Civic Engagement

Get the word out...Police details are paid for by private companies and not with tax payer money. Keep the Police Details. Flaggers will cost more money.

WWW.MASSTRAFFICCONTROL.COM

Its disappointing that this has become the Governor's showpiece of reform. Since he seems to be a fairly intelligent guy, I have to believe he knows this won't result in any significant cost savings for the state, and what little savings it might have (estimated at only a $500k a year at best by the state auditor) comes at a heavy cost to public safety. Bottom line to me-and I think most common sense people-is that this all the appearance of reform, and not about any actual reform. There's pork in budgets, even many police department budgets, but this isn't the one that really is causing the state's budget problems. Let's try focusing on the true issues, not just the one's that sound good.

i support road details given to police officers. that is one of the reasons i want to be a cop!

I for one unequivocally support the police for nearly all details in the state of Massachusetts for the following reasons: 1. Police have enforcement powers that flag holders do not in the event of an infraction 2. Police are highly trained individuals who are most prepared to deal with unexpected events that frequently occur at road worksites 3. Massachusetts drivers unfortunately but deservedly have a reputation for being discourteous drivers, and would be less likely to comply with flag holders than police 4. The majority of the expense for details is picked up by utility companies, and no provision is in place for these utility companies to pass back savings realized by flag holders to consumers 5. Police are not paid adequately for their full time service. Without details to supplement income, the state will likely experience a loss of quality police officers 6. The cost to the state for accidents resulting from lack of flag holders' enforcement powers can be ...

Please be fiscally responsible and support the details. Will we have to pay the flagmen unemployment when the city/state stops issuing permits this November? Everyone realizes that this doesn't work out exactly as reported in the media. The flagmen aren't nearly as qualified as the police. Let's stop focusing on the police and start going after the CEO'S of these corrupt companies who've taken us for literally billions! Thank you.

I am concerned about Police losing details. I am concerned about a reduced police presence in my city.

All this law will do is reduce the amount of police presence in our cities and towns. I would much prefer a few extra cops on the road (with safety, first aid, etc training!) than a group of flag men with no applicable training except waving a flag.

In towns where there are only 4-5 patrol cars on the road daily, details can double or triple the daily police presence. In this time of homeland security threats all around I feel much safer having these extras cops on the street.

Flag Men in other states cost the same or more to hire as police details. Examples such as California where flag men were unionized and making more than cops within a few months of the change are proof that this law change will have no benefit to the people of the Commonwealth. Cost savings? It just doesn't add up? And as a regular citizen I don’t think a slight cost difference is worth making our ...

Police details are in issue of public safety. Does anyone really think MA drivers will give a civilian waving a flag any respect? I've seen people speed by them and give them a one-finger solute in NH. A uniformed police officer demands respect. In addition, my brother earns around 30% of his income as a police officer from overtime and details. I don’t think this is uncommon. A comment was made regarding contract negotiations with the Patrolman’s Union. Where do you think these negations will go if you cut compensation by 10-15%?

I DO NOT SUPPORT POLICE DETAILS

Here's one reason why: http://wbztv.com/local/Boston.Police.Department.2.589194.html

It is unsettling to say the least that our governor sees fit to cut costs by compromising the safety of the citizens of the commonwealth. I hear so much being said about what kind of work ethic our police officers have. That they sit around and do nothing at street details. Ask the construction workers, that the they are paid to protect, what those officers do. Ask the fallen officers that have fallen prey to disobedient and unsafe drivers going through the construction zones. When you speak about poor work ethics of police officers you speak of the minority. There is not a harder worker group. The average officer works 80-100 hours per week. Oftentimes they only see their families 8-10 hours in a week. If they did not work those hours and did not have details or overtime they would be unable to support their families. The base pay for a police officer is pitiful. Would you take a job with such a high risk of injury, high incidences of suicides, and high divorce rates for under $50k ...

