Tulsa Police Chief Talks About Cuts

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Kind of reminds me of the pictures I see on Animal Planet for adopt a pet issues.

[MH2010]

Kind of reminds me of the pictures I see on Animal Planet for adopt a pet issues.

Except these "adapt a pet" pictures are of people that won't be there to save you or your family when you call 911.

[shadows]

Many of our non-governmental economist are predicting that this recession can increase before returning to pre-recession employment for as long as another decade and half.  In the great depression many people walked away from their homes and farms because the could not afford the taxes.  If we must reduce the bloated city salaries it is time for an across the board reduction in the city paid wages that the citizens cannot afford to pay.   A reduction of 20% of all employees except those paid one half of the posted average wage would be a starting point.

Many city employees will cry "I'll quit if they reduce my wage", but it would take the entire sheriff's department to control the traffic to control the hundreds of unemployed that would apply for the vacated jobs.  There is no person or job that is irreplaceable.

As for increasing the availability of the parks for the teen age citizens. Is there not a curfew in existence on them being in the park after a set time? As most citizens are aware these teenagers are people of the night.

There is a line which divides what the working taxpayer can pay for services and when public servants breach this line it only increases the crisis to where it becomes uncontrollable.  Tulsa is teetering on that line.

[Red Arrow]

No one likes a pay cut.  I took a 25% cut once to try to save the company I worked for.  Ultimately it didn't work out but we all tried.

Stand next to 4 of your "brothers" and tell them you'd rather have one of them riffed than take a 20% pay cut.  Oops, it may be you that is gone.

I admit, it's not a nice situation.

[patric]

Kind of reminds me of the pictures I see on Animal Planet for adopt a pet issues.

It's another P.R. device to make the citizens feel guilty,
and demand that the Mayor bow to emotional arguments rather than logical ones.

Actually quite clever, putting a "human face" on fiscal mis-management...
and sad in a way that most of those faces had no real say in department spending.

Alas, it's still the same stubborn union it was a year ago.

[MH2010]

The police union does not, nor has it ever managed the police department.

The Tulsa FOP Lodge 93 is the recognized bargaining agent representing Tulsa Police Officers in contract negotiations with the City of Tulsa pursuant to Oklahoma law.

FOP Lodge 93 participates in programs and activities to:

Promote and foster the enforcement of law and order
Improve the proficiency of our members in the performance of their duties
Encourage fraternal, educational, charitable and social activities among officers
Support and defend the Constitution of the United States

[rwarn17588]

FOP Lodge 93 participates in programs and activities to:

Being intractable, no matter how grave the financial situation is or how many of its members might get axed in the process.

Fixed that for you.

[DowntownNow]

So now, the FOP 93 website is posting pictures and biographies of those likely to be affected by layoffs in the hopes of garnering public support. Why stop there though?  Why not go all out and put pics of the officer's families and pets up there for even greater sympathy? 

What about posting the pictures of all other City employees that stand to lose their job or the thousands of others in the metro area that have lost or will lose their's in this economy? You can start with the hundreds affected by the Arrow Trucking Co shut down that are already going without a paycheck if you truly want to put a human face to this economic disaster Tulsa is facing and having to make the tough choices to combat.

What makes these officers any different than the other men and women out there that have helped to pay your salaries over the years and are themselves facing uncertainty in this economy?

This is getting to the point of being sad.  Rather than buck up in this recession and in the face of the economic toll it has had on everyone in Tulsa, these unions would seek to garner support through cheap theatrics than to say "I'll gladly take whatever pay reduction is necessary so all my fellow officers and city service employees can keep their jobs."

This mentality of seniority rules when facing layoffs seems like a big 'screw you' to their fellow brothers that recently joined the force or have even been there 4-5 years, as this may effect them as well if the layoffs reach that deep.

I keep waiting to see the Sally Struthers commercial followed by one for the FOP and IFFA.

[DowntownNow]

Except these "adapt a pet" pictures are of people that won't be there to save you or your family when you call 911.

Perfect example of a fear tactic being used here and the Tulsa World comments section by those that are and claim to be TPD.  Why resort to such tactics?  Simply state your case and let the elected leaders decide.  You want to make an impassioned plea to the masses?  Why resort to strong arming an emotional fear response?

Losing some of the force due to budget constraints and a lack of willingness or cooperation on the part of the other members to look at salary and benefit reductions in order to save everyone's jobs does not mean there will be no force at all.  And yet every time, its "if you dont do this, you will not have this."  No, we just wont have as much and until things change, we'll have to suck it up and make due.

[MH2010]

The FOP 93 did not take the pictures or host them. Detective Meulenberg came up with this idea on his own and took the pictures on his own.  He is hosting it on his photography website (that is the reason for the links to other people's pictures.) Det. Meulenberg focused on police and firemen because these people are people he knows and are his friends.  Other city employees may be doing the same thing. I don't know.

What makes the City of Tulsa employees different than other people in Tulsa that are about to lose their jobs is that the City of Tulsa is not broke. The City of Tulsa has enough money in different funds to not lay off anyone at least until the end of this fiscal year (July 1).  That is what the unions (FOP, Firemen and AFSCME) are trying to get the city to do.  The City of Tulsa could take the money and apply it to salaries until contracts could be re-negotiated.  AFSCME is never in the news because news organizations are mainly focused on public Safety.

