The state House 2010 budget proposes cutting $50 million dollars in funding for incentive pay to police officers who earn college degrees. The move came as a surprise to the police unions and most who watch Massachusetts politics. This post on Blue Mass Group has a discussion of the issue and ...
.. a link to a Boston Globe article about the cuts. What are your thoughts about it?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Blue Mass Grroup and the Globe on Quinn Bill cuts
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I don't need a state hand-out for having a college degree in criminal justice. This Quinn bill is a result of action taken by the state legislatures to encourage police officers to enter college. It went into effect during the mid-seventies. It should be noted, the town of Dartmouth... town meeting members, voted to accept the Quinn bill. The Quinn bill was passed as a home rule law. Most police officers, if not all, will take a 20% cut in salary. My question is, what number of police officers will retire, before any action is taken to stop the funding??
I chose to be a police officer but I’m not perfect. All humans make mistakes, and I’ve paid for every one of them. In my 11 years of law enforcement, I’ve also seen more than you’ll ever know.
I’ve taken knifes, clubs, guns, drugs and violant people out of cars. Teens and otherwise. I’ve seen drunk, drugged, and distracted drivers of all ages who’ve been dangerous to everyone on the road. I’ve been in more fights than I can count with those drivers and passengers.I’ve picked up dead bodies off the roadways. Drivers, passengers, pedestrians and otherwise. I’ve seen almost every kind of death you can think of.
Yes. I may have talked brusquely to your dear child. Or gotten you out of the car. Asked you to take your hands out of your pockets or something similar. But you may want to consider that one of those “kids” I dealt with in our lovely area came the closest to killing me in all the years I worked. He had a loaded 357 magnum hidden under the shirt he asked me to let him put on Thank God, I refused. Gee. Looking back on that…I guess I was being rude.
I’ve also seen the faces of toddlers and children who were lost and whom my co-workers and I were privileged to place back in the arms of a crying mother. I’ve seen the bleeding I was able to stop, the heart I was able to get a chance to re-start and the crime victims my comrades and I were able to protect. I’ve got the faces in my mind of people whose lives my partners and I saved. Yes. I have my success stories…and my failures.
And I’ve seen the nights when I can’t go to sleep or get back to because of the faces and the “what if” factor in every case. And if you never see one thousandth this munch, then law enforcement has done it’s job…and after all…if cops had a rabid need to be liked, we’d have become firemen.Trust me. If I was rude or insensitive to your child or anyone else, I’ll pay. I’ve taken that long walk to the front door to tell the parent, spouse, child or relative that their loved one isn’t ever coming home. I’ve borne the verbal agony and even threats because these poor people can’t stand the grief. I’ve seen husbands beat wives and vice versa. Parents beat children and vice that versa as well. I’ve seen the results when people kill each other.
I’ve seen crimes you’ve never dreamed of and won’t ever see. Please take my 20% increase in salary and donate it to some child in need of a new school book or pair of shoes. I can make the 20% by working a couple or three road jobs. I don't need a state hand-out.
Thank GOD for that!! Yes, I beleive in God.
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