In light of the recent discussions on cutting costs in Hoboken, some have suggested layoffs of police and firefighters. Our recent Hoboken cover story (see below) on the next chief also led to some comments and suggestions. Now, the local police officers’ union president submitted a letter in response to some recent comments on various blogs and websites. Here it is.
Dear Editor:
Over the past several months there have been a number of individuals who have spoken out at council meetings and on web blogs demanding cuts in police union contract benefits, and lay-offs of police officers. These attacks have negatively affected the morale of all Hoboken police officers. This is no way to treat officers who are duty sworn to protect and serve the community and faced daily with the likelihood of being seriously injured or killed in the process.
I respect the right of free speech. However, anyone exercising this right has a moral obligation to ensure that the subject matter in which they speak of is thoroughly researched, factual, and not skewed to serve one’s own political agenda or personal ax to grind.
The National economic recession and recent tax increase affects all and I truly empathize with those individuals suffering. I understand those angered and frustrated with the city, but disagree with those feelings being directed at your police force. We are not the root cause of the city’s financial crisis.
Regarding our contracts both past and present, we have consistently made concession which saved the city millions of dollars over the past 30 years. In the late 1970s, when the city cried poverty the union’s settled contracts without pay raises.
A newly hired police officer’s salary is approximately $35,600.00 and officers are required to wait 13 years to reach a top pay of $86,900. In comparison with Bergen County, police officer’s top average salaries there exceed $100,000.
A recent New York Times article reported that persons living in the New York City metropolitan area (includes Hudson County) who earn an average salary of $123,000 annually are classified as middle class. That means that a Hoboken police officer at a top salary would fall well below the “middle class” socioeconomic classification.
At present our Table of Organization calls for 120 patrol officers. We have been consistently understaffed, the past 2 years, by an average of 20 officers. Not filling officer vacancies during that time saved the city in excess of $1.4 million. Just some of the many studies supporting the need for police officers:
· Each Police officer added to a department in a large city will prevent on average 24 serious crimes (i.e. murders, sexual assaults, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, and auto thefts) study by Marvel & Moody (1996) – printed in American Society of Criminology.
· An increase in police leads to reduction in crime. “Jonathan Klick and Alex Tabarrock 2004 study.”
· Marginal increases in police officers leads to lower crime. Each additional police officer is estimated to eliminate eight to ten serious crimes. Existing estimates of costs of crime suggest that the social benefit of reduced crime is approximately $100k per officer per year. (Study by Steven Levitt – (2005).
President Obama’s economic stimulus plan includes 4 billion in local police hiring and service grants. We must encourage our elected State representatives to aggressively secure our share of this money to help pay for additional police in Hoboken.
We will continue to do our very best to protect and serve the community, although we feel, as of late, somewhat underappreciated by some.
Respectfully,
Vince Lombardi, President
Hoboken Policemen’s Benevolent Association