‘Feel safe???’ Port St. Lucie police union protests layoffs with billboard
September 15th, 2009 by TCPalm.comPORT ST. LUCIE — The International Union of Police Associations, which represents the city’s police officers, put a sign on a billboard Sunday at U.S. 1 and Jennings Road to protest the city sending layoff notices to eight police officers.
The notices advised the officers their last day of employment would be Sept. 30.
One side of the billboard reads, “Welcome to Port St. Lucie! Violent crime is up 14.4 percent! Feel safe???”
The other side breaks down what the city spent on the civic center and plans to spend to bring a private digital production studio to the city. It also cites a figure, $1.5 million, as the annual upkeep of the botanical garden project.
City Councilman Christopher Cooper said the $1.5 million figure is inaccurate and the botanical garden isn’t even built yet.
“I just don’t understand what they are trying to accomplish,” Cooper said. “We haven’t laid off any police officers yet, and I don’t know if we will.”
Officer Scott Johnson, president of the local IUPA union, said the union has tried to work with the city and agreed to a wage freeze next year, but the city still planned to move forward with the layoffs. He said violent crimes in the city has gone up 14.4 percent in the last six months, and the city cannot afford to lose officers.
“Our goal here is we’re trying to save the cops’ jobs,” Johnson said. “We’re already understaffed, and these officers are some of the lowest paid in the agency.”
If city officials come up with a resolution during public budget hearings Monday night, “We’ll obviously take the boards down, and do the right thing,” Johnson said. “If they don’t, we’ll move to Plan B.”
At Monday night’s meeting, Police Chief Donald Shinnamon said he and the assistant chief called seven of the officers during the meeting about 10 p.m. and told them they would not be laid off. He said he implemented a hiring freeze in January and 16 people have since left. He said he’s been losing about one person per week recently, so the vacancies will allow him to keep the seven officers.
“You don’t normally get a call at this hour from your chief or your assistant chief, so one of the officers asked me, “Is this a joke?” Shinnamon said. “I have done some pleasant things and unpleasant things in my career, and this is one of the fun things.”
One of the eight officers already resigned and went to work for the Fort Pierce Police Department, Shinnamon said. The status of the 12 civilian employees in the police department slated to be laid off has not been determined.
Councilwoman Linda Bartz said Monday she did not want to see the city lose a single police officer.
“I’m just really saddened by the lack of trust between the city and the Police Department,” Bartz said. “I’ve always been a strong supporter of the Police Department.”
Alexi Howk
Tags: budget, chief, Crime, digital, employment, jobs, layoffs, police, production, protest, reading, resigned, roads, safe
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September 15th, 2009 at 11:07 am
What are they advertising, that they are doing a crummy job? No one has been let go and crime is out of control?
Why dont you make some improvments then advertise what a good job you are doing? Then ask to be rewarded for good work.
September 15th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Now let’s see, the officers are still on the job, but violent crime is up 14.4%, looks like the police they have maybe were no doing their job.
September 15th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Dear Unions,
Thank you for putting our great country in this situation, keep up the good work,
Jim
September 15th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
so now our taxes get raised 11% to keeep 8 police on so they won’t put up any more billboards what a joke, I have called the police so manyyyyyyyyy times about the morning and afternoon traffic on residental street where they drive 50 and 60, and they never send out anyone to check it out, ever notice if you see a traffic stop there are at least 3 cop cars, so it takes 3 to write a traffic ticket ??this city has very poor management and a mayor on the take, who only got fined, people in psl going to continue to put up with this crap???
October 19th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
PSL cops are the worst, they say crime is up, well that’s because they are too busy harassing the public and writing traffic tickets while there is real crime going on. And now they threaten to let go 8 of them, so what do they do? Speed traps galore for the whole month. What a fucking joke, this county has got a problem. Protect and serve my asshole, harass and write traffic tickets should be their motto.