To be honest with you, Mr. Gaughran told me, it was very effective in generating volunteers.. 0000005769 00000 n They also approved a healthcare cost-sharing agreement with the Suffolk County Organization of Public Employees (SCOPE), a consortium of all 11 county employee unions. That leaves a lot of questions yet to to be answered. But he stayed on the video call long enough to hear his new friend Tim Karcich, a 32-year-old Democratic Socialist from Centereach, rattle off a bunch of demands, from reducing the publics contact with police officers to establishing a reparations fund for police victims. 852-4690. Adding up the projected costs and savings of the three deals in each year (see below) show the countys expects to save more money than it pays out in raises during 2019, 2020, and 2021. Help support the men and women of the Suffolk County Deputy Sheriffs PBA!! The officers who saw the beating were too afraid to talk. No police officers were held accountable for the death. If we could cut that in half, thats significant, Mr. Kaiman said. The 2019 test *should* be a lot of hires due to new requirements of the new contract since the older members will not want to pay into their medical. and members of the Suffolk County Police Explorers program. The root of the evil is the money.. The money was taken from the sewer fund by voter referendum last year to fill shortfalls in the county's general fund. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/opinion/police-suffolk-county-unions.html, Illustration by Erik Carter. But Mr. Trotta is reviled by the political establishment. Curious to hear some of your weekly routines to stay sharp for the PAT, It was said on another forum it would be 2 weeks prior to Christmas we would be mailed results. Legislators approved an emergency resolution to restore $25 million to a sewer stabilization fund. The idea that the PSC would artificially drive electricity costs higher to benefit a political constituency represents a new low. The justification for this sweetheart deal for the police and firefighters is that they are so essential to safety that communities cant risk a strike. Really curious how the scores will play out on this exam compared to others, Copyright 1996-2021, Officer Media Group, Endeavor Business Media - Public Safety Interactive. *The final vote count has not yet been posted but at least 16 of the 18 legislators voted for the three measures. He was impressed. Transcripts of the public safety meetings in that era are full of county legislators praising the chief. Backed by the union, the district attorney and the county executive, Mr. Burke seemed untouchable. While every contract is the result of negotiation that will leave either side wanting more, this is a fair contract and moves our county forward, Suffolk AME president Dan Levler said in a statement. Then another. Yet Mr. Trotta has railed for years about the political influence of police unions in Suffolk County, Long Island, a place where the cops are known to wield exceptional clout. Brownwill be paid $145,560 in the new role, down from $173,226. 0000000960 00000 n Susan Berland (D-Dix Hills) and Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst). 0000001286 00000 n Buildings Operations, Maintenance & Custodial. But there were moments that felt inspiring and new. In every conversation, he found a way to bring it back to Jimmy Burke, one told me. He was one of just two county legislators, both Republicans, who took no police money. The DSPBA is asking for your support so that we may continue to provide many community based programs and events. Still waiting. Union leaders always outlast them. The deals were negotiated outside public view by County Executive Steve Bellonestandard practice for New York public employers. (Mr. Bellone argued that an arbitrator would have given them more.) Another superior officer left with $624,082, including unpaid vacation days and sick time. Suffolk County police officers on Monday overwhelmingly ratified a new six-year contract that will raise the pay of officers with 15 years on the job to more than $200,000 a year by 2024. What began as national calls for reform last summer are now in the hands of local communities to bring about. In many cases, reform plans are rolled out by the same politicians who once cozied up to police unions to get elected. That case revealed a stunning indifference on the part of police officers. 