WALT SPECHT: Back the Blue with good pay
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Police, firefighters and EMTs need deserve wages
Walt Specht
Back the Blue. Do it with your vote, your presence at meetings, your support in times of need, your sharing of information and your backing of enough income so they do not have to work two jobs to make ends meet.
It is hard enough to raise a family while being a public servant, let alone doing it on base pay. While we are at it, don’t forget the Firefighters and EMTs. They have a right to equal and fair treatment.
The national mean pay for a first responder is $54,000. We kind of fall short of that. A New York City patrolman starts at $44,000 plus OT and allowances. After five years, they make $95,800 plus OT and allowances. Unlimited sick days, 401 K, good holidays and vacations. Again we seem lacking.
How about training and range time? We want our officers to be good shots, but don’t want to spend the additional paid time and ammunition for them to become one. So, by all means, back the Blue, the Red and the EMT. Just remember to open the municipal wallet so they make a decent living without stretching themselves to the limit.
Plus, let’s remove politics from police work. Deputies shouldn’t have to worry about their job each election cycle. They should be contracted employees with security, not replaceable to make jobs for the friends of a new boss. This habit of rewarding supporters with the jobs of serving public servants has got to stop. Politics has got to be kept out of decisions and staffing.
WALT SPECHT
Leesburg
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