THE CHIEF-LEADER welcomes letters from its readers for publication.
Correspondents must include their names, addresses and
phone numbers. Letters should be submitted with the understanding
that all correspondence is subject to the editorial judgment of this
newspaper. Letters can be e-mailed to: RSTEIER@RCN.COM or
mailed to: Richard Steier, Editor, 277 Broadway, Suite 1506, NY, NY
10007.

DA Investigators Robbed

To the Editor:

This letter is in response to the April 11 editorial, "Another Brick in City's Wall." The process leading up to arbitration, the arbitration itself, and then the aftermath have had a tremendous impact on my members at the Detective Investigators Association.

One-third of my members are already heading for the door. Every member who read the entire record believes that arbitrator was either bought off or incompetent. My personal opinion: the record does not lie. We were robbed; no doubt about it.

As for the District Attorneys not getting involved, every DA has a representative at the table and each instructed Jim Hanley that his office was in favor of us getting the uniformed union package. Each DA told me to my face the same.

They also instructed the city to implement the extra half-hour per shift as a way to produce the necessary savings. Then he said no and we went to arbitration. As for the impact on future groups, that was the majority of Hanley's testimony. We were lost in the shuffle. This arbitration had more to do with the future groups than us.

JOHN FLEMING

Editor's note: Mr. Fleming is president of the Detective Investigators Association.