Letter: Officers ARE leaving for greener pastures — that’s the problem

Posted 11/4/21

Last week’s Phoenix contained a letter to the editor criticizing my opinion on the low police officer salaries in Bristol, and it appears that letter writer missed my point. What I was …

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Letter: Officers ARE leaving for greener pastures — that’s the problem

Posted

Last week’s Phoenix contained a letter to the editor criticizing my opinion on the low police officer salaries in Bristol, and it appears that letter writer missed my point. What I was stressing is summed up in the final quote by that letter writer, which was “The bottom line is, if you are not satisfied with your present pay, you can quit and move on to greener pastures.”

Unfortunately, that is precisely what has been happening in Bristol for a number of years — police officers quitting the Bristol force and taking jobs with other police departments or private sector jobs that pay much more. You do not have to be a mathematician to realize you would have to work many extra overtime shifts or details in Bristol just to equal the base salary of many other departments, and these Bristol officers are doing the math and leaving in alarming numbers.

Also, the officers that are leaving are not veteran command staff members getting ready to retire, but they are younger officers who are the backbone of the department and have not yet become vested in their pension, and basically have very little to lose and much to gain by leaving Bristol for other departments or other occupations. And when these young officers quit, the department must go back to square one, starting the recruitment and a long and arduous selection and training process all over again, and hoping the new hires will not leave for “greener pastures.”

The letter writer also continually beats the drum about overtime and road details, and fails to note that officers that work these extra shifts are running themselves ragged, and their health, well being, and family lives are suffering due to the inordinate amount of hours they are working, just to make the same amount of money they would make without any overtime or details in other departments or other occupations.

Finally, while the letter writer complains that his wife only makes minimum wage with no benefits, and feels that Bristol police officers have it so good, he may want to suggest to her that she apply to be a Bristol police officer during their next recruitment drive. While it would obviously be a big improvement compared to her present income, it may open his eyes as to the stress, danger and disrespect that police officers are subjected to every day, and perhaps he will see why Bristol desperately needs to increase the pay for its police officers.

Mike Proto
Bristol

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.