In communities across America, there has been a broad consensus that the “defund the police” movement has not only failed, it has also created a serious staffing and recruitment problem that jeopardizes public safety. Why? Because the men and women who put on a uniform every day and risk their lives to protect the public want to know that when they go to work, their employer has their backs.
Many municipalities in Palm Beach County understand how to recruit and retain the best men and women to join their police departments and to remain in their departments. Unfortunately, the current leadership in Delray Beach, under Mayor Tom Carney and the City Commission, have shown that they are either completely incapable or inept when it comes to supporting Delray Beach police officers and the fact is the numbers, unlike Mayor Carney, don’t lie.
Let’s look at the facts. Nineteen police officers have left the Delray Beach Police Department since we, the PBA, started negotiations in June 2024. That is a staggering number. To put that in perspective, that translates to less officers on patrol, particularly on weekend shifts and less officers assigned to critical units. For example, the Delray Beach Police Department was forced to reassign the Community Policing Unit a few months ago to Road Patrol.
Does this sound like protecting your tax dollars?
An additional six police officers and one sergeant have been hired within the last two weeks. It costs Delray Beach taxpayers $362,000 to hire and train new officers, only to watch them leave after just two years. Twenty-six police officers times $362,000 equals a net loss of $9.41 million in one year.
Does that sound like Mayor Carney is protecting taxpayers’ dollars, as he suggests?
The mayor proclaims that the city has offered a fair raise proposal for Delray Beach police officers, who are currently the second-lowest paid police officers in Palm Beach County. Let’s unpack that for a moment.
The city’s proposed package raises the starting pay for those not hired at the department and leaves out the officers who have been with the Delray Beach Police Department for many years. The proposal would shrink veteran police officers pay step increase to 4% and 3.5%, from the 5% increases that they currently have. The PBA’s proposal is $1.32 million more than the city’s proposal, and it would be fair for everyone and bring the starting pay up for the new hires. And even when they receive raises, Delray Beach police officers still pay for their Cigna health insurance coverage out of their own pay checks, contrary to Mayor Carney’s false claims about receiving free medical care.
Mayor Carney doesn’t get it
Mayor Carney also has a fundamental misunderstanding of the Deferred Retirement Option (DROP), which is a voluntary retirement plan that allows eligible employees to continue working while accumulating retirement benefits. The mayor falsely likes to call this “double dipping.”
The Police Pension Plan is separate from the city’s budget and does not come out of the city’s general reserves. In fact, police officers contribute 10% of their gross pay to participate in the pension plan. The PBA provided Mayor Carney and the City Commission with a proposal from a pension actuary that shows the PBA’s proposal to extend the DROP from five years to eight years would amount to a cost savings for Delray Beach taxpayers of $300,000 this year alone and would actually save $6.1 million for city taxpayers over 30 years.
Yet, Mayor Carney continues to refuse this cost savings plan. An eight-year DROP plan is not unheard of. In fact, the Delray Beach Fire Department has an eight-year DROP. Why should our essential first responders be treated any differently?
The PBA has and continues to come to the table with fair proposals and contract negotiations have only stalled because no one on the city’s side is negotiating in good faith.
This is a crucial inflection point for Delray Beach and its residents. Mayor Carney and the City Commission can either choose to learn from the mistakes of the “defund the police” movement, recognize why our police officers are leaving in droves and invest in the men and women who keep Delray Beach safe every day or they can continue to turn their backs on our essential first responders. We urge them to make the right decision.
John Kazanjian is the president of the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Delray Beach police are leaving in droves. PBA negotiations can help. | Opinion
Reporting by John Kazanjian / Palm Beach Post
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