SMITHTOWN, N.Y. Rob Trotta, a cranky Republican county legislator on Long Island who worked as a cop for 25 years, might be the unlikeliest voice for police reform in America. 0000002313 00000 n From what I understand only the cognitive ability portion of the exam allowed for unanswered questions. Police officers testified that they feared for their families safety or that theyd be framed for crimes if they blew the whistle on their boss. because he didnt want them prying into his own misconduct. Emergency Housing Services Program, A Performance Audit of Never Alone Never Afraid, Inc. I have a feeling its going to be like Nassau where people where people were disappointed with their grades. The Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association would like to congratulate our 2019-2020 Retirees; Changes To NYS Concealed Carry Law . County Executive Steve Bellones administration has said that the county wouldsave $40 million annually by requiring all employees to pay into their health care for the first time. Box 1500 We highlight PBA members' work; we recognize their heroic actions, and we educate the public regarding the sacrifices police officers make each day. On the other hand, maybe they hire lower scores. Does anyone have any insight into getting hired by a village off this test? Fred Brewington, the lawyer who has been fighting for 12 years for justice since the beating death of Kenny Lazo, the Black motorist, took notice when Commissioner Hart acknowledged racial disparities in police stops. In other news, both the PBA and AME will soon issue endorsements in upcoming races for county executive and county legislature. That super PAC is generally funded by contributions from law enforcement. A member of the union sat on the reform task force. In every conversation, he found a way to bring it back to Jimmy Burke, one told me. Most of all, they take umbrage at the notion that police union donations influenced their political decisions. Just be aware the last test was told over and over again it was going to exhaust all the people that scored 95 but at the end they only made it through the first 2500 of the lottery. Eventually, one guy told the truth. Legislators approved $1.2 million for district attorneys office renovations, and $1 million for plumbing and electrical improvements at the county Medical Examiners forensic lab. Their payroll for active employees cost the county $7.4 million in 2020. Yet the police union still holds great sway. The bathroom in his office is decorated with rows of articles from the Long Island newspaper Newsday about corruption in the county. Mr. Bellone also announced new contracts with the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association and the Suffolk County Association of Municipal Employees. Send us a letter to the editor instead. Detectives willreach that top step sooner, according toBudget Review'sreport. Wondering if it will effect the amount of High scorers there usually is. Other politicians, particularly those allied with Mr. Bellone, call Mr. Trotta a toxic character, a bomb-thrower, a hypocrite or a loon. Its sometimes said that the county doesnt run the police; the police run the county. The Suffolk County Legislature approved a $40 million contract for police detectives Tuesday. Ithaca Mayor wants to Abolish the Police! Suffolk CO to NYPD is pretty dumb unless you had to be a cop. This officer is a brother of all law enforcement professionals and the Suffolk County PBA is praying for him and his family during this trying and difficult time. The ads backfired. Police Officers will receive average raises of 1.875% per year over the term of the contract. After a quarter of a century as a cop, Mr. Trotta found it hard to believe that any plan would significantly change how the police operate. Thats one reason the growing criticism of the police has been met with a passionate counter-movement, called Blue Lives Matter. Detectives will see their pay raised 2.25% this year and 1% every January and July through 2023 under the 2019-2024 contract. Suffolk County Government > Departments > Public Works > Bids and Contracts. The Office helps facilitate each County departments mission, protects the interests of the County and its taxpayers, and promotes fairness in contracting with the business community. As a detective, he uncovered drug dealers in places others didnt think to look. Legislators approved an emergency resolution to restore $25 million to a sewer stabilization fund. Department of Human Resources, Personnel and Civil Service, https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Civil-Service, If this is your first visit be sure to check out the frequently asked questions by clicking here. Mr. Trotta thought it was because they lived in communities with more crime. From breaking news to special features and documentaries, the NewsdayTV team is covering the issues that matter to you. The still-unreleased deal between the Hochul Administration and the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), state governments largest group of unionized workers, would award bonuses, backpay, and guaranteed raises the next three years, documents sent to union members show. For years, the feds couldnt prove it. In the 1950s and 1960s, police unionists managed to convince a large part of the American public that their own safety depended on a strong police union. The idea that the PSC would artificially drive electricity costs higher to benefit a political constituency represents a new low. In 2019, more than 1,200 officers nearly half the force took home over $200,000 a year. Eye-popping a sum as that might seem, its par for the course in Suffolk County. No figures were projected for 2024 or 2025, but given that more than a third of PBA-represented employees have been on the job fewer than six years, its likely police pay costs especially will surge in the out years. All times are GMT-6. Bids and Proposals The Suffolk County Office of Central Procurement oversees the County's procurement processes. They cited political donations from the police union as the reason. The AME contract runs through December 2024 and the PBA and SCOPE deals run through December 2025. 