THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996                  TAG: 9605090378
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                     LENGTH: Long  :  150 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** The Virginian-Pilot included this sentence in a story Thursday about efforts by a police coalition to get more funding for the Virginia Beach Police Department: Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf, in her first meeting with Fraternal Order of Police President Al Byrum, called him a ``lying junk-yard dog.'' The newspaper failed to attribute that version of the exchange to Byrum's recollection of the meeting. The paper also failed to contact Oberndorf for her recollection or for comment on Byrum's characterization. Oberndorf told Pilot editors Friday that she did not and would not make comments personally attacking police officers nor make remarks that could inflame tensions between the city and police organizations. Oberndorf said she had found Byrum to be more civil than she had expected. She said she told him at the conclusion of the meeting that she had heard - in the phrase of the Jim Croce song - that he could be ``meaner than a junk-yard dog.'' Byrum told Pilot editors that Oberndorf used the phrase ``junk-yard dog'' and made statements that he took to portray him and other coalition members as liars. But he acknowledged he could not be certain that she had used the phrase ``lying junk-yard dog.'' Correction published in The Virginian-Pilot, Saturday, May 11, 1996, page A2. ***************************************************************** POLICE MAKE LAST STAND TODAY BEACH OFFICERS ARE LOBBYING COUNCIL FOR BETTER PAY, MORE STAFFING

The showdown is today.

For a year, a coalition of police officers has aggressively lobbied city leaders for more money and more manpower. Today they'll find out if the months of demonstrations and advertising meant to generate public and political support were effective.

Today is the final day for public input on the proposed city budget. It's the last chance for city employees to stump for more money, and it's the last chance for citizens to speak out about how their tax dollars are being spent.

Many members of the police department - spurred by the police coalition called Code Blue - are planning to rally outside City Council chambers before the 2 p.m. budget hearing to sway the City Council their way. The budget should be finalized May 14.

The issue of police pay is complicated, and it has been clouded by personal attacks.

Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf, in her first meeting with Fraternal Order of Police president Al Byrum, called him a ``lying junkyard dog.'' Byrum, a homicide detective, is one of the city's most respected officers.

And Code Blue has jabbed at Oberndorf, one of the area's most respected municipal leaders.

Code Blue has also criticized city leaders for spending money on Oceanfront Christmas lights and an amphitheater without significantly increasing police pay.

Basically, City Manager James K. Spore contends, the city's officers are well paid, the department adequately staffed, and the turnover rate relatively low. Code Blue disagrees. Both sides have trotted out pages of statistics to prove their points.

These are their basic arguments:

PAY

Spore says that under the proposed budget, the ``average'' police officer will receive a 6.1 percent salary increase and will earn $33,118 each year.

Code Blue says the average raise may be 6.1 percent because many officers are getting 20 percent raises. Those big raises are being given because many officers' salaries have fallen desperately behind regional and national averages. Most police officers will get only a 4.5 percent raise, Code Blue says.

Code Blue officials say they don't know how the city figured the average police officer salary. They dispute the figure, citing many 8-, 9- and 10-year veteran officers earning far less.

In addition, Code Blue says, the raises are effective on an officer's anniversary date. If an officer's anniversary date is in July - when the new budget starts - he'll get the full amount of the raise. An officer whose anniversary date is in June won't get the money until next year.

Right now, the starting salary for a Virginia Beach police officer is just over $24,000.

STAFFING

Spore says the city hires police to match the number of calls for service, and the city is adequately protected. A fact sheet Spore handed out said ``it is not really valid'' to look at the number of officers in terms of city population.

The FBI, in its annual publication, ``Crime in the United States,'' compares cities of like size by using a ratio of officers per 1,000 residents. Using the FBI's rate, Virginia Beach's 1.6 officers per 1,000 residents is only half of the national staffing average. The FBI book shows Virginia Beach is among the most poorly staffed large cities in the nation.

And that same FBI publication shows every year Virginia Beach is also among the safest cities in the nation.

Police officials initially asked for 78 new officers, and then trimmed the request to 48 plus six sergeants. No new positions were recommended in the proposed budget.

One reason Spore gives for keeping police staffing low is that crime in the resort city has remained relatively low.

FBI statistics show the number of serious crimes have remained generally the same since 1992. And in the past 10 years, property crimes and the population have climbed more than 30 percent, and violent crimes jumped more than 100 percent.

Spore also says the city receives thousands of applications each year for just a few police jobs. In fact, 1,450 people applied for 35 academy slots recently, he says. That means, according to Spore, there is no shortage of people interested in becoming city police officers.

But Code Blue says that's misleading. Between 97 and 99 percent of all applicants are disqualified after the numerous background checks and tests required to enter the academy, Code Blue officials say. Of the 33 available spots in the most recent police academy, there were only 23 qualified applicants, Code Blue says.

It's true the city does receive hundreds more applicants than there are police jobs, and it's also true the great majority of those candidates don't make it through the selection process.

City payroll records show there are 694 authorized police positions, but there are only 677 police officers.

TURNOVER RATES

Spore says the number of officers who leave the force is low. Just 15 of nearly 700 officers - or only two percent - left the department during fiscal year 1995, according to the facts he distributed. He says that's to be expected in a large department.

Code Blue officials counter by saying they studied 10 past academy classes and found 15 percent of officers had left the job. According to Code Blue, it costs the city $60,000 to train and outfit an officer during the officer's first year of employment. That means the city loses a lot of money when young officers leave, Code Blue says. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Supporting a well-staffed, well-equipped police force costs tax

dollars, so it's up to the elected city leaders to reach pay and

staffing levels that will meet citizens' needs without creating a

tax hardship. Today's public forum lets citizens voice their

opinions about the issue.

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?

Anyone can speak at the budget hearing by calling 427-4303 early in

the day, or by showing up at the 2 p.m. meeting at City Council

chambers. Speakers will be limited to three minutes each. So far,

more than 50 have signed up to speak.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER TODAY?

After listening to citizens' input, the City Council should

finalize the budget by May 14.

KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH BUDGET VIRGINIA BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT by CNB