The Syracuse Common Council approved salary increases for city police officers on Monday despite criticisms of the police department’s overtime pay policies and the lack of a residency requirement for officers.

The city will pay $3.2 million to retroactively increase police officers’ 2016 and 2017 salaries. These retroactive payments are often made by the city, but two councilors gave lengthy criticisms of the police department’s policies before issuing their votes.

Councilor at-large Tim Rudd and Councilor Joe Driscoll, of the 5th district, both called on Mayor Ben Walsh’s administration to include a residency requirement for police officers in any future negotiations with the police union. Rudd said that 95 percent of the city’s police officers currently live outside Syracuse.

“I’m not anti-police,” Rudd said, before his no vote. “I like police officers so much I actually want our officers to live in our neighborhoods.”

Rudd said he took issue with the police department’s deployment schedules, which allow officers to work four-day weeks with substantial overtime pay. In 2017, the city paid more than $8.2 million in overtime to the police department’s field services bureau because of department policies, he said.

The new contract also includes night shift pay increases and longevity increases — salary bumps for officers who have been on the force for many years.    

The two councilors cited the Syracuse Fire Department’s requirement that newly hired firefighters live in the city for five years as an example that the police department should follow. They also criticized the police department for not accepting concessions at a time when the city is facing financial insecurity, including an $11 million deficit.

Syracuse’s police department is the city’s most expensive department, comprising about 19 percent of the adopted 2018 operating budget. A 2016 audit found that overtime pay for officers had doubled to $12.7 million between 2011 and 2016, per Syracuse.com.

Councilor at-large Michael Greene voted no against the measure with Rudd, but the amendment to the city’s budget passed 7-2.

Driscoll voted in support of the measure despite his objections. He said he was disappointed with the mayor’s administration for its handling of the police contract negotiations. Councilors were not included in the discussion, Driscoll added, and a tentative agreement had already been signed between the city and the police union before the council had taken a vote.

“We can only accept this excuse for not engaging us early on this one time,” Driscoll said.  

Rudd said that his no vote is “the beginning of (the council’s) new round of bargaining.” The retroactive payments do not apply to the current year, and the city will have to negotiate a separate contract for 2018 and 2019.

Published on September 10, 2018 at 10:14 pm

Contact Casey: casey@dailyorange.com | @caseydarnell_