WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. July 16, 2013:
City Hall has so far declined to respond to WPCNR requests for actual figures detailing how much more money has been spent on police overtime in 2012-13, the first year the city has gone back to the old 8-hour patrol shifts. WPCNR has learned that overtime approximates $800,000 as opposed to about $300,000 in 2011-12.
City hall also has not given an explanation of how the OT was spent; is the council and the Mayor planning to address this problem and how was the overtime covered in the 2012-13 budget just spent, and more importantly what has the city budgeted for overtime for police in the current budget year just begun.
Today, the White Plains Police Benevolent Association confirmed this in the following statement from Robert T. Riley, the President of the organization:
Dear Residents of the City of White Plains:
The White Plains Police Benevolent Association (“PBA”) represents police officers of all ranks below the ranks of Chief employed by the City of White Plains, New York. Approximately four years ago, Mayor Delfino and the PBA agreed to implement a 12 hour work day for police officers that perform patrol duties. When Mayor Bradley took office, he went to court to challenge the validity of this 12 hour tour agreement.
Mayor Roach continued this challenge. On or about July 13, 2012, the City of White Plains obtained a decision by New York State Supreme Court Judge Loehr which held that since the White Plains Common Council did not approve the 12 hour tour Agreement, that Mayor Delfino had agreed to, the 12 hour tour Agreement was not valid. The result of Judge Loehr’s decision was to replace the 12 hour tours with 8 hour tours.
The Patrol Division of the Police Department had been working the 12 hour tours for a little over 3 years, prior to Judge Loehr’s decision, and was able to staff the patrol officers and supervisors with no problems or reduction in service to the residents. For the most part, the Patrol Division was putting more patrol cars on the street to patrol your neighborhoods than the number of patrol cars on patrol after the 8 hour tours were implemented.
Police Department records indicate that during the implementation of the 12 hour tours crime, overtime costs and sick leave went down. In addition, the Police Department was able to put more police on the road, and even staff other units with police officers, because fewer officers were needed to staff the 12 hour tours while keeping more patrol cars on the streets than is currently being deployed with the 8 hour tours.
When we heard about this decision, we advised the City that reverting back to the 8 hour tour work schedule would dramatically diminish the level of police services. This result would reduce the police services we provide to the residents of and visitors to the City of White Plains. We also advised the City that this change, from the 12 hour tours to the 8 hour tours, may result in service cuts that jeopardize the safety, security, and integrity of the City, its residents and visitors. Well, it has been approximately one year since the change from 12 hour to 8 hour tours and our concerns about the change have unfortunately been realized.
Overtime has almost doubled and patrol is staffed with less patrol cars patrolling the streets of White Plains. This result gives your PBA a great concern for the safety of our residents, visitors and quite frankly our own safety.
You should also know that it has been reported that since the implementation of 8 hour tours, on duty injuries have increased as has our response time to your calls for police service.
It is the PBA’s opinion that the operational results of diminished police presence, more on duty injuries, additional overtime costs should cause alarms to go off for you the public. It is the PBA’s opinion that without the proper staffing, everyone’s safety is at risk.
In closing, it is the PBA’s opinion that because of the City’s actions, we do not believe the City is looking out for the best interest of its residents and visitors to White Plains. They are risking your lives and the lives of your police by reducing the number of officers that patrol your neighborhoods.
Also this work schedule change cost the taxpayers, that is you, hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime pay and other costs that we believe resulted from the implementation of the 8 hour tours. (It is no wonder taxes go up every year)
In the PBA’s opinion the amount of taxes you pay, in part, is due to mismanagement by the City Administration.
There is a saying: Management has the right to mismanage. When are your City managers going to be held accountable for wasting tax payer dollars and risking your safety.