Solidarity writes open letter to DeGioia demanding higher pay for DPS officers
Posted by: Juliana Brint in News, Vox Populi, tags: Crime, DPS, Georgetown, Georgetown Solidarity Committee, Hate Crimes, Salaries
The Georgetown Solidarity Committee just released an open letter to University President John DeGioia demanding better treatment of and higher salaries for Department of Public Safety officers.
The letter says that the recent hate crimes have revealed “a pervasive, historically rooted, and dangerous climate on campus” which is due in large part to “neglecting the well-being” of DPS officers.
The letter says that the DPS officers are paid roughly three dollars less than other campus security officers at other D.C. schools and the department is consequently habitually understaffed. Solidarity is insisting on a four dollar raise over the next three years for current officers and “a fair staffing policy.”
According to the letter:
DPS Officers are the lowest-paid police in Washington, D.C. … SafeRides, escort services, and other safety systems are frequently understaffed and unable to provide sufficient services. These issues hinder the retention of employees and undervalue long-term officers with the experiential knowledge of Georgetown, which is essential to the trust needed between DPS and the community. This “revolving door” leaves the Georgetown community vulnerable to future incident …
Even in hard economic times, we must not compromise the respect, security and well-being of those charged with keeping us safe.
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I copied this from the GU employment website. It said the hiring wage is currently up to $16.50/hour ($34,000 per year). That does sound low. The GWU site says they pay $18.86 ($39,000). AU says $16 (less than GU). Couldn’t find it on the Catholic site. But, an extra $4 an hour (which is almost a 25% raise….in a recession!) would bring GU to over $42,000 per year. That sounds like a lot for the qualifications in the job described below. If you look on the MPD website, their starting salary is $48,700. MPD carries guns, must have 60 college credits or 3 years active duty military or five years in a full fledged police force. Seems like there might be room to negotiate between $16.50 and $20.50 (say, 18.50…very close to GW). Of course, who knows what else is going on in the negotiation. They’re always about more than just an hourly rate. It’s possible (I don’t feel like doing the research) that we have some better benefits that might partially offset the wages. I suspect, like in all situations/negotiations, GU has some good points and DPS officers have some good points. Hopefully they’ll find a fair middle soon.
Georgetown University’s Main Campus is seeking candidates for a Patrol Officer position. The ideal candidate must have 3 years of general experience with at least 1 year in security or a related field. Must have knowledge of criminal and civilian police policies and procedures. Candidates must be tactful, courteous and patient with strong communication skills. Other requirements include, performing patrol duties, knowledge of access control systems, possession of a valid driver’s license, and passing a drug test and physical exam for university police officers. Additionally, candidates must be eligible for a DC Special Police Commission, possess a high school diploma, pass the Consortium of University Police Academy, or have equivalent training, and show proof of U.S. citizenship. Attractive benefits including tuition.
Wow DPS Officers have to pass drug tests? I can promise you that some of the current ones (at least a few years ago) could not have passed once they were employed.
[...] negotiates with the Allied International Union. So far, Solidarity members have written an open letter to President John DeGioia demanding the wage increase and have held at least one [...]