Nothing gets the blood boiling more than...

Obvious Li · April 17, 2014, 09:16:36 AM

reading stories about overpaid union slugs and how they are bankrupting Canada and Canadian cities.....especially police and firefighters...the two laziest and overpaid groups of them all.....fuck i would be embarrassed to be in either group.....but they do have the best PR people in the world. Somehow they have convinced a gullible (read stupid) public that sending 5 ladder trucks, four ambulances, a half dozen police cruisers to a minor fender bender, where they all stand around blocking traffic, is good value for your money....it is fucking ridiculous.

~~[size=150]~~ Why crime is plunging but police costs are soaring[/size]

Margaret Wente:The Globe and Mail

Published Thursday, Apr. 17 2014, 7:00 AM EDT

The mid-sized town of Orangeville, Ont. (population 28,000) is a pleasant place to live. Housing is a lot cheaper than in Toronto, and crime rates are low. Nonetheless, Orangeville's police force is the highest-paid in Ontario. Of the 34 municipal employees who made more than $100,000 last year, 14 are cops. Another seven are firefighters.

That's the way it is across much of Canada. The cops and firefighters are taking home the biggest paycheques in town. While other public-sector salaries are frozen, their pay is rising faster than inflation. And the cost is eating small-town budgets alive.

In the northern town of Cochrane, Ont., policing costs have doubled in the past five years, and will soon have tripled. Policing is the city's single biggest cost. Mayor Peter Politis, speaking on the public-affairs program The Agenda, said the police do a terrific job. But he wondered about value for money. "They're being paid to manage black bears," he said.

Canada's crime rate has plunged to record lows. But police budgets have been growing at twice the rate of the economy. "The police are pricing themselves out of business," says Christian Leuprecht, an associate professor at the Royal Military College and Queen's University, and the author of a new report on police costs published by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

Cops are popular and politicians are loath to take them on. The police unions have done a phenomenally good job of negotiating fat raises and job-security provisions. Many forces, such as the Ontario Provincial Police, have clauses in their contracts that benchmark them to the top settlements negotiated by others. That's why the OPP got a whopping 8.55-per-cent pay raise this year. It's all because of Orangeville.

On top of that, arbitrators are allowed to settle union contracts without regard to the municipalities' ability to pay. Ontario's Liberal government could have changed the legislation and put an end to that, but it chose not to. Benchmarking creates a perpetual leapfrog to the top, and the ripple effects flow across the country.

Like firefighters, police portray their jobs as difficult and dangerous, and warn that any cutbacks in service would pose a mortal threat to public safety. In fact, most of the time, their jobs are pretty safe. Firefighters spend almost all their time answering calls that could be handled by paramedics. And just 3 per cent of police calls concern crimes in progress. Despite what you see on TV, Mr. Leuprecht says, police spend 80 per cent of their time maintaining order, not enforcing the law.

Police work "is complex, difficult and demanding and should be well compensated," he says in his report. "The real question is why police who are making upward of $100,000 a year are performing so many tasks that are not really core policing duties."

Which raises the heretical question: Why do we need all these cops, anyway? Actually, we don't. A great deal of the work officers do (writing parking tickets, responding to noise complaints, dealing with rowdy drunks on the street) could be done more cheaply by someone else. Even routine investigative work, such as dusting for fingerprints at a crime scene, can be done by civilians. Those Toronto police officers on their handsome horses are terrific image builders. But what are they there for? Rounding up rustled cattle on Yonge Street?

Some U.S. cities, driven to the brink of bankruptcy by pension and salary costs, are trying creative solutions. Mr. Leuprecht's report details how in Mesa, Ariz., civilian investigators handle about 30 per cent of all police calls, including calls for vehicle and residential burglary (providing the burglars have left the scene). Sunnyvale, Calif., has cross-trained all police, fire and emergency medical services staff, which makes great sense. Sadly, this idea is unthinkable in places like Toronto, where turf wars between the firefighters and the EMS are the stuff of legend.

Big cities face soaring police costs too. But they have more ways to raise revenue. Hundreds of smaller cities across Canada are taking money from libraries, infrastructure and parks to pay the cops. And for what? To manage stray bears.

