City hall's offer to cops is the lowest of the low
City's offer puts cops in a diabolical ethical dilemma worthy of an Orson Scott Card novel; our advice to the cops: send the city manager a response with just three letters -- GFY!

-- John Patten, 12/02/05
-- jpatten@veniceflorida.com

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You have got to be kidding me
I stared at the screen this morning in utter disbelief after reading J.J. Andrews' article on the latest debacle in city hall/FOP negotiations. Negotiated back pay will be issued if the FOP agrees to waive the back pay for three officers that have left the department and for one officer that is out on permanent disability.

From the cops' perspective, this could only be taken one way and one way only -- sell out one of your disabled brothers and we'll give you a nice fat check for the negotiated back pay.

City hall has pulled some dumb and outright dishonest tricks against the cops over the last two years in their negotiations with the police union (the city was caught negotiating with false numbers, e.g.).

But this: this is the lowest of the low.

This is the slimiest damned thing I've yet to see come out of city hall and that says a lot -- the building could have been used repeatedly over the past five years as a location setting for a remake of The Blob without the use of special effects.

The city has sold out a number of employees over the years to cover up dishonesty and unethical acts. But at least city hall did the dirty deeds. Now city hall is asking the cops to do the dirty work and have the blood on their hands.

The city manager clearly has no clue as to how cops think.

While the cops might have little problem with the issue of officers who have left VPD to go on to a better still-earthbound place, like the Sarasota and North Port Police Departments, the idea of selling out a disabled officer is anathema. City hall might just as well have offered to have a pork roast at the Jewish Community Center. Or the city could have just simply placed pigs around town, knowing that there is a small-to-decent-sized Muslim population living here.

Oh wait. The city actually did do that.

DOH!!!!

Having been a law enforcement officer, I can tell you a couple of things. If the VPD cops take this offer, they will be the scourge of law enforcement. They will become the lowest of the low. VPD officers will be hated and reviled by every other cop that knows this story. Want backup on a domestic violence beef from the county? Good luck getting it in a timely fashion. I'm not kidding, it'll really happen, that's the way cops think and that's the way cops act. VPD officers in the field will be no better off than a convicted child molester in an open prison recreation yard. They will have sold out one of their own brothers, one whose need was great. They will not be considered real cops by others who wear badges from other agencies. They will be considered as scum and they will be treated like scum for committing a treasonous act: abandoning an 'officer down.'

The cops know this. I knew it instinctively as soon as I read the story. I couldn't believe that city hall would stoop to this incredible level of stupidity and total lack of understanding, empathy and sensitivity.

My advice to the FOP: send a response letter to City Manager Marty Black that contains only three letters and one exclamation mark:

"GFY!"

Nothing else. No explanation, no counter-offer, nada.

Just "GFY!"

The offer by city hall is so incredibly stupid and insulting that the city deserves no better response. It's also the only response that will ensure continued respect from other cops in other agencies.

John Patten is the head of Web Operations for Creative Pages, and has worked in broadcasting for over 12 years. He can also be incredibly rude at times.