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Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

Boston Globe:

State takes aim at police details

The state's top leaders vowed yesterday to use their combined political might to take on powerful police unions by limiting construction details, a longstanding cash cow for police officers that critics for years have called a waste of taxpayer dollars. (By Matt Viser, Boston Globe)

My Posting on the Globe Blog:

Message #26438.118 in response to #26438.107
Posted by kwflatbed on 9:58 AM

I just wish that everyone posting here would learn the real truth behind all of this,
if this bill should pass the only ones that would benefit from it are the overpaid,self-serving
politicians that have formed the company's to provide the flag men.
I can see it now all of their five foot tall,five foot wide kin folk who can not move out of their
own way feeding from the money trough that their self-serving politican cousins has set up.
Who is the winner here ?
Not the safety of the people of Massachusetts,only the overstuffed politician's wallets.
Do a web search and see how many times a detail officer has made an arrest, stopped
a drunk driver from killing someone.
Can your overweight flag waiver do that, details put more officers on the streets and save lives.
The politicians in this state do enough to increase taxes with the bills that they pass for welfare,
illegal immigrants,and the rest of the people to lazy to go out and get a job.
There will be no savings to the paying public if this is passed.
 
Discussion starter · #24 ·
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

It states in today's Boston Globe that it will save municipalities money?? How so? Do you actually think Verizon/National Grid/N-Star will actually lower their rates to the townspeople? If anything municipalties will lose money they charge these companies for the administrative fee. I understand my department charges 10% on every detail and charges $50.00 per day when a cruiser is requested. I am not sure of the final figure but it ends up in the town's general fund.

It also states that they will have tier's as to when a detail is requested. Sounds to me that it will effect the local's the most. Hopefully ALL unions will get together and fight this and not have one take a back seat because they are not affected.

Went to Staples yesterday, bought a big box of black ball point pens :p, kept the receipt of course for next years taxes.

Eventually I think you will see municipalties hating this when they realize how much $$ they will be dishing out in court overtime for hearings. Besides citations, I will make sure "everyone will get their day in court", and apply for a hearing whenever I can.
 
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

I TRIED reading some of the postings on boston dot com about this and couldnt make it past page 2..........
 
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

At the press conference announcing this proposal, it was stated that this proposal would not impact cities or towns that already have ordinances or bylaws governing the use of Police Details. The city of Boston has an ordinance as most cities do in place, governing the use of Police Details within the cities and as such would not be affected by this proposal. (but I would not hold our breath on this).
 
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

Hey get all the court time you can get, but a better way to f#ck em is to write no one civil, do nothing (with the exception of criminal activity)! That way the Commonwealth doesn't get there percentage on every civil ticket written. There are hundreds of extra police officers on the road due to details. Well I guess response time will be slower, less tickets will be written, unsafe details will go on without inspection and "fly by the flagger" will be a new game like the truck drivers do to the troopers on motor vehicle stops. Be careful what you wish for Sal/Deval.
 
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

All it takes is a simple cut & paste to link your ridiculous statements and the flame-fest is on.

We get enough bad apples who slip through the cracks and hide behind the shield to do nefarious activities. We don't need you both to promote a certain stereotype.
 
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

Civilian traffic flaggers urged
Police vow to keep detail jobs
By John J. Monahan TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
jmonahan@telegram.com

BOSTON- The state's top officials yesterday said they will change the use of police details at road construction sites to allow civilian flaggers on secondary and tertiary road projects, but a police union official doubts the changes will be widespread.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick appeared with House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, D-Boston, and Senate President Therese Murray, D-Plymouth, to announce the planned changes that will be attached to a multibillion-dollar transportation funding bill currently being formulated for highway projects.
All three said they support a change that would allow use of civilian flaggers in place of uniformed police.

They said the changes would require police details on interstate road projects, but allow civilian flaggers, presumably at less cost, on other state projects as well as at private and municipal construction sites.

International Brotherhood of Police Officer's legislative lobbyist Raymond F. McGrath, a former Worcester patrolman, said yesterday he doubts the proposed new regulation would change much in the running of police details at construction sites.

"I don't think it makes any difference to the current practices. Under state highway rules and regulations, they can use flagmen. They choose not to," Mr. McGrath said. "It's the management's choice on a state highway whether they use flagmen or they don't. They choose to go the safer route and use police."

Ms. Murray said the new rules would specifically provide for use of flaggers for work on secondary and smaller roads and that the changes would generate large savings. Combined with better cost controls over construction work, she said, the state would save an average of $5 million annually over the next 20 years with fewer police details at construction sites.

Mr. McGrath, however, said the state rule changes would have limited impact, even on local projects.

"The state only has the right to make a determination on state highways. They do not have the authority to control local communities' roadways. The cities and towns are independent bodies that make their own determinations on their own property," he said.

For state and local officials it will come down to which option provides a safer project. He said local permitting boards and agencies and contracting authorities will make their own determinations on whether to use flaggers or police details.

"It's going to create a media frenzy, but at the end of the day nothing is going to change, because the bottom line is, do we want to have safe roadways or do we want unsafe conditions at road construction sites," he said.

"It is safer when you have a police officer, and that is why I think it won't change."

The announcement came as the three top leaders are laying the groundwork for a multibillion transportation bond for new projects in an environment in which they said the public has lost confidence in the management of state highway construction.

