Civil Service hearing on deputy-chief job delayed - Sentinel & ...

City Solicitor Michael Ciota has filed a motion to continue a Civil Service Commission hearing over the creation of a deputy-chief position in the Police Department.

[sickofitall]

how dare she cut any more police officers, we have it tough enough in this city and down to a skeleton crew now what is she going to allow the hoodlums to take over it will be like living through a holocaust fearing our homes and safety.

[Wong-way]

You guys voted for her again, now live with it.

[Darn Tootin from W Newton]

I have mentioned more than once over the past few months that out in the private sector, when downsizing takes place, it hits the middle management positions. But, thanks to the police unions, when downsizing happens at our police stations, we lay off the cops on the beat and the middle management positions get protected!

By the Fitchburgs PD's own admission, there is something along the lines of 15 total cops out on the street for all shifts (5 cops per shift) but there is somewhere along the lines of between 68 and 73 total cops on the force. I do not know the exact number; because the cops are relunctant to give us the real numbers. But, at any rate, even if we say the entire force consists of 68 cops; and only 15 work out on the streets; you can see that more than 3/4 of the force is working out of the station! I am sure that if you looked at other police forces throughout Mass and the US; you would find the same ratios.

Somehow; we have more than 3/4 of the cops working out of the station only; and less than 1/4 working the streets. And, since the cops and their unions try to convince us all that each and every cop on the force is risking his life; every waking hour that they are working; we can all see how totally redicules this claim is! How can all the cops be risking their lives for us; when more than 3/4 of them are safely working at the station itself! Again, this is a fact for all police forces throughout the US.

The cops and their unions having been distorting the truth and the facts for years. They try to convince us that all cops are in great danger all of the time; when it is actually far from the truth!

Keep laying off cops at the station. Do not cut any more cops from working the streets. The police unions make sure that they protect the highest paid cops and the cops with the longest length of service. This is done to pump up the amount of money paid in union dues. And, when we allow the unions to lay off only the cops who are actually working the streets; we allow the myth to continue that there is not enough money in the budget to fight crime. There is plenty of money in the budget to fight crime! But, it is being wasted on the dead weight working at the station!

[Grow Up]

The best way to restructure would be regionalization of local personnel and services. When are the politicians in the Twin Cities going to grow up and stop trying to relive their glory days in high school? Fitchburg and Leominster would save a great deal of taxpayer money by combining police and dispatching services. The police could then use computer statistics to deploy officers to high crime areas in the numbers needed to be both proactive (prevent crime) and reactive (respond to calls). Assignments of police to specific geographical areas to patrol (ride around in circles for hours) has been proven many times by public safety studies to be ineffective. Both cities have professional thinking mayors who look to the future rather than the past. The suggestion to appoint a captain who will soon be reaching mandatory retirement age in looking to the past.

[fitchburg resident]

Mayor Wong seems to derive some perverse pleasure in kicking the police department rank and file when they're down.

[Captain Obvious]

Lay them all off.. Have you noticed the crime rate has gone down? Cops are the real criminals in Fitchburg. There are fewer cops now, and less crime , Coincidence, I think not!

Now lets try to think outside of the box....

Hire some security guards to patrol the city. Have them document any crimes they see with video. Submit video to AG office for prosecution.
----------

We will get those street lights turned back on if we just use a little creative thinking.

[Darn Tootin from W Newton]

Grow Up wrote:

The police could then use computer statistics to deploy officers to high crime areas in the numbers needed to be both proactive (prevent crime) and reactive (respond to calls).

I get the sense that the police prefer staying clear of the highest crime areas. Let's face it; it is dangerous in these areas. Even for the cops! A cop's number one goal each day is to go home safe and sound. As the cops like to say: "go home in the same condition that you arrived at work in". Most cops are not overly motivated to enter into high crime areas. A cop prefers to leave the public with the impression that they do patrol the high crime areas; while all the while trying to avoid them. And, we all know that the cops relentlessly use the excuse that there is not enough money in the budget to properly fight crime. Obviously, this gives them a great excuse not to enter into the highest crime areas. They can fall back onto the lack of manpower excuse.

You suggestions are good, and they make perfect sense. However, the cops already know where the highest crime areas are. They do not need a computer to tell them. We need less cops working out of the station; and more cops working the streets. And, we need accountability as to what the cops on the streets are actually doing. Are they patroliung the highest crime areas, or are they off hiding and killing time somewhere else!

We need a non cop running the police department. Otherwise, all we get is business as usual. The same sorry excuses and the same dead weight working at the station itself.....

[disgusted]

Darn Tootin from W Newton wrote:

<quoted text>
I get the sense that the police prefer staying clear of the highest crime areas. Let's face it; it is dangerous in these areas. Even for the cops! A cop's number one goal each day is to go home safe and sound. As the cops like to say: "go home in the same condition that you arrived at work in". Most cops are not overly motivated to enter into high crime areas. A cop prefers to leave the public with the impression that they do patrol the high crime areas; while all the while trying to avoid them. And, we all know that the cops relentlessly use the excuse that there is not enough money in the budget to properly fight crime. Obviously, this gives them a great excuse not to enter into the highest crime areas. They can fall back onto the lack of manpower excuse.
You suggestions are good, and they make perfect sense. However, the cops already know where the highest crime areas are. They do not need a computer to tell them. We need less cops working out of the station; and more cops working the streets. And, we need accountability as to what the cops on the streets are actually doing. Are they patroliung the highest crime areas, or are they off hiding and killing time somewhere else!
We need a non cop running the police department. Otherwise, all we get is business as usual. The same sorry excuses and the same dead weight working at the station itself.....