With the current economic situation crime will increase and yet Mr Patrick chooses to eliminate Police officers from road details. I dont get it.It is impereritive that not only do we keep as many officers active in our communities in any way possible but also for the saftey of the workers in these work areas. Iam one of the people that the Police guard while I am working either in the road or along the side of the road. Mr Patrick should spend an 8 hour day watching exactly the challenges the officers as well as us workers face with all the horrible drivers in this state. Now he proposses Flagmen. Is he joking..It will cost the tax payers twice as much for road construction now My crew and I WILL NEVER TRUST FLAG MEN instead more men more equipment and more saftey precautions will be needed all equaling more money for us hard working people. Look at the whole picture Mr Partick either that or put "flagmen"as your security force

I truly believe there will be an increase in accidents in areas where there were police details, replaced with flagmen. People slow down due to the Police officer's ability to write a ticket or take other action. There will be many folks who don't pay attention to flag holders. Maybe it's not right but it's the way it is. Second, if police officers don't have detail work to supplement their pay, tell me what the job is worth? The pay is very low. It is nowhere near worth risking your life dealing with criminals and danger. The hours are horrible as well resulting in a high divorce rate as well as a high suicide rate. Nobody can tell me that the pension is a good enough reason to stay in this profession because if you can't survive on your salary who cares about a pension? These guys are going to lose most of their income so how many of them will make it to pension time? Where is the cost savings? The flag people will form a union and there you go. Before long they will ...

Unfortunately people are going to get exactly what they asked for with this issue... what they do not realize is that "every other state" that uses Flagpeople at job sites pay those employees a prevailing wage. In the Commonwealth that equates to about $30-35 an hour. Add onto that the insurance riders that the flag company has to pay and you are talking another $1-4 an hour PLUS the fees that the cities and towns charge (yes people, details actually DO make your city or town money) and you are up to almost $40 that the flag company is going to have to bill. Now, add to that the cost the city and town will incurr in overtime and new hires when a significant number of police officers move into the private sector because 51K just ain't cutting it as a base salary, sorry Howie Carr, and that will put communities in a world of hurt. Granted, there are some serious issues with the system as it is presently constituted, however, lets not use the cry for FLAGMEN!!! as a catch all.

Police officers are HERO'S. They don't know what they are going to be dealing with when they get a call. I donate every year. They have always helped me in the past. They are helping me now with a restraining order violation.

Support the police details as you will be supporting safe construction zones. Flag men have no right to stop traffic thus putting you and your family in harms way. The Government wants you to believe that flagman will cost less. They are will not they will cost the same if not more. Road construction is performed by union workers who make union wages. You are safer with the police officer in the construction zones then a flagmen that has no right to stop, cite, or ultimately arrest an erratic operator. Please don't put yourself and your family in harms way by thinking flagmen are safer.

There are numerous reasons for them, many of which you may already have heard. My only argument to you in support of them is safety. I had worked at the Sheriffs Dept, prior to the BPD and on more than one occasion I was able to render aid to citizens solely because I was on a detail. I gave first aid to a bicyclist who was hit by a motor vehicle, I helped search for a bank robber, and one one instance a motorist pulled over to me because he was having a heart attack.

Having more officers on the street gives deterrence to the bad guy, and keeps a constant police presence in areas where patrolman aren't always at. Just last week the first officers at the MBTA train crash in Canton were 4 police officers who were on a nearby detail. Communities won't have this option with flagmen, and given the prevailing wage law, they will be compensated at a rate ($35.00 hr plus) which really won't save the state money.

The replacement of police officers with flagmen is absolutely ridiculous. Most importantly, that will be risking our public safety. That should be your top priority.

Also, whoever the person was that said that the police officer had no idea what he was talking about regarding the private companies paying a lot of the details....should check his/her sources....Most of the public think that all police details are paid by the taxpayers, which is not always true.

These officers do not get paid enough to do the job that they do. They have to put a bulletproof vest on everyday and risk their lives, and their base salary is a joke!!! In this state, a lot of the police officers can't even afford a home on the town that they patrol because their salary is so low. They need these details to survive in Massachusetts.

