PAX Centurion - May / June 2013

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • May/June 2013 • Page 5 Vice President’s Message: Ronald McGillivray, BPPA Vice President The week of April 15, 2013 T hirty years from now everyone in the Greater Boston area will remember where they were during the Boston Marathon and the week of April 15, 2013 as if it happened yesterday. This event will carry the same significance as when President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 or the attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 based on one’s age. To attempt to recognize all the individual acts of heroism is impossible. Reading articles from the Special Edition of the Pax relating first-hand accounts fromMarathon Monday ‘till the following Friday evening were overwhelming and humbling. Local, State and Federal Law Enforcement combined to bring the Tsarnaev brothers to justice. Calls poured in from across the country in recognition for a job well done. The extended Police community as a whole, as if watching from the sidelines for that week, reflected on how proud they felt to be part of our shared profession. When called upon to be front and center, the local team with assists from many was close to flawless. EMS, as always worked shoulder-to-shoulder and hour for hour without relief, deserving kudos for keeping the fatalities to a minimum. There were many local businesses that stepped up providing nourishment to those in the Boylston and Berkeley area during the investigation and search of the crime scene. Thanks to Stop and Shop and Shaws for feeding hundreds from combined law enforcement agencies at theArsenal Mall. Thanks to Mul’s andAmrhein’s for providing meals morning, noon and night for the officers from the NewYork Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, the NewYork Sergeant’s Benevolent Association and the Port Authority of NewYork/New Jersey who collectively arrived on Tuesday, refusing to leave till the mission was completed leaving on Saturday. In addition, all returned for the Memorial Mass for Sean Collier to once again assist in any way needed. The Seaport Hotel also deserves recognition for helping more than a few “out of state” officers who were weary from their long trek. Thanks to Mike Talbot for the welcome extended to all of the groups who helped support us during the week. Wishes for a speedy recovery for Richard Donahue and condolences on your classmate. With deepest sympathies extended to Sean Collier’s family… the way he conducted himself in life is something all took notice of… and clearly a model for all to follow. And also in loving memory of bombing victims Martin Richard, Lu Lingzi and Krystle Campbell. Safe Street Teams A s bargaining endures and the summer approaches, dates to be had have become few and far between. Attorneys’ busy schedules and lack of availability continues to push the closing. Predicting the completion is hard at this time. A couple of issues involving Safe Street Teams are before the arbitrator and I will stay clear from them. In other discussions involving the staffing of Safe Street Teams it became apparent that at least one example appeared to be disproportionate. This is in no way taking a shot at our members who are assigned to the “Teams” across the City but more of an observation regarding the number of “untouchable” (can’t be reassigned) officers and the consequent effect it may have. For example, the first half of B-2 with approximate numbers include 5 rapids, a wagon, 8 service units and 2 officers for inside help numbering 20 officers being assigned and responding to calls on average. Safe Street Team members on the same shift are not assigned calls nor do they respond to calls though they assist with calls in their sector. There are approximately 24 officers assigned to the Safe Street Team on the first half at Area B-2 allowing for 16 officers per shift given that one of the squads is off. One inherent problem is overtime is going through the roof since the DS does not have the flexibility or discretion to move “Team” members in to short staffed “responding to calls” units further taxing officer’s needed to staff shifts. There has been a change in philosophy where the more essential assignment used to be the staffing of the Rapid or Service Unit or response units. The Safe Street Team has become the new magic bullet used to saturate and suppress areas of concern. In the next couple of months officers will be hard pressed to be performing less than 16 hours on any given day they are scheduled for work if close to half the shift is untouchable. Not being tied to the radio gives “Team” members greater probability in their request for time-off where their absence will not require replacement overtime whereas those being “assigned and responding to calls” request for time-off will most assuredly incur overtime and be denied. When close to 50 % of a shift are on opposite ends of the work load spectrum what is predictable is resentment within the shift because of dissimilar treatment. The fair and equitable administration of evenhandedness will be tested for sure if this is the direction the Department is heading. Mandatory bargaining subjects W ages, hours and working conditions are topics that have to be negotiated if the Department wishes to make changes. Most are extremely obvious involving money but working conditions must have a substantial effect to be considered. Safety considerations such as recently discussed with the City involving pursuit driving, emergency driving along with “any type of contact involving the neck area” (avoiding the word “choke” isn’t easy) would fall under negotiable conditions of employment. These issues have been deliberated. There are other subtle changes that are not as obvious when affecting smaller units or specific scenarios that fall through the cracks because of a lack of institutional knowledge or past job experiences. Though less common than in years past, different districts quite often take a different course of action for the identical set of circumstances. Case in point would be a recent arbitration dealing with night officers attending court while being carried “injured on duty”. The Department agrees that officers assigned on a regular day-off would be entitled to compensation but night officers assigned to MIS (day shift for administrative purposes) should not. Officers fromAreaA as a practice have not been paid. Officers fromArea C in the past did get paid. When questioning older contemporaries there appeared to be a greater recollection of being paid while out injured as compared to younger officers, who depending on their assignment were and were not paid while out injured. A “request for information” within the relevant grievance See Vice President on page 11