Denton County Fire Department Looking For Solutions To Pay Firefighters After Former Chief Mismanages Budget
ARGYLE, Texas — Denton County Emergency Services District No. 1 may be in trouble, as after years of a mismanaged budget by its former fire chief who is now facing prison time, the district may not be able to pay their firefighters come August. The Argyle Professional Firefighters Local 5190 said the former chief, Troy Hohenberger, […]
LA Fails In Bid To Claw Back Police Officer Headshots
LOS ANGELES (CN) — A Los Angeles County judge on Wednesday rejected a bid by the city of Los Angeles to order a journalist to return photographs of LAPD officers he obtained from the city via a Public Records Act request. The city has claimed that some of the photos it gave journalist Ben Camacho revealed […]
Anchorage Police Department And Union Reach Agreement On Body-Worn Camera Policy, 2 Years After Approved By Voters
The Anchorage Police Department and the union representing its officers have come to an agreement on a body-worn camera policy following months of negotiations. The tumultuous process has spanned three police chiefs and led to mounting community frustration. The Alaska Black Caucus sued the city over the delays, saying it shouldn’t take more than two years to […]
Deputy Union Sues Over Investigation Into Sheriff’s Department Gangs, Order To Show Tattoos
Days after the county’s watchdog demanded that dozens of deputies reveal their tattoos and answer questions about gangs within the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, employee unions have struck back with a formal labor complaint as well as a lawsuit filed in state court. In a 19-page complaint sent Friday, the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy […]
Columbus Police Officers To Receive Double-Time OT Pay For Certain Summer Duties
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Columbus police officers who work overtime this summer will be eligible for double-time pay rather than just time-and-a-half, according to an agreement signed off on by the city’s public safety director and the police union. Columbus City Council — for the second year in a row — ratified that memorandum of understanding between […]
Mount Vernon Police Union Says Low Pay Has Led To Dozens Of Officers Leaving For Other Departments
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — The police union in Mount Vernon says a wave of officer departures is impacting public safety. Mount Vernon welcomed nine new officers in May 2020, fresh out of the academy. Three years later, eight are gone. They left to join departments that pay substantially more. Continue reading at www.cbsnews.com
Stockton Police Union Warns Public Of Continuing Officer Shortage
There are currently 364 officers on the force, but the department is authorized for 485, according to the department. The Stockton Police Officers Association point out a number of police units are understaffed and in need of more officers. “I don’t think the community needs to be so afraid that they can’t go about their […]
Lawsuit: Police Union Claims PERS Lied About Cost Of Retirement Proposal
The Las Vegas Police Protective Association filed a lawsuit claiming the Nevada Public Employee’s Retirement System gave misleading information to lawmakers that a bill addressing retirement benefits would cost nearly $82 million. The union, which covers the rank and file officers of the Metropolitan Police Department, worked with legislators to develop Assembly Bill 351, which would create […]
Former Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Fraud For Working Security Job While On Duty
WASHINGTON — The former vice chairman of the of the D.C. Police Union has pleaded guilty to time and attendance fraud after an investigation found that he was working a second job as security at a grocery store. According to court documents, Medgar Webster Sr., 52, worked a second job at Whole Foods while on the […]
D.C. Police Lieutenant Indicted On Charge Of Tipping Off Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio About Arrest
WASHINGTON — A Metropolitan Police Department lieutenant who supervised the intelligence branch of the Washington, D.C., police was indicted this week, charged with tipping off former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio about a pending warrant for his arrest just ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Tarrio, the former chair of the […]
Overworked, Understaffed: Austin Firefighters Pick Up The Slack At The Expense Of Their Mental Health
Bob Nicks has been an Austin firefighter for nearly 40 years, but the job he started off with and the job he has today are very, very different. When he was brought on in 1986, Nicks’ job was simple: fight fire. Now, it’s fight fires, be the first medical professional on the scene, manage inventory, […]
New Program Hopes To Get Colorado Firefighters To Enroll In Cancer Registry
Colorado firefighters are being asked to take part in an effort to reduce cancer in their profession. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a cancer registry and wants all firefighters to enroll online. Cancer is the leading cause of occupational deaths among firefighters, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters. At the […]
Hiring Emerges As Top Priority For St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office
