ALL NMB EMPLOYEES

on average 150 officers a year get killed. sorry if 11 oil rig workers got killed in a ONE time freak accident so as you say stop playing the oil rig card stupid. by the way do you ride a bike? if not 11 oil rig workers died producing oil for whatever piece of garbage you roll in. you losers and your oil rig comments are whats funny. the city is run by incompetent idiots much like yourself mr get real. it's not our fault that they let our pension that we contribute so much to almost go under. so play with the numbers all you want the fact remains that we pay way more than any other pd's for our pensions. and just because you were most likely beaten and abused as a child does not mean that we cant go home and have a nice meal and play games with our kids. you really sound pathetic when you bring kids into this. have a great day and we'll see you at the bp the next time i'm gassing up my car. oh thats right we get free gas at the rear of the station.

Some of you guys are actually educated and are probably worth the high salaries and most of the benefits you get paid, but, as you can tell by some of the comments posted, some of you guys must have paid someone to get your G.E.D. Ok, so you pay 11% of your salary into your pensions, thats about in-line with what other City employees pay in most of the municipalies in Dade and Broward Counties. The financial report quoted was for the year 2009. The economy has really tanked just within the past year making that "slight decrease' turn into a "large decrease". I agree with you that it seems City management is being run by a bunch of idiots. Thats because certain people were chosen for positions based upon conditions other than their competancy. The city manager, while appearing to be a nice guy, has a hard time comprehending that he needs to cut the largess that is located throughout the budget. Pensionable $9000 car allowances are just one example. i can also tell you that way more than 150 oil workers have been kiled both onshore and offshore the U.S. in the past year and a similiar number of coal miners too, and thats just in the U.S. High-rise construction workers, fisherman, loggers, 7-11 employees, and heavy industry careeers are considerably more dangerous than being a police officer. Any one walking the streets of Miami or any other major city is also putting themselves in harms way too. Focus on the issue at hand and quit using the "putting your life on the line" card that you convienently pull out when you can't understand the financial implications of an over-the-top pension burden. Previous city councils may have promised you the world and you banked on it, however, since times change, and so do contracts, the contract renewal must include pension consessions from all employees. The council did lower their pay (they get less than $25,000 per year anyway) and many of them have asked the city manager and attorney to take cuts too. 11 cents a mile and no raise is not a concession.

@Guest..so 11 cents a mile and no raise is not good enough for you? So what do you want? My first born? You, along with the STP, are being completely ridiculous when you attack us publically and cowardly behind a computer. You keep saying that we hide behind the line "WE PUT OUR LIVES AT RISK EVERYDAY" and that we should basically stop crying and suck it up....You gotta compare apples to apples.. you give examples of oil workers and other high risk jobs where workers lose their lives...those are accidents at work, where unfortunately workers have lost their lives in a work related accident. Well when you got armed subjects who just opened up on an Officer with an AK-47 after committing an armed robbery or tried to run an Officer over with your 90,000 dollar Mercedes they just stole from your driveway, that is not an accident!!!! Yea, Miguel selling oranges and churros at a busy intersecton in Hialeah has a high risk of being run over by a drunk driver, but he does not face the everyday dangers and high risk decision making situations that an Officer has to face on a daily basis. The problem is "YOU PEOPLE" have had a silver spoon in your mouth your whole life and have absolutely no idea what so ever what its like to be on the streets dealing with society's scum or what its like to bust your ass at work to pay the mortgage. I bet you my salary that you have no clue as to the crime stats or types of crimes that are committed in our city every day.... If you did you would probably move to Sunny Isles or Aventura or never go west of Biscayne Blvd ever again. Why dont you step up to the plate and come on a ride along with any one of us and see what its like to walk in our shoes... Ride along Applications are located at the front desk of our lobby. Dress appropriately and be on time.

After reading this blog, I cannot fathom the ignorance that is being portrayed by the citizens of North Miami Beach. I lived in NMB my entire life and have recently moved. As a wife of an officer and a public school teacher, I am disheartened by the lack of respect for the officers that work the streets day in and day out. What bothers me most is that the citizens feel the officers deserve less than what they have. These are hard times and they have worked for what they have. I have never been rich, and I definitely did not become a teacher for the money or the benefits. The same goes for my husband, a police officer. These are public servant professions that only those who choose to work them will.

