There is a question that the extreme cuts within the police department were because they refused to support the millage.Smith stated the Officer's Union never supported the millage because they knew the lack of accountability would be there.
The union had an open door to Kurtz until the union told him they needed 35 to 50 officers. Then the policy changed and there is no more open door..
The union believes at least $50,000 should have been spent on advertising acreoss the board to include that people of color were recruited. At this time there are no people of color.
Three officers are now said to have worked in Flint before. However their status is unclear. They should have taken their Psychological evaluations and drug tests prior to being hired and they have not. The administration had the new officers sign waivers and their jobs could be lost if they do not pass. This is not past practice.They have been here 2 weeks. |
|
|
|
Sat Feb 23, 2013 10:31 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
There is a big problem in the story printed by the Journal. That article stated that all eight officers were hired by the millage, but that two officers were replacements for retiring officers. Now Smith has said there are four (4) retired officers, so the net replacement to the force is only four (4).
I sincerely hope the administration is not using the millage to replace retiring officers budgeted for in the general fund.
I also would like to know why the Human Resources is so lax in the hiring of these officers. Or is the problem within the Police department because their leaders cannot decide how to implement the hiring of the new officers.
They made the millage retroactive to July 1st of 2012. It is now 8 months into the millage year and only four (4 ) millage officers have been hired. When and where are the other six (6) coming. Has there been an effort to recruit officers of color?
I was told by a reliable source that one hispanic and one female were hired. But today the public says no officers were hired of color. |
|
|
|
Sat Feb 23, 2013 10:44 am |
|
|
BAH836
F L I N T O I D
|
The former Flint officers were told they would be paid the same wage as when they were laid off. Thursday, they were told they would be paid the entry level wage, $15.85 an hour and pay raises are frozen by EFM order #18, which will not expire until at least June 2014.
The recruits were in orientation all last week, but were told they are not employees, pending the results of psych and medical testing.
The three former Flint officers have nearly 20 years of urban police experience, and over 40 years overall police experience. These officers require minimal training to resume work in Flint. These are the type of officers Flint needs, however the city does not seem willing to compensate them according to their level of experience. |
|
|
|
Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:27 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
From 2010
Protecting the Protectors
Home » On the Job » Flint Planning Police Layoffs
Flint Planning Police Layoffs
Written by Lynn in On the Job
0 0 0 38
No one is whispering about the State of Michigan’s economic turmoil. It’s no secret that state-wide municipalities are facing devastating budget deficits. The City of Flint is currently facing a projected $8 million deficit, which more than half is represented by the general fund budget for public safety. Unfortunately, this is where Flint Mayor Dayne Walling plans to make cuts after announcing last month there could potentially be 57 Flint police layoffs.
As of now there is one officer per 627 residents in Flint a number that would increase to one officer per 900 residents with the layoffs. Flint already has more residents per officer than Detroit, Lansing, Saginaw, and Grand Rapids, which will only increase with the cuts. The average for cities the size of Flint is about one officer for every 526 residents.
The layoffs come as a result from the standoff between Mayor Walling’s administration and the police unions. Walling’s reasoning for the layoff is based on the unions not agreeing to the concessions that are needed. The unions argue back that his administration ignores their cost saving alternatives and is asking for pay and benefit cuts that are unreasonable.
The potential effects of the police layoffs don’t end with smaller police forces. This will extend right into the streets and neighborhoods of the city’s residents. Having one cop for every 900 residents in a city with already one of the nation’s highest crime rates has to raise a concern for safety city-wide. The people, The Flint Journal spoke with said they have been scared for a long time and are worried with fewer police the crime will only increase
.
Mayor Walling has voiced his commitment in providing the largest public safety force the city can afford and remains dedicated in reducing the city’s crime rate by 10 percent. Walling plans on implementing more efficient ways in providing police services. He is continually working with experts in the criminal justice department at Michigan State University to develop better strategies for a smaller police force. The changes have been suggested to be made through the use of new policing tools, tactics, technology, and old-fashioned foot patrols.
First and for most, the city has to think about its residents considering the cuts are directly effecting public safety. The best option would be for the Mayor’s administration and the unions to get back to negotiating for the sake of the people and keeping as many police officers as possible.
