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Post-DNC depression
Long after the delegates have left town, we could still be paying for the Democratic Convention — in money and in lost liberties

PRECISELY FOUR WEEKS from now the Democratic National Convention will draw to a close. On Thursday, July 29, Senator John Kerry will accept the presidential nomination at the FleetCenter. By Friday, it will all be over except for the clean-up. And the obsessions of recent months — over traffic, protesters, the economic impact, and myriad other things — will quickly fade away.

Two convention-related developments, though, raise particular concerns because of their potential long-term effects.

The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association (BPPA), which is seeking a new contract, has gotten an inordinate amount of attention because of its aggressive tactics, which for a time threatened preparations at the FleetCenter. Last week the union even succeeded in persuading Kerry to stay away from a gathering of the US Conference of Mayors hosted by Boston mayor Tom Menino. The focus, understandably, has been on whether the union and its fiery president, Thomas Nee, will disrupt the convention itself. It now appears with Kerry’s passing up the Mayors’ Conference that the BPPA will not picket the convention. And fortunately, Menino has given no indication that he’ll give in to the union’s unreasonable demands, even though he’s under heavy pressure to deliver a smooth-running convention. Taxpayers should not be forced to pay long into the future for the Democrats’ week-long party.

Similarly, the MBTA’s recently announced policy of conducting random bag checks at subway, bus, and commuter-rail stations might appear to be an understandable — if misguided and likely ineffectual — approach to warding off a terrorist attack during the convention. But though the convention will soon be over, the checks are intended to become a permanent part of the MBTA’s security system. Long after the delegates have returned to their home states, Greater Boston residents may still be seething over these intrusive, ineffective, and possibly unconstitutional searches.

HERE IS something that Tom Nee would just as soon you didn’t know: the 1400 police officers who belong to the BPPA are among the highest-paid in the country. According to a recent study by the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, the average union officer earned $82,100 in 2003 — $52,900 in base pay, with the rest coming in overtime, paid details, and the Quinn Bill, which provides extra compensation to officers with college degrees. "Boston has always been in the top five cities in the nation in per capita cost of police services," research-bureau president Samuel Tyler has said.

When it comes to compensating police officers, Massachusetts — and thus Boston — is unique. For one thing, in most other states there is no requirement that an officer be stationed on paid details at each and every road project. Elsewhere, civilians handle these routine assignments for much less money. For another, the 34-year-old Quinn Bill, though well-intentioned, is rife with abuse, costing the state about $100 million a year and engendering criticism of "diploma factories," where police officers reportedly earn advanced degrees for little work.

The city has reportedly offered the BPPA an 11.9 percent raise over four years. The union is holding out for a pay hike in the range of 16 percent to 17 percent, which, it argues, would put its members on a par with the city’s firefighters. But Tyler has countered that police and firefighter compensation can’t be compared without taking into account the fact that paid details and the Quinn Bill are available only to police.

Police work is difficult and dangerous, but the city’s ability to pay its officers is not unlimited. Boston officers are well-compensated, and they would be even better paid if Nee and his members would accept the offer that the city has made, or something close to it.

It’s understandable that the BPPA wants to take advantage of the leverage it will enjoy with the Democratic National Convention coming to town. Then again, in the 1988 presidential campaign the BPPA endorsed George W. Bush’s father over then–Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis, which makes it hard to know what the union’s true intentions are (see "FleetCenter Blues," News and Features, June 4).

Menino should hold his ground, as he has shown every indication of doing. And Nee should think about what will happen to his members if they still haven’t signed a contract by July 30 — when their leverage will drop precipitously.

THE MARCH 11 attacks in Madrid, which killed 191 people and wounded more than 1800, brought home a terrible truth: public-transportation hubs such as train stations are no less vulnerable to terrorism than passenger jets and airports are. Thus it is no surprise that the MBTA would attempt to beef up security at subway, bus, and commuter-rail stations in time for the convention.

Trouble is, there is no reason to believe that randomly stopping a few people among the 1.1 million who use the T every day will make anyone the least bit safer. As the ACLU of Massachusetts has pointed out, the policy may well be an unconstitutional violation of the Fourth Amendment’s guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure. And worst of all, though the checks are scheduled to start next week and to be conducted with particular intensity during the convention, they are intended as a permanent change in how we ride subways, trains, and buses in Greater Boston.

From now on, allow for some extra time to get where you’re going. And don’t bring anything that might arouse suspicion — box cutters? A pen knife? The Koran? — no matter how much of a right you may have to carry it.

Earlier this week the National Lawyers Guild, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and the American Friends Service Committee announced they would sue to stop the checks from taking effect, and handed out leaflets and buttons at Downtown Crossing that said, I DO NOT CONSENT TO A SEARCH.

According to the ACLU, which has been involved in discussions with T officials, the MBTA has agreed not to demand that anyone produce identification, but it’s by no means clear what will happen to someone who refuses to let his or her bags be searched. Though arrest is unlikely, it’s also unlikely that such a person will be allowed to ride.

Thus, if you wish to stand up for your constitutional rights, you’d better be prepared to walk — and to keep right on walking, long after the Democrats have left the city.

What do you think? Send an e-mail to letters[a]phx.com


Issue Date: July 2 - 8, 2004
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