Carroll County FOP Lodge # 20 endorsements
May 8th, 2005
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Showing posts with label Westminster Police Department LEOPS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Westminster Police Department LEOPS. Show all posts
Monday, May 09, 2005
20050508 Carroll County FOP Lodge # 20 endorsements
20050429 CC FOP Lodge #20 Candidate questionnaire
Saturday, April 30, 2005
20050429 CC FOP Lodge #20 Candidate questionnaire
Fraternal Order of Police Carroll County Lodge No. 20 candidate questionnaire
2005 Mayoral/City Council Candidate Political Survey - Due April 29th, 2005
Westminster Mayor
Fraternal Order of
April 8th, 2005
2005 Mayoral/City Council Candidate Political Survey
Due April 29th, 2005
Westminster Mayor
April 29th, 2005
1. What do you feel is the most positive strength you would add to the City of
Experience and the energy, drive, accessibility and ability to make that experience work for positive change.
2. What has been your most positive non-work related leadership experience?
The Civil Rights Movement in the south in the early 1970s.
3. What role, if any, do you see public safety playing in the future economic development of the City of
How would that affect the Police Department?
The Westminster Police Department plays a critical role.
4. Do you support rank and file negotiations for benefits? Please expand on your answer.
No.
5. What do you feel can be done to support public safety in the City of
Public Education. Accreditation. Technology. Landlord Training Program.
6. The current administration of the Westminster City Police Department has taken a positive step towards recruitment of police officers. What idea(s) could you give the Chief to help recruit quality police officers for the City of
Officer to Officer contact, recruitment and promotion including FOP promotion.
7. The current administration of the Westminster City Police Department has taken several positive steps to retain qualified police officers. What idea(s) could you give the Chief to help retain them?
Shift differential pay. Self-actualization. Esprit de corps. Degree of Openness.
8. What do you feel is the most pressing issue relating to the City of
Pay and strategic planning.
1. What do you feel is the most positive strength you would add to the City of
Experience and the energy, drive, accessibility and ability to make that experience work for positive change. I love my job. I have a passion for
I have the unique qualifications to positively affect the day-to-day quality of life for
Change can be difficult, but over the years, by working together with other community leaders and
I offer the citizens of the City of
2. What has been your most positive non-work related leadership experience?
Working in the Civil Rights Movement in the very early 1970s in the south. It taught me discipline, perseverance, tolerance for physical, psychological and verbal abuse and focus. It taught me patience (don’t sweat the small stuff) and to keep in mind the big picture in working towards positive social change.
3. What role, if any, do you see public safety playing in the future economic development of the City of
The Police Department plays a key and critical role in future economic development. As you know, 40% of the tax base in the City of
Potential businesses look at many factors when choosing to move to a municipality such as
It will affect the Westminster Police Department by requiring more innovative and cutting edge customer service oriented policing (such as Community Policing and S.E.R.A.) out of the officers and the department. Westminster Police Officers are our 365/24/7 ambassadors for
It will also require more police officers. However, economic development usually pays for itself. That stated, I have suggested for several years that
How can the FOP play a role in economic development, and attracting more jobs and businesses, to the City of
4. Do you support rank and file negotiations for benefits? Please expand on your answer.
I’m curious – what do you mean by “rank and file negotiations for benefits”? If this is double-speak for collective bargaining or bringing a union into the City of
Pay and benefits are one area of personnel where the City has to speak with one voice and have a clear consensus. When it doesn't happen that way, false hopes are created and disappointment is sure to occur. It is also one thing to understand that pay and benefits must increase in order for the City to stay competitive and remain on the cutting edge of providing customer service for our citizens and it is another thing for the employees to have an ownership stake in the organization and understand that we often have finite resources with which to work.
It has been my experience that often Unions do not understand the big picture and instead they foster friction, dissension and acrimony among the very folks who are already pre-disposed to do everything possible to provide the best for the employees. Unions pit employee against employee and employee against management. I have no interest in anyone or any organization getting between me and the employees whom I serve.
I urge the rank and file to continue to work through the chain of command to articulate what is needed and what can be done. If the chain of command is not working to facilitate getting the rank and file’s message to me then I need to know about that. Otherwise, I have yet to find a Westminster Police Officer who has not found me anything but accessible, ready and eager to listen, at all hours of the night and day, 365/24/7.