This news has the citizens of Flint worried with fear, searching for reassurance or their safety from the city. Without the luxury of having officers in special units the police work will pile up on the remaining officers. Naturally, it is assumed some aspects in policing will go neglected considering the day-to-day crime will be enough to overwhelm police forces.
There is also fear surrounding police officers that will be retained to protect the 900 residents each is accounted for. If the police get into a situation and it escalates will backup be available? How fast can they get there? Will it be too late? There are better chances with the layoffs that police officers will get put in situations where they are outnumbered. The possibility of crime increasing and situations turning dangerous is a lot greater.
Certainly Flint is not the only city facing the dilemma of public safety budget cuts. Layoffs can be seen across the nation as departments face the problem of recruiting qualified officers while having room in their diminishing budget to keep them on staff. The need for a better solution is rising. Not only will 57 police officers, dedicated to protecting the public be out of a job, but the citizens of Flint will be without 57 dedicated police officers.
What does this mean for the rest of the state’s police officers? Is this something that all departments should be worrying about? What are some alternative options to prevent this happening elsewhere? Please let us know we would appreciate your opinion. |
|
|
|
Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:58 am |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
quote:
BAH836 schreef:
The former Flint officers were told they would be paid the same wage as when they were laid off. Thursday, they were told they would be paid the entry level wage, $15.85 an hour and pay raises are frozen by EFM order #18, which will not expire until at least June 2014.
The recruits were in orientation all last week, but were told they are not employees, pending the results of psych and medical testing.
The three former Flint officers have nearly 20 years of urban police experience, and over 40 years overall police experience. These officers require minimal training to resume work in Flint. These are the type of officers Flint needs, however the city does not seem willing to compensate them according to their level of experience.
It very well may be their experience working against them. I say that because in a conversation last week I was informed our Police Department had too many officers that had lengthy experience and our department was old because we had so many officers with 16 years experience and more. But that is just what happens when you lay off the low seniority officers.
I included the POAM article because it seemed to hit the point at how overwhelmed our officers have been since the layoffs. Officers cannot be proactive and effective when they are starting their shifts with multiple calls behind and are literally running from call to call. Throw in the murders and shootings, which require multiple units and the force is in trouble. |
|
|
|
Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:07 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Why haven't the Concerned Pastors or FACT invited the Police Union to their meetings. The two Pastors, Threkheld and Flynn, have an hour show before Neeley and they could have invited Smith to comment.
Shame on this Lansing based Flint administration for the lack of transparency on what is happening with our Police officers! Is it no wonder there is a lack of trust in the community about the decisions made by Kurtz and Brown. Citizens refuse to attend the master Planning sessions because they believe the administration has already decided and is merely going through the motions.
The residents of the north end were outraged by the last Public Safety Forum. They came expecting to receive answers and Lock did a "tap dance" and gave none.
Yet Brown receives $170,000 a year. Kurtz receives $1,000 a month and expenses. Then we have Croft, who was a GM electrician, and who was named to head the Public Works Division despite his lack of experience. We continue to give pay increases to Brown's cronies while we literally "screw" those whom we depend on for safety. The retaliation mode of the administration hopefully will come back to haunt them |
|
|
|
Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:18 pm |
|
|
BAH836
F L I N T O I D
|
| The city wants experienced officers who can patrol immediately, but is unwilling to pay for them. The quality of the candidates will suffer and the pd will turn into a revolving door if new officer wages are frozen indefinitely at such a low rate. At this point in the process, the new and rehired officers should know their wage and if there are increases. Some are already working other police jobs and cannot make an informed decision without this information. It would be terrible for the city to lose these officers for this reason. |
|
|
|
Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:39 pm |
|
|
BAH836
F L I N T O I D
|
quote:
untanglingwebs schreef:
It very well may be their experience working against them. I say that because in a conversation last week I was informed our Police Department had too many officers that had lengthy experience and our department was old because we had so many officers with 16 years experience and more. But that is just what happens when you lay off the low seniority officers.
