POLICING IN CRISIS: IT’S ALL ABOUT UNIONS

By California Policy Center
07/10/2020
A conservative response to police-reform protests Intense public protests and riots following George Floyd’s deadly encounter with a Minneapolis police officer in May have caught many conservatives off guard. Because of their overall support for police officers and their respect for public order, conservatives seem generally troubled by the public reaction. They have – at...

TAGS: police unions, racism, Unions

Sorry, but police unions are just as troubling as other public-sector unions

By Steven Greenhut
07/09/2018
Sacramento During a speech to a conservative group about the state’s pension crisis several years ago, one member of the audience was upset that I focused so much attention on police and firefighter unions. He thought I should basically give those groups a pass, to which I replied that perhaps we should skip talking about...

TAGS: police unions

Police misconduct undermines justice and costs taxpayers plenty

By Steven Greenhut
05/30/2017
Sacramento — News reports last week suggest the city of Oakland may be ready to settle a civil lawsuit filed by the teenage woman at the heart of a sex-abuse scandal that rocked Oakland’s and other nearby police departments since 2015. All things considered, the city is fortunate. The reported settlement is just under $1...

TAGS: police unions, teachers unions

If Police Unions Were Abolished and Police Associations Were Restored

By Edward Ring
09/13/2016
Earlier this month the New York Times ran an editorial entitled “When Police Unions Impede Justice.” They make the point that collective bargaining agreements for police employees often make it very difficult to hold police officers accountable for misconduct. When you have nearly 1.0 million sworn police officers in the United States, you’re bound to...

TAGS: collective bargaining, police unions

Can Unionized Police Be Held Accountable for Misconduct?

By Edward Ring
06/23/2015
“We thought were inappropriate to be employees of the city.” – Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard Parks (ret.), in reference to the termination of corrupt police officers, Rampart scandal (late 1990’s) About a year ago we published an editorial asking this question, “How much does professionalism cost,” using as an example the tragic death of...

TAGS: Kelly Thomas, police unions

Conservatives, Police Unions, and the Future of Law Enforcement

By Edward Ring
01/06/2015
Conservatives in America are at a crossroads. They face a choice between greater freedom or greater security. While striking this delicate balance has required ongoing policy choices throughout history, recent events involving law enforcement have brought these choices into sharp focus. Here’s how Patrik Johnson, writing last month in the Christian Science Monitor, described the...

TAGS: police unions, public sector union reform

Should Police and Firefighters be Exempted from Union Reforms?

By Edward Ring
03/12/2013
Advocates of public sector union reform point to fundamental differences between unions in the competitive private sector vs. those unions that organize government workers. Briefly stated, private sector unions must moderate their demands or the companies they bargain with will go out of business; private sector unions exercise little influence over who is going to...

TAGS: Hamtramck Michigan bankruptcy, police unions, public sector compensation