We fact checked the union’s claim that each new officer requires a $190,000 investment last March. The association relied on the Police Department’s cost analysis for that number, as did Kim’s campaign. Cate’s campaign couldn’t be reached for comment.
The real problem here is that we have politicians who are so cozy with the people they pay. It’s an incestuous relationship that encourages the downward spiral: Unions support politicians, politicians get elected, politicians give union members raises (hiding the true cost in the form of deferred benefits) and the unions have more money to support politicians.
Carol Kim has chosen to play right along, using the police department’s propaganda word-for-word in her platform.
CAR, you need to step out of the echo chamber, or just admit you’re just a shill for the unions.
(BTW, we are still waiting for an example where I said public-sector compensation should be reduced … or at least the name of one socialist country in Europe!)[/quote]
Perhaps you didn’t read the information from your own links…or perhaps you’re still struggling with that reading comprehension problem, as noted in your constant requests for information about socialism in Europe (already gave that to you, in spades).
The information in your own VOSD link breaks down the costs.
• Pre-employment vetting: $4,200-$4,300
This covers testing, a background check by the San Diego Police Department and psychological and medical evaluations.
• Salary and benefits: $93,600
This includes both salary, benefits and pension costs. The officer’s total compensation during the six-month academy is $39,600. For the remainder of the year it’s $44,000. Police also add an estimated $10,000 in overtime to reach the $93,600 total. Zimmerman said the overtime is based on the average amount of extra work expected for critical incidents or court hearings on days off.
• Equipment and Academy Tuition: $14,500
This includes an officer’s duty pistol, laptop, radio, protective vest and other supplies. In most cases, officers must return these items if they leave the department. This cost also covers tuition at the San Diego Regional Public Safety Training Institute at Miramar College.
• Instruction: $25,385
This covers academy instruction costs, as well as management of the department’s shooting range and training provided by the Police Department.
• Training in the field: $54,000
After an officer graduates from the police academy, he’s assigned to a series of veteran officers who evaluate his performance and provide on-the-job training. At least four senior officers assist each newcomer for a one-month period and those officers receive additional pay for their efforts. Those additional amounts, as well as a portion of the officer’s regular salary, are incorporated into the estimated investment cost.
Two of those categories are problematic. Both the rookie and veteran officers still patrol city streets and make arrests during on-the-job training. And the more experienced officers would collect a paycheck even if they weren’t offering guidance to new officers.
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I agree that the new officer’s regular salary should not be included in the cost to recruit, hire, train, and equip a new officer because the city is getting a service in return for this cost. OTOH, I disagree with the VOSD regarding the extra money paid to the mentor officer, as that pay is over and above his/her regular pay and the only reason for that cost is the training of the new officer. The portion of that officer’s regular pay that is used in this calculation probably should not be included, IMO.
They don’t break down the mentor’s pay to detail how much is strictly a result of the mentoring vs the portion of his/her regular pay that is applied to this number…I’m assuming that the portion of regular pay is significantly less than the portion fully dedicated to mentoring, so am leaving that cost in my number. If you back out the new officer’s pay of $93,600, you still end up with a cost of $93,885 for a new recruit.
Now, if you consider the fact that a more senior officer costs more, the cost of turnover (hiring a string of new recruits) is reduced a bit. A more senior patrol officer makes around $72,924 vs. $46,356 for a new patrol officer. If we reduce the cost of a new recruit by that amount, we get a cost of $67,317 to recruit, hire, equip, and train a new recruit. Not $190,000, but still a very high cost which the employers would prefer to avoid. Also, a high turnover rate negatively affects morale and the operations of the department.
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And your assertion that politicians have a “cozy relationship” with unions is completely ignorant of the facts, as always. Politicians can be pro-labor, anti-labor, or somewhere in between. In general, the number of anti-labor politicians over the past ~15-20+ years (depending on region being represented) has been greater than pro-labor politicians, as is evidenced by the changes in tax, trade, and labor laws that have gone into effect over that time. Just look at the campaign contribution numbers that were included in your very own link from an earlier post.