Those of you who continue to belittle the officers and say that their job is not dangerous, that other people are more at risk of losing their lives than the courageous men and women who protect your streets, your home, your car, your children walking to and from school, and whenever you feel threated; are IGNORANT! The next time my husband goes to work, I want you to tell his daughter that if daddy doesn't come home safe, its not because his job isnt safe, its not because he didnt risk his life for other strange people he doesnt know, its because he chose to serve people who cared less of what he does. The next time my husband goes to work, I want you to tell his daughter that daddy didnt put his life on the line for other people. That he chose his profession and he has to suck it up!

I totally disagree with what the council and the city is doing to these officers because times are tough. It is also tough for the officers. If you think they are not suffering supporting their families, you must be mistaken. Some of their spouses DO work and are public servants and are offended by those who think we are rich. I'm offended by those citizens who think taking a pay cut and all of the other reductions the city is proposing is suitable for people who risk their life everyday for YOU! And yes, they RISK their life everyday, and if you think any less, you are a complete idiot!

don't let these ignorant pieces of cowardly garbage bother you. the last guest is obviously a disgruntled coward who likes to watch cop shows on tv but is to much of a coward to be a cop. he talks about education but then shows how uneducated and ignorant he is when he compares us to 7-11 workers and fisherman. he's obviously a sack-less coward who would dump in his pants if confronted by an armed subject. don't worry coward you can call us when you can't stand up for yourself. we'll be there for your cowardly a$$. by the way coward lets hear about the 150 oil workers killed in the u.s. in the past year you uneducated moron. please post the stats on that for all of us to see. coward.

Whether or not a job in law enforcement is more or less dangerous than castrating sheep in Ireland is not the point.

Not only did the city agree to provide pension benefits to its officers, the negotiations were completely one-sided because the city attorney served double duty and also "represented" the pension pro bono (free of charge) in those negotiations. Yes, you heard me, for years the officers rights were being looked after by an attorney bought and paid for by the city and this attorney allegedly looked after the best interests of the officers despite the fact they were not paying him a thin dime. That is like having your soon-to-be-ex-wife's attorney represent you pro bono in your divorce. Imagine if you ever agreed to such a ridiculous arrangement and then imagine how unsympathetic you would be if your wife came back years later crying about how she got screwed in your divorce!!! Well, that is precisely what the city is doing here regarding the pension; they agreed to provide officers with certain pension benefits and now they are trying to renege on the agreement they made.

If you want to talk about taxes then don't just focus on the last few years, let's have a comprehensive talk about taxes and let's also discuss tax revenues over the last decade when the city robbed the taxpayers blind. Year after year property values soared and yet year after year the city's millage rate remained a rock-steady 7.50, the max the law would allow. The city's tax revenues more than doubled in less than a decade and the city was so unfair in its tax collection that the state stepped in and imposed the maximum cut on the greedy politicians of NMB. Is that not true?

In the city's FY07 report they admittedly used the tax revenues to "double" their capacity to produce water. Again, is that not true?

In the city's FY09 report their Net Assets increased 15.6%. True or false?

The police union realizes that economic times are tough and we are willing to be reasonable in reaching a solution, but that doesn't mean that we are going to turn a blind eye to the truth or allow the city to steal from us the way they stole from the taxpayers of this city over the last decade. No, sir.

In the meanwhile, we will continue to perform our job the only way we know how...as professionals.