The money that Massachusetts wwould be saving on this issue is not worth the public safety risk that will arise, and the money that the police officers and their ...

To start off, I am very surprised by the governor, I thought Democrats are suppose to stand up for the middle class and blue collar worklers. If the governor had something to show for during his reigns in Mass then this would not be an issue. This is nothing but a political agenda so Duval can say "see, I actually did something" since he has been nothing but a disapointment in this state. He couldn't bring casino's for more jobs so he decided to attack the police - whats next? - letting an average joe shmo teach out kids instead of qualified teachers. Anyway, as I mentioned before, this will create a domino effect - no smart educated police officer will put on a vest, carry a gun and put their lives in jeopardy for $45-51K per year - that would just be stupid!!! but instead this highly respected job will become an out of college first job to kids before they realize that this job really does not have any rewards. For those of you that do not support the police details, keep in ...

The "savings" reported to the public is deceiving. The prevailing wage for a flag person, set by the federal government, and mandatory, is only slightly lower than what a trooper or officer would receive. The fraction of the savings on the wages would be blown on the other costs of employees: time off, health care, etc. Start up costs would also waste all the so-called savings: equipment, hiring, supervision. All the issues are already covered by the normal police business.

Many questions remain: would it be overseen by a government agency (not cost effective) or would they be employees of the construction companies? Police officers on job sites don't only facilitate safe traffic flow, but also watch the construction companies to ensure what they do is in public safety's best interest. Some construction companies sometimes will cut corners in terms of public safety to get the job done quickly. Would an employee of that company chose public safety over their employer and ...

Police officers on detail serve a public safety function

I have the highest respect for the police and their work. That being said, I rather see regular foot patrols for the police to get to know the businesses and people in their community. I think the use of police officers at construction sites is an expensive use of taxpayers dollars and at other police details. It is a perk, but an expensive one for taxpayers. Once again, I respect and thank the police for their work, but this work should be curtailed. I rather raise the pay of all officers a little to make up for those lost in pay for loss of details. A win win for all.

I work with police details daily as an engineer with MHD. I support Police details but...saying that the taxpayer isn't paying for these is bunk. Utilities pass the cost to the rate payer and on all government jobs (city, state or town) the taxpayer pays. Also, I have notice that it is getting harder to get the police to stop "bunching" or to get them to direct traffic rather than direct them through private property or set up a detour that is not properly signed. It's the younger cops who are the worst offenders. They are taking details for granted and will lose them if the don't smarten up. Saying this I would take a Police Officer over a flagmen any day, Mass driver are the most selfish drivers I have ever seen. Thanks.

Governor Patrick quickly rescinded Governor Romney's directive to have the State Police notify ICE when illegal aliens were identified; stating that the State Police is too busy to be burdened with this task. When I travel route 3 and see a State Police detail in the breakdown lane because a lawn tractor is mowing a patch of grass, I wonder if this is what Deval meant by too busy. I watched traffic race past a half dozen police details, at speeds well over the speed limit, and never once saw an officer look up from his newspaper. It's all about the money, and nothing else.

Its only Boston Police and Everett Police officers that need to be replaced They are the only details cops you see sitting around in their vehicle at a paid-details and not directing traffic or assisting pedestrians You see most Boston cops looking down the man-hole of the company they're working for, not controlling traffic, and when they do get involved in traffic, they mess it up worse than if no officer were at the scene.

And to the Officer that posted that the public doesn't pay for details, YOU ARE WRORNG, or is trying to LIE to the readers here, EVERYTHING comes out of the public tax payers pocket in the end, sometimes in the for of higher fees from the company that paid the details.

Anyone can drive thru Quincy or Brookline Mass and you'll see the officers are doing REAL DETAIL work, earning their money, controlling traffic, assisting pedestrians. Not sitting in their vehicle or standing with other officers gossiping while getting paid

I've only witnessed abuse ...

Public Safety is critically important to all of us. We should support our Police Officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect us and not scapegoat them. There are better ways to save money than taking food off the tables of these heroes and their families.

