Thread: Run for the border

Run for the border
City continues to lose staff to Border Patrol, other federal agencies
June 1, 2008 - 11:33PM
By JOSE BORJON/The Brownsville Herald
Online videos posted by Brownsville police officers have declared a public safety crisis: staffing shortages caused by officers defecting to the federal government.

Since Wednesday's posting, at least one official not involved with the videos has categorized them as a strategy for better pay rather than public safety.

Compared to working for Brownsville, police officers are finding better pay at federal law enforcement agencies, such as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to the police officers responsible for the videos.

To spread that message, the Brownsville Police Officers Association has launched two video commercials on YouTube, association President Tony Flores said Wednesday.

Flores said that officers have recently resigned to go work for CBP, among other federal law enforcement agencies. In the last week, at least two police officers resigned to work for CBP.

"We are launching these two spots on YouTube ... as the first step in declaring a public safety crisis and pushing to get more officers on the streets to protect our citizens," Flores said in a news release.

The YouTube video commercials are titled "Priority One," the term used by police dispatchers for 9-1-1 calls for service that require immediate attention.

"This is symbolic because our department needs to become the top priority in this year's budget discussions with our political leaders," Flores said. "Our citizens pay taxes and deserve to have a police department that is not stretched too thin."

Police Chief Carlos Garcia said the department currently has 236 police officers, and is budgeted for 245, adding he would ask for 20 additional police officers for the 2009 fiscal budget.

City Manager Charlie Cabler said he would consider hiring the additional police officers for the new fiscal year.

"If you are asking me if we are going to honor the request, we are going to seriously consider it," he said Friday. "We understand the need for public safety, we understand the need for (staff) in all departments."

Flores said FBI and national law enforcement statistics indicate that Brownsville, with 167,000 residents according to the U.S. Census Bureau, should have more than 300 police officers.

"We try to address it through the budget process," Garcia said. "The problem has been the lack of qualified individuals for the position and having to compete with the federal government."

Because of the competition and qualification requirements, the city starts with a short list of qualified recruits, Garcia said.

As many as 200 people take the civil service exam, which is offered twice a year.

Garcia also said that because talks on collective bargaining for police salaries have started, he believes Flores is using the YouTube commercials to campaign for better pay and not for public safety.

Cabler confirmed that staff has met with the police and fire associations and conducted a first round of meetings on the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations.

"There is no price for public safety," Flores said, "and the reason why we released (the video) is because they are compromising the citizens and officer safety. Every patrol shift is shorthanded."

A rookie patrol officer with no experience and straight out of the police academy will earn $28,131 annually. After two years of patrol experience, they are paid up to $35,328.

Rookie Border Patrol agents, on the other hand, start off quite a bit higher than their counterparts on the police force.

Those straight out of college, or with no prior law enforcement or military experience, start off at $35,595 annually. With incentives, recruits can make up to $44,494, according to information provided on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Web site.

Dan Doty, CBP spokesman for the Rio Grande Valley, said the Valley had 1,400 Border Patrol agents in 2003. That number increased this year to 2,200. In the next year, 400 more Border Patrol agents will be assigned to the Valley.

"After three years, the potential is there to earn up to $70,000," he said.

Qualifications

To be a police officer, a person must:

Be between the ages of 18 and 45
Have no criminal history
Be a high school graduate or have a general equivalency degree with 12 college hours
Be a U.S. citizen
Pass the civil service exam
Go before the oral examining board for an interview.
To be a Border Patrol agent a person must:

Must be between the ages of 18 and 40
Be a high school graduate
Have three years of experience in dealing with people or a bachelor's degree
Be a U.S. citizen
Pass a written exam
Go before the oral hearing board for a 1-hour interview

Salary comparison:

Patrol officer (no experience) $28,131
Patrol officer (two years experience) $35,328
Border Patrol agent (no experience) $35,595 (with incentives up to $44,494)
On the Web:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?vvMoKD2mDZ ... urerelated




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