Mar 4, 2009 11:01 pm US/Eastern
BPD To Cut Several Programs, Lay Off Dozens
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
The Boston Police Department was told on Wednesday that the police horse and bicycle units will be disbanded, along with other police programs, and 40 police cadets will be laid off to help deal with the city's budget crisis.
A memo outlining the possible cuts was sent out by Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, who said the cuts were necessary for the 2010 fiscal year. "The current fiscal crisis that has plagued the country has left the City of Boston with no choice but to reduce personnel and non-personnel costs," the memo read.
All possible department changes would happen on July 1, according to the commissioner. The dismantling of the Mounted Unit (horse unit) will lead to 10 people being laid off. The 10 officers and one supervisor that also work in that unit will be redeployed to their districts.
Ten civilians will be laid off with the dismantling of the department's bike unit. According to Davis, the calls usually taken by the bike unit will now be handled by each district.
Forty police cadets will be laid off and four will remain with the department until January 2010 to allow them to complete the two-year cadet program, David said.
The Family Justice Unit, which handles domestic violence cases, could also be dismantled and the building that houses the gang, bike and school police will be shut down.
So far, there is no talk of uniform officers being laid off, but there's no guarantee that won't happen in the future. The head of the Police Patrolman's Union said this situation is still very fluid and talk of layoffs is premature.
Boston Mayor Tom Menino is calling on the police, fire and teachers unions to accept a wage freeze to avoid drastic cuts. "I will continue to push for our one-year wage freeze to protect core services and minimize the job loss. I know many unions are hesitant to accept the wage freeze because they see temporary money in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act coming to our city."
Only five small unions have accepted the wage freeze. The city faces a budget shortfall of $131 million.
The last time the Boston Police Department faced such layoffs was in 1981.
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