MAILBAG: Police officers deserve their raise

I support the Police Department in its effort on a planned 6% salary increase due in July (“Council, police hit an impasse,” June 17).

The police have the most dangerous job in the city. The rank and file carry a firearm whenever they are on duty, i.e. traffic enforcement, domestic violence or any other call. No police call is the same, and they rarely know what to expect. Their lives are on the line 24/7 and they are willing to do their job knowing the risk at hand. Who on the council would volunteer for their job?

The city’s other safety personnel are firefighters, who are very well paid and who generally go into a situation knowing what to expect. And most of all, they do not carry a firearm while on duty.

Recently, the Fire Department union said they would give up their cost-of-living adjustments, but their logging of thousands of hours of overtime has been well recorded. So will the firefighters add more overtime to make up for the loss in salary?

Former City Council candidate and critic Bruce Philpott came before the council many times last year challenging the way the Fire Department was run, with excess overtime included. Several councilmen at the time dismissed Philpott’s criticism of the department. Will this new council take a second look into the management of the Fire Department as the city faces financial turmoil?

But we also have executive managers making more than $100,000, with some more than $200,000 per year with benefits, who sit behind a desk without any threat to their lives, property and safety.

I believe the City Council has its priorities all wrong. If the council brought in an independent auditor for the Fire Department, how much money could the city save and pass on to the rank and file in the Police Department?

This city is famous for hiring outside consultants. Perhaps it is time to bring forward an independent auditor to see where the city can save additional money.

From what I have been reading, there are too many foxes in the hen house.

MIKE MOHILL

Glendale

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Freedom of expression is key

It has been a few years since I started to read Glendale News-Press and also many articles by columnist Dan Kimber, and sometimes I disagree with him. Other times I have felt close to him in his suggestion to find a way for a common concern of our city, or to evaluate and give advice.