DULUTH — When Matt Miranda first applied for a job in the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office in 2014, he and fellow applicants filled a lecture hall at the University of Minnesota Duluth to take the written examination. Miranda had two years of experience as a ranger with the Minneapolis Park Police Department and another […]
Central NY Deputy Fire Chief Suspended After Admitting He Had Sex On Duty Is Back On Payroll
City of Oswego, N.Y. — A city of Oswego deputy fire chief who was suspended after admitting he had sex in his office while on duty is now back on the city payroll while the city tries to fire him, the mayor said. Joseph Smegelsky was given disciplinary charges from the fire department on April […]
Police Union Warns Southern Nevada Could See End Of 24/7 Coverage If Lawmakers Don’t Act
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Federal and state efforts are underway to prevent a crisis in staffing levels with Nevada’s law enforcement agencies. On May 3, the Nevada Police Union (NPU) issued a stark warning that Nevada State Police would have to end 24/7 coverage of Washoe County highways due to continued staffing issues. Continue reading at […]
Richmond Police Officers Vote To Join Local, Independent Police Union
Richmond Police Department officers made a pivotal step toward being represented by a union Monday, after voting to have the Richmond Coalition of Police enter contract negotiations with the City of Richmond. The city now has five days to raise objections regarding the election. If there are no objections RCOP will then enter negotiations over […]
Growing San Diego Police Officer Vacancies Prompt Chief And Union To Call For New Recruiting Campaign
San Diego’s growing rash of police officer vacancies is prompting calls for the city to spend over 12 times more money on recruitment than Mayor Todd Gloria proposed in his budget for the coming fiscal year. The vacancies, which surpassed 200 in April, have been blamed for slower response times to non-emergency calls, less proactive […]
Police Chief Was Wrongly Fired, Jury Decides
BANGOR, MI – A jury has found a city retaliated when it fired a police chief who reported sexual harassment. Bangor Police Chief Hothman Misane was awarded just over $1.2 million in damages by a jury May 10, after a two-day trial in U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan. The jury found then-Mayor Darren Williams and […]
Officer Charged In Henderson Hit-And-Run Back To Work
A former Henderson police union president returned to work this week despite facing an ongoing hit-and-run court case. On Oct. 13, Gary Hargis is suspected of striking a motorcyclist while driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee near the intersection of Greenway Road and Van Wagenen Street. Police said an SUV registered to Hargis’ wife crossed into […]
‘This Is Ridiculous’: Retention Bonuses For Cleveland Police Officers Still Unpaid
Officers are wondering what happened to the retention bonuses of up to $3,000 promised to them, aimed at keeping them on the police force in the city of Cleveland. Last year, the state of Ohio provided grant money to the city, and city council took action in December to accept the grant. Yet the officers […]
Prosecutors Recommend 5+ Years For Ex-State Police Association Of Massachusetts President, Union Lobbyist
Attorneys have filed warring ideas of what penalty is appropriate for the fraud-filled mess the former leader of the State Police union and its chief lobbyist made. Former State Police Association of Massachusetts President Dana Pullman, 60, of Worcester, and lobbyist Anne Lynch, 72, of Hull, were convicted in federal court in November of one […]
San Antonio Voters Overwhelmingly Reject Prop A
Proposition A, the wide-ranging police reform measure also known as the Justice Charter, went down in flames Saturday night, with a wide margin of voters casting a ballot against the measure. Opponents began celebrating just minutes after early vote totals posted. Continue reading at www.sanantonioreport.org
U.S. Orders Indiana City To Pay $672K In Back Overtime To Firefighters, EMS Providers
GARY, Ind. — The U.S. Department of Labor announced Tuesday it had ordered the city of Gary to pay $672,000 in overtime back pay owed to 172 firefighters and paramedics, according to a press release. “It’s good the city is paying the firefighters correctly, that when errors are made, it’s taken care of,” Gary Fire Chief Sean O’Donnell said Tuesday. Continue reading at […]
Longtime LA Firefighter Fired For Not Getting COVID-19 Vaccine
A longtime engineer with Los Angeles Fire Department says he got fired for not electing to take the coronavirus vaccine. “I love my job,” said Matt Mammone, now-former LA city firefighter. “I feel like I poured my heart into it. Promoted to rank of engineer. I got to drive the fire engine. Got to do a lot of […]
State Basic Police Academy Seeks To Increase Class Sizes, Add Night Courses To Address Backlog
With an average wait of more than six months for police recruits to attend Oregon’s 16-week basic training courses, the state academy wants to add evening instruction and increase class sizes. The state Department of Public Safety Standards & Training has proposed expanding its 20 basic police training classes from 40 students each to 60 students, adding […]