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©1999 - 2012
Edward D. Reuss
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NY COP FORUM MARCH 2000

QUESTION:


The NYPD sees a large exodus of experienced police officers in the next few years. How can we motivate our senior cops to extend their career beyond their 20-year retirement?

RESPONSES:

"With the climate in NYC today I'm looking forward to getting my 20 in and getting out!  They should teach our supervisors a little CPR and officers might look at this job differently."

Nyvision@aol.com

"There is no way in hell with the present anti-police climate anyone should stay a day more than they have to. This job is dead!!! Sorry to say this but it is true."

Washhgtscop@aol.com

"Who in their right mind would want to stay past 20 years?"

bryankid@hotmail.com

"We are not going to motivate these experienced officers to stay beyond their 20 years, certainly not in today's climate concerning police officers.  We did the job because we loved it. We certainly didn't do it for the money.  Who wants to go to work every day only to get "beat up" by the media, the community and even the people that you work for? Sergeants who should be on patrol with the troops providing supervision have more and more paperwork thrown on them that just 'has to get done'. So the Sergeant may gundeck the paperwork so he/she can be on patrol.  Then they want more activity.  Then it's a major case if someone doesn't sign the command control log. Priorities all seem to be confused. When it stops being fun to go to work, it's time to leave. I guess it suddenly became "not fun" for a lot of people at once. Especially for the backbone of the job - patrol. Who wants to put up with the BS and risk everything in what might be one incident that turns into another media and political circus?"

paull56@hotmail.com

"The city and the department are getting exactly what they have been planning for during the last 20 years. The last substantial pay increase that members of the NYPD saw was when John Lindsay was Mayor. Abe Beame's term saw police officers laid-off. They would never lay off police officers, everyone said. Hiring was frozen until 1980 and it just so happens that 20 years later, in 2000, it's just not healthy to be a police officer in this town.  It's too late to motivate (sounds like something Reverend Al might say).  More money, less stress = longer, happier life. What kind of financial rewards have we seen in the last 9 years?  Certainly not much. What kind of city is this where a doorman in Local 32B-J makes a better salary than a newly hired police Officer?  Maybe we should have that local negotiate the contracts."

Cribber564@excite.com

"Give them more pay. Like the rest of the State."

Mattsdca@aol.com

"The sting of those zeros will never go away, Ed.  Cops have been tasting bile ever since. Add to that insult the obstinacy of an administration that insists on bald-faced numbers production. The Compstat accountability factor and the recent bad publicity we've all had to endure and there's just a small sample of reasons for people heading for the door. If the city raises pay in all NYPD grades substantially and provides pension protection rights, then maybe some senior people will hang on.  But as long as that pension is at risk, and it is, when one remains past 20, under the circumstances can you really blame the exodus potential on anything else?"

ten20oOne@aol.com

"To keep experienced police officers on the "job", the City of New York will have to give a substantial raise to its members and have salaries which might not equal, but are on par with the higher paid police departments. It seems foolish for a twenty year member of the NYPD to remain on the job, risk his pension and his life only to take home a couple of thousand dollars more a year. Money can easily be recouped in the private sector doing the most menial job.  Perhaps a guarantee of a 100 percent secure pension for those who stay on the job after 20 years will keep cops on the force.  Unless changes are made, I don't see any benefit to remaining a NYC police officer."

Roscoe99@aol.com

"Don't try. The people deserve what they get.  The democratic party in NYC is pandering to the 'n'er-do-wells' who only are interested in provoking the media to carry their message. Unfortunately, the clergy is now being slowly brought along the famous slippery road. Why would any police officer want to stay on the job and risk prison because of DA's who are going to go along to stay in office and the judges who are politically appointed by the left-leaning democrats?"

celticten@aol.com

"Let the senior officer know they will get backing and not be used for political reasons or sacrificial lambs. All a cop wants to do is his/her job.  Yes, cops are human, and humans make mistakes.  BUT A MISTAKE BY A COP DOES NOT MAKE IT AN AUTOMATIC CRIME!"

nypd1013@worldnet.att.net

"As long as people like Al Sharpton continue to dissect our every move, I'm surprised we stay as long as we do."

Tjj1039@hotmail.com

"MY NAME IS FABIAN ROJAS, 3RD. MY OPINION IS FOR THE NYPD TO DROP THE 60 COLLEGE CREDIT REQUIREMENT.  LET YOUNG AND ENTHUSIASTIC PEOPLE SUCH AS MYSELF TAKE THE CIVIL SERVICE EXAM AND BEGIN THE PROCESS.  I AM 20 YEARS OLD AND BEFORE 1996, I COULD HAVE BEEN A POLICE OFFICER AT THIS AGE. IT IS BETTER TO LET YOUNG ENERGETIC INDIVIDUALS LIKE ME WHO CARE TAKE ON THAT ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY.  LET YOUNG FUTURE CANDIDATES SUCH AS MYSELF GROW UP ON THE JOB UNDER THE WINGS OF THESE VETERANS WE WILL SOON LOSE TO RETIREMENT.   THANK YOU."

Jwhat456@aol.com

EDITORIAL RESPONSE:

The men and women of the New York City Police Department have brought this City back from the brink of financial ruin. When I retired in October of 1992, I had every intention of relocating to another State. Fortunately, I decided to remain in this wonderful town. That decision was based on the work done by the NYPD.

It will be a difficult task retaining most veteran cops past twenty years of service.  The stress and dangers of police work do not contrast well with the offers of employment in the private sector. Why should a veteran police officer risk his pension by staying on the job? 

If that is true, then the City had better rethink its policies on recruitment of police candidates.

How many candidates for the police department will never get the opportunity to become police officers because they didn't have the chance to attend college?  We wring our hands and complain that we can't get enough candidates to take the police examination, yet we won't allow people without college credits to compete.

At the same time that we are requiring college, we are raising the age requirement.  Do we really want thirty-five year old recruits? Police work is a demanding, dangerous job. We need young motivated cops that we can train and guide into becoming good police officers. The veteran cops have the great responsibility of passing on their knowledge and experience to the recruits who look up to them. The professors in John Jay or the instructors in the Police Academy don't have the influence on new cops as much as the veteran street cops and detectives out in the precincts.  When we take new recruits and keep them insulated in the classrooms of the Police Academy and have sociologists lecture them for six months about how corrupt the veteran cops are, we have done them a great harm.

While the NYPD was busy retaking the streets of New York City, an economic renaissance created by a safe environment took place. Businesses thrived in the new atmosphere of safety.  Investment in real estate and commerce flooded into New York City. New York became once again the premier city of the world economy.

Businessmen in expensive suits walk the streets of New York City without fear of being confronted by violent vagrants. They can ride in their expensive cars without having "squeegee" men fog up their windshields with filthy rags and spittle.  The are safe because a lot of cops made those mean streets safe for them to carry out their business and leisure activities.  While many have prospered in the new economic miracle of the past few years, our police officers have not.  It is time to correct that. If we allow the morale of our police to deteriorate, we do so at our peril.  If we do not act in haste to improve the morale of our police, I can assure you that we will repent at our leisure.

                                         Edward D. Reuss
                                         Captain, NYPD (retired)
                                         CaptainReuss@Verizon.net


Copyright © 2000 Edward D. Reuss

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