Anonymous · April 17, 2014, 09:18:52 AM

~~Quote from: "Obvious Li"~~reading stories about overpaid union slugs and how they are bankrupting Canada and Canadian cities.....especially police and firefighters...the two laziest and overpaid groups of them all.....fuck i would be embarrassed to be in either group.....but they do have the best PR people in the world. Somehow they have convinced a gullible (read stupid) public that sending 5 ladder trucks, four ambulances, a half dozen police cruisers to a minor fender bender, where they all stand around blocking traffic, is good value for your money....it is fucking ridiculous.

I will read this tonight Obvious Li when I get home from my overpaid, union slug job.

:(

Obvious Li · April 17, 2014, 09:25:27 AM

~~Quote from: "Fashionista"~~
~~Quote from: "Obvious Li"~~reading stories about overpaid union slugs and how they are bankrupting Canada and Canadian cities.....especially police and firefighters...the two laziest and overpaid groups of them all.....fuck i would be embarrassed to be in either group.....but they do have the best PR people in the world. Somehow they have convinced a gullible (read stupid) public that sending 5 ladder trucks, four ambulances, a half dozen police cruisers to a minor fender bender, where they all stand around blocking traffic, is good value for your money....it is fucking ridiculous.

I will read this tonight Obvious Li when I get home from my overpaid, union slug job.

:(

~~good girl.we'll make a believer out of you yet......... :mrgreen:~~

Anonymous · April 17, 2014, 09:27:56 AM

I am a believer Obvious Li..

Have a nice long weekend.

:)

Renee · April 17, 2014, 09:29:19 AM

We have the same problem here in the US. After 911 towns went out and increased their police budgets and manpower by insane amounts all on Homeland Security grant money from the Federal Government. Small towns that pre 911 had a police force of 5 or 6 people now have forces of 10, 15 and 20 people. They have all kinds of new "crime fighting" equipment as well like infrared cameras and urban assault vehicles. In fact many of these little burgs are better equipped than the state police. The kicker is that the Homeland Security grants only lasted for 4 years; now that the money has ended guess who is left to pick up the tab?

Renee · April 17, 2014, 09:30:12 AM

Sorry double post.

Obvious Li · April 17, 2014, 10:05:56 AM

~~Quote from: "Renee"~~Sorry double post.

let us know how that burger tastes if you manage to catch it........burgers are yummmy

Obvious Li · April 17, 2014, 10:12:54 AM

~~Quote from: "Renee"~~We have the same problem here in the US. After 911 towns went out and increased their police budgets and manpower by insane amounts all on Homeland Security grant money from the Federal Government. Small towns that pre 911 had a police force of 5 or 6 people now have forces of 10, 15 and 20 people. They have all kinds of new "crime fighting" equipment as well like infrared cameras and urban assault vehicles. In fact many of these little burgs are better equipped than the state police. The kicker is that the Homeland Security grants only lasted for 4 years; now that the money has ended guess who is left to pick up the tab?

i know.....i had several full time firefighters who worked for me...they were all on night shift and didn't get calls for months on end so all they did was eat and sleep at the firehouse......then during the day they worked for me...what a crock of horseshit.

with police it is just ridiculous....driving aimlessly around trying not to see anything that would make then get out of their cruiser......installing red light cameras and setting up radar traps to raise money...but stop any real crime....forget about it....it especially grates me whenever one of the stupid fucks gets themselves killed and ten thousand of them from all over the country go to the funeral on overtime with travel paid for by the taxpayers ...unfuckingbelievable

Anonymous · April 17, 2014, 01:39:57 PM

~~Quote~~Like firefighters, police portray their jobs as difficult and dangerous, and warn that any cutbacks in service would pose a mortal threat to public safety. In fact, most of the time, their jobs are pretty safe. Firefighters spend almost all their time answering calls that could be handled by paramedics. And just 3 per cent of police calls concern crimes in progress. Despite what you see on TV, Mr. Leuprecht says, police spend 80 per cent of their time maintaining order, not enforcing the law.