The mayor's office today told TPD management that it should cut 3.4 million from the budget. So if that holds true and not changed the number laid-off will be around 100 officers.  The senority rules is a city of Tulsa policy that has been around for years. It is meant to reward years of service for employees of the city.  

[MH2010]

Also, the mayor has still not signed the MOU about police cars being driven outside the City of Tulsa. There is no updated policy to reflect the fact that the FOP agreed to the change.  I don't know if he is too busy or because he wants officers to drive the cars outside the city so they can still talk about it.

The mayor sent out a memo today to Tulsa police officers. The memo is available on the channel 6 website.

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/griffin/NEWSon6/PDF/0912/Budgetmemo.pdf

In the memo he talks about TCSO providing public safety in selected parts of Tulsa at a cost that the City can afford. 

I'm wondering if the Mayor just plans on outsourcing all public safety to the county. They would be alot cheaper.  However, the city would lose all the revenue that is generated from traffic violations and municipal ordinance violations. TCSO can not enforce municipal (traffic or penal) ordinances. They can only enforce state law.  Also on another note, if they are given an area of Tulsa to patrol, are they going to be participating in the COMSTAT system? The city of Tulsa spent millions of dollars for this system.  Is it going to just fall by the wayside?

There is some other stuff, but I'm tired. I'll probably post some more tommorow.

[rwarn17588]

What makes the City of Tulsa employees different than other people in Tulsa that are about to lose their jobs is that the City of Tulsa is not broke. The City of Tulsa has enough money in different funds to not lay off anyone at least until the end of this fiscal year (July 1).

Sure, the money is there now. But it doesn't take a genius to see that consecutive months of revenue decreases in double-digit percentage points is a huge and fast drain on those funds. Why should the mayor wait to demand cuts until the city is outright broke? Wouldn't that be financially irresponsible?

The city has a finite supply of money. Police and fire eats a huge share of that money. Why are you guys so intractable about making concessions that would 1) preserve your jobs; 2) keep the city afloat until better times arrive? Instead, it's like you guys are putting your own gun to your head.

I don't want to see the mayor outsource public safety. But if he keeps dealing with selfish jerks such those in the FOP, I wouldn't blame him does so and breaks the union's stupid, self-serving stranglehold on the city.

[RecycleMichael]

I don't understand the math the union is using.

According to the city budget and executive summary for fiscal year ending in 2010, the police budget is $86,735,000 and the department has 781 sworn officers and 116 non-sworn employees for a total of 897 employees.

That works out to be $96,694.54 per employee in that department.

The mayor has asked for a $3.4 million budget cut.

How does that equal 100 or 135 officers?

This is the same union that claimed the 392 out-of-town take home vehicles would only save about $75,000 per year (52 cents per car per day).

[Conan71]

So now, the FOP 93 website is posting pictures and biographies of those likely to be affected by layoffs in the hopes of garnering public support. Why stop there though?  Why not go all out and put pics of the officer's families and pets up there for even greater sympathy? 

What about posting the pictures of all other City employees that stand to lose their job or the thousands of others in the metro area that have lost or will lose their's in this economy? You can start with the hundreds affected by the Arrow Trucking Co shut down that are already going without a paycheck if you truly want to put a human face to this economic disaster Tulsa is facing and having to make the tough choices to combat.

What makes these officers any different than the other men and women out there that have helped to pay your salaries over the years and are themselves facing uncertainty in this economy?

This is getting to the point of being sad.  Rather than buck up in this recession and in the face of the economic toll it has had on everyone in Tulsa, these unions would seek to garner support through cheap theatrics than to say "I'll gladly take whatever pay reduction is necessary so all my fellow officers and city service employees can keep their jobs."

This mentality of seniority rules when facing layoffs seems like a big 'screw you' to their fellow brothers that recently joined the force or have even been there 4-5 years, as this may effect them as well if the layoffs reach that deep.

I keep waiting to see the Sally Struthers commercial followed by one for the FOP and IFFA.

DTN- First off, I'm not a union person and I've been a life-long cynic of unions and have a terrible distaste for how they have wrecked entire industries in the U.S. (steel, auto, et) and unwittingly sent jobs out of the country. 

However, I've got to say the FOP members are getting what they pay for, and the union is attempting to do what is expected of it- job security, and protecting wages.  This is a clever tactic on their part and they are doing precisely what a union does, only this is one of the more creative things I've ever seen in relation to trying to avert lay-offs. 

[Conan71]

I don't understand the math the union is using.

According to the city budget and executive summary for fiscal year ending in 2010, the police budget is $86,735,000 and the department has 781 sworn officers and 116 non-sworn employees for a total of 897 employees.

That works out to be $96,694.54 per employee in that department.

The mayor has asked for a $3.4 million budget cut.

How does that equal 100 or 135 officers?

This is the same union that claimed the 392 out-of-town take home vehicles would only save about $75,000 per year (52 cents per car per day).

Maybe they borrowed that busted calculator that the Chamber Of Commerce always uses to over-state the economic impact of public fleecings.