Step Back

09/19/02 The straw vote is in -- and
it's the straw that breaks the taxpayer's back.

●We are laying off personnel at our recreation centers, but Terrell Bolton gets to keep two "PIO'S" with their assigned squad cars*, and their combined salaries would have more than covered FIVE rec center workers.
●We are getting a tax increase, but the council crooks found money to fund TWO NEW programs the African-American council members wanted -- a $50,000 substance program for the elderly and another $50,000 for a case worker to "assist" grandparents who are raising their grandchildren.
●Our police and firefighters are getting their pay raise pushed back two weeks so the council crooks can get free lunches served to them thanks to Shakedown Leo Chaney, who could afford to miss a few meals.
●Civilian employees are being laid off, but $700,000+ stays in the budget to keep "utility pay station services" open in West Dallas and Martin Luther King Recreation Centers, rather than let them pay at the grocery store like the rest of us. $700,000 might save 20 civilian jobs.
●Our police and firefighters are losing their Step Grade increases, and the council is clueless about the impact because none of our high dollar Exec Staff are telling the council the truth.

Not the City Attorney who ought to know this will head us to another big lawsuit.

Not the City MisManager who resents police and firefighters and has stated so publicly to a gathering of civilian employees.

Not the Police Chief, who spent all his chips saving TWO $90,000+ annual gofers on his staff, who both drive squad cars.*

Judith R. Kyser:

I just read one of your articles that you wrote about being biased in favor of Police Officers.

I am in the same position. Both of my parents were cops, and I know the sacrifices they made. For quite a while, I considered being a cop. I decided against it due to the conflict and turmoil within the DPD.

My dad and mom are quite pleased with my decision.

My Father was miserable his last three years as a cop. He was DPD for 33 years when he retired. He was given no respect for everything he had done. My dad is an honorable man, and I just wish he could have retired LATER when he wanted to, and not due to the political upheaval the City is facing.

I just wanted to let you know that I support you and your opinion. It is nice to read about others who support these cops who risk their lives everyday, so we can have some sense of security in this crazy world.

Thanks for supporting those brave men and women!
_______________

*From UndergroundCop.com: A message stated that several members of the command staff have city vehicles equipped with lights and siren. Now my question is, when would they be authorized to use that equipment? Also, when would any commander use lights and siren?

Someone do a study and see when the last time it was necessary for a smooth car to run code three.

Let me explain why they have that equipment on their cars. The IRS would tax them for the use of that car, except if it is an emergency vehicle.

So, the Chief spends the money from the budget to equip all those smooth commander cars so they don't have to pay taxes. Pretty slick? Maybe someone with the DPA should file a complaint with the IRS for fraud, since most of those fools aren't even qualified to be cops.

Here's one happy note -- the Aquarium stays open, so we may still get the $3-4 Million state grant that was coming to refurbish and expand it to make the facility a BIG DOLLAR TOURIST DRAW like the New Orleans Aquarium.

The rest of the Budget News is pitiful.

At the 3 town hall meetings I attended, Oakley's (6), Rasansky's (13) and Loza/Lill's (2/14), the people attending overwhelmingly wanted to switch to 1-day per week trash pickup to save over $1 million dollars. But NO! The council thinks we are too dumb to understand and that we will need almost six months of "education" and preparation before we are ready for 1-day pickups. They are concerned our city would have trash everywhere and look dirty. Here's a flash -- we have trash everywhere now and the city looks filthy now. Save that $1 million NOW!

Let's focus on what may happen to the Police and Firefighters and their STEP PAY.

During the referendum for a 17% pay raise for Public Safety Officers ("Police and Firefighters"), those few of us supporting the pay raise said it was "just to bring our PSO up to parity with the top four cities in the Metroplex -- not to be the highest paid, just up there close to them". Of course, those cities are all giving raises again, so even that 17% would not get the job done, but at least our PSO would no longer come in below Grand Prairie. The opposition implied the voters were choosing between a 17% and a 15% raise, knowing full well that no council can bind a subsequent council to its decisions on personnel. The opposition talked about the great pension plan the PSO have, but that pension is based on their pay rate when they retire.

