MESSAGE FROM THE HARTFORD POLICE UNION PRESIDENT

Welcome to the Hartford Police Union web site! This web site represents the continued efforts of the Union Executive Board to educate and inform our membership, as well as providing an avenue for interaction with the Hartford community. It is our membership who performs what has been recognized by prior City Manager Alfred Gatta as the most difficult and at times the most thankless job of government.

As a life long Hartford resident charged with the responsibility to lead the Hartford Police Union, I see on a daily basis through my own experiences and the eyes of my membership the challenges faced by residents and businesses of the City. As an organization dedicated to service we view ourselves as viable partners in addressing not only the problems of the City, but its general operation. However on many occasions our view is not that of department heads or city leaders.

In recent weeks, City government has not been spared the impacts of the nation-wide financial crisis. City leaders have reported they have been forced to greatly reduced City services or the ability to provide City services to meet budgetary restrictions.  They reportedly are re-examining governmental operations, have implemented lay-offs and offered retirement incentives to other City employees. In future weeks and months we anticipate calls from City leaders to provide give-backs relative to negotiated benefits. As responsible leaders, the Union Executive Board is willing to listen and hopefully be heard, we are not prepared to forego negotiated benefits, which include increased employee contributions for health care, to a grossly underpaid membership relative to the function they perform and the comparable salaries of police officers in the area. Our members are experiencing the same financial pressures as all of you. As our membership dwindles the demands of the job does not.

Rather than confrontation and posturing, we urge cooperative efforts to address present and future City challenges. We are well aware that perception, not always based on fact and the lack of familiarity with our members plays a large role in the public opinion of our members. This web site is only a portion of my pledge to increase our participation in the Hartford community to enhance the public knowledge of who we really are and how our service is more than just a job.

Please do not hesitate to contact me in working together to address the challenges of our community.

Richard Rodriquez

President

(860) 548-1435