Public Employee Press

POLITICAL ACTION 2012
Pols and police now back union on hiring clericals
Civilianization $ave$

By JANE LaTOUR

Local 1549 is pressing hard for results this year in its longstanding battle with the Police Dept. over replacing high-paid uniformed officers on desk duty with clerical workers to save money and improve public safety.

Ruling in 2004 on a Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549 grievance, arbitrator Maurice Benewitz ordered the Police Dept. to stop assigning the duties of clerical-administrative personnel to police officers. Union campaigns to get the New York Police Dept. to comply with that order have consistently pointed out the huge savings to the city when cops are out protecting New Yorkers instead of sitting behind desks doing the jobs of clerical workers.

Now, as the City Council considers the budget for the year beginning July 1, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has spoken out in favor of the idea, although he said the mayor's hiring freeze prevents him from implementing civilianization.

"You don't need a billy club to operate a computer," said Local 1549 Police Administrative Clerical Chapter Chair Janice Darden April 18 at a City Hall press conference and rally sponsored by the local and City Council Public Safety Committee member Peter Vallone Jr.

According to the city's Independent Budget Office, replacing 500 NYPD officers with less costly civilian personnel would have saved as much as $16.5 million in Fiscal Year 2012. "Civilianization makes sense from a financial standpoint and a public safety standpoint," Vallone said. "It makes no sense to have the lowest patrol strength in 20 years while 500 able-bodied Police Officers sit behind desks."

In 2001, the NYPD had 41,000 officers, but the force is down to 34,500 today.

"Civilianization is the best way to immediately put more cops on the street. Every single officer on patrol makes a difference. They joined the NYPD to protect and serve, not file and answer phones," said Vallone.

"We've documented as many as 3,500 civilian positions occupied by uniformed officers," said Eddie Rodriguez, president of Local 1549 and DC 37. The Independent Budget Office has released figures showing that civilianization would help slash the NYPD's huge overtime budget, which is estimated at over $400 million for Fiscal Year 2013.

The City Council has made civilianization a priority item in the upcoming budget negotiations and has urged the Bloomberg administration to reassign 500 full-duty uniformed officers to law enforcement and hire civilians for the non-law enforcement duties.

The City Council's Finance Division estimates that hiring 500 new uniformed officers would cost about $45 million in their first year, while hiring 500 civilians would cost $30 million to $32 million, and the savings would increase over time.

According to the Finance Division, by the time Police Officers reach year seven of their careers, their base salary tops $90,000, not including overtime, promotions or collective-bargaining increases.

Speaking May 17 at a City Council budget hearing, Kelly said he agrees with civilianization.

Now the union, Commissioner Kelly and the City Council, as well as the Citizens Budget Commission and many former Comptrollers and Public Advocates, all agree that civilianization saves tax dollars and improves public safety.