This paper was written in hopes that it will have some impact on retaining the necessary budgetary resources to maintain the state and local appropriations for the Police Career Incentive Pay Program in Massachusetts. It contains excerpts from my dissertation (written in 2003) as well as an updated review of the literature on police reform and higher education and highlights the historical and modern day importance of higher education in law enforcement. I remain today as passionate about the importance of a college educated police force as I did when I began writing my dissertation. I hope that upon reading this paper, you too will feel the same passion about this issue.

Read entire study here

WEEKLY COLUMN FROM THE OFFICE OF STATE SENATOR RICHARD R. TISEI.  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.  FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT MICHAEL E. SMITH AT (617) 722-1206.

Volume 25, Week 28

Quinn Bill Cuts will Hurt Police, Communities

This year’s state budget process claimed many casualties.  Confronted with plummeting state revenues and an unprecedented global economic crisis, the Legislature spared no program from the chopping block to achieve a balanced budget.

With revenue collections falling at such a record pace, no program was immune from funding cuts.  However, not all cuts were made equally.  One of the hardest hit items was an education incentive program for police officers, which came close to being eliminated entirely before taking a funding hit of 80 percent.

The Police Career Incentive Pay Program – more commonly known as the Quinn Bill – was established by the Legislature in 1970 to create a more professional police force by encouraging officers to pursue degrees in law enforcement and criminal justice.  The program is named for Robert H. Quinn, a former Massachusetts House Speaker and Attorney General.

Under the Quinn Bill, police officers receive additional compensation based on their level of education.  For those police officers who obtain an associate’s degree, the Quinn Bill adds an additional 10 percent to their base pay.  The bonus increases to 20 percent for a bachelor’s degree and 25 percent for a master’s or a law degree.

In recent years, the state spent as much as $52 million a year to fund the Quinn Bill.  Last year, the program was funded at $50.2 million, but the latest budget slashes the total to just $10 million.

A cut of this magnitude will have a dramatic impact on the livelihoods of many police officers who have sworn to protect the public.  The Boston Globe, citing figures provided by the state Department of Higher Education, reported earlier this month that 9,912 officers from 254 communities currently receive Quinn Bill benefits.  All of these individuals have bills to pay and most have families to support, so the impact of the budget cuts will be far-reaching.

Given the current state of the economy, there is no way the Quinn Bill could have escaped the cuts that have befallen every other state-funded program.  What concerns me is the magnitude of the cuts police officers are being asked to absorb.

It’s not uncommon for private sector employees to be asked to take a voluntary pay cut, especially if the alternative is layoffs.  But how can we possibly expect any individual to accept a 20-25 percent reduction in pay without placing them in a financially precarious position?

An informal survey of 350 police chiefs conducted by WBZ-TV in May found that as many as 109 would “opt for retirement if the Quinn Bill is eliminated.”  Many people are already predicting a wave of rank-and-file retirements throughout the state if funding is not restored.

During the Senate budget debate, I put forth what I felt was a reasonable compromise.  On the Senate floor, I fought to secure $50.2 million in funding for the Quinn Bill, with the understanding that it would be phased out over a period of several years, but the amendment failed on a vote of 7-29.

Under my proposal, all 9,912 police officers who currently qualify for a Quinn Bill bonus would continue to receive it.  However, the program would be closed to new municipal police officers hired on or after July 1st, 2009.  The state’s funding commitment would then decrease year to year, through a process of attrition, as more police officers retire.

I felt this was a fair way to address the issue.  Rather than eliminate the program in one fell swoop, and force police officers to lose as much as 25 percent of their pay, the state would continue to honor its commitment to municipal police officers while working towards the eventual elimination of the program.

That won’t be possible under the plan adopted in Conference Committee.  Because the state is providing such a drastically reduced funding amount this year, many cities and towns are concerned they will be forced to pick up the slack.

The impact of the Quinn Bill cuts will vary from one community to the next, depending on how the benefits are written into local police contracts.  In some cities and towns, the percentage of benefits paid at the local level must simply match the state share, while other communities must cover whatever the state doesn’t pay.

The Legislature has placed local communities in a very difficult position.  With a reduction of this magnitude, the state has essentially shifted the financial burden to cities and towns that are already struggling to balance their own budgets and preserve essential municipal services, including public safety.  That’s not fair to police, and it’s certainly not fair to our cities and towns.