Sep 15, 2008 11:23 pm US/Eastern
Hundreds Turn Out For Police Detail Debate
Police Unions Hope To Block Measure
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Police details cost the state about $25 million each year.
WBZ
It was a full house in Boston's transportation building as Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick discussed the regulations that were drafted for civilian flaggers to take over for police officers at some construction sites.
Hundreds of police officers and union officials packed the room Monday night. The hearing did turn testy at times as police jeered those who spoke in favor of the use of flaggers. Union officials also accused Patrick of playing politics with public safety.
The police unions are against the idea of
swapping out police officers for flaggers. They say they have found a loophole in the governor's bill that would soon allow them to protect police details.
Police details cost the state about $25 million each year. Under the new regulations that take effect this fall, a small percentage of police officers on state road projects would be replaced with civilian flaggers, who would cost less. But some people say they like having the officers on the street. "I would rather have a cop," said one Boston woman.
While others want to know where the savings are going. "It depends on where the money that's being saved is going."
An analyst told WBZ's Joe Shortsleeve last month that the state would save about $5 million by using flaggers at some construction sites. That's because non-union flaggers make anywhere from $20 to $37 an hour. Compare that to state police troopers, who get paid at least $40 an hour.
Discuss: Police Details DebateRevere Mayor Tom Ambrosino has a tradeoff. "Police definitely want protection from flagmen. The city wants something in return, which is random drug testing. We've never had the ability to pull it off, but this may present us with the opportunity."
The regulations call for using flaggers only on state roadways where the speed limit is less than 45 mph, which is less than one-third of all state roads. Decisions on whether to use police officers or flaggers would be made on a case-by-case basis by the state highway department.
At first the flaggers would be drawn from employees already working for the state.
If the measure goes through, it does not mean there will be more police officers protecting our streets. The details are extra work picked up after an officer's shift, so if that goes away, the officers would just go home.
State Executives would not say how many current or future road projects would be affected by these regulations.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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