Why do we pay cops so much money?

[puckstopshere]

The reason usually given is because of the danger that they face in their jobs.

In a story on CTV, Police Chief Duncan described the police actions last St. Patrick's night on Fleming Drive in London:

An unlawful assembly is declared and police fall back.

A CTV London news van was soon overturned and set on fire, with the camera person filming and then being escorted to safety in an EMS vehicle.

For another four hours police waited out the rioters, hoping the crowd wouldn’t move towards them and force them to engage.

I thought one of theri jobs was to protect people and property.  What would have happened if rioters had started burning houses?  What would have happened if a homeowner had felt the need to defend their property?  What was the potential for rioters or neighbours being seriously inured or killed?

In my opinion, the London Police failed their duty on Fleming Drive.  We pay many of them over $100,000 a year to face danger and protect us.  Yet, on that night, they chose to back off and be spectators. 

[stevephinn2012]

This may come as a shock to you, but there are other police in Ontario other than TO. If you compare everything to TO then you're always using the high end.

Thanks for going ahead and proving YOURSELF WRONG!  LOL

post 15 (well before you remove it) you posted and i will copy and paste your your enjoyment.

A third year private soldier makes approx 42-50 grand a year. A cop makes in some areas 75 to 100 grand a year, same length of time.

Now I have copied and pasted the payscale for a Toronto police officer (which you state are on the HIGH END. and top rank (well besides the chief) is $86,364 --Thats 15% BELOW what you claim they make in 3 years there. And again you say Toronto is on the HIGH end. Please show us all where a cop after 3 years can make $75 grand a year.?????

[stevephinn2012]

her's yours in London

2013 SALARY AND BENEFITS

Cadet

$38,038

Cadet Recruit (While attending OPC)

$38,038

Constable – 4th Class A

$53,206

Constable – 4th Class B

$58,790

Constable 3rd Class

$66,526

Constable 2nd Class

$75,018

Constable 1st Class   $86,802

(with 8-16 yrs experience) $89,406

(with 17-22 yrs experience)  $92,010

(over 23 yrs experience)   $94,614

over 23 years of experience and still not at your $100G looks like in London a 3rd year cop would make about $59G and that is IF he got his promotions and still be in the line of fire possibly every day while the military are NO WHERE near it.

[pierrelebel]

Be serious guys.

Those tables have little to do with that a police officer receives.  I do not know a single policeman receives only the basic salary.  Most earn a substantial income from overtime - often caused by having to attend court.

For a more factual picture, please take a look at those officers in Toronto earning more than $100,000 in 2011 (2012 numbres should be available next month):

http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/publications/salarydisclosure/2012/munic12f.html  

[valve37]

It makes me wonder too.

They claim to have a dangerous job. but statistics prove that they have a relatively safe work environment.

That may be so in a city like London where backup is minutes away. However for a OPP out on the highway or in the rurals backup time is a different story.

It can be dangerous here at times. My son stopped a vehicle late one night for a traffic violation. About an hour later a description of the vehicle he had stopped came accross the airways. Seems the occupants had just committed an armed robbery. I sked him what would have happened if they had pulled a gun on him. Guess we would have been in a gun fight with me hopefully going home that night was his answer.

[stevephinn2012]

Be serious guys.

Those tables have little to do with that a police officer receives.  I do not know a single policeman receives only the basic salary.  Most earn a substantial income from overtime - often caused by having to attend court.

For a more factual picture, please take a look at those officers in Toronto earning more than $100,000 in 2011 (2012 numbres should be available next month

Pierre you are 100% correct but that includes overtime! are you aware that miltary when they are on tour overseas pay ZERO income tax on any money they are paid while they are there ? Are you also aware that if they do a 6 month tour they get a "leave" at about the 3 month mark where they come home for 2 weeks (or they can have their spouse flown somewhere nice and they can visit there-all paid for)? Are you also aware that when they return they get a TAX FREE bonus of betwen $7,500 and $15,000 ? Are you also aware that once they return since they are considered "on duty" 24/7 while on tour that they get on average 2 months off with full pay before they have to return to their unit?

These figures are also not reported on their "pay-scale"

but for a certain person who "claims" that he pays his employees-the lowest of $46,800 and the highest of $69,000 (of ya and they get profit sharing and he will be leaving the company to them when he retires) to complian that cops are "over paid" for what they do! Well???

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

Those tables have little to do with that a police officer receives.

You're correct. http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/01/23/17004821.html

That may be so in a city like London where backup is minutes away. However for a OPP out on the highway or in the rurals backup time is a different story.

I think the risk is about the same valve, city or rural.

If you compared the possibility of risk, potential harm or death in different professions I think you would find that gas bar workers, variety store clerks, bank employees, truck drivers (especially long haul), construction workers and people who work doors at bars, just to name a few are at a higher risk in many ways, with considerably less to protect themselves, but are paid a Lot less. All I am trying to point out is if we want to compare high risk jobs to wages to compensate those risks through wages then we have to look at all professions people engage in.

