Related article:
Mass. police perks undergo changes
By Steve LeBlanc
The Associated Press
BOSTON — It’s a long-cherished perk of Massachusetts police unions: the roadside construction detail. But now state officials are proposing replacing police officers at some state projects with civilian flaggers dressed in orange safety vests.
In announcing draft regulations Wednesday, state Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen couldn’t say how many civilian flaggers would be hired to replace police details, how much they would be paid, or exactly how much the state can expect to save.
“We believe that this will save substantial sums of money that we now spend on police details,” Cohen told reporters, adding the civilian flaggers would be limited to state-controlled roadway construction projects.
Massachusetts spends about $25 million a year on police details. No other state relies so heavily on the practice.
State police are paid $40 per hour for details. Police unions have vigorously defended police details as a way for officers to boost their pay while adding another level of public safety that civilian flaggers can’t.
James Machado, president of the Massachusetts Police Association, said he was disappointed by the draft regulations.
“We feel it is a reneg on the governor’s promise,” Machado said. “He came into office pledging to put 1,000 police on the street. This is going to take 1,000 police off the street. We think that public safety will suffer in the long run.”
The regulations set up a three-tiered system for classifying work sites. Those on heavily traveled roads with speed of 45 miles per hour or more would be the least likely to see civilian flaggers, followed by less heavily trafficked road.
Cohen said transportation officials hope to be able to document any savings and share that information with cities and towns that might want to adopt similar plans for locally controlled roadside construction projects.
The draft regulations are subject to a public hearing before being put into effect.