What additional benefits does the FOP think are needed by Westminster Police Officers? I worked hard in the past for Westminster Police Officers and I understand that there is more to achieve. By working together, we can all do better. Meanwhile, I have heard you in the past and worked hard for minimum court overtime, minimum emergency call out overtime, expanding the take home car policy, LEOPS, more training opportunities and I supported the expansion of the CRT to a countywide team; among many initiatives in which I heard you and went to work for you.
5. What do you feel can be done to support public safety in the City of
Public Education, Accreditation, Technology and Landlord Training Program are some ideas that quickly come to mind.
Public Education is self-explanatory. The local public has long since begun to take for granted that we have an excellent police department. By putting our heads together, perhaps we can arrive at some innovative approaches to letting the public be aware of the excellent policing that everyone in
Accreditation. With a long term goal of accreditation comes an emphasis on additional training opportunities beyond certification standards, including Executive Development Training, Incident Management, advanced Crisis Response Training.
Technology. Stronger emphasis placed upon the use of available technologies including the use of computers and other modern advances.
Landlord Training Program. By working directly with the Landlords we have found that they are a very effective key to the solution. Criminals when arrested are normally released pending trial and when sentenced serve little or no time and then return to what they consider is their home. It is important that we collectively work with the landlords to screen tenants, and put into place strict rental agreements proscribing an intolerance of crime or drugs, along with advocacy that landlords proceed quickly with the eviction process to help eliminate the ability of the criminal to return to live in the neighborhood and increase our calls for service.
What does the FOP think needs to be done to support public safety in
6. The current administration of the Westminster City Police Department has taken a positive step towards recruitment of police officers. What idea(s) could you give the Chief to help recruit quality police officers for the City of
The issue of Take Home Vehicles has recently been addressed. Issues such as pay are being addressed immediately by the proposed FY 2006 budget and a salary study is in that budget. LEOPS is in place… A signing bonus is in place.
Officer to Officer contact, recruitment and promotion. One idea that I’d like to share with the rank and file and the Chief is how can we get the rank and file to participate in attracting additional police officers to the Westminster Police Department. With an emphasis on laterals, how can we empower the rank and file to have a stake in the recruitment process? The best advertisement for the Westminster Police Department are the officers out there talking up the Department and the City of
How about the FOP participating? Perhaps the FOP could run some ads for all the agencies in the County and talk up our Carroll County quality of life, good schools, low crime rate and a great working environment where Police Officers and their work is greatly appreciated by the general Carroll County population.
What does the FOP think needs to be done to recruit quality police officers for the City of
7. The current administration of the Westminster City Police Department has taken several positive steps to retain qualified police officers. What idea(s) could you give the Chief to help retain them?
Shift differential pay. Self-actualization. Esprit de corps. Degree of Openness.
Above and beyond issues such as pay, better equipment, LEOPS and more training opportunities…
Degree of Openness. Continued change towards a more open system of management where information and explanations flow from the bottom to the top and the top to the bottom fluidly and easily. Understanding that there must be a clearly defined chain of command, it is possible for lower ranking officers to be provided the opportunity to give additional feedback and be a part of the future planning of the department. I believe that the greater the amount of information shared by a policing system with its environment (command staff and the Chief and the Mayor), the greater the degree of openness and opportunities for change.
Esprit de corps. By team building, officers can take pride that they are part of one of the finest police agencies in the region.
Self-actualization. Creating and giving police officers more opportunities to access responsibility for the future of the department
Shift differential pay. I believe that shift differential pay is important for all nightshift employees in the City of
I would like to hear what ideas does the FOP have to better recruitment and retention of Police Officers in the City of
8. What do you feel is the most pressing issue relating to the City of
Pay. In my FY 2006 Budget, I have included money for a comprehensive administration and salary study. To the best of my knowledge, this has not been done since the late 1980s. I don’t think that the salaries of
How will this issue affect the Police Department? It is my goal that you will be paid more.