The last blog was well said, however you also made my point. The previous Councils, the same ones who some of you hold in such high esteem, did rob the taxpayers blind. The $28,000 a year fully paid health care packages, the no-questions-asked "medical reimbursement" for out of pocket expenses such as Botox injections, etc. and the double paychecks people like the former city attorney were receiving from the City and U.M at the same time, and then the wholesale giveaways of never used (that should have been charged) leave time are just some of the many legalized thefts of the taxpayers money. No one on the present council wants to take away anything that was previous negotiated in a contract. They are not even looking for wage concessions as far as I am aware. What they do want and need to do is, going forward, renegotiate the terms and conditions of FUTURE PENSION contributions. Take-home police cars were never allowed until the last decade or so. They were added as a perk in your contracts. When they were, police cars cost $20k and gas was $1.50 a gallon. Now the cars cost $40k and gas is $3 a gallon. Who should be responsible for paying this increase? The taxpayers or the police officers or both? While I admire your brotherhood of life-on-the-line, pat on the back, worlds finest, etc , etc, catchy phrases, many of you do not realize that everyone is in the same boat. I too work for a living, don't make a million dollars don't live in Eastern Shores, have children, and my job has its risks too so why many of you think that you're so unique and being picked on is beyond me. To date, not one of you has suffered a pay cut, on the contrary, even though many things are deflating such as mortgage rates and real estate, you guys still bring home a much higher than average paycheck. I'm not in the camp that says you don't deserve it, or that your pay should be cut, but I believe, you and every other employee, has to make concessions on the pension in your new contract. Same with the T/H cars, you guys need to pay more than .11 cents a mile for that. Pension contributions and promises should be tied to the ability to pay them, and not just at election time. Speaking of professionaism, you guys need to police your own ranks because a few of you arn't too professional. The GED'ers comments are taking away from those of you who are articulate and who graduated high school and college.

AS REQUESTED:
Based on the latest BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statisitics) data, and primary professional dangers noted by the BLS and Forbes, the following jobs have the highest fatality rates in the U.S.

1) Fishers and Fishing Workers
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 142
Total Deaths: 51
Dangers: Work in all kinds of weather, often hundreds of miles from shore with no help readily available; crew members risk falling on slippery decks, leading to serious injuries or falling overboard; potential hazards include malfunctioning fishing gear and becoming entangled in nets.

2) Pilots and Flight Engineers
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 88
Total Deaths: 101
Dangers: Risky conditions are most acute for test pilots, who check equipment for new, experimental planes, as well as crop dusters, who are exposed to toxins and sometimes lack a regular landing strip; helicopter pilots often engage in dangerous rescue.

3) Loggers
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 82
Total Deaths: 64
Dangers: Loggers are susceptible to high winds, falling branches and hidden roots or vines that present great risks around chain saws and other heavy equipment.

4) Iron and Steel Workers
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 61
Total Deaths: 36
Dangers: Most work at considerable heights, with the greatest cause of injury or death coming from falls.

5) Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 42
Total Deaths: 38
Dangers: Some also work at great heights, occasionally in extreme weather; often, workers are exposed to fumes and hazardous materials that can impair their respiratory systems.

Rounding out the top 10 U.S. jobs with the highest fatality rates: farmers and ranchers (38 deaths for every 100,000 workers); electrical power line workers (35/100,000); roofers (34/100,000); drivers (truckers and salespeople) (27/100,000); and agricultural workers (22/100,000).

Of the 5,703 fatal work injuries last year, 5,202 occurred in private industry. Manufacturing fatalities were up 14 percent in 2006.


Resources

Bureau of Labor Statistics

That's a great post BUT, not one of those jobs has had as many deaths as PO's. In fact the closest is actually number 2 on the list with 101 total deaths recorded. Plus it does not account for the fights, aggravated assaults, battery's, bites, and a slew of other offenses that are committed against PO's daily. So nice try Jorge but once again your argument holds no weight.

Does that failure bring back painful memories for you when you tried out to be a PO?

By the way did you ever thank our officer for recovering your gun after it was stolen from you? :devil:

Now on the issue of take home cars, how bout we do like the firefighters. We give up the take home cars, and in an effort to help this city with the constant arguement of their gas expense, we respond from the station. We can have like 7 cars and when a call goes out we can respond from the station. When there is no calls, we can hang out at the station and work out, watch television, eat, read a book, or whatever else we want. I am not going to pay for gas to respond to calls for duesch bags like Bert & Ernie (Jorge). Like the old saying, you get what you pay for!!!