To All Delegates and Members

December 28, 1999

The Police Department is up to its union-busting tricks again and in the process is violating a clear order of the Board of Collective Bargaining.

It has come to our attention that in the very near future Police Commissioner Howard Safir plans to promote a number of police officers to the rank of Detective Specialist without regard to performance or seniority and without appropriate consultation with the union.

We emphatically urge every officer offered the promotions to turn them down. Cops who did accept them last time they were offered have been sorely disappointed because the benefits weren't what they had expected and for other reasons, and many have given the shields back.

These designations are being offered after many months of negotiations between the PBA and the Department in which we tried to get them to agree to award all patrol officers with special assignment pay and to institute a procedure whereby we could monitor the program to see that it was being administered fairly.

We believe that this expected action by the Department is arbitrary and divisive.

You have the right to turn down the designation and we strongly urge all officers selected for designation in this manner to do so.

The procedure for rejecting the promotion is this: Write a 49 or memorandum addressed to the Chief of Personnel stating your intention to refuse the detective's shield. Make sure the 49 or memorandum is endorsed by your commanding officer, who will forward it to borough headquarters, which will forward it to the Chief of Personnel.

Show your solidarity with your PBA. By all means, do not accept a promotion offered you in this manner.

Fraternally,

Patrick J. Lynch
President