What does the FOP feel is the most pressing issue relating to the City of
####
Wednesday, May 15, 2002
20020514 Baltimore Sun: Westminster council OKs 03 budget
Westminster council OKs ’03 budget
The $21.9 million plan includes city's first tax increase in five years
May 14, 2002
The
"When you take the [Longwell] garage out, there's been very little real growth in our budget, only $100,000 over last year's" budget, said Councilman L. Gregory Pecoraro, finance committee chairman.
The city's budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, includes money for day-to-day operations, its building program and water and sewer funds. No changes were made in water and sewer rates.
4.8-cent tax increase
The property tax will increase 4.8 cents to 40 cents per $100 of assessed value.
That means the owner of a home with an assessed value of $125,000 will pay $500 in property taxes next year, instead of $440, officials said.
When work on the budget began in April, city officials faced a $2.1 million difference in spending and revenue. The council trimmed $1.6 million from the spending plan in a work session. The tax increase will generate about $500,000 in additional revenue, officials said.
The additional revenue will cover $300,000 in road repairs on
The budget calls for a 1 percent cost-of-living raise for city employees.
In addition, the city will reserve $125,000 for a pension enhancement plan for Westminster Police Department. The city and the 43-member police department have yet to agree on a plan.
Council President Damian L. Halstad said the council is on the verge of scrapping the existing plan and devising an alternative more agreeable to the department.
Other business
In other business last night, the council:
Introduced a revised special capital benefit assessment fee that calls for commercial and residential developers to pay about $1,000 more to help cover the costs of expanding services.
Canceled its meeting May 27 for the Memorial Day holiday.
20020514
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
20020423 Baltimore Sun: Westminster property tax rise proposed and Officers disapprove of pension plan
http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/carroll/bal-ca.council23apr23.story?coll=bal%2Dlocal%2Dcarroll
Officers disapprove of police pension plan
April 23, 2002
The Westminster Common Council unveiled last night a proposed $21.9 million spending plan for fiscal 2003 that calls for a 4.8-cent increase in the property tax rate - the city's first increase in five years.
"It's a pretty responsible budget that does two things - it tries to meet the city's current need to provide services and it also tries to look to the future for other needs," said Councilman L. Gregory Pecoraro, chairman of the council's finance committee, which drafted the proposed budget.
In another money-related matter, the council introduced last night an ordinance creating a pension enhancement plan for the city's 43 police officers.
Concern for adequate room in case of a large turnout by police officers prompted the council to move the meeting to a hearing room at the
The proposed 2003 budget, which includes monies for the water and sewer funds as well as building projects, is up $4.6 million from the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Pecoraro said more than half of the money is earmarked for construction of the
Under the spending plan, city employees will receive a 1 percent cost-of-living raise. This year employees received a 2.5 percent raise, plus $240.
While water and sewer rates will remain the same, the property tax will increase 4.8 cents to 40 cents per $100 of assessed value. The average
Pecoraro said the increase could provide the city with about $500,000 in additional revenue.
A public hearing on the proposed budget and tax increase will be held May 6. The council could take action on the proposals as early as May 13.
Local police officers - and several supporters from the Annapolis Police Department - showed up to voice their disapproval of the proposed supplemental retirement plan for the Police Department.
At a cost of $125,000 a year, the city would deposit the equivalent of 5 percent to 9 percent - depending on years of service - of an officer's annual salary into an account similar to a savings plan.
The
The organization questioned the viability of the plan to retain officers because its five years' vesting gives officers an excuse to quit in favor of employment by a police department offering the kind of plan they want - a 25-year retirement threshold and 50 percent guaranteed payback.
"Now is the time for the City Council to begin taking care of the employees that take care of the city and keep it running," the statement read.
20020423
Monday, April 15, 2002
20020414 Police object to pension proposal
Police object to pension proposal
April 14th, 2002
http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/carroll/bal-ca.pension14apr14.story?coll=bal%2Dlocal%2Dcarroll
Police object to pension proposal - Council members say $115,000-a-year package is all city can afford; 'This is not acceptable'
By Athima Chansanchai, Sun Staff, April 14, 2002
A supplemental retirement plan for Westminster's Police Department unveiled at last week's Common Council meeting was supposed to satisfy dual goals of attracting and keeping city officers, but they don't like it. "This is not what they promised. This is not acceptable," said Daniel W. Besseck, International Union of Police Associations representative, who attended Thursday night's emergency meeting of the Westminster Police Association. Eight of 38 association members were in attendance.
