PRESIDENT'S POST

KEITH R. GEORGE

In the last issue of the “Rapsheet” we discussed the 3 R’s, Recruitment, Retention, and Respect. Management has seemed to focus heavily on the recruitment aspect of the current conditions in our profession and somewhat ignored the other two. The recruitment crisis will continue, especially with all of the lateral transfers. Remember, of the 895 officers hired last year, almost half were lateral transfers. This is an unsustainable model. As one member of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police confessed, “We can only steal from each other for so long.” If your agency is looking to add lateral transfers, you need to contact your chapter attorney and issue a demand to bargain immediately. The addition of lateral transfers/hires will most likely have an impact on your current benefits and working conditions. The good news is that many employers have reached out to the union in advanced and we were able to provide additional benefits to current employees. That is where the retention portion of this equation comes in. Many employers have not reached out to the union or the local chapter to bargain for additional benefits. Employers must realize the pool of public employees is only so big –the labor market demands increased wages and benefits to attract and retain the best and the brightest.

To add to the recruitment and retention problem this was released in September 2022:

Illinois is one of the most dangerous states to be a police officer, according to the FBI. Moreover, Illinois is the third-most dangerous state to be cop. Between 2012 and 2022, there have been a total of 33 officer fatalities. Of those fatalities, 19 officers died accidentally while 14 were victims of homicide.

The most common fatal accidents in the last decade were traffic related; officers struck while conducting traffic stops or dying from injuries suffered in vehicle crashes. Officers who were victims of homicide were killed during ambushes, domestic violence calls, and activeshooter situations.

Illinois is ranked behind Louisiana and Mississippi. Louisiana logged 47 officer deaths in the last 10 years.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2022, police officer is 19th on its list of the 31 most dangerous jobs in America.

So far this year, 141 officers have been shot across the country. Twenty-one have died from their wounds.

Finally, concerning the Retention/Respect issue. In a meeting with the Illinois Chiefs of Police, it was brought to their attention that the Safe-T Act decertification/ licensing issue may have an impact on retention. The idea was quickly dismissed; however, we now are seeing the first decertification cases being filed. In one recent case, the officer was decertified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board after being charged with an offense, no conviction, no diversion agreement, no supervision, just charged. A letter to the Illinois Training and Standards Board appealing the officer’s decertification and requesting a hearing was simply denied. No hearing, no appeal, nothing! Makes you wonder what happened to “due process,” doesn’t it?

The sponsors of the Safet-T Act regularly referred to police officers as professionals like doctors and lawyers, so they should be subject to the same licensing provisions. You know what doctors and lawyers get, yep, a hearing or review, often by their peers. To be clear, MAP will continue to fight for the rights of our members and carefully consider all avenues, including litigation. Our aggressive legal defense posture is included in your monthly dues and will not cost our members, who are in good standing, anything additional.

On a side note, I wanted to personally thank everyone who attended our Union Steward Training on October 4th. The training was well attended by our chapter representatives, and we received rave reviews regarding the content and presentation by all our MAP Attorneys. The ability of our skilled Labor Attorneys to share their knowledge and expertise, concerning current labor issues, was interesting and informative! A sincere thank you from all of us.

Stay healthy and safe!!

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY If you are involved in a critical incident or need to contact MAP for any emergency, call 630-905-0663.