The pd has extended them a conditional offer of employment pending the medical testing etc. The city wants their experience, but is refusing to pay for it. The lack of step increases is insulting to new hires, regardless of their amount of prior service to the city.
Also, the police compensation schedule which was changed and again revised after order 18 went into effect shows step increases for new hires. This schedule is still posted on the city's website. If step increases are frozen, the information from the city is incorrect and the new hires were misled. |
|
|
|
Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:52 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
tdimhcs
Can the reporters look into who is in charge of wanting to pay the 3 returning officers, who have over 40 years of law enforcement experience between them, the same as those hired who have none? It was not done like this before!
Wait until it warms up and there are no more officers on the street as now! Do not let the mayor, council or police chief fool you. They are not thinking ahead, as usual.
For those of you who live or have family in Flint, would you not want Flint to pay a little more for the knowledge and experience of the officers who previously worked in Flint. All three are hard workers and would be great additions to the slim force.
I thought the public voted for this. So where are the officers and/or the remaining money?
This needs to be investigated! |
|
|
|
Sun Feb 24, 2013 4:05 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Re: Flint hiring 8 police officers with public safety millage funds
Something smells......bad!
So who is the numbers person at the city? Why is it 8 new officers and not more? I bet those who voted for this public safety tax thought with the amount of money raised ,there would be more officers! Oh boy, wait until it warms up!
What is the catch? What is the starting pay for the officers? They do not even know! Very professional City of Flint!
Typical Flint. With this kind of math and sad results, one would expect HUD or Smith Village to be involved.
Will someone please help Flint. It is obvious some of those in charge are clueless!
3 Days Ago
Re: Live blog: Flint Mayor Dayne Walling gives 2013 State of the City address
It would be nice to have the new officers on the street by now. However, it has to be done right, not in a rushed, poorly planned manner, as it is being done.
One would think a psych exam and drug test would already have been done before receiving training. Go ahead ask around. It is embarrassing and could present problems. I bet no other police department would be this unorganized.
By the way, will there be 10-12 new officers hired or just 8, which is rumored. If only 8, why?
Go ahead ask the chief! |
|
|
|
Sun Feb 24, 2013 4:08 pm |
|
|
BAH836
F L I N T O I D
|
| It is incredible this situation has played out the way it has and unfortunately, I don't see it being resolved fairly. |
|
|
|
Sun Feb 24, 2013 8:02 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
Had an interesting lunch today. It appears that Snyder's hand picked trio-Kurtz, Brown & Lock- maay have gotten so tangled up in their web of deceit that the former Flint officers, currently in Saginaw, may not stay in Flint.
As BAH836 so aptly stated they were initially told they would receive the salary they had when they were laid off. Then they were told that they would only receive the base salary for a rookie with no step increases until the Emergency Manager leaves. While their future in Saginaw is up in the air, how can they trust this administration after being lied to?
Brown refuses to speak to the union and in my opinion is blatantly attempting to union-bust. Kurtz gets mad and hangs up on the union. In the latest snafu, the union president, Kevin Smith, has been to the human resources attempting to get a straight answer about what the pay grade will be. The union position is that rookie pay is for rookies and if you want experienced officers then you pay a commenserate pay for that experience. In the past this was done.
Kurtz was furious that the union was attempting to get an answer, but promised an answer today. I don't believe things went well. I believe the three will be leaving. The psychological impact of the lies and the understanding they are entering a department with multiple lawsuits for reverse discrimination and a failure to follow the rules could be impossible to overcome.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Mon Feb 25, 2013 7:55 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Mon Feb 25, 2013 3:43 pm |
|
|
untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
I heard Kurtz was present for the Eric Mays trial and was furious that a union representative was present to hear the testimony about corruption in the administration. Could't have been a coincidence that someone from internal affairs showed up.
And then we have Snyder claiming he wants to work with our local law enforcement agency. That was after the council was told the State Police did not work well with Lock and Barnett Jones was brought in. I don't believe we need anymore proof that Snyder does not really have a plan to protect the north end of flint. |
|
|
|
Mon Feb 25, 2013 3:49 pm |
|
|
|
Forum Rules:
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Register
Profile
FlintTalk.com Forum Index
> Political Talk
