THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 6, 1995 TAG: 9508040209
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Citizen to council: Raise cops' pay
Citizen to council: Raise cops' pay
The airplane trailing a banner circled slowly. Below, thousands of citizens gathered at Mount Trashmore to celebrate freedom and the signing of our country's Declaration of Independence. The large letters read, ``Crime pays - City Council doesn't - support VB police.''
Those words immediately interrupted the pleasant, carefree atmosphere of the occasion. I shook my head in disbelief.
I expect our city's needs - public safety, education and necessary services - to be at the forefront of our budgeted agenda. For some strange reason, it appears to be last in priorities. I know this because I have never had a tax increase to build golf courses, amphitheaters or Boardwalk expansions, etc. There is always plenty of money for those things. However, when it comes to public safety or education, I get threatened with the extortion of a tax increase.
It is essential that we have a well paid and well-equipped police force. We are an urban society becoming more dependent upon the efforts of these fine, dedicated individuals. If it gets to the point that there isn't sufficient police presence to deter and put away criminals, how can my wife feel safe when she walks from the parking lot to the mall? Will my elderly mother-in-law live in fear behind a locked door, afraid to venture out?
Virginia Beach police deserve salaries comparable to those paid in similar cities. As a taxpaying, voting citizen, I demand that City Council find the funds to provide them - now! We want to walk our streets, drive our cars and live in our homes without fear.
Wally Erb
Arrowhead
Military wife to cops: Quit griping
First I hear the local police complain about their meager pay of $37,935 for a 10-year veteran not matching up with their hard, 365-day-a-year job or with the cost of living today.
Then I read of Dr. Thagard, who was aboard Russia's space station Mir for 3 1/2 months, complaining of homesickness, while his wife complained of only being able to talk with her husband once every third week. Meantime, NASA doctors consider this psychological breakdown for evaluation.
Why not ask military spouses how they endure long separations - up to 18 months - with few chats on the phone? These NASA doctors might get a shocking response.
With 19 years in the Army, my husband's gone for long periods of time. This does not include his time away from me while stateside. He has his field duties, his schools, his alerts for readiness in case of war. Sometimes all this and his one-year separation from me fall consecutively. My husband's job is also a 365-day-a-year job, with extended separations in foreign countries protecting me and you in case of war - for $25,600 a year.
Homesickness, separations, pay vs. cost of living and emotional upheaval come with the territory. Grow up and get a life.
Sandy Dorsey
Virginia Beach by CNB