0000000897 00000 n We have no choice, said Jennifer McNamara, the countys director of labor relations. In either case, the county will have a hard time getting employees to pay more for an expense thats jumped more than 40 percent in six years. The Office helps facilitate each County department's mission, protects the interests of the County and its taxpayers, and promotes fairness in contracting with the business community. This lottery was done in 2019 for people who took the Spanish speaking test in 2016 and scored an 85. New York City schools reopened this fall under terms dictated by the city's teacher and principal unions. Its a blatant attempt to help AME pressure retirees into remaining dues-paying members after they retire by giving them a taxpayer-funded carrot to dangle. The very first bill Mr. Trotta presented required all officers above the rank of captain to have a bachelors degree and be free of complaints about civilian abuse or moral turpitude requirements that Chief Burke, who did not have a college degree, did not meet. The Suffolk County Office of Central Procurement oversees the Countys procurement processes. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Albany, NY 12224, Phone: 518-434-3100 The police run the county., Less than a year after he was appointed police chief, Mr. Burke beat up a heroin addict who had stolen a duffle bag full of sex toys out of his SUV. He wore a badge and walked a beat. Everybody else voted for it. It seems the P.B.A. We needed to rein that in, said Deputy County Executive Jon Kaiman in an interview Tuesday. Unlike the anticipated healthcare savings, the new costs from raises are. In 2024, they will get 1.5% raises in January and July. Shes a Riverhead native and 2015 graduate of Arcadia University. CO make more than a nypd cop..safer and just a better job (done both) corrections out suffolk is a great job,,easy work if you can even call it work 97k without OT and bonus's is around 110k with new contract(12 years) downfall vs NYPD is 25 years to retire instead of 20. It was true. Thats one reason the growing criticism of the police has been met with a passionate counter-movement, called Blue Lives Matter. Emergency Housing Services Program, A Performance Audit of Brighter Tomorrows, Inc. just got their return.. Term: Six (6) years -January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2024. That means they are not adverse to having a very important conversation about policing.. Eye-popping a sum as that might seem, its par for the course in Suffolk County. While private sector unions have withered, police unions have flourished, supported by Democrats, who champion labor rights, and Republicans, who champion law and order. Suffolk is an extreme version of the same problems that are elsewhere.. Mr. Trottas crusade against police unions grew out of his personal hatred for James Burke, his former boss. Newer detective investigators will reach the top salary step in nine years instead of 10 as set out in the union's previous contract. - Suffolk, Inc.s Emergency Housing Services Program, A Performance Audit of Haven House/Bridges, Inc.s Emergency Housing Services Program, A Performance Audit ofRyhans Center of Hope, Inc.s Emergency Housing Services Program, A Performance Audit of Mercy Center Ministries, Inc. In 2020, the average base salary for detective investigators who worked the full year was $134,292 and their total pay averaged $161,747, including overtime and other pay benefits, according to a budget review office report. The problem is, if you make $40,000, thats 10% of your entire salary, he said. Nowhere is that dynamic more clear than in Suffolk County, N.Y. Its a place where the residents are well off, crime is relatively low and the Police Department has made national news for a huge corruption scandal. Yet that corrupt operation was intimately connected to the police unions that he and so many other politicians have been forced to make peace with by election time. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. They lied like rugs, he told me. You do not have permission to view this gallery. The union also began collecting $2 a day from every officer to put toward an education fund to educate politicians about the importance of police patrols on the Long Island Expressway. Ms. Kaufman and another organizer, Alexandra Saint-Laurent, were working on the part of The Peoples Plan that proposed the creation of an unarmed alternative to the police that would respond to 911 calls about homeless people, or drug overdoses or the mentally ill. Studies showed that social workers and counselors could produce far better outcomes than the police in such situations at a much lower cost. Mattituck, NY 11952, Site made in collaboration with CMYK He couldnt get assigned to the public safety committee, even as a former police officer. It is not a donation, its an investment, the statement read. Rachelle Blidner covers Suffolk County government, politics and breaking news. 0000001156 00000 n Police reform had become a thing, even in Suffolk County. None were willing to publicly refuse to accept police union donations. It amounted to more than $200 million over the life of the contract, when the county was already in debt. Two of Albanys most-vetoed concepts are headed toward Governor Hochuls desk, this time concealed as a firefighter bill of rights.. All times are GMT-6. The deals were negotiated outside public view by County Executive Steve Bellonestandard practicefor New York public employers. Emergency