PAX Centurion - September / October 2014

Page 12 • PAX CENTURION • September/October 2014 617-989-BPPA (2772) A reduced legal fee is continuously offered to police officers and has been for more than thirty (30) years. Our office has successfully represented countless law enforcement officers in their personal injury claims (on or off duty) and other legal matters. The first Law Offices of Donald E. Green was opened in Boston’s waterfront in 1982 and the second office in Dudley Square/Roxbury in 1988. The Firm also has satellite locations in Braintree, which is convenient for South Shore residents and downtown Boston; both locations are by appointment only. The Law Offices of Donald E. Green is a multi-ethnic. multi-lingual law firm, concentrating in personal injury matters as well as medical malpractice, dental malpractice, wrongful death, worker’s compensation, slip and fall, criminal defense, civil rights, immigration, family/probate, bankruptcy, real estate and sexual harassment claims. Don Green served in the United States Marine Corps from 1957 to 1961 before being honorably discharged. In 1968, he joined the Boston Police Department and retired in 1990 after serving the city for nearly 22 years, the last 15 years as a Sergeant in the Roxbury district. He is married to Annette Hill Green, a native of Dorchester, who is also an attorney and his law partner. “We are proud of our investment in the community and the trust our clients have instilled in us to handle and resolve their legal matters over the past 30 years. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for their support and patronage!” We would like to say “thank you” by inviting you to stop by our Roxbury office, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. to pick up a free Cell Phone Dashboard Pad in an effort to promote your safety (hands-free talking) on our roadways! (Limited to one per person, while supplies last) To learn more about the Firm, call Don or Annette at (617) 442-0050 or via e-mail at dgreen@donaldegreen.com . Feel free to visit our website at www.donaldegreen.com or in person at 2235 Washington Street in Roxbury (Dudley Square). Evening andWeekend Appointments Available • Home and Hospital Appointments Available D on G reen A nnette H ill G reen D on G reen B y anyone’s figuring, the Boston Police detail rate is at the lowest level in the entire state. At the current level of $33-$37 (red line/major artery details only for the $37 rate), the BPD is certainly among the bottom three police departments in Massachusetts. The BPD and the City appears to justify this inequity by arguing that because of the volume of work currently existing in Boston, of- ficers should be happy and stop complaining (Marie Antoinette had a similar comparison). In fact, after taxes are deducted, officers will ac- tually receive – in gross pay – about $21.00 per hour. Virtually every laborer on every construction site is well above any cop assigned to a detail, who not only has to put up with irate motorists, pedestrians and assorted other issues, but may have to activate him/herself for a variety of emergency issues. The Boston Police Commissioner has the power and the authority, immediately, to raise the detail rate, on his own and without bargain- ing with the union(s). The City of Boston receives a stipend of 10% from each officer’s detail pay, charged to the vendor, so they make an enormous profit from our labor. And with the amount of construction currently on-going or planned for the future, the city stands to make a pretty good dime off of our backs. But, because of the delayed and Detail rate increase overdue Detective’s contract should have no bearing on long overdue and deserved adjustment By James W. Carnell, Pax Editor protracted BPD Detective’s Contract, the excuse has been put forth by the BPD that no detail rate increase will be considered until the Detective’s Union settles. That is, at best, cynical BS. Pitting one against the other, and playing both ends against the middle. The fact is that hundreds of details go unfilled every week, due both to short-staffing by the department and the fact that, monetarily, it’s not worth it. Every weekend, licensed premises desire to have police details to deal with their issues. But who in their right mind, at a gross pay of $21.00 (after taxes) per hour for a minimum four-hour detail, ( the bars are making a ton of dough, though, aren’t they?) wants to put up with slobbering, fighting drunks, stupid people, inevitable arrests and the subsequently-resulting Internal Affairs complaints from said drunks (and their parents from Long Island and New Jersey who want to know why little Muffy or Biff was arrested and treated so badly by the evil police…) for such a pittance? The re- sult is that hundreds of details go unfilled and mayhem occurs around State St., the Theatre District, Landsdowne St., colleges, bars, and anywhere else where many young people gather. Most other police departments offer premium rates for licensed See Detail Rates on page 27