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Higher Pay Key Factor
6,300 Ready According to the NYPD, approximately 6,300 Police Officers have filed for the scheduled Jan. 19, 2008 multiple-choice exam, compared to 5,111 at this point last October for a test given eight months ago. The 23-percent increase in applications marks the first such jump in several years. That figure, however, was only slightly higher than the 6,150 officers who filed for the January 2006 test. Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, hailed the fresh interest, but urged the department to do more to persuade officers to seek the promotion. "Money isn't the only issue," he said during an Oct. 17 phone interview. "Sergeants are constantly pressured to be out there as far as overseeing cops in the field, but we are short people."
The raises and other added benefits were designed in part to encourage more Police Officers to study for and take the Sergeants' exam. The NYPD has been struggling to generate enough qualified candidates, with only 225 officers out of the 3,866 test-takers passing the Feb. 3, 2007 exam, based on preliminary results. Free Prep Courses In a new effort to persuade more Police Officers to apply and study for the test, the NYPD has also offered free exam preparation courses. Department-led classes had not been offered by the NYPD since the mid-1980s. Those courses were stopped primarily because of waning interest as officers turned to privately-run classes. Commissioner Kelly blamed the 6.5-percent passing rate for the most recent test on the prior SBA contract, which reduced the starting salary to $61,093 for new Sergeants. That pay was only $1,505 more than the $59,588 Police Officers earn after 5-1/2 years of service. But under the pact negotiated by the SBA this summer, the starting salary for new supervisors will be $73,000 effective July 1, 2008. That enhanced schedule reflected the Bloomberg administration's efforts to rebuild the salary structure for newly promoted Sergeants who had their pay stretched under the last agreement. By the end of the deal, senior Sergeants will see overall compensation reach $103,000 with longevity pay, holiday bonuses, uniform allowance, and other benefits. Money Matters "There's a direct correlation in the increased in pay," said Joseph Pollini, an Assistant Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "Everybody wants money to pay for their necessities." The additional 1,189 candidates should help the department fill its Sergeant openings due to attrition in the next few years. But it remains unclear how many of those applicants will actually take and pass the exam. Mr. Mullins urged the NYPD to take additional steps to make the position more desirable. He noted Sergeants have recently been ordered to ensure their subordinates are carefully adhering to the department's strict dress code. "It's been ignored for many years," he asserted. "You've now put the responsibility on the Sergeant." Sergeants work as supervisors but have never been considered management, he added. "We are accountable, but not treated like management," he contended. "When things go wrong the buck stops with the Sergeant. Why do you really want the responsibility?" He has also suggested that the NYPD start a program where Sergeants receive training at West Point Military Academy. "It's all about leadership," he remarked. "You can either go with the status quo or do something different."
The union president added, "We send some of our
executives to Harvard and Columbia. Shouldn't we do something similar for Police
Sergeants, if you are going to hold them that accountable?"
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