If we could get better policing by paying more, it would probably be worth it.
But I don't think
that is the problem. Police are paid better than most people think. The very
lowest pay for a
starting sworn officer (licensed officer) in Minneapolis is over $61,000 per
year. The median
pay - and the pay level for the majority of officers with even a few years
experience - is about
$80,000 per year. With overtime, many officers (I recall about 100) make over
$100,000 per
year. And many of the most highly paid officers are among the worst thugs,
indicating that
low pay is not their problem. Back before Kroll became the union head, for a
year or two he
was paid more than ANY other employee of the city of Minneapolis. Considerably
more than
the police chief or the mayor. My recollection is that was around 2009, and he
was paid
about $165,000. If better pay made for better officers, Kroll must have been
the blameless
hero he thinks he is.
Then add in the benefits and pension and early retirement age - among the best
in any
occupation.
So officers work lots of overtime plus lots of off-duty hours by choice.
Overtime is considered
a perk, not a burden, by most officers. It has been a conundrum to me: they
claim that their
work is among the hardest and most dangerous of any profession. They spend all
day
dealing with the dregs of society, they see terrible tragedies, they have hours
of boredom
punctuated by periods of utter panic. But despite all the drawbacks of their
occupation, they
want MORE, MORE, MORE hours of it!
Off-duty work is poorly regulated, despite the fact that the city is
financially liable for
misconduct while working off-duty. The city also provides the squad cars and
other assets
that the officer needs in off-duty employment - at no cost to the officer or
his employer.
There is real concern that excessive hours contribute to officer fatigue and
poor judgment.
I don't begrudge the officers good pay and benefits, any more than I would
oppose good pay
and benefits for all workers. Maybe I travel in the wrong circles, but I know
hardly anyone
who does as well as the Minneapolis police officers. (Perhaps if everyone made
at least half
of what our police do, there would be a lot less crime?!)
Only 6 to 7% of Minneapolis sworn officers live in Minneapolis. As you can see
above, they
can afford to live in affluent suburbs. Though it seems counter-intuitive,
having officers live in
the cities or neighborhoods they police has been shown through numerous studies
to have
no positive effect on the quality of policing.
I work with Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB). We try our
best to work
on evidence-based solutions. Unfortunately, many of the popular proposals are
a waste of
time and energy - or worse yet, a diversion from what could really help. Many
come from
very well-meaning and passionate people. Some, like the utterly worthless
"implicit bias
training", are pushed by national commissions who are looking for ways to look
good without
making any real change.
More than anything, we need real accountability from the top. The problem is
the system and
those who benefit from it, more than any individual officers. But the worst
rogue officers also
need discipline and termination, and we aren't getting that either.
CUAPB has a LOT of work to do, and the scandals in the Minneapolis Police
Department are
coming at an unprecedented rate. We meet every Saturday at 1:30pm at 4200
Cedar Ave in
Minneapolis. If you need help due to an experience of police brutality, or if
you have a
question about how you can contribute your time and talents, call our hotline
at 612-874-
STOP.
A better MPD is possible.
Dave Bicking
Northop Neighborhood
Rest of post
On 3 Aug 2018 at 12:02, Sheldon Gitis wrote:
> Speaking of numbers, maybe the pay and working conditions aren't good
> enough to attract the best and the brightest. How many Minneapolis
> cops, in addition to working full-time for the City, are moonlighting
> as much as 20 hours/week "off-duty"? Maybe, rather than kowtowing to
> a herd of idiots protesting a cop telling an armed suspect to stop and
> drop the "fucking" gun or get killed, maybe those who want better cops
> should be demanding higher pay and reduced work hours for the
> Minneapolis police. And while a residency requirement may not be
> legal, it seems to me the City could provide financial incentives that
> would encourage Minneapolis police officers to live in the city where
> they work. How many Minneapolis cops live in Minneapolis?
>
> Sheldon Gitis
> Roseville
> About/contact Sheldon Gitis:
> http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/sheldongitis1
>