Housing Services Program, A Performance Audit of the Police Departments Forfeiture Funds, A Performance Audit of Payroll Procedures, Suffolk County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency (TPVA), A Performance Audit of TPVA's Revenues Reported to the County, A Performance Audit of the Resurrection House, Inc. Questions though; my test didn't say Spanish speaking or indicate it was different but I know when I signed up I out Spanish speaking. In 2013, the department agreed to oversight from the Justice Department over its treatment of Latinos, which mandated the department to collect data on racial disparities in traffic stops, forcing the department to admit it had a problem. Last September, it also collected tens of thousands of dollars from Long Island businesses, including two $10,000 checks from construction and maintenance companies, which super PACs are allowed to do. Politicians bellyache that compulsory binding arbitration is bankrupting their communities by handing power over police salaries to an unelected, police-friendly arbitrator. Box 7113 State law forbids the police from soliciting political donations from the public. General Inquiries: Info@EmpireCenter.org 852-4211. Contract; Education Benefits. The 345-member union made the same significant concessions that those law enforcement unions did, including capping sick time and longevity pay, he said. He was named detective of the year. Thats one reason police reform so often gets announced at news conferences but so rarely seems to occur in the real world. Unlike the anticipated healthcare savings, the new costs from raises areguaranteedto materialize. Instead, it got a police chief, James Burke, who went to prison in 2016 for running the department like a mafia boss. This officer is a brother of all law enforcement professionals and the Suffolk County PBA is praying for him and his family during this trying and difficult time. Nor did it surprise activists who demanded justice for Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorean migrant who was stabbed to death by high school students. According to a financial impact statement released from the county executives office Monday, the deal could cost $192 million for both unions and result in $195 million in savings. It was on one of those calls that Mr. Trotta encountered other people railing about the power of police unions liberal activists. The Suffolk County Legislature approved a new police detectives contract Tuesday that will cost the county an additional $40 million whilegiving 11.25% raises over six years. Detectives promoted before 2013 will keep their four-step system. We have to negotiate contracts or arbitrate them.. There are 1,518,475 people living in the County of Suffolk. Those figures do not include other pay benefits, such as overtime and longevity pay. These agreements represent a major milestone that protect the taxpayer and are fair to the hardworking men and women who ensure our public safety and help operate county government, Mr. Bellone said in a statement. Mr. Bellone also announced new contracts with the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association and the Suffolk County Association of Municipal Employees. Those contracts, however, were never filed with the state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), as required by state regulations, nor were they posted on the county website. Neither bill was voted on Tuesday. Then he added one that made Mr. Trotta smile: Investigate the Long Island Law Enforcement Foundation. 0000005120 00000 n Copyright 2023 Newsday. Unless legislators were presented with all four documents, they had no way of seeing what they were actually committing to. An Audit of the Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk, Inc. An Audit of the Independent Group Home Living, Inc. (IGHL). Most notably, the AME deal contains language that likely wont hold up in court. If one person smokes in the building, everyone smokes, said Paulette Orlando, who works for the American Lung Association Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. As far as I know, any village in Suffolk county will make you go through the academy again. Dr. Gregson Pigott, of Greenlawn,as health commissioner. Language in the SCOPE deal requires the parties to find additional savings to prevent the deal from expiring in 2023 or 2024 instead of 2025, but the countys only recourse from runaway costs will be reducing expenses through binding arbitration or moving employees to the New York State Health Insurance Plan. The Suffolk County Legislature on Tuesday night ratified* new contracts with the countys Association of Municipal Employees (AME) and Police Benevolent Association (PBA), which together represent more than half of the county workforce. 0000003124 00000 n Photographs by Getty Images. On August 4, 2012, a new police contract restored responsibility for patrolling the LIE and Sunrise Highway to the SCPD.