POUGHKEEPSIE – The union representing the City of Poughkeepsie police officers says the common council is threatening public safety by not following through on an amendment to the recruitment and retention plan that is supposed to keep officers from leaving for higher-paying jobs elsewhere.
Police Officer and PBA President Kevin Van Wagner addressed the council Monday night, saying, “One thing is clear – public safety is not a priority for this council.” With 26 officers eligible to retire at any moment and others leaving for departments with better salaries, Van Wagner says the council was made aware of the manpower shortage several months ago before the lawmakers went on their summer-long break. “Our manpower has dwindled to critical levels while our workload has increased. Our officers are being forced to work long hours and overtime is mandated almost daily. The extended work shifts place our officers and the public at risk. Having cops being tired as a result of forced overtime is dangerous.”
The city’s administration negotiated with the PBA several months ago on a memorandum of agreement as part of the multi-level retention plan. The agreement was forwarded to the council for a vote. The council has failed to address the proposal, despite repeated requests from the cops. “The council let it sit on a shelf without having the decency to vote on it,” Van Wagner said. “We (the officers) have accepted that we are not a priority of the council yet we continue to do our jobs with professionalism and passion – not for the council, but for the good of the hard-working residents of Poughkeepsie who deserve to feel safe in their homes.”
Councilman Nathan Shook, who serves as the council’s vice-chair, defended the lack of action by the lawmakers while praising the officers. “The proposed amendment to the collective bargaining agreement that was negotiated between the administration and the PBA would have a significant…
Read the full article here