he PBA has succeeded in obtaining three pieces of legislation on our members’ behalf, and one of our legislative proposals has resulted in a pilot program in which members of the service will pay no tolls on MTA Bridges and Tunnels.

Since a short piece about the free-tolls for police officers appeared in the New York Post, one of the most frequently asked questions we hear lately is, “When can I start using the bridges and tunnels for free?”

There are two answers: not yet and hopefully soon.

During the PBA convention in September, Pat Lynch received a letter from State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno informing him that $2 million was being earmarked for “…a pilot program to eliminate tolls for all New York City uniformed services personnel…” for bridges and tunnels operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority.

That letter led to a series of meetings by the PBA with executives of the MTA —the state agency that operates bridges and tunnels in New York City —to determine just how the program will work and when it will begin. Details are still being worked out and we will let you know as soon as the program is solidified.

One thing is clear, however: The $2 million does not represent a cap on the program but is an estimate of what the change in revenues will be for the MTA when our members stop paying tolls. We have been assured that if the projection is too low, it will not affect our members’ use of bridges and tunnels in the city. The other thing that’s clear is the pilot program will apply to these MTA-operated bridges and tunnels:

Legislation is pending in Albany that, if passed and signed by the governor, will make these free tolls a matter of law. Until that happens, we are grateful to Senate Majority Leader Bruno for championing this pilot program that will benefit us all by saving us a few bucks each month on tolls.

Because of our lobbying efforts, Gov. Pataki also signed into law a bill that prevents on-duty vehicular accidents while responding to emergencies from being charged against our personal driving records. This is an important measure to every police officer who gets behind the wheel of an RMP or any other type of NYPD vehicle.

As many of us know, on-duty accidents have caused our personal auto insurance to go up dramatically. It was an unfair situation because there was no recognition that the operation of a police emergency vehicle carried its own risks for accidents. It was clearly an issue of fairness that was long overdue to be corrected, and we’re delighted that the inequity has been rectified.

Another piece of legislation signed into law by the governor allows a police officer enrolled in a degree-granting course to take one police-related college course tuition-free at any City University of New York (CUNY). Again, this is law that will help many of our members keep upwards of a thousand dollars in their pockets while advancing their education.

Finally, A law was enacted that affects five families who lost loved ones in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks. The bill, signed by Pataki, reinstates to active duty with no break in service —effective Sept. 11, 2001 —four retired NYPD members and one retired Transit Police member who died responding to the attacks.

The law effectively grants the families of these retirees all the benefits they would have received if the death had been a conventional line-of-duty death. The law recognizes what we all know to be true —that police officers, active and retired, will respond to an emergency without regard for their own personal well-being. It recognizes that, for most of us, “once a cop, always a cop.”

We are grateful to Gov. Pataki and to all state legislators who supported this compassionate law. It’s reassuring to know that our state officials appreciate the reality that police officers active or retired, on-duty or off, can and will respond in times of need.