Being made to live where you work.....

[GreenBeret]

Hello everyone. I wanted to get all of your opinions on something.

" Would you like to live in the area/city/town where you work? "

Its a little weird. Some Officers would say yes, because they live in rural/suburban areas. Nothing wrong with that. But what about the LEO's who work in areas such as myself? The places so bad, you wouldn't drive through these areas in your dreams, let alone real life.

In our city (which is approx 7 square miles) we average a murder every other week. Every officer hired after 1996 has to live in the city limits for the duration of their employment or face termination. This is held by strict enforcement by the mayor, who falsely believes that living in this city, is going to promote better relations and make it a safer place. Anyone agree with this? Here, I will do you one better:
I have been with this department and living in this city for 8 months. 1) I am not from this city, I grew up in a suburban town, with a nice school district and a great amount of space/freedom. 2)In my 9 months of living here, I have had my apartment broken into, yesterday my car was torched, and one month ago today, I got into a gun fight in my own living room, with a guy I once locked up.

Pretty interesting 8/9 months huh? I have heard hype about it being unconstitutional to make an American Citizen live someplace they don't want to. What ever happened to" life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".

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Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere- Martin Luther King Jr.

[DesertRat]

There is this little thing called finding a new job and moving. I highly recommend it. Try it, you'll like it.

[Jim]

Originally posted by DesertRat:
There is this little thing called finding a new job and moving. I highly recommend it.

I disagree. The policy is wrong and your job is worth fighting for.

I don't think your mayor really believes the policy "is going to promote better relations and make it a safer place". When polled, voters are usually strongly in favor of residency laws. Your mayor is simply blowing with the wind to appease the voters. He knows very well that the "promote better relations and make it a safer place" line is nothing but BS.

It is important to remember that if you are all living in the city, you and your families represent many thousands of votes. You are a force to be reckoned with in your city, if you care enough to do something about it. Even in huge cities like New York, elections for city office are often decided by as little as a few hundred votes. If your officers organize against this unfair policy, you can beat it.

Originally posted by GreenBeret:
I have heard hype about it being unconstitutional to make an American Citizen live someplace they don't want to.

That's true, you have a constitutional right to live anywhere you want, but you do not have a constitutional right to be a Chester Police Officer.

[This message has been edited by Jim (edited 06-08-2001).]

[Guard Dog]

Chicago has had residency requirement for ever. They investigate employees living out of town. They fire you for living out of the city. If there was any constitutional loophole, their FOP would have found it by now.

Our sworn officers must live in the county. The most recent court decision was that a town can't force encumbent employees to move into town if a residency rule is enacted. They can however require that if you sell your house and move...then you must move into the city. If there is a residency rule when you get hired, it is a known stipulation of employment that you have to live with or find another job.

With all the available cops jobs out there, I'd find a safe place to raise and educate my family. 8 months,,, heck you probably not even off probation.

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"We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way." General George S. Patton

[Craiger77]

I find this rule silly.

I truly believe that this policy is just a ploy, by the city, to keep potential tax revenues generated from the salaries of officers within the city.

[wonderwoman]

Wow, Guard Dog, thats interesting.
No requirement here!
I would find that an infringement on my right to live where I choose.
Perhaps a case could be made for living within a certain radius in order to be able to respond to emergencies if that was applicable.

[Don]

I may be wrong about this, but I believe that in California the supreme court ruled that residency requirements are out. A department may mandate a "response time" distance of their choice, but I don't believe they can force you to live in their geographical boundaries.

I also believe there is an exception for that for "resident deputies" or "resident" LE of any type.

I'm sure that some current California officers can correct me if I'm wrong about this, or back me up if I'm right.

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I love defenseless animals, especially in a good gravy!

6P1 (retired)

[KenM]

There was a Texas case on this also. That city (I can't remember where right now) also had a residency requirement. It was struck down by the courts. The only thing we have left in Texas is response times. If you're in a special unit that has to be deployed rapidly (SWAT, negotiations, etc) the dept can require you to live within a certain distance. "Regular" employees don't have to follow this.

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"Trust me. I'm from the government, I'm here to help."

[PeteBroccolo]

Generally, in the RCMP, it is a requirement that the Regular Members live within the Detachment area, and the Detachment Commander lives in the town where the Detachment building is located. If a Detachment has a Town/City Policing Contract, as well as policing the Rural area, then the boundaries of the Rural unit are where you must reside within.
I can only speak from the experience of living in Saskatchewan - I'm not sure at all how it works in Ontario and Quebec where we are neither the Provincial Police Force nor do we provide General Duty Policing in those Provinces, but provide Federal Policing (for the USA LEO, think FBI, ATF, DEA and Secret Service all rolled into one). From what I have heard about British Columbia, with the large (150 - 300 members) municipal Detachments that we have (North Vancouver, Surrey, Coquitlam) when members get transferred between them they just commute along a different route.
Again, we don't have the threat levels here that most of the USA LEO seem to face (Thank God!!!) so living within your area, and even having a patrol vehicle in your driveway, generally is a good thing.

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P. D. (Pete) Broccolo, Constable
#32936 - RCMP Weyburn, Saskatchewan

[ftrphxcop]

Anyone hear of a program that lets officers and teachers buy a house in the area they work for a very good discount? I think it was something to benefit run down and crime neighborhoods and by letting the officers and teachers move there it in turn rujuvinates the community. This sounds interesting and i heard people talking about it but thought something to good to be true usually is. They were saying it is like 50% off the house.

[GreenBeret]

Hey everyone,
Thanks for the responses. Seems like everyone has heard of it in some form or fashion. What got me the most is that people have been complaining for years about living in the city. One officer, a couple of years ago, ( and when I heard this I couldn't belive it unitl the Detective Sgt confirmed it ) was working narcotics. His entire family one night woke up to a few gunmen in their house. The gunmen marched his whole family, mother, daughter, and his little cousins out into a field not to far from their house, and executed them all. Now you would think that the city would have some sort of pitty. Yeah right. I think politics should be outlawed.
Well after my 31,000 dollar car was torched this morning, I have made up in my mind, I am outta here. Job be damned. My family isn't factored into the mayor's "political agenda". So wish me luck. I wish California's laws applied to Pa. Would make alot of cops' lives alot easier.

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Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere- Martin Luther King Jr.

[Niteshift]

Yeah, the prgram is run by HUD.

Don't do like one cop did though......buy the house, live elsewhere and sublet it for more than he was paying.

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Niteshift-
Perseverate In Pugna

[FlaLaw]

I might suggest another option, sue the city in this litigious society unfortunately this is the only thing they listen to. Make sure you're off probation and look for a good lawyer. If the city requires you to live in a certain area then they should be resposible for what happens to you in that area. In general the govt. has no requirement to protect individuals, but employers are required to protect employees. If your city requires you to carry your badge and gun off duty or requires you to do anything (like be in a certain area) off duty then they should have a duty to protect you. if you do not get a judgement at least it will be the end of the policy. Even better if everyone that lives in the city joins the lawsuit. you also want to look at the incidents between the officers that live outside the city verses those that live in the city. As a PBA rep I'd be making the city's life miserable.

[DesertRat]

Jim: I don't know who you are quoting up above there, but it isn't me!!!!!!!

[kateykakes]

Originally posted by GreenBeret:
I have made up in my mind, I am outta here.

GreenBeret,

I read this thread when it was orginally posted but didn't check your profile until I read that you're from PA (I'm in Upper Darby). When I saw you were from Chester, all I could do was say, GOD HELP YOU! I'm surprised your bags weren't packed from day one. You're a brave soul!

I wish you and your family all the luck in the world.



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"There's no place like home."