Besseck was referring to the plan proposed by Westminster Councilman Roy L. Chiavacci, who serves as chairman of the council's Public Safety Committee. The plan would require the city to deposit the equivalent of 5 percent to 9 percent of an officer's annual salary - depending on years of service - into an account similar to a savings plan. It would cost the city $115,000 a year.
"The council's job is to make sure their employees are taken care of. It should be their primary responsibility. This is a slap in the face," Besseck said.
Members of the Common Council said the plan was a good one and all the city could afford as it faces a $2.3 million deficit.
Besseck's group has been working with
Officers at the meeting said that amount isn't enough to live on, especially if they have a family. One officer said he would receive only $1,026 a month in benefits if he were begin drawing from it when he retires in 2023.
Most officers said they would prefer the city use the Law Enforcement Officers' Pension System, or LEOPS, which returns 50 percent of an officer's salary after 25 years of service. According to the city's studies, this would cost $364,000 a year, or $17 million over 25 years.
"Though we're on a smaller scale than
"What's important here is that we work with the police officers and take into consideration their thoughts and feelings and be responsive to their needs," Mayor Kevin E. Dayhoff said. "I truly believe the council worked on this with a sense of caring, depth and integrity.
"I understand clearly that the budget will not allow the city to go in the direction of LEOPS this year, but I would rather that we wait and do LEOPS when it's financially feasible than go to a pension enhancement plan."
Council President Damian L. Halstad said there was an involved series of discussions concerning the retirement options, and of them all, the plan proposed by Chiavacci was the most viable.
"LEOPS is not fiscally possible or prudent," said Halstad. "We're talking about this in a vacuum. We have to remember that there is a $2.3 million shortfall we have to trim from the budget, but the city is still willing to find money to implement this plan. ...
"Some people even view the whole plan as much too generous a windfall for the Police Department. The council showed great commitment to the force by moving this forward."
Police Chief Roger G. Joneckis said he would not comment on the program until he learned more about it.
He mentioned steps the city has taken to improve the department's situation, including pay raises and increased hiring to bring staffing to the full complement of 43 officers.
The union has been pushing for better retirement benefits to keep senior officers from pursuing jobs in other departments.
"They continue to train new people. You can fill bodies but not experience," Besseck said. "Maturity is everything in this job."
Chiavacci hopes officers change their views when they're given an opportunity for personal projections of their supplemental benefits on April 24.
"We tried to craft a plan that was both desirable and affordable, and quite frankly, it's generous," Chiavacci said.
He said he's disappointed by the negative reaction of some officers, but that he wants to hear what they have to say.
"If they did that, they can help us make it better than what it is. I welcome that input," he said.
Copyright © 2002, The Baltimore Sun
Maryland State Police,
Thursday, February 03, 2000
20000203 Chief Keeney LEOPS MGA Testimony
Chief Keeney LEOPS MGA Testimony
TESTIMONY OF CHIEF FRED KEENEY, DISTRICT HEIGHTS POLICE ON BEHALF OF THE POLICE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE MARYLAND MUNICIPAL LEAGUE ON SENATE BILL 175 LAW ENFORCEMENT PENSION SYSTEM
February 3, 2000
Good morning madam chair and members of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. My name is Fred Keeney and I am currently the Chief of Police for the City of District Heights. I am here representing the Police Executive Committee of the Maryland Municipal League. The Police Executives applaud the efforts of Senator Exum and the remaining
Currently, municipal law enforcement officers participate in one of three state pension plans; the traditional State Retirement Plan, Police and Fire Enhanced Plan and LEOPS. While not all local governments participate in one of the state’s pension systems, we believe that by allowing employee contributions to LEOPS, this plan becomes more attractive to participating local governments and will encourage them to make LEOPS available to the employee.
In
I have heard from elected officials and police chief’s from Western Maryland and our
Though this legislation only amends LEOPS, I would suggest that the committee evaluate amending all three pension systems that municipal law enforcement officers participate in to allow employee contributions. This will allow local governments in the system to move up to an enhanced program and perhaps encourage participation from non-participating local governments. The ability to participate in LEOPS or the state’s other pension system’s will greatly assist us with recruitment and retention of officers.
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