Why do police have to stand at construction sites?

[spider]

A woman called in to a radio show to ask why a Cop was paid $65 per hour to stand around a project in 5 MPH traffic while the Crossing Guard to whom we entrust the safety of our children in much more potentially dangerous traffic is paid only $15 per hour.

 

[DSC]

Having (paid) police on duty at construction sites is sometimes justified (at a major junction when the traffic lights are out, for example) but it is carried to extremes here and not only increases costs but is really not very good for the image of the police who are seen standing around, chatting on their cell phones, smoking and (if they feel like being 'useful') moving traffic cones. I have lived in many cities and have never seen anything like this level of police supervision of road works. As Spider reports, it is also ridiculous to pay someone $65 an hour to do a job done for $15 by school crossing guards!

 

[Torontovibe]

^^ It's never justified. There is no reson why we couldn't have well trained people to do this job at less than half the price. We do not need police to give out parking tickets or direct traffic. There should be a different job title for that. It would save a huge amount of money.

 

[Eug]

Del Grande, Doug Ford spar over value of paid-duty policing

The city’s budget chief eviscerated Toronto’s approach to hiring off-duty police for special events and construction zones on Tuesday, calling the $29-million Toronto spends on the such assignments “out of hand†and ordering the city manager to look at replacing officers with civilian traffic wardens at many sites.

His pointed criticism of paid-duty work for police brought Councillor Mike Del Grande in direct conflict with his “good friend†and fellow prominent Budget Committee member, Councillor Doug Ford, who argued that “we’re pounding away on police here when there’s so many other inefficiencies happening all over the city.â€

The majority of the seven-member committee sided with Mr. Del Grande as he fumed over Mr. Ford’s suggestion that paid-duty savings were not worth the committee’s time.

 

[TrickyRicky]

"Councillor Doug Ford, who argued that “we’re pounding away on police here when there’s so many other inefficiencies happening all over the city.â€"

Doug's cute isn't he?

 

[Dilla]

In fairness to Doug, social program gravy is disgusting; but then there's delicious, delicious, police gravy. Doug just has a very refined palate.

 

[Eug]

Heh, With regards to that, check out this recent Star Editorial: Police on ‘gravy train’

Toronto’s previous, and frankly generous, police contract was awarded through an arbitrated settlement. The mayor’s brother, Councillor Doug Ford, has indicated that the new deal was backed in order to avoid arbitration and the possibility of an even richer payout. Given economic conditions, however, it’s hard to imagine any arbitrator granting more than what the Ford administration has now given away.

The worst part of all this is that it reveals Ford’s commitment to restraint as inconsistent at best, and a sham at worst. In coming negotiations, other municipal unions will be inclined to take a harder line on wages knowing that the city bowed to the police union and swallowed a generous deal. Indeed, a simple expectation of fairness would lead other city workers to anticipate more.

 

[wopchop]

However, at $65 an hour it is still hitting us tax-payers in the pocket book to a certain extent. A lot of these construction sites are government projects, and this seems like one (small) way to save some bux.

The contractor is required to pay for the off-duty police officer. But yeah, for any municipal project, we're getting hammered.

The most ridiculous part is that any contractor doing a project that involves any sort of road / sidewalk disruption is already going to have a labourer on-hand solely for traffic direction. Having both the labourer and the officer is a huge waste of money.

 

[taal]

Shouldn't be this a great test for Ford ? This seems to easily meat the gravy criteria ? But his own allies are against it as they're all in bed with the police. So the question is what will Ford do ?

 

[drum118]

Why is it Toronto have paid cops watching a construction project when other cities don't?????????

Was in Burlington on Thursday where concrete trucks where pulling into/out of the site with 2 construction personal standing in the middle of the road with stop signs. I see this method being used in other cities.

On Sunday, was on Sheppard where an officers was standing at the curb and would go out onto the road from time to time to stop traffic in both direction to allow cars out of the Flower Shop parking lot. This is one case I have no problem with.

Time to cut the sunshine list and forcing developers and other to pay for something that is no needed in the first place.

The Fords talk about cutting the gravey train, yets keeps on with the pork barrel ones. A few million here a few million there, add up to large amount of waste.

 

[Eug]

I get that he for some reason wants to ingratiate himself with the police force, but this is just so absurd it's comical, given some of the other things they've cut (like meeting sandwiches).

Penny-pinching Doug Ford defends $5.2 million police paid duty perk

Councillor Doug Ford usually jumps at the chance to save taxpayers money.

But disagreeing with most members of the city’s budget committee, the mayor’s brother defended spending $5.2 million to pay police officers to watch over city road and sewer repairs.

“I’m okay with that,” Ford said. “Is there room for efficiencies? Absolutely. But overall, $5.2 million for a billion dollars’ worth of work, I don’t think that’s too bad,” he said estimating the value of work done each year by the city to upgrade its roadway infrastructure.

This is a different tune from the one the penny-pinching Etobicoke councillor usually sings.

The Fords campaigned to victory on a platform of austerity and Doug Ford has been helping lead the charge on cutting costs at the city — for instance, by going after councillors’ expenses, salaries and free food at council meetings. This ultimately saved $1.46 million for the city, which has a budget of $9.4 billion.

Councillor Adam Vaughan, a former member of the police services board, is bewildered by Ford’s attitude toward the cost of paid duty.

“I’m really mystified by Doug Ford’s comment that $5 million is a drop in the bucket; $5 million would have put every single TTC route back to full service,” he said.

The money could also go a long way to keep low-income kids swimming in pools and attending recreational camps this summer. This year, for the first time since its inception in 1999, the city’s Welcome Policy — which subsidizes low-income families who want access to recreational programs — has been capped.

 

[gabe]

On Sunday, was on Sheppard where an officers was standing at the curb and would go out onto the road from time to time to stop traffic in both direction to allow cars out of the Flower Shop parking lot. This is one case I have no problem with

Other cities use traffic officers. They make half what a police office makes. I would rather see the police officers with the training and skills doing something other than directing traffic at $65 dollars an hour.

 

[Eug]

I still don't understand why they need to get paid time and a half to double time for this easier paid-duty work.

For example, a friend works as a web designer for a company. He gets paid for the work he does at his requested rate. He also has taken on side jobs, for a similar rate, not at twice the rate just because he has another job.

If Ford wants to keep the police in this role, perhaps he can propose that the work actually be paid at a more reasonable rate. $65 an hour to do this work is just ludicrous. But he won't, because it seems he has some sort of unhealthy relationship with the police union or something.

 

[unimaginative2]

Way to go Mike del Grande. I'm behind him 100% on this one.

Of the many examples of unnecessary paid-duty policing, I remember being at a Fashion Week party that was about as likely to break into violence as your average Tupperware party. I counted over thirty paid duty police officers there. When I asked an organizer why they needed so many cops, he said that they were told how many they had to hire. That's crazy, and I can't imagine how many other events have to be cancelled because they can't afford it.

 

[Torontovibe]

Way to go Mike del Grande. I'm behind him 100% on this one.

Of the many examples of unnecessary paid-duty policing, I remember being at a Fashion Week party that was about as likely to break into violence as your average Tupperware party. I counted over thirty paid duty police officers there. When I asked an organizer why they needed so many cops, he said that they were told how many they had to hire. That's crazy, and I can't imagine how many other events have to be cancelled because they can't afford it.

That's just INSNE!