So, as you gaze and look at the above "highlights" consider the following that is not included and factor into this agreement if the membership decides to accept it:
* The Part-Time Program is deleted
* CSA have increased duties including law enforcement activities
* Specialized unit positions do not have to be circularized if the position is for "effective operation of the department"
* The agreement is silent on any of the many changes coming down involving the Police Oversight Commission
*The Home Ownership Payment Program is deleted
* The Lateral Officer Program incentive is deleted
* The Student Loan Forgiveness Program is deleted
* The College Training Program is deleted
* Hires after 7/1/11 that do not live in the city limits of Albuquerque do not get a take home car
* The Officer Retention Program is significantly scaled back from what it was.
Our take on this is it is NOT an investment in the officers who make sacrifices for the city every day. The city asks a lot from it officers, and if this is the product of three years of negotiations, and nearly $100,000 in fees, then it is all too obvious who is in a position of control. 4-10s will never come back. Anything written under a "MOU" is rarely worth the paper it's printed on. And let's be real, any increase in pay came only recently and at the promotion of city council, not the Berry Administration. And why the rush? Weren't we all waiting for yet another UNM pay study?
While the leadership of the APOA, who have helped lead this once great department into the mess that it's in, have endorsed this agreement, we suggest you read the details for yourself and make your own decision. We can say for certain, you will not be in a better place than you are now if you ratify this proposed agreement.
But who knows, Rob Perry got a $33,000 raise, the PTC officers get a $3 raise, so maybe $.39 cents is all the value that our city's police officers hold for themselves.
