In 2014, Riverside County, California, debated installing an Automated Vehicle Locator (AVL) system on some or all of the vehicles used by the Riverside Sheriff’s Department. Once installed onto a vehicle, the AVL system uses GPS near real-time information about the vehicle’s course, velocity, and location. The Department asked the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association (RSA) for…
On May 19, 2007, two fire trucks from the city of Waterbury, Connecticut were among other fire rescue vehicles responding to a report of a kitchen fire on Eastern Avenue in Waterbury. Joseph Fischetti operated Engine 12 while John Keane rode in the front passenger seat. William Mahoney operated Truck 1. As the two trucks…
A directive from the Mayor of Methuen, Massachusetts removing take-home vehicles from police commanders has been rescinded by an arbitrator. The evidence presented suggested that take-home vehicles were given to police commanders since at least 2002; however, the parties’ collective bargaining agreement was silent on the subject. Local 17 of the New England Police Benevolent…
Frank Gerardi and Stephen Vitka were fire inspectors for the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Their job duties included inspecting buildings located throughout the city for compliance with applicable fire codes. The City provided Gerardi and Vitka with city-owned vehicles to use in the performance of their duties. In May 2007, the City acquired new vehicles…
Since the 1970s, police officers working for the City of Port Huron, Michigan have been assigned to take-home vehicles. When the City issued a new order eliminating the take-home vehicle policy, the Police Officers Association of Michigan, representing the officers, sought arbitration over the issue. An arbitrator sided with the Association and ordered the restoration…
The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) represents a bargaining unit popularly referred to as “the Gold Unit” made up of lieutenants and majors in the City of Marion, Ohio Police Department. There are approximately 17 employees in the bargaining unit. Four are majors and 13 are lieutenants. In 2000, the Department decided to permit four…
The collective bargaining agreement between the Town of Warminster, Pennsylvania and the Warminster Township Police Benevolent Association (PBA) contains a clause requiring the Town to reimburse employees for the use of their personal vehicles and pay other expenses associated with official business. For many years, the Town had applied the clause to allow reimbursement for…
