Posted on 12/14/2005 1:50:18 PM PST by NormsRevenge
After almost two years without a contract for police officers, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted 10-1 to approve an agreement that would pay experienced officers more than $100,000 in 2007.
The contract also enables officers to retire after 30 years at 90 percent of their final salary, matching most public safety agencies in the state. Until now, maximum pensions for officers were 85 percent of final pay. While the contract is not final until officers approve it, Don DeMers, president of the Police Officers Association, which represents 1,344 sworn officers, said his union board unanimously backs it. ...
Current top pay for police officers is officially $80,236, but premium pay awarded to virtually all officers for training and holiday work brings that to $94,000, said Alex Gurza, the city's employee relations director. Under the contract, the base would rise to $91,000 after the final raise, and with premiums, to $107,000.
The contract increases the city's wage and pension costs for police by $29 million by the end of its four-year, four-month duration. Almost all the extra cost falls in the final two years.
The city council considered the contract in a closed session Tuesday morning and passed it in the afternoon with no discussion. Only Councilman Dave Cortese dissented.
``It's surprising that such a large chunk of the whole city of San Jose budget would receive so little public review,'' said Scott Knies, executive director of the San Jose Downtown Association, who attended Tuesday's meeting.
Gurza said, ```We were able to achieve a compromise that recognizes our own fiscal situation,'' that will keep the city ``competitive in the public safety market'' in which the city must attract new officers.
``This agreement definitely recognizes that all of our unions work together to help us,'' said Gurza.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Just keeping up with the Joneses..
Ah the great pension bomb.
You seen the price of donuts lately? ;-)
More people and business will be leaving CA as we read this.
I moved my Company to Nevada 9 years ago.
The lone dissenter is also the one pushing for the back room dealing, Hispanic-so-we-can't-touch-him Mayor of San Jose, Ron Gonzalez, to relinquish his duties because he lied and gave garbage contractors an $11 million contract behind the city council's back.
SAN JOSE (KRON)-- City councilman Dave Cortese, who is running for mayor, is asking people to sign petitions calling for further investigation into the mayor's secret deal with the city's garbage contractor, Norcal Waste Systems.
More than 1,000 people reportedly signed the petition in what some political observers say is a kind of barometer as to public confidence in the mayor.
The City Council is expected to censure, or formally reprimand Gonzales on Tuesday. Last week, an independent investigator said it appeared Gonzales violated city policies by repeatedly not disclosing what he knew about the deal until months later.
And this -- http://www.morganquitno.com/cit05pop.htm -- is a link to the site that ranks San Jose as the nation's safest city among those with a population over 500,000 people. So what are the officers being paid more for? Job risk is low in San Jose. And, the cops don't make the city safe, people do.
Highest paying job for only a H.S. diploma ??
The public employees' unions showed their power in the election and the politicians are listening. Deals like this will make the state's financial problems make the situation in San Diego look like child's play.
Wow! I sure wish the Federal govt was that generous! All I get for retirement is social security (if it's still around) and my 401k which is self-funded out of my pay other than 5% from the Govt.
FYI: SJPD requires minimum 2-year degree (which is more than 65% of the adults in the USA); over 70% SJPD officers have their 4-year degrees (which is more than 75% of the adults in the USA). ALSO, if it's High Pay you are concerned about: The majority of millionaires in this nation do not have a college degree. Though many professions that pay well have high salaries; more jobs and skills that don't even require a H.S. diploma, from plumber to computer programmer (didn't know that did ya?), pay more than "professionals" (sic) when the time/effort is applied, especially if one "free lances" or goes into own small business.
FYI: From an old army guy myself: Federal gov't is generous, after 20 years in Army, I get 50% pension and DID not contribute the entire time! ALSO, FYI: SJPD officers pay almost 12% of their salary INTO their "generous" pensions (guess what? about a dozen SJPD officers NEVER saw a pension, their pictures hang in a hallway, go see them sometime). If it's such "generousity" you are looking for, go sign up and get hired! And, please, when you are collecting your generous handout while wearing a badge, that PCP induced freak who just jumped from the roof of the 7-11 and is about to take you on, we need you to stop him before he hurts me! After all, that generousity you are collecting is well worth my life!
I find it really hard to justify paying them more than an engineer. An engineer has a far higher probability of actually earning that wage.
FYI: There was a time that San Jose's crime rate was nothing to be proud of. It was the implementation of Proactive and Core Target Policing, combined with the increasing of professional standards, that the "safest city" goal was achieved. The proactivity of SJPD is the ongoing undercurrent that is implemented in preventing crime. SJPD is not a reactive department, which is the case in cities with HIGH crime rates, where reactivity (read "apathy") is the manner of policing business. Also, the job of policing entails more than patrol and "risk": The investigation and compilation of a narcotics case involving fraud, money laundering, etc. (hired a private accountant lately? starting at $150 per hour plus) and the investigation of any crime (hired a P.I. lately? anywhere from $75 per hour upwards to over $200 p/h); or, the putting together a complete case for presentation in court (hired an attorney lately? $250 / $350 per hour upwards to the heavens). And, if the job risk is your "standard", SJPD policing is still a risk that is HIGHER than, say, a web designer, or news paper editor, or car salesman! ... even a higher risk than being the mayor of San Jose! The reckless actions of a CEO usually results in a golden parachute for him/her and disaster for employees and investors; the reckless actions of a police officer can result in millions lost from the city coffers, or of less concern to the public, injury to the police officer or his/ her life. As a matter of fact, I would guess that the "low" risk of policing San Jose is much more of a risk than what many do for a living. It's just that the precautions they take and their ability to avoid injury and reduce the risks with every situation they handle does not take away the one risk: Their Life. Though the chance of taking on a "risky" situation (usually involving the harmful actions of another) may involve only one iota of risk to their life, it's an iota that is 100% higher than I or most people ever wish to take while performing our job(s). And to risk one's life as a result of the EVIL actions of another human being makes that a horror when compared to the risk of industrial accidents as a result of tragic mistakes.
I went there, briefly (many yrs. ago)
They still reserve the K-9 units for the east side of town ?
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