Random Ramblings.
There is a rumor going around that Commissioner Kelly is interested in the Democratic nomination for Manhattan District Attorney pending of course the death or retirement of the aged Robert Morgenthau. I've heard and read about many rumors concerning the Commissioner, but not one has proved to be accurate. Some examples: The PC is actually in ill health and will imminently retire. The PC will pack it in after the Republican National Convention. The PC will bail at the end of Mayor Bloomberg's first term.

Every week there's a new rumor. But it seems to me that anyone starting this talk is not in a position to know. The one thing I can say for a fact is the closest advisors to the PC are not able to read the man and have no idea what he is thinking. It does make you think about leaving the job, though. For the rest of us this involves simple retirement.

Myself, I have sort of a love-hate relationship with the Department. There are some very talented people out there, but the odds are often stacked against them. I've made some great friendships over the years, but the job just takes too much out of you. There are too many abuses: low pay, nepotism, a management system that rewards indecision and seems to punish innovation. Now that I'm in the twilight of my career, retirement looms and I can't think of many good reasons to stay.

On top of everything else, I think we're headed down the road to a major police scandal along the lines of the Knapp commission. Jimmy Walker reportedly once said about the cops, "I can't pay them, but they can keep whatever they can make on their own." Every major police scandal since the Lexow Commission in 1894 has noted poor police pay as a contributing factor in the rise of organized corruption. The funny thing is how these statements are repeated every twenty years or so when a major scandal erupts.

I think a new one is coming. A big one. The main reason I think this is the 9/11 generation. New cops at that time were basically taught that the "store was open" and could take whatever they wanted. This attitude was tolerated and even encouraged by high-ranking members of the Department, including then Commissioner Kerik. The public actively supported this for a time. But mark Base10's words: in 2012, when these kids have about ten years on, the level of organized corruption will be astonishing. All because they never learned at the very beginning that there is no tolerance for it.

The city still looks at its police as if they are somehow self-supporting. I tend to think political people in other agencies simply assume that the police are as corrupt as they are. The city should take a lesson from other municipalities. In Singapore or Hong Kong, a police job is very lucrative and hence highly desirable. Civil service examinations are extremely competitive and people study for years to become a police official. The reason for the high pay is to attract the best and brightest and also to eliminate the temptation toward corruption.

It's wrong to simply equate only salary with corruption. There are other factors at work. When does a politically ambitious person attack the legal or medical profession? In Singapore, the social status of a police official is quite high. Here, whether some cops deserve it or not, PO's are treated with disdain. When did a law degree give the bearer expertise in law enforcement? I think the educational requirement for admission to the Department should be a law degree. There would cease to be complaints, unfortunately recruitment would plummet and crime would skyrocket.

People constantly ask me these days, "Are you staying?" meaning past the twenty-year retirement. I have mixed feelings. Staying is not as economically stacked against you anymore. In fact it's a big boost to your pension if you stay to twenty-five years. You get to bank your pension supplement as if you retired.

But even an extra five years would have to be sweetened in some way. I wouldn't even consider it unless there was increased pay or an absolutely dead job market next year. But it's not worth it to stay longer, unless you're a Chief and have made the conscious decision to make the Police Department your second career. The rest of us just want to get on with our lives.

But wait, "are you staying?" I don't know yet. I don't feel the itch to get out just yet, and I think the future job or other activity has to be right. Base10 would really like to finish his PhD. The clock is ticking. I suppose I'll do a job search sometime next year. My goal is to retire on a Friday and start a new job on the following Monday. (Okay, maybe I'll take the Friday off).

- posted by Base10 @ 12:13 PM