Platform : ‘It’s a Symbol of Respect for Things I Do’

Last week Los Angeles police voted down the city’s contract offer . Afterward officers shared their thoughts on the city’s offer and their two-year period without a contract.

JOSEPH GRYDER

Traffic accident investigator, South Traffic Division

I told the (City) Council this contract is an insult to my intelligence and my integrity. I’ve worked for two years without a contract. We haven’t had a contract where we even met cost of living since the Olympics. I’m losing buying power. My family is what’s at risk. I’m working in a city that’s growing in a department that’s decreasing in size. I’m doing the work of two policemen for the pay of about two-thirds of a policeman.

They want me to take care of the public and I want to do that. That’s why I came on the job. I’m very unhappy. No, heck, I’m mad. I’m angry. The politicians we ask to provide our leadership are not providing that. I’m a lead delegate, a shop steward for about 100 men and women. When I listen to them, the very least we ought to be talking about is (retroactive pay and maintaining current) benefits. The city fathers tell us we’re the top Police Department in the nation. We’re not even on parity with with other police departments in Southern California.

GARY MacNAMARA

Sergeant, office of operations

I thought it (the contract) was about as good as we could get considering where we came from; but I understand the frustration of the other members.

What can the City Council do now? They’ve got to recognize that they’ve got a problem, a crisis they’re going to have to deal with. They’ve gotten some bad advice--that if you stall the cops, it’ll work out. That’s not the case. We’re generally looking to maintain our standard of living. We realize (if) you want to do the vacation, put your kids in private school and everything else, you take the second jobs or your wife works. We’re generally recruited from blue-collar occupations. But we have a lot of college-educated guys. I’ve got a Masters with a specialty in personnel.

TED HUNT

Officer, training division

I love my department and people are leaving because of the salary and working conditions. Some police cars (for example) have over 150,000 miles on them while the brass drives around in brand new ones. In my own division there are so few cars that if I need to do something I either have to use my personal car or I don’t do it because it’s so difficult to get a car.

Training is very expensive because (it isn’t) just classroom experience. It’s classroom experience plus practical application. What should alarm taxpayers is that, because of salary and benefits, LAPD is becoming the training ground for law enforcement. So many qualified people are not staying those extra productive years or are leaving early because their family comes first. By going someplace else they don’t have to commute so far, they get paid more and they get equipment that works.

I give my heart and soul to the department. Money certainly is the issue; but beyond the money is the fact that it’s a symbol of respect for the things I do. And I know I give it my all--me, my partners and the students I teach.

BARBARA L. CARRANZA

Officer, detective headquarters

The contract was inadequate. Unfortunately, I’ve been on the negotiating team for two years and it’s been a long, frustrating process. It didn’t include a patrol bonus, which I understand would have divided the membership a bit; but the patrol officers deserve that--a bonus into their pension base.

Both the City Council and the mayor need to get their priorities straight. They need to treat officers fairly, stop dividing the membership and trying to break the union. They also need to stop worrying about the number of officers they’re striving for and worry more about the quality of, and how they’re treating, the officers they currently have.

LEE D. PRENTISS

Detective, Rampart Division

Twenty eight years and this is the most disgusting I’ve ever seen. I voted no as I walked in because the contract was unacceptable to me and to the officers who’d retired in the last two years because they are not getting retroactive pay they should have got. It’s an insult to every officer coming up through the ranks because the city will use this as “past practice”--something they’ve thrown at us for years.

The politicians have put us into this position. Twenty years ago when (Tom) Bradley became mayor, we represented 52% of the city budget. We now represent 32%. We’ve gone 20 years without even cash overtime and now they’re throwing cash overtime at us saying, “Here’s all this money. Work! Work! Work!” My guys have already been worn out working. If they have all this overtime money they should have put it in the budget.

Unless there is binding arbitration or a contract, I don’t think many Los Angeles police officers are going to be available for the World Cup.