Lazy dolts feeding at the public trough. Sad. Get a real job.

I think it is very important for people to not form their opinions based upon the recent media hype concerning police details. I am a police officer and I do work details.

People need to understand that the vast majority of police details do not use tax money to pay for them. Most of these details are paid by the contractors that are performing the construction. In most communities the city or town actually derives income from these details as they are ultimately providing the service to the contractors. So this boils down to no taxpayer cost and income to the city or town.

Sure the flagmen will be making a lower hourly rate than the police, probably between $14.00 to $18.00 an hour. However the companies they are working for will be billing for a significant amount more than that because the utility workers unions will demand it. Also the construction companies must pay for benefits as well as workers compensation insurance, equipment, clothing, and most importantly ...

Support your police and stop buying into the media hype! Get all the facts and you will realize details are a good thing for all.

It looks like it would be cheaper to use flagmen instead of Police officers. BUT when you take you car to the Garage and pay $75.00 an hour plus for labor does the mechanic make that per hour ?? I think not?? That is what is going to happen with Flaggers they will be paid about $12.00 per hr but the company that is providing them will be billing about $60.00-$65.00 pre hour because the company will have to cover operating expenses and make a profit so each minimally trained flag person that you see on the side to the road will be costing you more that the highly trained police officer. Maybe Governor you should ask the worker that work on our road about flagmen and see what they say---- the drivers don’t obey the flagmen. Flagmen do not make safe working conditions on roads.

Governor -- Who are you trying to fool your election celebration and your and expensive redecorating your office the limo you had to have? This is how you save money?

According to the Telegram & Gazette, “In the other 49 states, civilian flaggers — or even simple warning lights, traffic cones and the like — are employed as lower-cost alternatives to police details with no demonstrable loss in safety.” The T&G also claims it has cost Massachusetts taxpayers 94 Million dollars for police construction details. Those costs have been off set by federal funding and are part of the construction project’s cost paid for by the company making the roadway modifications. These costs large in part do not come out of the municipalities’ budget, some municipalities actually earn a percentage of the salary for having the officer there. To say it costs taxpayers in Massachusetts 94 Million dollars is a misrepresentation by the T&G. If in fact 94 million dollars (the T&G never cited a source for this number) has been expending on police details this past year, citizens of Massachusetts get an increased police presence in their communities with ...

Police are trained to handle any situation they might encounter and are a much better safer alternative to the rent-a-cop flagmen that the opponents and Deval are proposing.

What authority does a flagman have to handle an erratic driver. What communication would he have to get an immediate response, no police radio, he can't draw on his extensive academy training to handle the emergency situation because he has none. Who is going to be to blame when something fatal happens at a worksite and the lay person or DPW guy handling the safety at the site is ill equipped, poorly experience, and incapable of arrest powers is standing by. God I hope my fate would be in the hands of a capable, trained, experienced, uniformed officer charged with upholding the laws of our state and insuring public safety.

I suppose the opponents are sure the $8.00 hour Walmart standby would be a great alternative! Let's put some thought into this issue folks. There is too much risk out there and too ...

I wonder if the governor is going to replace his state police detail that protects him with civilians...this would save the state some money. Or does he consider HIS safety more important than ours.

As a Deval Patrick supporter I was ASTOUNDED to hear last night on the news that Deval Patrick recently stated that the public is looking to "squeeze every penny" I think he is clearly misguided in the notion that the public would want this to begin with sacrifices in our citizens PUBLIC SAFETY.

The mere notion of hiring a lay person, not trained to encounter any of the hazards presented by a work detail on the road is ludicrous. The mere deterrent effect of a UNIFORMED Massachusetts trained Public Safety officer at road based work details is argument enough on this point. We all tend to slow down and pay attention with we see the highly visible uniform and the attention to the roadway that it commands when behind the wheel. Research shows that deterrent effect across the board in numerous sound studies.

In a day and age when we clearly need to INCREASE public safety officers in our communities which is common practice at sporting events, airports, train terminals, subway ...