Buy outs are coming and the young are taking the helm

For the first time since the economy went south, the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office is looking to cut staff through buyouts.

And Sheriff Ric Bradshaw intends on starting with upper management.

Right on time for Christmas, Bradshaw’s office sent out 117 letters to personnel above the rank of sergeant with more than 20 years in the agency to ask if they’d be interested in a buyout.

As of yesterday, 62 employees — lieutenants, captains, majors and their civilian equivalent — responded they’d be willing. The salaries vary between $105,000 a year to about $160,000, plus benefits.

Bradshaw, however, didn’t include buyout details, nor did he reveal how many bodies he needs. But if there aren’t enough volunteers, he could extend the offer to the ranks of sergeant and below. There’s no word yet on whether the sheriff would force anyone out, but the agency may have to come up with as much as $50 million in savings.

Palm Beach County Manager Bob Weisman said the county may have to slash its budget by $100 million. And he told commissioners that it’d be fair for PBSO to absorb half.

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“PBSO’s total budget is $490 million,” Weisman said. “That’s $200 million than county government. County government has more employees (4,500 to PBSO’s 3,000) but he (Bradshaw) pays his people higher salaries. Buyouts could be a good idea, if he doesn’t replace the employees who leave.”

Said Col. Michael Gauger, PBSO’s second in command: “We haven’t formulated anything yet. We do need to save.”

Gauger said that the buyouts aren’t a way to “clean house.” Contrary to other incoming sheriffs who’d demote or move along staffers as soon as they were sworn in, Bradshaw had kept many of the same people in place when he took over in 2005.

“It’s not a house cleaning,” Gauger said. “Some positions will not be filled. But for some positions, there are many with a lot of potential waiting in the wings.”

Rumors about the buyout package is that the current salaries of the volunteers would be paid for two years, with a lifetime of free health insurance. That has made some in the rank and file grumble that they, too, would like buyouts.

“I hope the sheriff will open this to the sergeants and deputies,” said union rep John Kazanjian. “But I’ve heard it’s going to be one year salary with health insurance.”

The norm in the private sector buyouts usually has been two weeks of salary per year worked in a company.

If this is truly a cost cutting thing, that's great. The Sheriff's Office should do their fair share. However it would also be a quiet way of getting rid of MV and PK out since they can't be offered it alone.

BTW what's MV up to since his FMLA time period has passed?

Wondering the halls in plain clothes and keeping tobacco companies in business.

the young guys are coming ??? ahahaha .. dream on .. another massive waste of time.

These so-called "buy-outs" almost never work out, and this one will be a total fail as well. The bottom line is that only a teeny-tiny miniscule number of people ever take the buy-outs, and these were LEO's leaving regardless.

The guy who wrote the Post article (and the people commenting later) are clueless.

They don't realize that unless a guy has 25 consecutive years on the job, he can't even consider a buy-out no matter how generous the offer because of the huge penalty involved to his pension. So if the SO does their usual stupid move of having a tiny window to accept the offer, and a rush-job deadline for officers to leave, then they'll get the usual near zero response. But secondly, and more importantly, they don't understand cop psychology even a little bit, in that ours is not a job - but a career/lifestyle: and you don't just drop a lifelong career "suddenly" with only a few months to prepare mentally for it. That's why the takers of these buyouts are the guys that were already winding down their careers - both literally and psychologically.

As usual, the PB Post story is total crap, but manages to stir the pot with ugly comments.

EASY DOES IT THERE DR PHIL WANT TO BE. PUT ALL YOUR PSYCHOLOGY DEGREES AWAY AND PULL OUT YOUR HANDY DANDY FRS BOOK. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE ATLEAST 25 YRS OF SERVICE TO PULL THE PLUG. YOU CAN GET OUT WITH LESS THAN THAT IF YOU MEET THE AGE REQUIREMENT. YOU HAVE OTHER OPTIONS IF YOU ARE IN THE INVESTMENT OPTION TOO. AND IF YOU ARE CLOSE TO MEETING FULL RETIREMENT REQUIREMENTS AND YOU DONT MIND TAKING THE 5% HIT PER YEAR SHORT OF THE REQUIREMENT THEN THAT MAY WORK TOO. TRY TO SHAKE OFF YOUR NEGATIVITINESS AND GIVE IT A TRY BEFORE CALLING IT A FAILURE ALREADY.

While your point about those over 55 years of age with 20 plus years of service is valid; the rest of your response makes some valid points, but you still miss the mark because:

The vast majority of old timers are not in the stock-market investment (gambler's) option, but in the traditional FRS plan. And also, the penalty for under 55 years of age retirement is 5% per year ... so unless the old timer is 53 or 54 years old, he ain't taking that kind of hit for one year's pay -- no way - no how. Sorry, but you won't get a 45 to 52 year old Captain or LT out the door with a buy-out that does not consider this. Well, that is unless they are ALREADY facing termination or indictment.

But no need to argue about this really, we will find out soon enough; andt I bet'cha no more than 2 or 3 take it out of the 60 plus offered... ;-)

All the Sheriff would have to say is, "Do you want to retire as a Major, or do your current job as a Capt?". Sheriff would have to so this ONLY to one of them, once the other hear it they all would line up like Lemmings.....


End of story, the medical costs are the kicker..... as one of the "retreads" wandering the halls in civilly clothes what their med costs are after retiring.... unreal.

THE MED INSURANCE WILL BE THE FACTOR. I HEAR A LOT OF THE OLD TIMERS *****ING ABOUT THE HEALTH INSURANCE AND THE COST. SO IF IT IS TRUE THAT ITS FREE FOR LIFE. TAKE IT. NO MATTER IF THERE IS A PLENLTY THAT WOULD MAKE UP FOR THE DIFFERNCE. WE GOT TO DO SOMETHNG ABOUT THE HEALTH INSURANCE.

All the Sheriff would have to say is, "Do you want to retire as a Major, or do your current job as a Capt?". Sheriff would have to so this ONLY to one of them, once the other hear it they all would line up like Lemmings.....


End of story, the medical costs are the kicker..... as one of the "retreads" wandering the halls in civilly clothes what their med costs are after retiring.... unreal.

So the moves someone from Major to captain.......the sheriff cant touch his/her pay......Less responsibility and the same money??? How is that cost effective???

buyouts not a bad idea.....with one carrot....retire with the buyout but you can not be employed by any other FRS system for 5 years....that could change alot of minds.

I'M GLAD THE LEGISLATURE PLACED A CLAUSE IN FRS AFTER RETIREMENT. WE HAVE A PROBLEM AT THE AGENCY NOW WITH PEOPLE COMING BACK AFTER RETIREMENT MAKING MORE MONEY WHEN THEY WERE EMPLOYED HERE. JUST LOOK AT THE C.I.T UNIT.

Can we all pitch in and buy out that pain in the A** Bianchi?

One huge pot of wasted cash is for our County's over-paid, over-rated PBFR. Glorified paramedics at most. How about cutting that 3% raise they are getting and make them cut the same amount from their budget as the Sheriff's Office. I also hope there will be no building of new county parks and golf courses so contracts can pad the pockets of the special interests of the county commissioners.

The citizens need to understand that the "Oh-so Great" firemen stage their expensive trucks down the street while the Cops go in and take care of business. These guys are riding the Post 911 FDNY sacrifices which is pire BS. I equate PBCFR pay with the parity in pay corrections receives.