The state's three top leaders had barely announced support for reforming the way money is spent on transportation projects before the police unions sprung into action. Police are reported as already flooding legislators with pleas to stop any effort to cut back on their lucrative construction details. It's time lawmakers also started hearing from the people who are footing the bill.
To cash-strapped cities and towns and state officials trying to find ways to close an estimated $19 billion transportation funding gap, the proposal to allow civilian flagmen at some construction sites is a welcome start to savings and a long overdue symbol of Beacon Hill's willingness to challenge the culture of waste in state government.
Efforts to reform the details system have been killed before by police unions, who argue that eliminating paid police details will result in collision chaos on the roads and unfettered criminal activity unlike what is seen in any of the other 49 states in the country that allow civilian flagmen.
We hope these unions acknowledge the dire fiscal straits everyone is working under these days and make an effort to find compromise on the proposal that has the backing of the Senate president, House speaker and governor.
The most recent study of the issue was done a few years back by the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University which found, despite widespread resistance and obstacles from police departments to supply the requested information, that turning to civilian flaggers for traffic details on work projects other than on state highways could have saved cities and towns anywhere from $35 million to $65 million a year, depending on which rate of pay is used.
Many communities have ordinances requiring police details for private work sites so that would still be available to police, along with detail work at clubs, concerts and other events. But it makes sense that not every construction site, public or private, requires a trained police officer. The traffic flow could easily be handled by an orange-clad worker waving a flag or a stop/caution sign. Are we to believe the average Massachusetts driver will aim his vehicle at someone or hit the accelerator just because they are not wearing a uniform?
This isn't about public safety, it's about money in police officers' pockets. It's not about public policy, it's about raw political clout. It's hard for state legislators to resist special interests - especially those in uniform - when they don't hear from those who pick up the tab. This time, make sure your representatives hear from you.