You have no clue what these officers do. Give specifics of these officers of who you say don't do anything. You truly have a problem with people with authority. We do have a non cop running the police dept. Do you see Wong telling Chief Roy what to do with his dept. DeMoura just does what she tells him. Wong is running the police dept.

[Here we go again]

Darn Tootin from W Newton wrote:

I have mentioned more than once over the past few months that out in the private sector, when downsizing takes place, it hits the middle management positions. But, thanks to the police unions, when downsizing happens at our police stations, we lay off the cops on the beat and the middle management positions get protected!
By the Fitchburgs PD's own admission, there is something along the lines of 15 total cops out on the street for all shifts (5 cops per shift) but there is somewhere along the lines of between 68 and 73 total cops on the force. I do not know the exact number; because the cops are relunctant to give us the real numbers. But, at any rate, even if we say the entire force consists of 68 cops; and only 15 work out on the streets; you can see that more than 3/4 of the force is working out of the station! I am sure that if you looked at other police forces throughout Mass and the US; you would find the same ratios.
Somehow; we have more than 3/4 of the cops working out of the station only; and less than 1/4 working the streets. And, since the cops and their unions try to convince us all that each and every cop on the force is risking his life; every waking hour that they are working; we can all see how totally redicules this claim is! How can all the cops be risking their lives for us; when more than 3/4 of them are safely working at the station itself! Again, this is a fact for all police forces throughout the US.
The cops and their unions having been distorting the truth and the facts for years. They try to convince us that all cops are in great danger all of the time; when it is actually far from the truth!
Keep laying off cops at the station. Do not cut any more cops from working the streets. The police unions make sure that they protect the highest paid cops and the cops with the longest length of service. This is done to pump up the amount of money paid in union dues. And, when we allow the unions to lay off only the cops who are actually working the streets; we allow the myth to continue that there is not enough money in the budget to fight crime. There is plenty of money in the budget to fight crime! But, it is being wasted on the dead weight working at the station!

I'm not quite sure if the staffing levels on the street are accurate, but based on what you are using, in order to keep five officers on the street at all time, you need at least 27 patrol officers, not fifteen. This accounts for their two days off on their four days on two days off schedule. This does not account for covering accrued leave time and sick time, which makes that number even higher. So, stating that there are only fifteen officers working patrol is not accurate. You also need to add to that patrol staff number, the number of officers assigned to the detective bureau. I'm willing to bet that after taking all of that into consideration, it puts you close to forty, or so, patrol staff. Add to that the nine or ten officers working the desk, and now you are looking at around 50 patrol officers. Again, my numbers aren't 100% accurate because I'm not privy to their current minimum manning per shift, but it should tell you that the percentage of middle management and administration isn't as far off as you might think.

[sickofitall]

Wong-way wrote:

You guys voted for her again, now live with it.

I didn't !! I am so sick of her destructive nature to the police department she has a vendetta against them it seems; if only we knew why. Or either that she has a heirachy issue and wants to show them who is boss. This woman is a disgrace to our city. She is a phony and has self-esteem issues, she makes that obvious by her actions.

[Jim]

Grow Up wrote:

The best way to restructure would be regionalization of local personnel and services. When are the politicians in the Twin Cities going to grow up and stop trying to relive their glory days in high school? Fitchburg and Leominster would save a great deal of taxpayer money by combining police and dispatching services. The police could then use computer statistics to deploy officers to high crime areas in the numbers needed to be both proactive (prevent crime) and reactive (respond to calls). Assignments of police to specific geographical areas to patrol (ride around in circles for hours) has been proven many times by public safety studies to be ineffective. Both cities have professional thinking mayors who look to the future rather than the past. The suggestion to appoint a captain who will soon be reaching mandatory retirement age in looking to the past.

For these two cities, I'm not sure that would work, when Fitchburg had Burbank Hospital, it had a bad reputation and poor service, and Leominster Hospital was one of the best in the area. When they combined them, we ended up with a terrible hospital in Leominster instead of the reverse. if you combine Fitchburg PD with Leominster PD, the odds are you will end up with a terrible police department on Leominsters end.

[Darn Tootin from W Newton]

sickofitall wrote:

<quoted text>
I didn't !! I am so sick of her destructive nature to the police department she has a vendetta against them it seems; if only we knew why. Or either that she has a heirachy issue and wants to show them who is boss. This woman is a disgrace to our city. She is a phony and has self-esteem issues, she makes that obvious by her actions.

More whining about the police department getting kicked around by the Mayor! When does it end!

