Should Massachusetts replace police officers with flaggers at some construction sites?

The public seems to think that replacing the police with flaggers is the golden bullet solution to the financial mess that our elected officials have placed us in and the economy has fallen prey to. We all know that when driving in a construction zone there are plenty of brake lights at the sight of a police car or police officer. Due you think most are slowing for the sake of slowing, or the consequences of a citation?

A flagger is going to make about $35- an hour including pay, union dues, insurance etc. They have no authority at all; minimum training and the construction company will still probably bill any job for flaggers at the police detail rate. The officer will make about $40 an hour, with a $27 an hour take home after taxes. With the police you have authority, training, public safety, visibility and the ENTIRE police force in a moments notice if necessary. Many crimes have been intercepted by officers on details. Who is going to stop that car speeding thru the construction zone? Certainly not a civilian flagger. We are opening the wrong doors for the rights reasons. Now, with a $5- dollar an hour difference, why all the fuss. I'll tell you what I think. Most people don't want to see the police making big money. The HN occasionally prints the salaries of officers with some making $90k-100K. We'll those are the officers who spend no time at home with no life. There are in that uniform literally all day all night.

The average pay for an officer is about 40k. The only way to make any real living is the details, take it away and eventually you’ll be hiring anyone who can pass the test or a complete lowering of standards. And by standards I mean no higher education at all and felony backgrounds, which is already happening in other parts of the country. Don’t forget, things in Massachusetts happen about 5-7 years behind the rest of the US. This is why departments across the country are wooing officers from other departments to laterally transfer. There must have been a dozen officers or better who have left FRPD to go elsewhere in the last 5 years, some of which had over 8 to 10 years on. And, if you think the State Police, who really have the cash cow in their pockets will suffer, think again. The way it would be set up is that all jobs on roads over 45 mph will have the police anyway. So, that means no less State Police on the highway, which I think is good. The departments to suffer the most will be local cities where more police on the streets is necessary. These cities are not hiring any new officers because they are cash strapped.

Can the elected ones please provide the citizens with how much we are going to save? They can’t because they have no idea at all. Let’s just say there is a big windfall of cash from this. I don’t believe for one minute that all tax payers will receive rebate checks. The extra cash will go to other places or pet projects in other jurisdictions. Look at the housing market for a moment for example. The prices have come down on all homes compared to 2 years ago, but the cost of section 8 rents has gone up. We (taxpayers) provide upwards of $700-$850 a month for 2 bedroom apartments that in some cases are not fit for animals. Now, why haven’t our elected officials jumped on this, they could really save some big money here. Because, we can’t “see it” that’s why. But, we can see the police on details and this makes us mad. I mean, just look at those cops making more money than anyone else standing/sitting around doing nothing.

I drive the highway every day and city streets every day half the time the police are more interrested in what the workers are doing rather than what thay should be doing. In Road Island thay use flaggers and when I see them there doing the job there being paid to do.