Disparity in pay among police officers
By Barry R. Radanof
Posted June 11 2007
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I read Brian Haas' recent story on pay and staffing issues of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, and I must say I found it amusing.
Allow me to provide some approximate numbers, and just maybe their officers won't feel so bad. I am an 18-year veteran of the Florida Highway Patrol and a 46-year native of Fort Lauderdale. I would like to offer some comparisons of our two very different departments. Mr. Haas' story reflects that a 10-year FLPD officer can expect a salary of $63,897.
Well, a 10-year FHP trooper is in the area of $43,000, so their billboard indicating they are the lowest-paid police officers in the county is inaccurate. I will be eligible to retire in seven years with 25-plus years of service, and it is likely I will never see a figure like $63,897.
Also, the difference in salaries between a three-year trooper and a 19-year trooper might be $5,000 or less. When the officers at FLPD say they have a morale issue, just try to imagine what our morale is like. Are you kidding me! Now, how about staffing. We are staffing three shifts to cover the entire area of Broward County with 30 troopers, that's approximately one trooper for every 58,000 citizens and growing. Our population and number of vehicles being driven continue to grow rapidly.
Unfortunately, our manpower is not. Sadly, it's our citizens that also suffer because less troopers on the road means longer response times to crashes or incidents involving crimes, such as road rage or arresting the impaired driver who just ran you off the road. On our midnight shift, it is not uncommon to have only one or two troopers covering the entire county. How's that for staffing or officer safety issues? When we have a holiday period and the news claims that there will be additional troopers on the road and beefed up enforcement, not likely. Truth is, there may be as many as 14 or as little as one on the roadways in all of Broward County.
Yes, I along with all my colleagues agree with the FLPD. We, too, would appreciate salary increases and the luxury of additional help; however, with the FHP it's a lot harder. Our problem is the state Legislature. Whether it's the cost of gas, property taxes, car insurance, homeowners insurance or groceries -- you name it, it keeps going up. Once again this year, we were denied any type of raises by legislators, not even a cost-of-living increase. They decided to give us a one-time, $1,000 bonus, which works out to about .05 cents an hour. Any one of our troopers would love to earn $63,897.
So, if there's truly "trouble in paradise" at FLPD, as it mentions in the article, we at FHP welcome FLPD officers to join our agency. We are always accepting applications!
Barry R. Radanof works for the Florida Highway Patrol and is a resident of Davie.
By Barry R. Radanof
Posted June 11 2007
E-mail story
Print story
Most e-mailed
News on your cell
RSS news feeds
MOST E-MAILED
(last 24 hours)
1. 30-foot whale shark found dead in ocean off Boca Raton Inlet
2. Couple abducted at gunpoint from Disney World parking lot
3. What the property tax talk means to you
4. Terry Coburn swims near the dead whale shark
5. A little money, lots of time can make teen a millionaire
See the complete list ...
Click here to subscribe today to the Sun-Sentinel or call 1-877-READ-SUN.
LocalLinks
I read Brian Haas' recent story on pay and staffing issues of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, and I must say I found it amusing.
Allow me to provide some approximate numbers, and just maybe their officers won't feel so bad. I am an 18-year veteran of the Florida Highway Patrol and a 46-year native of Fort Lauderdale. I would like to offer some comparisons of our two very different departments. Mr. Haas' story reflects that a 10-year FLPD officer can expect a salary of $63,897.
Well, a 10-year FHP trooper is in the area of $43,000, so their billboard indicating they are the lowest-paid police officers in the county is inaccurate. I will be eligible to retire in seven years with 25-plus years of service, and it is likely I will never see a figure like $63,897.
Also, the difference in salaries between a three-year trooper and a 19-year trooper might be $5,000 or less. When the officers at FLPD say they have a morale issue, just try to imagine what our morale is like. Are you kidding me! Now, how about staffing. We are staffing three shifts to cover the entire area of Broward County with 30 troopers, that's approximately one trooper for every 58,000 citizens and growing. Our population and number of vehicles being driven continue to grow rapidly.
Unfortunately, our manpower is not. Sadly, it's our citizens that also suffer because less troopers on the road means longer response times to crashes or incidents involving crimes, such as road rage or arresting the impaired driver who just ran you off the road. On our midnight shift, it is not uncommon to have only one or two troopers covering the entire county. How's that for staffing or officer safety issues? When we have a holiday period and the news claims that there will be additional troopers on the road and beefed up enforcement, not likely. Truth is, there may be as many as 14 or as little as one on the roadways in all of Broward County.
Yes, I along with all my colleagues agree with the FLPD. We, too, would appreciate salary increases and the luxury of additional help; however, with the FHP it's a lot harder. Our problem is the state Legislature. Whether it's the cost of gas, property taxes, car insurance, homeowners insurance or groceries -- you name it, it keeps going up. Once again this year, we were denied any type of raises by legislators, not even a cost-of-living increase. They decided to give us a one-time, $1,000 bonus, which works out to about .05 cents an hour. Any one of our troopers would love to earn $63,897.
So, if there's truly "trouble in paradise" at FLPD, as it mentions in the article, we at FHP welcome FLPD officers to join our agency. We are always accepting applications!
Barry R. Radanof works for the Florida Highway Patrol and is a resident of Davie.
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