New Orleans Police to get paid vacations

[markay714]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/na...fjKDWOxC68Ix5w

Not sure about this. Obviously, they need a place to rest and get away, but a plane vacation elsewhere after working in awful conditions for a week? I'm not so sure about this.

[PawDawg]

They need to make sure that the 500 who have been unaccounted for for the past week don't get this.

[steltz]

I read in several places that it was less than 200 who "deserted" or turned in their badge not 500

[champion110]

The majority of the NOPD are beyond hero's. I really hate that those that stayed and went through this pure hell are not being held up as American hero's more than they are. They stayed in the same conditions as most citizens, without communication with each other, with loss of family, with loss of homes, and fought for their city and country. I can't imagine what it was like for them. My hat goes off to the NOPD. Our country owes them HUGE gratitude.

[dawg80]

Do we owe the two black female cops who were looting the Wal-Mart anything? Seems to me they have taken out their compensation in ill-gotten booty.

[markay714]

Do we owe the two black female cops who were looting the Wal-Mart anything? Seems to me they have taken out their compensation in ill-gotten booty.

We don't owe it to them and it isn't OWED to any of the wonderfully heroic ones either. Policemen are public servants and their jobs occasionally require extraordinary efforts and long continuous hours of service. They definitely deserve a nice bed and and a place to rest - close - for a few days before getting back to work. Its an extremely bad message to start giving out vacations like that to public servants. No matter what the mayor says, he DOES NOT HAVE THE MONEY to give it.

[PawDawg]

I read in several places that it was less than 200 who "deserted" or turned in their badge not 500

Mr. Riley said that 40 percent of the city's force of about 1,200 officers would remain at their posts while the others were on leave. When the first group returns, Mr. Riley said, those who stayed behind will get a break.

There seems to be some confusion as to how many were on the force last week. Several reports said 1700. In the press conference yesterday the number used was 500.

[Cal&Ken]

[QUOTE=dawg80]Do we owe the two black female cops who were looting the Wal-Mart anything? Seems to me they have taken out their compensation in ill-gotten booty.[/QUOTE

Yes, we do owe them something - a jail cell.

[Dirtydawg]

We don't owe it to them and it isn't OWED to any of the wonderfully heroic ones either. Policemen are public servants and their jobs occasionally require extraordinary efforts and long continuous hours of service. They definitely deserve a nice bed and and a place to rest - close - for a few days before getting back to work. Its an extremely bad message to start giving out vacations like that to public servants. No matter what the mayor says, he DOES NOT HAVE THE MONEY to give it.

Something's wrong, Markay. I find myself agreeing more with you lately. It's a sad state of affairs when people begin to expect to get special compensations in one form or another for doing their jobs. I know that the NOPD officers and other first responders weren't expecting this, but the idea is indicative of the prevailing thought of the day with most people, and unfortunately it's the same type of people that stayed behind and are refusing to leave now. My brother-in-law is beside himself because his mother and step-dad refuse to leave their home. Anyway, while I admire and respect these officers for what they've gone through, your post is dead on. This is their job. Time off, yes. For counseling and such, but not for a 5 day vacation on the tax payers' expense. And, as Markay stated. New Orleans doesn't have the money for that anyway.

[markay714]

Something's wrong, Markay. I find myself agreeing more with you lately. It's a sad state of affairs when people begin to expect to get special compensations in one form or another for doing their jobs. I know that the NOPD officers and other first responders weren't expecting this, but the idea is indicative of the prevailing thought of the day with most people, and unfortunately it's the same type of people that stayed behind and are refusing to leave now. My brother-in-law is beside himself because his mother and step-dad refuse to leave their home. Anyway, while I admire and respect these officers for what they've gone through, your post is dead on. This is their job. Time off, yes. For counseling and such, but not for a 5 day vacation on the tax payers' expense. And, as Markay stated. New Orleans doesn't have the money for that anyway.

Its called COMMON SENSE, Dirtydawg! We're living in the same environment here in Baton Rouge. Some of these things are blatantly obvious these days.

[Dawgbitten]

The mayor had a press conference just a little while ago. He told people to "get over it" if they don't like the fact that he is sending them to Vegas and Atlanta for a few days off.

-officers to see a shrink in Baton Rouge before leaving.
-Southwest providing free flights to Vegas or Atlanta.
-Hotels being paid for by some company.
-given $200 cash before leaving. He said something about $100 a day, but not sure what that was about.

I don't know how I feel about this, but I know a couple of hundred thousand troops in Iraq that may have an opinion.

[CARTEK]

I don't know how I feel about this, but I know a couple of hundred thousand troops in Iraq that may have an opinion.

I tend to agree with the couple of hundred thousand troops over in Iraq!