Police study cop-out
Nassau legislators cower before PBA
The evidence once again proves that the Nassau County Legislature prefers to have the police unions running the police department. There is no other way to interpret Monday's committee vote that unanimously rejected a contract for an independent assessment of how many officers are needed and whether mandatory manning requirements are too restrictive or necessary for public safety.
This is the second time in two years that the legislature has answered County Executive Tom Suozzi's request for an outside review of the department with a negative vote. The questions, however, remain. Why is the Police Benevolent Association so afraid of finding out how big a force is needed? And why is the legislature so afraid of the PBA?
Why is the Police Benevolent Association so afraid of finding out how big a force is needed? And why is the legislature so afraid of the PBA?
The rules committee vote was clearly a coming attraction for this fall's 2007 budget confrontations, when the PBA will demand more officers and the Suozzi Administration will insist on $25 million in concessions from the uniformed services. Legislators were openly dismissive of Police Commissioner James Lawrence but reverential when a PBA official criticized the need for any objective data. The shenanigans of the legislature already turned it into a zoo. Now they have added a kangaroo court.
At one point, a Republican legislator asked how many officers could the county get for the $250,000 cost of the contract. Calculating salary and benefits, the answer is about one and a half, for one year. The police unions argue that experienced administrators should be able to answer the staffing and manning questions. But let's face it, the study isn't for police brass, it's really for taxpayers whose legislators have been hijacked by special interests.
Posted Friday, September 29, 2006
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