The reforms also call for better oversight of construction and elimination of a local review of 25-percent design plans for state road projects, a process Ms. Murray said currently results in long delays before construction and added-on features that boost construction costs.

Ms. Murray said the reforms have to be undertaken, especially in light of the challenge of meeting a shortfall of $15 billion to $19 billion over the next 20 years in paying for road and bridge repairs, new projects and mass transit expansions.

"Everything has to be on the table" to make transportation spending more efficient while the state puts together funding plans to meet those needs, she said. She cited a recent PEW Research Center report that gave the state a grade of D-plus on its infrastructure planning and the Reason Foundation's recent ranking of the state at 45th in the nation in its overall transportation system performance.

The Reason Foundation, however, did rate the state No. 1 in the nation for the condition of its rural roads and No. 1 for fewest highway deaths.

The supporters of the new rules said reforms must be adopted before enactment of any new broad-based tax increases to pay for higher transportation costs and new projects, such as a hike in the state gas tax.

"The reforms that leadership is proposing today will not by themselves bridge the funding gap," Ms. Murray said. "We need to repair the public's trust in the state as efficient stewards of their money."

The governor and Mr. DiMasi repeatedly emphasized during the press conference in the Senate lounge that they were working together on the reforms and transportation challenges facing the state.

Those assurances, however, come in contrast to a New York Times story yesterday that quoted the governor as criticizing Mr. DiMasi for representing the old-style political methods that he pledged to change when he ran for governor. The story also recounted Mr. DiMasi's characterization of the governor as a political rookie and his frequently repeated criticisms that Mr. Patrick does not understand how government works.

The governor said earlier this week that he believes Mr. DiMasi broke a pledge to him to allow a fair hearing and fair vote on his casino plans in the House.

Mr. DiMasi led an effort over many months to stir public opposition to the governor's casino proposals and personally pressured House members to oppose the plan, which was killed on a House vote to refer the bill to study last week.
 
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

Mass will be like Rhode Island. They go by the flaggers give them the finger, yell and scream. The flaggers in RI make about $40,000 for the construction season. There not saving money there just relocating it to their political friends.
I thought they used detail cops at construction sites in RI?

Also whats up with the tier system, what is considered a secondary road?
 
Lawmakers target police details for cutbacks

Lawmakers target police details for cutbacks
Bourne Courrier, MA - 5 hours ago
By Jim O'Sullivan Zeroing in on public employee priorities, the state's leaders on Thursday announced sweeping transportation reforms they said would help close a funding gap to maintain current infrastructure pegged at $1 billion annually for 20 years ...
 
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

Posts deleted for obvious reasons.
Bear in mind this is a public site boys and girls.
Go get'em Koz!

Every year the curtailing of details comes up and every year it fades away
but I always end up reminding myself:

No staring in the hole/looking up at the cherry picker
Stay off the cell phone as much as possible
Stay attentive
and above all look sharp

Just my 2 cents....
 
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

Well, since this new plan is set to be in place within the next 2 to 3 months.. I suppose I'll immediately begin my zero tolerance, everyone gets a citation, everyone gets charged plan! There is, after all, a 2 to 3 month turn around on court time!
As I've often said, the public should be careful of what it wishes for.

At the press conference announcing this proposal, it was stated that this proposal would not impact cities or towns that already have ordinances or bylaws governing the use of Police Details. The city of Boston has an ordinance as most cities do in place, governing the use of Police Details within the cities and as such would not be affected by this proposal. (but I would not hold our breath on this).
Here is the city ordinance for Quincy as an example;

http://municipalcodes.lexisnexis.com/codes/quincy/_DATA/Title_12/08/040.html
 
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

I found it very funny that someone with this screen name would
reply to my post on the Globe blog.

Message #26438.150 in response to #26438.146
Posted by kwflatbed on 12:03 PM

BostonHippo with a screen name the that it sounds like you fit my description of the future sign holder. Which of the lame politicians are you related to that are forming the company's?
 
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

As I've often said, the public should be careful of what it wishes for.

Here is the city ordinance for Quincy as an example;

http://municipalcodes.lexisnexis.com/codes/quincy/_DATA/Title_12/08/040.html
Let us not forget too that many cities/towns get a piece of that detail pie. I don't think the pols in Taunton, which has its own ordinance too, could afford that kind of hit. Green is a powerful color around here.
 
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

did i ever mention that democ-rats suck..? Terry Taxes Murray got her hack friend moved from about # 700 on the Boston Fire Dept hiring list to its pinacle with a bill she rammed thru, Sal and his liberal pals disregarded the fact that we will lose millions in tax revenue when they shot down the casino proposal and Gov Patrick is out of the state campaigning for B Hussein Obama more than he is in his office admiring the $12,000drapes he compelled the taxpayers to purchase for him. They also shot down a slight increase in state employee health insurance contributions when they realized it would come out of their wallet too. Unlike firefighters, police have difficulty getting a 2'nd job due to being summonsed to court - will a case take 2, 3 days...prospective employers dont like that... we provide for our families by doing details...by the way, did I mention that all democ-rats suck big time ? Democrat,Liberal, Fool, Hypocrite....no difference.
 
Re: Police Detail slashed in transportation refrom pitch

New Hampshire allowed flaggers in a while ago and it really sucks when your siting at home with no OT watching a retard steal your money on a road job.. Fight this all of the way because once you lose it you will never get it back. Some
 
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