By David Culver
Almost a third of Fairfax
County's police force, more than 300, filled the auditorium in the Fairfax County
Government Center Thursday to fight for pay raises.
The crowd was so large, it
allowed for standing room only and overflowed into the halls outside the
auditorium, where officers crowded around small monitors to watch
representatives testify in front of the County Board of Supervisors.
"All these police officers
that you see here, a lot of them haven't had raises in years," Sgt.
Gregory Fried said.
Many of his classmates from the
academy have moved on to other jobs, he added, "knowing that they would be
able to raise and support their families and have a decent living."
Fairfax Fraternal Order of
Police President Mike Scanlon told supervisors the stagnant salaries are
hurting efforts to recruit new officers. There are 54 vacancies in the
department, he said.
"We can't fill those seats
because we don't have the competitive pay scales or competitive benefits
package that other agencies can offer," Scanlon said.
Among those budgeted for a
raise this year are county firefighters. They're getting a 3 percent bump in
pay.
"The bottom line is that
the firefighters are out of the competitive corridor, so that's being dealt
with in this budget," Board Chairman Sharon Bulova explained.
She added that there's still
money available to give some police positions a raise.
But Scanlon said that only
helps the higher ranks, not the officers on the streets.
Scanlon said that should worry
Fairfax County residents.
"The response times for
calls for service in the county are going to increase, and we're not going to
be able to provide the services that their constituents are asking for,"
he said.
As for Sgt. Fried, after 10
years with the department, he's looking at other options.
"I've actually tried to
leave the agency and relocate, but I'm still here," he said.
Since Tuesday, many other
county employees have made their case for higher pay in front of the
supervisors.
The board will adopt their
final budget in about two weeks.