Gerry Sanfilippo’s testimony
- Details
Vice President Gerry Sanfilippo’s testimony to the Boston City Council regarding details.
Law Enforcement is a noble profession. It is a profession that one often aspires to from a very early age.
Ask almost any person who became a police officer as to what was the reason and invariably you will receive the same answer, “I wanted to help people.”
Not once in my 24 years as a Boston Police Officer have I ever heard anyone say they became a police officer for the money? For if it is money that is your motivating factor you best look elsewhere. Places where more money can be made with far less risk of one’s personal health and safety. You won’t have to put up with a work schedule
where you are required to work weekends, holidays, and night shifts. You won’t be told your summer vacation is the first two weeks of September.
The men & women of
this department do aspire
to same things as other
members of society. Specifically,
to live in nice homes
in safe neighborhoods, to
properly clothe and feed
their families and to give
their children the best education
that they can afford.
After all this is the United
States of America where
each generation strives to
give the next generation
better financial and educational
opportunities then
the previous one. Who
among us can argue with
that concept?
Historically performing
paid details were how we
in the Boston Police Dept.
supplemented our incomes.
We work for this
money, putting in long arduous
hours often at great
personal risks. Over the
years numerous police officers
have been seriously injured
or killed while working
at heavily congested
construction sites. All in the
name of public safety.
We have a propensity of
joking about our aggressive
driving habits in the commonwealth
as if it were
something to be proud of.
Driving our cars on busy
city streets, talking on cell
phones oblivious to anyone
around us. We also see
drivers text messaging
while driving, again not
paying attention to the
road. Both of these actions
in my professional; opinion
constitute impeded operation.
When a police official
sees these threats to public
safety they are obligated to
act. What action do you
think a flag person is likely
to take? Boston is a heavily
congested city with innumerable
construction projects
going on 12 months a
year. There is no doubt that
there is a huge advantage
in having police officers at
these sites enforcing traffic
laws and minimizing any
safety issues for the public.
In Boston, police details
for city streets are not paid
for out of the city budget
but by the utility or construction
company doing
the work. Last year that
amount was $30 million
dollars. By the way let’s not
forget the fact the city
makes 10% as an administrative
cost on backs of the
men & women who actually
perform these details.
For example let’s look at
just one utility company
NSTAR. Lat year they had
gross revenue of 3.2 billion
dollars. Of which 1.5 billion
was profit. If we were to attribute
the entire $ 30 million
cost to NSTAR alone
which of course it is spread
out among other entities.
The cost of these details
would be approximately
.02% of their profit! A small
sum to pay for having on
average 250-300 additional
police offices on the streets
every day at no extra cost
to the taxpayer.
As a point of information,
3 out 4 bank robbers
recently captured in Boston
were apprehended by police
offices performing paid
details.
The difference in the actual
cost between a police
officer and a flag man is approx.
$2.15 an hour. Again
a small price indeed to
have a professionally
trained & armed police
presence provide a public
safety service to the city.
And if flagmen were to
be implemented let’s not
forget about the other costs
associated with their hiring.
The construction companies
would have to pay:
Liability insurance
Unemployment
insurance
Workers benefits: vacation,
sick times & workmen’s
compensation.
The law would also require
the construction companies
to erect traffic barriers
and arrange for any
necessary change in traffic
patterns.
If police officers were no
longer allowed to perform
paid details they most assuredly
would look for second
and perhaps third jobs
to supplement their income.
Don’t forget that
presently if Boston Police
Officers want to seek outside
employment they
have to get written permission
from the Police Commissioner.
I sure Commissioner
Davis would forward to reviewing
& signing over
2,400 applications for outside
employment. We are
also restricted to 20 hrs a
week outside employment.
In our current detail &
overtime system we are
limited to a total of 90 hrs
including our regular
shifts. This is closely monitored
by the Department. Is
the Department going to
increase the amount of
hours we are allowed for
outside employment?
If I decide that I am
going to rank leaves for
Sam the landscaper on Saturday
for 8 hrs and pump
gas at Ray & Eddie’s Gulf
on Sunday for 5 hrs, who
will monitor those hours to
make sure that I am in compliance?
These two businesses
are under no obligation
to provide information
to the department.
I believe that it had been
clearly demonstrated that
there are enormous public
safety benefits to the city,
its citizens and visitors are
a very small financial cost.
To public state otherwise
is I believe simply disingenuous.
Thank you for your time
& consideration.
