| Framingham police officer on construction detail before and after getting his degree using the Quinn bill. |
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| Police detail work is the premier example on how to glamorize sloth.
Police officers can be considered parasites on our society because their unions change state statutes to benefit themselves. Massachusetts is the only state in the union that provides it's police forces (unions) with a monopoly on detail work. Detail work runs at $45 per hour, unless it involves a labor dispute, in which case the rate is $90 per hour. This detail work allows them to shine as beacons of waste on our roadways each and every day. This type of work should pay closer to $13 an hour. It also makes them the highest paid employees in Framingham.
The unions say that officers in detail are worth the cost because they can make arrests when a crime happens nearby. But if we want to pay officers to stand around and wait for a crime to happen, we should put them in high crime areas, not at work sites. The unions also contend that details don't burden taxpayers because it is mostly private construction and utility companies that have to pay. But construction and utility companies don't pay for details out of charity. They pass the costs on to consumers. Here in Framingham, most detail work is associated with DPW water/sewer work. The unions say that the officers need the money. But police officers are already the highest-paid public employees in their communities. Anyway, if they really need the money, we should put the cost of employing them in the city and state budgets where it belongs, rather than hide it in consumer and utility bills. A new and more stupid argument now is that any job of controlling traffic should be paid union wages or prevailing wages. The prevailing wage for flag men when not police officers is nearly $13.00. Given that police officers have guns, and seem ready to use them, I would feel much safer with unarmed people directing traffic. Flag men do not wear guns while directing traffic. Neither should police officers. It seems that the police officers who do the midnight to 0800 shift tend to make the most amount of monies on detail. For the most part they can nap during their early morning shifts and be good to go on daytime detail work. It takes a special kind of intelligence to do detail work.
If they are working a construction detail they need to be focused on the construction, focused on the traffic, focused on the pedestrians and ensure that the construction workers are safe. Our observations show that this is laughable. Instead they talk/text on their cell phones while standing in the middle of the street. Most of the time, they are are standing on sidewalks, doing what they love most, collecting $45/hour doing nothing. Admitted, this does take a certain amount of negative intelligence to tolerate this wastage of time in one's life. This job has no creativity behind it.
Unit Information The off duty assignment unit is comprised of a full time police officer. Presently, Officer Chris Miller is responsible for this service. The unit is responsible for the assignment of all off-duty details requested by private agencies, contractors, and other businesses. Call 508-532-5907 for the Detail Office.* The unit is involved in determining the proper number of officers for large details. This unit assists in the permitting process for parades and block parties. Additionally, supervision of detail officers is provided. *Note: As of March 1, 2006, details must be cancelled 90 minutes before the scheduled start time. Cancellations made within the 90 minutes of their scheduled start time will result in a 4 hour minimum charge. |
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