The Administration could make a bad situation worse by trying to balance the budget on the back of the police department.

The Administration could make a bad situation worse by trying to balance the budget on the back of the police department.  Furloughing police officers to replace lost revenue is unwise and would probably be opposed by a majority of City Council, and is also illegal, based upon Texas statutes and HPD's 2001 Meet and Confer contract.

Police officers recognize the difficulty of balancing the budget in tough economic times.  That's why HPD officers made significant sacrifice to delay their upcoming 2004 salary adjustments in order to assist the city with its projected revenue shortfall. Our commitment to helping the city saved over $13.5 million for this fiscal year.

But it is not wise for the Administration to submit an ordinance to city council that could furlough classified Houston police officers. We are opposed to any effort to cut public safety and that is precisely what furloughing police officers would do. Our ability to respond to citizen’s calls for help is the most essential service the city of Houston can provide. Diminishing the number of police officers who citizens expect to respond to their emergencies is the final resort any elected official should ever consider.  This is what the City of Houston did in the 1980s and it was disastrous then and would be equally harmful now.

It is our belief that the proposal being considered as it relates to furloughing police officers will not be enacted for the following reasons:

Statutory provisions in the Texas Local Government Code prevent the city of Houston from furloughing any classified police officer or firefighter.

Contract provisions of the HPD meet and confer agreement specifically prevents classified officers pay from being cut.

The overtime costs that would be needed to fund acceptable staffing levels associated with implementing any type of furlough program would outweigh any potential cost savings. Houston city council members would never support and ordinance that compromises the ability of the Houston Police Department or its officers to provide essential public safety services for the citizens of our city.

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