After my guest column ran in the Dallas Morning News, I was
surprised when I checked my inbox and found several emails from readers. Some
were supportive, some were informative and some were, well, mean.
I understand opinions.
I understand dissention.
I understand a free exchange of ideas.
I do not understand mean.
Just like I don’t understand how we got to the point where
the top priority for city leaders is not public safety but rather improving
Dallas’ sliding negative credit and pushing the mayor’s transformational
projects.
I do not understand why the city of Dallas refuses to pursue
any revenue stream that will shore up the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Fund.
Raise taxes? No. Allocate DART funds? No. Secure Pension Bonds? No. Divert money from the mayor’s multi-million
dollar transformational projects? No.
These naysayers and pension mess has started to take a toll
on public safety.
Earlier this month, the fire department administered an
entrance exam for prospective firefighters and paramedics. Usually more than 1,000 candidates show up
for testing. This time only 398 people took the test.
According to the city and news reports, 201 police officers have
left since October 1, and that number is expected to double before
the fiscal year is out. That will be the most officers to leave in decades, and the first
time in nine years that the police force has dropped below 3,100 officers. In
2011, there were 3,690.
Meanwhile,
the number of citizens and calls for help continue to grow. Officers have
reported holding low priority calls for seven hours because the police
department is short staffed, and the understaffed emergency call center with
its recent technology and staffing snafus has placed hundreds of emergency
callers on hold.
I
do not understand why any of this is OK.
First
responders are leaving and the no one is coming because of this mess. Why would
you work for a city that doesn't pay a fair wage, breaks all their promises, and
threatens your retirement?
This
is a 5-alarm public safety crisis.
What
good are all the parks, the businesses, the bridges, or the neighborhoods if
you do not have your first responders there to ensure your safety so you can walk
through your parks, drive across those bridges and live in your
neighborhoods?
Why
would the city of Dallas continue down this path leaving us to wonder just how
many police and firefighters will be left to answer the call?
I will
never understand why we even have to ask that question.
#backthepension #PoundOfFlesh #savethepension
4 comments:
This is all true. The Mayor cares nothing about public safety because it will not effect him. As in the past it will be the southern sectors of the city that suffer. In the past manpower was relocated to the northern sectors when there was a shortage. Unfortunately we know what will fill the void. Also if the younger officers believe that the "New Plan" will be there for them they are sadly mistaken--less money going in by the city-34% of base pay only and fewer officers participating--set to fail. Also the Mayor doesn't care that the people effected are in their late 60 70 and 80. Not a great job market and also most have some health issue. Also I wonder how many retires are living in retirement homes, assisted living and how the cutting of their pensions will adversely effect this.
I have notified my City Council representative of my concerns. While I trust he is doing his best to minimize Mayor Rawlin's, he can't do it alone. I don't agree with everything Phillip Kingston stands for, but I do for most of them. The jury is still out whether he knows of the real danger this city is facing with the loss of public safety officers. Dallas you better wake up and slow this Mayor down. He has done more to harm this city of ours than all combined in the 49 years I have lived here. Educate yourself and support your city council representatives to stop Mayor Rawlin's.
I joined the Dallas Fire Department on August 1, 1965. I rode the backend of the apparatus where new men typically rode. The officer and the nozzle man had self contained breathing apparatus( bottled air) the #3 and#4 man had only mine masks which did not filter the hot fire gasses. I was promoted to driver and assigned to ambulance 706 and rode that ambulance until I made Lieutenant in 1978. I was assigned to engine 3 and remained there until 1981 when I was promoted to Captain and was transferred to station 4 at Cadiz and akard. I rode 4 truck until I was transferred to 57 eng and then to training where I retired on January 1, 2000. My wife who was a school teacher retired the year before. I have been retired 17 years. I took the pension I was offered by the city of Dallas. I didn't hang my head because during my 34. 1/2 yrs I had been assaulted, cursed, shot at, burned and overcome by smoke in service to the city I loved and it's citizens who I respected. I had a heart attack aortic aneurism. I'm now 72 years old and not in the best of health. Granted I ate too many chicken fried steaks but some of this possibly could be job related. I did not apply for a service disability because I knew it was a hazardous occupation when I took the job in 1965! Now I can't get a job driving a school bus because of my heart. I can't be a Walmart Greeter because I am unable to stand for hours
Now what am I to do when my pension I earned is about to be drastically reduced. I don't want a hero bar! I'm just asking that Dallas stand behind the pension I was offered so my declining years aren't spent in poverty. Mayor Rawlings says he just wants "bodies"! If he gets his wish my suffering will be short lived because of my age and health but the citizens of Dallas will pay dearly for much longer. My main concern is the honesty of these "bodies" I knew my men and they could be trusted 24/7. Will they do CPR on one of your children without relief ,will they take your mothers necklace when no one is looking. A Fireman can enter your home on a perceived threat. Will you trust these "bodies" to do just that without seeing something they want. Only time will tell! What do you think?
The unfortunate firefighters that are too old to go somewhere else and still need a few years to retire....now to nothing will have to work til they're seventy at the fire department or longer or never retire and die under the station.
Rawlings you're the devil.
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