Every fucking time I go see an Oilers game I see cops there being paid OVERTIME to watch a hockey that I pay over $200+parking+food to see. Teachers are another group just like the cops that have learned how to suck the public teat dry. All of this just makes me fucking sick. :x :x :x

keeper · April 17, 2014, 02:42:27 PM

YES, lets get rid of them damn cops and them damn unions lol

I don't know why all of you are in a shit storm on unions holy shit. My experience when I was not in a union in the union, We had a company that took advantage of us, Laid us off when there was work, kept workers on that didn't know shit but were paid less so the higher wage guys got the axe and they stayed. After a few years of getting it in the ass, we implemented a union ( you may have heard of them ATCO 1325), After that, we got to keep our job for the WORK we did we got annual raises & Bonuses, when it came for lay offs if we had a union sticker/stamp on our lay off slip we got UI insurance a little bit quicker then most people collecting not in unions, now this was back when we had CARDS to fill out for UI. Anyway I have NO problems with unions, they help in some ways and not so much in others. Just Sayin

Anonymous · April 17, 2014, 02:59:26 PM

~~Quote from: "Keeper"~~YES, lets get rid of them damn cops and them damn unions lol

I don't know why all of you are in a shit storm on unions holy shit. My experience when I was not in a union in the union, We had a company that took advantage of us, Laid us off when there was work, kept workers on that didn't know shit but were paid less so the higher wage guys got the axe and they stayed. After a few years of getting it in the ass, we implemented a union ( you may have heard of them ATCO 1325), After that, we got to keep our job for the WORK we did we got annual raises & Bonuses, when it came for lay offs if we had a union sticker/stamp on our lay off slip we got UI insurance a little bit quicker then most people collecting not in unions, now this was back when we had CARDS to fill out for UI. Anyway I have NO problems with unions, they help in some ways and not so much in others. Just Sayin

That's all fine and good Keeps, but what does that have to do with cop costs rising while crime drops. Do you think it's OK that cops are paid O/T to watch an Oilers game? How about firefighters working a second job while on the clock? It's your money as much as mine dude. I am sure you don't like seeing it wasted.

keeper · April 17, 2014, 03:18:20 PM

Err, I went back and re read it, Sorry im at work so im sped reading.

To answer your question, I cant be sure that the cops are watching the game, when I was at the Oilers games I seen a lot of the cops outside direction the traffic, Im sure they can hire security guards to do that, I see your point. Them fuckers, we should whip they eh

Anonymous · April 17, 2014, 03:24:23 PM

~~Quote from: "Keeper"~~Err, I went back and re read it, Sorry im at work so im sped reading.

To answer your question, I cant be sure that the cops are watching the game, when I was at the Oilers games I seen a lot of the cops outside direction the traffic, Im sure they can hire security guards to do that, I see your point. Them fuckers, we should whip they eh

Directing traffic is before and after a game. What do you think they do when the game is on? Like you said, why the fuck are cops doing this? It is often on their scheduled days off for OT. The cops are very generous with the OT too.

Anonymous · April 17, 2014, 03:40:06 PM

~~Quote from: "Keeper"~~YES, lets get rid of them damn cops and them damn unions lol

I don't know why all of you are in a shit storm on unions holy shit. My experience when I was not in a union in the union, We had a company that took advantage of us, Laid us off when there was work, kept workers on that didn't know shit but were paid less so the higher wage guys got the axe and they stayed. After a few years of getting it in the ass, we implemented a union ( you may have heard of them ATCO 1325), After that, we got to keep our job for the WORK we did we got annual raises & Bonuses, when it came for lay offs if we had a union sticker/stamp on our lay off slip we got UI insurance a little bit quicker then most people collecting not in unions, now this was back when we had CARDS to fill out for UI. Anyway I have NO problems with unions, they help in some ways and not so much in others. Just Sayin

Unions are fine. I don't think public sector unions are in the interests of taxpayers though. Did you read the article?

Anonymous · April 17, 2014, 04:18:48 PM

^If you take a look, you'll see Keeps did read the that link a little later.

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