One retirement perk that PSO may lose -- their paid insurance premiums. How do we stop paying insurance premiums on our PSO retirees when that was part of their retirement package? The lawyers must be firing up their class action invitations as we speak.

Now, the council intends to do away with the 5% STEP PAY our Police and Firefighters were promised when they were recruited. There are only so many Corporal or Sergeant or Lieutenant or Captain positions available, even if we did not need officers in patrol and in their squad cars. To encourage beat officers to remain in the field, every 5 years they get a pay grade promotion -- or a STEP PAY. This is not the same as a Christmas bonus. This is not even a merit raise. The STEP PAY is reward them for their service and experience learned on the job and ENCOURAGE them to stay on the force PROTECTING OUR REARS. We are giving them a 5% raise and taking away their 5% STEP PAY, plus changing their insurance premiums. That is a cash flow LOSS to most of the young and high energy PSO.

This is not a civilian vs. sworn issue. There is no comparison. Our Police and Firefighters are like our local military. They go in harm's way for you and me, and they expect to get paid for it. Would you want an idiot who would work for peanuts carrying a loaded gun or driving a huge fire truck?

Here is one officer's comment on his reaction to the COUNCIL STEALING THEIR STEP PAY:

As appears on UndergroundCop.com:

DATELINE 09/22/2002 MESSAGE FROM A WISER COP (EDITED FROM MESSAGE BOARD)

Well, the time has officially come for me to seek another Police Department. I have been told to get out ever since I was on training. I have not heard one positive thing about the DPD, the chain of command or the city since I hit the streets.

While in the academy, I saw first hand how the council gave with one hand and took with the other (referring to 2.5% pay raise October 2002, increased health insurance and 2.5% pay raise in April 2001.)

While I was in the FTO program, I heard fellow classmates had left for other departments and/or got out of police work all together. I held onto an optimistic feeling that things would not get worse.

Like a lot of other officers, I was extremely upset when Mayor Miller, when my union dues had gone to support her campaign (money out of my measly paycheck), lied to the citizens of Dallas in order to get them to vote NO on our pay raise.

Now, I am topped out at $40409.2 before taxes and deductions. I refuse to work for this amount of money without the opportunity to receive a raise, while holding a 4 year degree, working knowledge of the Spanish language and previous law enforcement experience.

I listened to the negative comments, but I did not let them go in one ear and out the other. Also, I have followed the following advice:
Not working an extra job for less than $35 / hr.
Not to advise on a 2 man call when I ride one man.
Not to disregard a cover element over the radio.
Not to break the speed limit going to a code 1 call.

Only being here 2 years, I do not have a lot to complain about. I have been in other government organizations and have felt the wrath of superiors in charge, but this by far the worst screwing I have ever had.

I am happy and lucky to be fortunate enough to be marketable to other departments in the surrounding area.

To those I have worked with and met over my short career in DPD, I say "thanks for the fun times."

To those who are not in a feasible position to make a career change I say, "best of luck! I truly hope and pray the next Mayor of Dallas reverses this atrociously."

I have no choice but to seek greener pastures where I can earn a decent paycheck for performing my duties.

Yes, the retirement is one of the best in the world and was a main factor in my staying on. I will have to settle for 2nd best on that, but I am quite sure I will make more than $40,000 my first year on another department elsewhere.

Finally, to the mayor, city council and city manager I say, "your ignorance is creating a mass exodus from public service employees, both uniformed and non uniformed. You stupid, stupid, stupid, fools will feel the effect in less than 1 year when there is absolutely no one left to answer 911 calls.

Because they, like me, have left or are tied up in jail, placed on hold, while trying to all in an arrest report to the one Direct Entry Clerk on duty. I hope you clowns get sued or even better have to wait a full day for the police or fire dept. to answer your 911 call at your home!

