Police Starting Salary To Be Lowered

[iwasthere]

         OOPs! forgive my spelling errors!

do not worry Rick Rowlands will correct them for you.

[iwasthere]

   One time response only.  I didn't here this must squawking when the firefighters took a 10  step program and started at $24,000.00. They put their lives on the line too.

my response is the same with the firefighters. the firefighters deserve a decent living wage too.

[john r. swierz]

         OOPs! forgive my spelling errors!

[john r. swierz]

   One time response only.  I didn't here this must squawking when the firefighters took a 10  step program and started at $24,000.00. They put their lives on the line too.

[Why?Town]

Maybe the lower pay rate will have these newer officers looking for cheaper places to live, like in the city.

[AllanY2525]

I think that when it comes to police protection, the city will get what it
pays for below a certain salary.

The city must realize that even though these police officers might be caring,
dedicated officers they still have to make a living and feed themselves and
their families.

In the end, it will come back to bite the city in the a**.  This still doesn't
change my view with regard to older, lazy officers who are set in their ways
and really don't care any more - these guys still need to go so that younger,
more motivated officers can take their place.

[our2cents]

Well, qualified, yes per the law...they have to pass OPOTC.  But, that doesn't make them have any more "street smarts" when it comes to being an officer.  Council is there to think about the dimes, not the true nature of what they're doing.  I talked to a friend last night and he said he would throw his training out the window and find another line of work before starting that low.  He even said, "how do they expect to find anyone with any true knowledge of how to safely enforce the laws, both for themselves and the people that may happen to be around".

[iwasthere]

The starting salary for a new Youngstown police officer will be lowered to about $30,000 per year.  This is approximately a $9,000 reduction.

In your opinion, is the starting salary too low?

council makes $28,000 a yr plus benefits and they do not put lives on the line. i wonder if we are going to have qualified police officiers for this amt?

[our2cents]

WTF...this is absurd.  There are security guards that make 30k a year...and they don't have to risk being shot all the time.  I've known many officers over the years, and 30k is what many started at 20 years ago.  Now there are private companies paying their armed guards 30k to start, if not more, depending on how bad they need guys in the trucks and/or banks.  And quite a few of them take on retired or layed off officers.  Most of what I know is from the Cleveland area, but still, you can't expect an officer possibly with a family anywhere to not second guess if the 30k is worth going into a firing zone.  I sure hope I'm never one of the people in need with an officer that is going to second guess it.  There are officers that will go no matter what because they love their job and feel they're doing something for the community.  And then you're going to have those that doubt what they're doing on a daily basis.  $$$ is all about our survival...and when it comes to being shot at...it puts a huge weight on the brain.

[Why?Town]

I don't know if it's too low or not but I have other thoughts about it.

Saving $9000 a year on jobs no one has isn't really helping the city financially. Eventually it will save some but, on average how many officers with less than 12 years does the city employ?

The police union graciously offered to help the city by cutting the pay of their future union brethren that have no say in the matter, yet there's no mention of the current members making any similar sacrifices. Don't tell me about them paying part of their benefits, What they pay is a pittance and the new guys pay it too.

Pretty short sighted. This creates a two-tier pay scale, which basically divides the union into two with each part looking after their own best interest in union/ bargaining matters.

Also consider that 12 years is more than enough time for wage disparity to to create animosity in a group or an individual. I'm not sure I'd want to be partnered with a guy that I decided shouldn't earn as much as I do.

Actually as the article reads, it's possible that current officers with less than 4 years may be getting screwed too, how would you like to work with a guy who's  pocket you just took a huge chunk of change out of.

Go ahead in, partner, I got your back (in my gunsights).

I've experienced two-tier and even three-tier union contracts before, don't even think that it won't cause problems within the ranks.

Unions, gotta love 'em, at least for their entertainment value. it's usually like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

[jay]

The starting salary for a new Youngstown police officer will be lowered to about $30,000 per year.  This is approximately a $9,000 reduction.

In your opinion, is the starting salary too low?