State Senator Herron Gaston, chair of Public Safety, in just a year on the job has become a respected policy wonk who raises meaningful ideas for consideration. In this commentary that also appears in the Connecticut Post he offers a preview of next month’s legislative session promoting incentives for police officers including tax credits tied to homeownership and residency, down payment support and tax rebates to foster job retention.
The new year is here, and I cannot believe how quickly 2023 went by. As a freshman senator, I made a commitment to take action to protect the Connecticut community and pass common sense legislation. I am proud of the work accomplished but I am also using it as a starting point. My first legislative session taught me that there is much work to be done on behalf of the residents of our great state. I am tremendously grateful for this incredible opportunity to be a voice while exploring potential solutions to a myriad of complex challenges.
Stepping into the next legislative session, I will work alongside my colleagues to address further proposals that work to better our community. One being incentives for our officers. They do a herculean job protecting our residents, and they deserve not just the recognition for their selfless service, but we must explore more global incentives to demonstrate our respect and commitment to our law enforcement officers and their families.
Incentivizing officers with residency is a concept I would like to explore. Tax credits and homeowner support can emerge as an attractive tool to encourage our first-responders to work hard and diligently. Tax credits, for instance, offer a financial reprieve that not only eases the burden of residence but also incentivizes long-term commitment. Too often, we see a high turnover rate with officer employment. It is my goal to find a solution to employee retainment within the police force. Similarly, a tax rebate can serve as a form of financial recognition, acknowledging the sacrifices made by police officers in their community. With these incentives in mind, I am doing a deep dive into the practices of other states to explore how we might put together an intelligible and comprehensive plan to do something progressive and fiscally responsible.
For example, a tax rebate increases a police officer’s take-home pay, providing immediate relief financially. It will also contribute to higher retention rates within law enforcement agencies. When officers feel financially valued, it positively impacts morale and makes them more likely to stay in their role long-term.
Moreover, a third incentive I would like to strongly consider is homeowner down payment support. Providing down payment support empowers employees to establish roots within the community they serve. When living in a particular town in Connecticut, a home offers stability and a vested interest in the municipality’s growth and development.
Competitive pay is also essential for attracting and retaining individuals in law enforcement. Increasing the pay of municipal officers helps to ensure the police force is staffed by skilled professionals, contributes to overall job satisfaction, reduces turnover, and reduces financial stress. Increasing the pay of inner-city officers is of paramount importance as there are greater risks associated with the job given the unique and complex public safety challenges faced by officers daily. Inner-city police departments often face recruitment challenges. Increasing pay makes these positions more attractive to qualified candidates.
Our officers put themselves out in the community to protect others as they face potential risks of their own. They may ask themselves, is this job worth it? I want to make sure it is. They are deserving of financial compensation on top of other incentives that may provide long-term stability. I will work hard to make sure police officers are treated fairly for the hard work they do on a day-to-day basis.
While I know we cannot do everything, that is certainly not an excuse to do nothing. I have asked my colleagues from both sides of the aisles to join me as Public Safety chair to stand in solidarity with our officers around this critical issue surrounding law enforcement compensation. With the help and support from my colleagues, I know we can begin to move the needle on this worthwhile initiative.
Speedy, do you hear that?
It is called silence, followed by an echo of meaningless. Good Job Port Pols,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntVFoXmru5I
BTW did you let the UN members, the United States Congress, and Israel know about the resolution?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoHRmaYr6YY
1. Why is Gaston going at it alone here. Where’s the other State Senator and our State Representative delegation?
2.Just Police Officer, what about Firefighters; all City employees including part- time worker and seasonals; Teachers and other BOE employees?
3.Residency, Downpayment assistance and all that ither stuff has been tried or maybe still being offered. If they move to Bridgeport, their children must attend our Public Schools or Charter Schools.
4.If paying them more money ensures lower financial stress, why is it that the PD has all these issues despite the fact many of them are among the highest earners.
5. I know one detective with 4 kids in college who is a lifelong Bridgeport resident. Can you make the legislation for him and others like him retroactive for let’s say 5 years?
6. You do all this and then other municipalities like Shelton do the same or offer better benefits (this been happening), then what’s the back up plan?
7.Officer Speedy joins the force because of such sweet benefits, 7 years later (after calculating inflation), and the state funding dries up combined with the many unknowns. What is Officer Speedy to do?
8. “While I know we cannot do everything,…”
Who is “we”? You’re all alone here. I know for a fact you nor anyone on the delegation haven’t gone to any Bridgeport Police facility, to speak to the members of the force. A ride- along with patrolman and detectives? Nope! In fact, the only elected officials who met with police officers and went on a ride-along was Maria Pereira and Joe Sokol. Congratulation!
9.What about Federal funding? Where the hell are our Washigton delegation members? Oh, yea! They are there working for us. Senator Gaston, it takes more than a year for reality to sink in.
10. Uhhhh, sorry there’s no 10 (ten). Nine (9) is as high as I can count with my fingers
Perhaps newcomers to OIB need you to reprise your personal story of how your counting experience changed some years back. Repetition of your beliefs and how you made your point will help people assess your past and future behavior and comments.
You have always believed very firmly in the issues you espouse. That makes you aware that focusing on one issue at a time is important to observers so that they can see and hear the evidence behind your opinion and conviction. Perhaps Gaston sees an opportunity to float an idea not really discussed in the past 10 years when Labor Relations and Police Contract negotiations were often behind expiry dates of three or more years.
Our other Senator, Marily Moore, has been enduring in her understanding of housing issues in the City. But in her case housing is a much larger issue than a favorable benefit to support police officers. Perhaps we should look to the behavior of employees in one or more City departments where annual employment reviews are not carried out at multiple supervisory levels. How do employees get official advice, warnings, or direction if this “review component”, a basic yet ‘best practice’, in other communities has been avoided for years?? How many grievances that have surfaced over the past decade based on employee interaction that should have been heard, handled, and recorded before it ended up having to face a legal confrontation? Time will tell.