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

but for a certain person who "claims"

mikey, is your GPS or Google map not working? Do I have to post signs down the highway with arrows pointing to the correct direction and then sit on the lawn in a garden chair?

and he will be leaving the company to them when he retires

Ya I will. I don't have kids and I sure am not going to leave it to any relatives, so who deserves it more than the employees. You got a problem with that? I don't.

[my3dotties]

One must not forget the tax free earnings made on the side.

You know the media reports 15 lbs MJ confiscated by so and so police force when there really was 25 lbs. just the tip of iceburg.

Had a friend have his gro-op taken down by law enforcement. The night before they finished  processing a  harvest. He said they had 89 lbs of mj on site. A police press release stated 50 lbs ceased.

Hey a badge and gun makes them no better than you or I. 3 kids,2 car payments a mortgage and a wife who likes coco channel purses. Hard to resist

The montreal police are the worst. Racial profiling specialists.

They not only beat you ,they are known for shooting you. Ask any black or native  and their exploits with the frenchmen cops.

Once did the bar circuit in montreal. Got my share of beatings by the badged ones.

Have a couple of good friends who are cops. Generally most of them are useless pieces of crap

W1B-)

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

Yeah there are good cops but they seem to be getting fewer and fewer....it's that ''''attitude'''''. I call it a Starsky and Hutch mentality. Years ago I knocked a guy out. He got too pushy and made the mistake of grabbing my jacket. His girlfriend went ballistic and she called the cops. I wasn't going anywhere, I just sat on the m/c and waited to be arrested. Two cops arrived, I told them what happened, they interviewed the guy and his girlfriend and then.........one of the cops and myself...... went for a coffee. I wish I could remember his name, I'd buy him another one.

That police services teacher I mentioned he said something interesting. He said that he could see a change in the police as soon as they put on their uniform, the black paramilitary one, with the pants and 60 pockets. He said the way they talked and even the way they walked changed.

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

When a cop is accepted into a police force (which by the way is getting more and more difficult) the police services teacher told me that the newbie is assigned to another veteran cop and if that cop has a bad attitude, the newbie often adapts the same attitude. Hopefully no one was ever assigned to your nephew.

[gad_zukes_ca]

Pierre you are 100% correct but that includes overtime! are you aware that miltary when they are on tour overseas pay ZERO income tax on any money they are paid while they are there?

Yeah, no.  Military on tour overseas in a war zone do not pay income tax (like the RCMP). Otherwise, we still pay tax on deployments.

Are you also aware that if they do a 6 month tour they get a "leave" at about the 3 month mark where they come home for 2 weeks (or they can have their spouse flown somewhere nice and they can visit there-all paid for)?

Again, wrong.  A six month deployment allows for two three day passes and may include a week off.  Usually, if they are allowed the week off, travel time does not count against leave, so it could stretch out to 2 weeks, but unlikely. More and more 6 month deployments come with the three day passes and nothing more. 

And I can't get my spouse flown somewhere for an all-expense paid vacation! LOL

What I can do is take the money that would go towards my tcket home and instead meet my wife at a third location. So if my ticket home was worth $1000, I have $1K to pay for my wife's travel expenses.  But the rest of the vacation is my responsibility.

Are you also aware that when they return they get a TAX FREE bonus of betwen $7,500 and $15,000 ?

What is this bonus of which you speak?  Never seen it...maybe I missing out on something...lol.

When I deploy, I am paid a tax-free allowance on a monthly basis, but it is dependent upon the danger rate for the area I deploy into. And it's rated on how many times I have deployed in the past, for how long, and with whom.  In my case, I would see about $1400 per month.  A new soldier on his first deployment would be about $400 per month.

Are you also aware that once they return since they are considered "on duty" 24/7 while on tour that they get on average 2 months off with full pay before they have to return to their unit?

A soldier is always considered on duty 24 and 7. Even when we return from deployments. Normally, after the end of a deployment, there is an effort to allow folks to stay with families, so no courses or deployments away from the unit for a month or two.

But you are not 'off' for two months when you return from a deployment...unless you have accumulated leave to burn off.  Which sometimes happens.  A soldier accumulated leave at the rate of two days off per month, and with no ability to use it on deployment, it could have 12 days off when he returns.  But typically, for the two months after you return from deployment, you are working at the unit, sorting out equipment, maintenance on facilities and getting caught up on all the stuff that needs to get finished from the deployment.  Working after a deployment is an excellent way of dealing with possible stress injuries.  Often, the soldier works a morning shift, then is cut loose for the afternoon for some family time.  Not always, and usually you end up working for most of the day anyway because the kids are at school and the wife works, so sitting around the house alone is not a great option.

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

Thanks for the real world information.

[rbelitnikov2013]

I'm new to this, and perhaps I'm just naive, but what does this have to do with ebay?

[prior-of-verity*shake-hands-with-your-devil]

This is a general social (well most of the time) discussion board where people can discuss any subject. Sometimes eBay is discussed but not all that often. For specific eBay info or help there are other boards in community.