You are the idiots who have created this mess and need to feel the effect you have created. I raise my right hand and extend my finger to you all to let you know you are #1 in my book!"

Enjoy your hot lunches, your precious stagnant Trinity River walk, your extravagant American Airline Arena (which will be hockey less shortly), your Reunion Arena, your Opera house and all the other goofy crap ya'll sponsored and will sponsor. You will be the only ones using them because no one else is going to want to go downtown in the next few years due to the crime rate skyrocketing in the absence of police officers.

OUR COUNCIL IS BEING PENNY WISE AND TON FOOLISH.

The expression is usually "penny wise and pound foolish", but the enormity of what they are doing takes it out of monkey no see to a gorilla with his head in a soundproof sack that blocks off all light of information.

We are are already so short-handed in our Police and Fire Department, and we are looking at a large exodus of the young men and women who have less than 5 years with the DPD or the DFD and have nothing to lose by leaving -- and less to gain by staying. Wiser Cop warns of increased crime Downtown, but it's going to effect all of us even quicker in our pocket book.

Those of us who supported the pay referendum said we would at least know that $125 of our property taxes would be going directly to police and firefighters rather than into some dark hole the City MisManager has dug. Now, your taxes are going to go up $125 or more anyway, and you are going to be paying much higher property insurance in the next year or two because our property insurance premiums are based on police and firefighter responses to calls. Did you know that when you voted against the 17% pay referendum?

A homeowner gets an income tax deduction for city property taxes, but residential property insurance is not deductible. If your insurance premium goes up $300-400 next year because DPD and/or DFD response time goes up, and your property taxes go up $125, you are out $175-275 more than you would have been had we passed the 17% pay referendum. Think about it. That 17% was going those owning $100,000 homes about $125 a year. The council is going to raise our taxes anyway, about $125 a year in additional taxes. That's $250 in DEDUCTIBLE taxes vs. $300-$400 in NON-DEDUCTIBLE insurance premium taxes.

Does that "NO" vote look pretty dumb now?

The council must not tamper with the Police and Firefighter Step Pay. This is one more mistake we cannot afford. The repercussions of losing our young officers and firefighters will make our pot-holed streets look like smooth sailing.

A few months ago, an officer who trains new police told me that when he joined the list of police applicants was so long he had to wait out two Academy classes before he was hired. He says there were two file cabinets filled with applicants, and now there is possibly one file folder. We now spend thousands recruiting. Bolton spent thousands of dollars sending recruiters to Puerto Rico to recruit Spanish speaking officers -- how many did we hire?

We have lowered our hiring standards because our pay is so low. We have lowered our Academy testing standards because some of our recruits are so inferior -- but they are alive and able to walk unassisted.

Another officer has been blasting me on UndergroundCop.com for not taking Mayor Miller to task as I have done with the likes of Shakedown Leo Chaney, Brain-Dead Thornton-Reese, Send Me Some Money Loza, Mary PreTend Poss, et al. He writes under Kojak, and I will respond to him directly on that web page. But, basically, here's why I can disagree with Mayor Miller and still be her friend and still be a big supporter.

When Mayor Miller opposed the pay referendum, she had nothing personal to gain. She had just won an election with a 17% margin of victory. I disagreed with her then, and still think denying the PSO their 17% parity raise was a mistake.

I have not seen any instance where Mayor Miller has put personal gain in her decision making -- even where we disagreed.

This STEP PAY issue is huge, and it is a terrible, terrible mistake which I hope the Mayor recognizes before the council formally approves the budget. They can't approve it as scheduled on Sept. 25 because a couple of our City Hall Execs earning in excess of 6 figures forgot to post the meeting properly. They got letters of reprimand for their "personnel files", but our PSO officers are losing a lot more, and so are we.

Pick up the telephone and call your council representative and the Mayor. Tell them you do not want your insurance premiums raised because they are running off our Public Safety Officers.

Taking away our Police and Firefighters' Step Pay is a STEP BACKWARDS.