'There are not enough cops to cover the basics,' City responds to FOP concerns
WBFF (BALTIMORE, MD) — A letter addressed to the Mayor and Baltimore Police Department from the Baltimore Police Union says they're being ignored when it comes to solutions to address the officer shortage.
According to BPD, there are 2164 sworn personnel and 442 sworn vacancies.
The letter reads in part:
There are not enough cops to cover the basics let alone enough to form the large units which are required to focus only on the most violent offenders." and "We have offered a plan for retention to Mayor Scott and his administration but have been met with silence.
FOX45 News asked for details of the retention plan.
A spokesperson for the President of the FOP detailed he met with the Mayor and Commissioner several months ago and it was during that time the following suggestions were made.
- Increase in pension percentages. Specifically, higher percentages for years stayed after 25 years of service.
- Greater percentage paid out in DROP or retirement benefits.
- Bonuses for years stayed after 25 years of service.
“These are all things that the City can do," said the FOP President. "But they would rather give SafeStreets $50 million and other social programs before they stabilize public safety.”
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The Mayor's Office responded to the letter with the following statement:
"While
this was discussed with the FOP, no concrete proposal was ever put
forward. That being said, as part of the Scott Administration’s
commitment to public safety a number of substantial changes have been
made over the past year to optimize police resources and improve
retainment. In fact, the increases made to the BPD budget for FY ‘23
were almost entirely due to salary increases and recruitment bonuses."
The Baltimore Police Department also responded writing in part:
One of the biggest obstacles the BPD has is staffing. While this is not an issue that is unique to Baltimore, the BPD continues to work aggressively and creatively to not only recruit new officers and keep the officers we have, but to be strategic about how we use the sworn staff we have.
BPD went on to mention the labor agreement signed in October, 2021, which the Department says includes:
- Members at all years of service in the department will receive varying percentage raises with a primary focus on members in the first three years of service.
- Starting pay will be no less than $60,000 a year annually for new recruits, a 10% increase over the current rate of pay. This initiative establishes the Baltimore Police Department as the highest paid major law enforcement agency in the state and makes the department more regionally competitive.
- Layered on top of these initiatives, all sworn members with more than 11 years of service will receive a 2% raise to enhance retention of veteran officers.
- Members who have an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree will earn an additional $1,500, $3,000 or $4,500, respectively, each year.
- The patrol incentive doubles to $2,000 annually.
- Shift differential pay for evening and night work, more than doubles.
Beginning in July 2023, all members of the department will receive a 2% across-the-board raise. Those members with greater than 19 years of service will receive an additional 1% increase (for a total of a 3% annual increase).
Over the summer, the City announced several incentives in an effort to improve recruitment including a $5,000 Signing Bonus, a $1,000/month Housing Allowance for those that live within in the city, $5,000 in student loan assistance, and $5,000 referral with no cap for both sworn and civilian employees.
Still, more officers are leaving the Department than joining.
According to BPD, to date in 2022 87 officers have joined the Department while 250 have left BPD.
1 comment:
20% vacancy means that stuff does not get done that should be done. That is a fact and can not be argued around responsibly. Throwing money at warm-and-fuzzy projects is nice and makes you feel good but having a cop when you NEED a cop also makes you feel good.
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