More unions begging me to post about them.

Quote Originally Posted by rick3117:

I'm not shitting you guys, I just called a recruiter, and I could be a cop by the end of this year. 

That is exactly what 5_,for_Fighting did.

Retired after 20 years in federal law enforcement, and started a private security company for high dollar clients.

Doing Las Vegas, the Superbowl and last year a Stanley Cup championship game in Vancouver........

I love to know what everyone this thread does for a living.  I'm in my early 70s and retired.. So I can post anytime.. But what are you guys doing all day that you can sit around and post..? You must be still living with Mama !

Must not be too tough of a job, lol  while you're bellyaching about others.

I have a union job. They cant fire me so I can do what I please

You know what I do Don, we have discussed it many times

I am an insurance crook that swindles little old ladies for their ss checks. I don't have one single person as a client that is under the age of 79....oh ya...only women.

Quote Originally Posted by cd329:



You would be a fool not to, if you could do it. On top of that you can just about name any place you want to work part time, doing security work on your days off. And if you move up the ladder on the job, after you retire, you name your next job.

Also in case guys like you dont understand why jobs like cops are able to retire early, its because being a cop is really a young mans game. 20 years of being a cop takes it toll physically and mentally.
I really dont want some 65 year old cop responding to my house if i have to call 911

some day if you happen to become a cop Rick, you might have a better understanding, of the retiring early thing.  Its not like a cop can sit on his ass all day, like the insurance crooks can do. No wonder you see old guys selling insurance and can work until their 90. Its because 50 years of being phone desk jockey is like working 1 year as a cop

Not all cops "drive, walk or bike the beat" ya know

some actually have desk jobs....just saying

I know it's not easy working nights Rick, good luck to you.

Lordy, I hope your business is doing well.  You fellas seem like hard workers.

I know you conceded that there are abuses but I googled 'police overtime abuse' and found story after story where officers had been involved in that...usually to pad their pension.

Overtime is a vital management tool. Clearly, it's preferable to pay some workers time-and-a-half during work-packed periods than to add employees who may be underutilized at other times. "If overtime is driven by workload and intelligently balanced, planned and documented, it can be a very effective tool," says Drummond Kahn, director of audit services for Portland, Oregon. If it's not used appropriately, he adds, "it can lead to paying more than needed to get the work done."

We have come across a number of cases of the latter. There are cities and states in which workers who are about to retire put in scores of hours of overtime, largely to hype their pension benefits. In Buffalo, New York, for example, firefighters who retired in 2008 earned about $110,000 a year before their retirement, with an average of $45,000 of it in overtime. For those not nearing retirement, the average pay was about $70,000, with less than $16,000 of it from overtime.

Some cities invite this kind of problem by allowing unions to select who gets overtime assignments. In Bridgeport, Connecticut, which faced a $19 million deficit last year, police officers racked up nearly $9 million in overtime. Police union officials say there is not much that can be done about overtime since the department is 75 officers short of authorized strength. That's a fair enough point. But city officials complain that labor contracts allow unions to pick who gets assigned overtime, which drives up costs when older officers with higher salaries get these assignments. One police sergeant had a salary of $62,948, but picked up more than $100,000 in overtime--bringing compensation for that year to around $163,000.

Not much can even be done about this because the union sticks up for this behavior.

Quote Originally Posted by cd329:



  Money, being a retired firefighter i feel good knowing theres guys like you out there who appreciate what the people doing those jobs do for society

In the hall i worked at there was a sign up the door that read "tonight could be the night"
On any given night performing our job, could have killed us. I dont know of any desk jobs, where the person is at a great risk of performing their jobs.

So once again, thanks for the kinds words towards my former profession and all the others who do their jobs at high risks, to save others.

CD its obvious that he has a difficult time seeing beyond his bias...due to his many friends that are cops or firefighters. I have a few firefighter friends...yet choose to look at these issues on a statistical basis.

The statistical fact is that cops and firefighters don't rank in the top ten of the most dangerous jobs. I will admit the job is dangerous but not as some would have you think. Cops and firefighters do honorable work and see horrible shit on a regular basis I will concede that.

I still would like to see lordspoints question answered. Who isn't chicken enough to answer them.

What's fair compensation?
How much is too much or too little for their service and sacrifice?
I value respect and appreciate their service but at what # is it too much? Or is there no ceiling to compensate them?
I ask seriously from a budget point of view to attract good talent and compensate them for the inherent risk of their jobs

I am mad at neither. I believe the structure for pay for these important jobs is unsustainable....especially in a down economy.

I think teachers unions are some of the most crooked unions around. I simply don't like to see crooked shit involved with OUR kids.

What makes you think I am angry? I may be passionate but not angry.