Friday, June 8, 2018
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno is pleased to announce a landmark contract agreement with our ‘men and women in blue’ that includes body cameras, Narcan use, residency and a social media policy.
“My administration has worked diligently towards my #1 priority – public safety. Through the leadership of Commissioner Barbieri and the brave and dedicated efforts of our ‘men and women in blue’ we have decreased overall crime by 45% in the last five years. This is a very fair and respectful contract for both our police officers and our taxpayers,” said Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. He continued, “I would like to thank our City team of Commissioner John Barbieri, Deputy Chief Cheryl Clapprood, Human Resources & Labor Relations Director Atty. Bill Mahoney, CAFO TJ Plante, my Chief of Staff Denise Jordan and City Councilor Tom Ashe. To IBPO Local 364 President Officer Joe Gentile, Officer Steve Tatro and Atty. Kevin Coyle, my thanks also go out to them too – it was at times a ‘spirited’ negotiation – but our mutual goals were the same – to continue to produce a brave, dedicated, professional and compassionate Police Department for our residents, our business community and visitors to our City.”
Police Commissioner John Barbieri said, “This contract is well-deserved for our men and women in blue who help protect our community every day. Our patrol officers are a vital reason why crime in our city has decreased by nearly 45% in the past five years. They work incredibly hard and have worked even harder to improve police-community relations in the city. We believe this introduction to body cameras will show how well our officers interact with our community members on a daily basis, but also highlight some of the most dangerous situations they deal with and the split-second decisions they must make. Our officers are often times the first responders to a scene and carrying Narcan during this opioid crisis will help save lives. I congratulate the IBPO Local 3654 Patrolman’s Union, Mayor Sarno and his staff for reaching this agreement.”
Chief Financial & Administrative Officer TJ Plante said, “I am excited that both sides could come to agreement on this contract. It is a landmark contract that addresses many of priorities of both the City and Police Union that includes residency, body worn cameras, social media policy and Narcan. This is a tremendous step forward.”
“I’m very pleased that the parties have been able to reach a tentative agreement. We began the process in September of 2016 and both sides have worked diligently to come up with an agreement that is fair to the police officers who work so hard for the City, as well as the citizens of Springfield,” said Human Resources & Labor Relations Director Bill Mahoney.
City Councilor Tom Ashe said, “I am thrilled that a contract for the IBPO has been agreed upon. The Administration and the City Council are very pleased that critically important items like residency and body cameras have been positively addressed and the members of Local 364 will be properly compensated for their continued good efforts. This is a great win for the City, its residents and valued employees.”
“I want to thank the members of the negotiating team. I thank them for their patience, diligence and understanding of the importance of this particular negotiation. I would like to thank the Mayor and his team, for understanding the benefit of coming to an agreed deal. This is the deal that benefits our members, the city and the residents of Springfield,” said Officer Joseph Gentile, President of IBPO Local 364.
