Recent articles on Camden Police Contract

Philadelphia Inquirer
------------------------------------------------------------------------Posted on Fri, Feb. 25, 2005

Harvey delays Council vote on police, firefighter contracts
The attorney general got a 2-week postponement so he could review them. Union officials were perturbed.

By Sam Wood and Dwight Ott
Inquirer Staff Writers

State Attorney General Peter Harvey unexpectedly stepped in at the eleventh hour and obtained a two-week postponement for ratification of Camden's contracts with its police and fire unions.

Harvey's request was relayed to City Council last night by the city's state-appointed chief operating officer, Melvin R. "Randy" Primas Jr. It came after two members of the attorney general's Camden police blue-ribbon commission tried to delay approval.

Jeffrey Brenner, a family physician and member of the commission, called Harvey's intervention "outstanding" and said "it gives the public a chance to look at this."

Police union officials blasted Brenner and warned that police morale would plummet because of the delay. They said they would likely file an unfair labor practice complaint against the city with the National Labor Relations Board.

In his letter to Primas, Harvey said he had not had an opportunity to review the pact, which calls for a 4 percent raise over the next five years for police and firefighters.

"I remain concerned," Harvey said, "that any agreement provides enhanced opportunities for the leadership of the Camden Police Department to deploy personnel in an effective and cost-efficient manner while focusing clearly on the public safety needs of the citizens of Camden."

The unions have approved the contract.

About 120 people turned out for the Council meeting despite the snowstorm.

The contract calls for the establishment of a police unit that could give Chief Edwin Figueroa flexibility in addressing crime.

Sharon Miller, chairwoman of the city public safety council, which works closely with police, said that while she had the highest regard for Camden police, it would be a "slap in the face of the community" to adopt the agreement without giving residents a better chance to look at it.

"The headline on this story should be 'Something stinks,' " Bill Murray, president of the Camden Organization of Police Superiors, said during an impromptu debate in a hallway after Council tabled the agreement. "Even if it is reviewed by the residents and they don't think it is a good contract, that doesn't mean what they suggest would be acceptable."

John Williamson, president of the Camden lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, said failure to adopt the pact would hurt morale.

Earlier in the day, Brenner complained that the contract "doesn't come close to fixing Camden's crime problems." He said he had "serious concerns" about how the department's policy of rotating shifts weekly might affect officers.

"It's like giving the officers jet lag every week," he said.

Currently, Camden police officers work four midnight shifts followed by two days off, then four day shifts with three days off, then four night shifts with four days off. The new contract would retain that schedule.

"It's not healthy for the police officers, it probably increases sick time, and it's not good for their alertness," Brenner said.

He said modern police departments had steady shifts.

A survey of police departments in Philadelphia, New York, Trenton, Newark, N.J., Washington and Baltimore found that none had a shift system like Camden's, and that all had a fixed staff for the midnight-to-8 a.m. shift.
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Contact staff writer Sam Wood at 856-779-3838 or samwood@phillynews.com.

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© 2005 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.philly.com



Philadelphia Inquirer
------------------------------------------------------------------------Posted on Thu, Feb. 24, 2005

Doctor questions work schedules in new Camden police contract
By Sam Wood
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

A Camden family doctor is leading a last minute effort to delay approval of the city's new police contract.

The 4-year contract is expected to come up for a vote tonight in Camden's City Council.

Dr. Jeff Brenner, who sits on the Attorney General's "Blue Ribbon Panel," that oversees the police department, said he had "serious concerns" about how officers are scheduled and the departments policy of rotating shifts.

"It's like giving the officers jet lag every week," Brenner said.

Currently, Camden police officers work four midnight shifts, then have two days off; then work four day shifts (approx 7 to 4) with three days off; then work four night shifts (approx 3 to midnight) with four days off.

The new contract continues the scheduling practice.

"It's not healthy for the police officers, it probably increases sick time and it's not good for their alertness," Brenner said. "Its also not good policing."

Brenner said modern police departments have steady shifts and officers re-bid every year to move to a different shift. A quick survey of police departments bears out Brenner's statement.

In Philadelphia, police are scheduled in three shifts. Officers work two weeks of days - from approx. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. - then work two weeks of night shifts that run from approx 4 p.m. to midnight. The midnight shift does not rotate and is staffed by the same officers year-round, a department spokeswoman said.

In Trenton, Newark, Washington D.C. and New York City, officers do not rotate through shifts, department spokesmen said.

In Baltimore, officers work four weeks on day shift and four weeks nights. The midnight shift is manned by a permanent non-rotating staff.

"I'm a doctor, I'm not a police administrator," Brenner said. "But something does not sound right with this police contract."

The police unions wish Brenner would just butt out and stick to treating his patients.

"I find it hard to believe a doctor has any clue about police deployment," said Bill Murray, president of the Police Superiors union.

Murray said a steady work schedule for officers was proposed during contract negotiations.

"We were ready to agree to it and it would have worked for everyone," Murray said. "But when it came to crunching numbers we found we didn't have enough personel and when the chief asked for more personel the city balked at it."

John Williamson, president of the Camden lodge of the FOP concurred.

"It would have created an officer safety issue," Williamson said. "The reason the steady shifts didn't go over was because we're short on personel."

"If Jefferey Brenner thinks he can deploy personel in the Camden police department better than [Chief] Ed Figueroa he should leave his job, go the police academy and get a job as a Camden street cop. Let him walk a mile in Ed Figueroa's shoes before he tells him how to deploy his police personel."
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© 2005 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.philly.com