President Cameron Responds to the Boston Herald
Boston
Editor in Chief
One Herald Square
To The Editor:
The Massachusetts Coalition of Police (MCOP) is extremely disappointed that the Executive Office of Transportation prematurely released incomplete draft regulations regarding police details. Unfortunately, the draft regulations fail to comply with the legislature’s clear direction that the Executive Office of Transportation first “examine the actual costs savings from the utilization of alternative personnel” to police officers. While the Boston Herald and the anti-tax Beacon Hill Institute make bold, unsubstantiated claims that replacing professional police officers with unskilled civilians at construction sites will save money, the E.O.T. has failed its legal responsibility to document what cost savings, if any, actually exist.
The Massachusetts Coalition of Police
believes that a full examination of all factors demonstrates that assigning
sworn, trained police officers to road and highway construction projects
provides both enhanced public safety and cost effectiveness.
The legislation clearly states, “In promulgating the
rules and regulations hereunder, the Executive Office of Transportation shall
examine the actual cost savings from the utilization of alternate personnel.”
The E.O.T.’s draft regulations
simply defy this legislative mandate, as they do not address how much
The Massachusetts Coalition of Police calls on the Executive Office of Transportation to comply with the Legislature’s mandate and examine cost before finalizing the detail regulations. We are certain that this examination will prove that police details make cents and sense. For example, police officers on average earn between $ 33.00 and
$ 37.00 per hour. Under the State mandated “prevailing wage” law a flagman must be paid $ 37.45 per hour. Do we really want to reduce the number of police officers on our streets and pay more for civilian flaggers ?
Sincerely,
Hugh J. Cameron, President