Out in the private sector; there has been countless reorganizations at companies and corporations. It's been going on for the past 10 plus years. And, people do whine about the changes.(no one likes change) But, after a while; it is time for the whining to stop and for results to happen. People out in the private sector are held accountable. They still need to make things happen; in spite of the changes and the whining all around them.

But, here in Fitchburg, many on the Fitchburg PD (and, their faithful supporters)are still in the whining mode! Jeeze; for some it seems like all they do is whine.

As Judge Judy always used to say "GET OVER IT". Stop the whining and go fight crime! That is what we pay you for! Again, you are paid by the public to protect us. Not to sit on your flabby fannies in the station and complain, whine and reminisce about the good old days and the free ride that you were all getting away with!

Get out there and fight crime, boys! Make me proud! And, whine no more!

[Tasca]

Tasca who thinks of himself as very smart, should be smart enough to realize that everyone sees him as a cry baby. Retire and allow to young police officers to keep their jobs, that's the right thing to do.

He's made it his mission to do anything he can to disrupt the department, that's how everyone sees it.

Louney did the right thing, now it's his turn.

[Tasca]

That should have read "two" police officers, appologies for the typo.

[Tasca]

He,he,he. apologies, you've ruffled me feathers Charles!

[Jim]

Here we go again wrote:

<quoted text>
I'm not quite sure if the staffing levels on the street are accurate, but based on what you are using, in order to keep five officers on the street at all time, you need at least 27 patrol officers, not fifteen. This accounts for their two days off on their four days on two days off schedule. This does not account for covering accrued leave time and sick time, which makes that number even higher. So, stating that there are only fifteen officers working patrol is not accurate. You also need to add to that patrol staff number, the number of officers assigned to the detective bureau. I'm willing to bet that after taking all of that into consideration, it puts you close to forty, or so, patrol staff. Add to that the nine or ten officers working the desk, and now you are looking at around 50 patrol officers. Again, my numbers aren't 100% accurate because I'm not privy to their current minimum manning per shift, but it should tell you that the percentage of middle management and administration isn't as far off as you might think.

good point, maybe they need to look at working a 5 on and 2 off schedule, with a 4 and 2 they have many more extra days off that cost the city, and requires more officers

[Darn Tootin from W Newton]

Hey, I think that I have a way that we can address those recent unanswered 911 calls that you brought up:

Is it possible for the police union to renegotiate those stupid mandatory requirements that are in place; keeping too many officers in the station itself and not enough out working the streets? I know that the police unions like to make sure that there are plenty of promotion opportunities for the lawmen, but this should not happen at the expense of public safety.

We should start demanding that public safety comes before high paying jobs within the station itself. Let's get officers out of the station and put them back on the streets, where they belong. And, to heck with those mandatory station staffing levels that the police unions created in the interest of the cop's pay, and not public safety.

[Not True]

Jim wrote:

<quoted text>For these two cities, I'm not sure that would work, when Fitchburg had Burbank Hospital, it had a bad reputation and poor service, and Leominster Hospital was one of the best in the area. When they combined them, we ended up with a terrible hospital in Leominster instead of the reverse. if you combine Fitchburg PD with Leominster PD, the odds are you will end up with a terrible police department on Leominsters end.

HA! So says you! My family had a terrible experience at Leominster Hospital many years ago. Not only did they misdiagnose a family member, but the staff was rude, cold and could have cared less about us. We took my family member to Burbank after that and they were just wonderful. The care he got there was so much better… like night and day compared to Leominster.

Closing Burbank was a huge mistake because in my opinion (and many others I’ve talked to) it was by far the better hospital.

[Here we go again]

Jim wrote:

<quoted text> good point, maybe they need to look at working a 5 on and 2 off schedule, with a 4 and 2 they have many more extra days off that cost the city, and requires more officers

4 and 2 offers each officer 17 extra days off. Going back to a 5 and 2 is a change in working conditions that would have to be negotiated with the union. Extra days for the 4 and 2 is equivalent to approximately 4 full time positions.

[Darn Tootin from W Newton]

Here we go again wrote:

<quoted text>
4 and 2 offers each officer 17 extra days off. Going back to a 5 and 2 is a change in working conditions that would have to be negotiated with the union. Extra days for the 4 and 2 is equivalent to approximately 4 full time positions.

Interesting! So, somewhere along the way, the police union fought for and won; this 4 on 2 off schedule so that each cop could get an extra 17 days off a year! This is on top of the generous vacation, sick time and personal time package that they were already getting; and still get. When I say generous, I mean that it is far and above what people in the private sector get.

And, when you throw in all the extra pay stipends that the police unions fought for and won; you really start to get the picture. And, the picture is that the police have a very good thing going. Most of them are at no personal risk whatsover on the job; unless they accidently get shot by themselves or their fellow lawman. And, we all know that they are very well paid, because of the fact that 25 of them made it onto the list of the top 100 highest paid Fitchburg workers; and none of them made less than $76,801.56 per year! Again, these top high earners on the force are not risking their lives for us at all. They are safely out of harms way in the station!

And, when you throw in the fact that countless cops go out on some sort of cobbled up job related disability claim right before they retire; to avoid paying their fair share of income taxes; you really get the sense that there is no limits to their greed and their exploitation of the system.......