0000000897 00000 n Then another. But momentum for change is building, as both fiscal conservatives and liberal activists take aim at the outsize political power of police unions. But legislators have not had the guts to get rid of the provision. But his reasoning the police unions political donations caught the ear of an activist named Emily Kaufman. It was true. They even have their own version of the American flag its black with a blue line running down the center, representing the idea that the thin blue line they embody is all that separates civilization from anarchy. Thats one reason police reform so often gets announced at news conferences but so rarely seems to occur in the real world. Half a dozen current and former elected officials in Suffolk County told me they vote their conscience, regardless of what the union gives. But that raisewill cumulatively cost the county an additional $19 million, plus increased costs for benefits and overtime, according to the legislatures Budget Review Office. There are 1,700 police officers in Suffolk County. Under section 17 of the AME MOA, the county has committed to pay into a union trust that would provide retiree health benefits only to members in good standing. Under the states exclusive representation rules, a public employer cannot confer a special benefit specifically on those workers who choose to pay union dues. The revelation that officers lied shocked many on Long Island. The system works, but very slowly.. Legis. One was driving a blue 2011-2013 Toyota Highlander and the other was driving a white 2019-2023 Dodge Ram truck. The PBA MOA modified a. . Under the agreement, county employees will pay 2% of their salaries toward health coverage, which will increase incrementally until reaching 2.5%, county officials said. Tom Cilmis (R-Bay Shore) bill would restrict smoking in building common areas. Mr. McCarthy told me that most police officers dont pay attention to the union and that some resent the insular group that runs it. I believe that it is illegal and its unethical, Mr. McCarthy said of the $1-a-day political assessment that was taken out of his paycheck and sent to the Long Island Law Enforcement Foundation. The top base salary will be$174,000 a year by 2024, up from $155,000, Gallagher said. National Police Week: Event Link. Dec. 12, 2019| NewsdayHigh-ranking Suffolk County policeare set to get 11.25% raises over six years under a tentative $53 million deal reached with the Superior Officers Association, officials said Wednesday.Sergeants, lieutenants, captains and other senior officersat top step would have base salaries ranging from $183,000 to$273,000 a year by 2024, officials said. While private sector unions have withered, police unions have flourished, supported by Democrats, who champion labor rights, and Republicans, who champion law and order. The new police chief, Mr. Burke, had reassigned all three Suffolk County detectives who had been working with the F.B.I., including two who were working on a major gang case. In either case, the county will have a hard time getting employees to pay more for an expense thats jumped more than 40 percent in six years. There might have been enough money, too, for the social workers the activists wanted. Mr. Trotta was skeptical: What if a mentally ill person turns violent on a dime?. Samuel Gonzalezs (D-Brentwood) bill, based on similar legislation in 63 California municipalities, would prohibit smoking in units. Ms. Kaufman was a clinical social worker who joined a Black-led community coalition called LI United to Transform Policing and Community Safety, which was helping to put together an alternative police reform called The Peoples Plan. Copkiller Invited to Speak at Suny Brockport. Late Thursday, as hailed in this space, Mayor de Blasio finally made a decisive moveor at least seemed to make a movein the direction of actually saving some money on labor costs by getting tough with a powerful (and powerfully self-entitled) municipal union. In 1974, police officers and firefighters in New York got an additional boost from a new provision in the Civil Service Law that gave them compulsory binding arbitration if they reached an impasse in a contract dispute. Anyone hear the same? 2022 Times Review Media Group All Rights Reserved, Southold CSEA pressures town for higher pay during contract negotiations, Second annual Top Gun 5K will honor late Boy Scout Andrew McMorris in Calverton, LI natives will take the stage at The Suffolk Thursday as part of new original music series, Peconic Bay Medical Center clinicians reflect on recent medical mission to El Salvador, Election 2023: Stark, Kent to face off for county legislature seat, At environmental forum, officials discuss host of issues including waste management, housing needs. Emergency Housing Services Program, A Performance Audit of The Suffolk County STOP-DWI Program, Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning, A Limited Scope Audit of the Surplus County-Owned Real Estate Auction Held on October 22 & 23, 2019, Suffolk County Department of Public Works, Suffolk County Department of Public Works Capital Projects, Suffolk County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, A Performance Audit of the Administration of Sweet Hills Stables, Inc. License Agreement, A Performance Audit of Small Scale Construction Bids, A Compilation and Analysis of Contract Agency Disclosure Form Data, Suffolk County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation, A Performance Audit of the Administration of Requests for Proposals and Awarding of License Agreements, A Performance Audit of the Probation Departments Forfeiture Funds, A Performance Audit of the Administration of License Agreements, A Performance Audit of The Sheriff Offices Forfeiture Funds, An Audit of the Suffolk County Sheriff Offices Civil Bureau. 0000001377 00000 n He reminded them of Jimmy McNulty, the quirky detective from the TV show The Wire.. For one thing, its hard to know just what lawmakers were agreeing to, because the AME and PBA contracts were memorandums of agreement that modified existing deals. For RFPs (Requests for Proposals): Neither bill was voted on Tuesday. GL. There are 1,518,475 people living in the County of Suffolk. During the first half of the 20th century, police unions were rare, weak and lacked legal status, Aaron Bekemeyer, a Ph.D. student at Harvard who is writing his dissertation on the history of police unions, told me. Jun 2017 - Aug 20181 year 3 months. The newest contract followsthe Police Benevolence Association and Superior Officers Association contracts, union president David Gallagher said.