The story of the off-duty Bellevue police officers who taunted an on-duty Seattle police officer before last Sunday's Seahawks game didn't end there, according to a fan's recount to the Seattle Times.
A fan at the game reported to the Seattle Times that the officers shortly afterward were thrown out of the game for unruly behavior, which included warning the fan not to get pulled over in Bellevue.
Bellevue police officers are under investigation by the Bellevue Police Department for off-duty behavior, after Seattle police say that several officers taunted a police officer outside the stadium after she asked them to pick up a cup that one of them dropped, The Seattle Times reported.
Seattle police Assistant Chief Jim Pugel told the Times that two members of the group identified themseleves as Bellevue police officers and taunted the Seattle officer, as well as several others who came to back her up. The officers were not arrested nor any report written because no crime was committed, according to the Seattle Police Department.
The fan who reported the officers being thrown out of the game said the group --- two men and two women -- arrived late and talked about the incident that occurred outside the stadium. The fan approached the group to ask the officers to stop using expletives to describe the game.
The fan said one of the women in the group warned him to not get pulled over in Bellevue.
The fan reported the officers' behavior to the CenturyLink ushers, and the officers were escorted out of the building. He also reported the incident to Bellevue Police, and said that he was contacted by the department's Office of Professional Standards.
According to the fan, he identified two men and a woman as the Bellevue police officers at the game. Another woman who was with the group was not an officer, he said.
Bellevue Chief Linda Pillo has said that she ordered the department's Office of Professional Standards to investigate.
According to the statement, Pillo personally called the Seattle officer to apologize, and said she was disappointed in the behavior of the officers.
The Times called for a swift investigation and an apology from the off-duty Bellevue officers. What do you think? Does this incident affect how you feel about the Bellevue Police Department?
Bellevue should step up and demonstrate how to handle a situation such as this and place all 3 officers on unpaid administrative leave during their investigation. They should also identify the three officers involved and make them issue a public apology with the press present so that all of the public including their family, friends and neighbors can see what kind of person they really are - juvenile simpletons that hide behind a badge! Disgusted on the East side to say the least.
(1) By now it must be sickeningly apparent to you that no matter what you do, on-duty OR off-duty, your words and actions are going to be looked at under a (very unforgiving) microscope. Be very careful. You have a family to support and a mortgage to pay, and there are wonderful "citizens" out here who, due to having very little understanding of your job & all the various pressures, WILL absolutely take your job away forever. It can take just one complaint to change your life and those of your loved ones forever, for the worse ~ (depending on how well, or how badly, you happen to be "in" with Administration at the time...) (2) You have a crappy job (that you LOVE, thankfully) that most of us would NEVER do ~ from the average wage you earn to spending your lives dealing the gruesome details, boredom, a high divorce rate, lack of sleep & time off, Court requirements, and The LACK OF APPRECIATION shown from not only the "bad guys" but also the wonderful people you have sworn to serve & protect! (3) Care for your cop brothers & sisters ~ and do it legally. It's OK to do this. Although "police training" guy posts here saying otherwise, we know that since you absolutely DO give breaks to regular "citizens" all the time, that's it's OK to do the same for a fellow officer now & then unless prohibited by law. (4) You are only as good as your last "atta-boy" & 50 of those are undone by one "aw-heck" (5) Be careful, but most of all, be safe.
Police employees in the major cities and counties of Washington are highly paid. If these officers have more than just a few years on, their take home pay is right about $100K, plus full medical/dental/vision for their family, plus retirement, plus deferred compensation. Especially in this economy, a salary package such as this attracts everyone, but only those with maturity and the best decision making should be allowed to carry enforcement authority that is backed by a firearm. I am more Pro-Cop than anyone, but by the same token, I demand zero tolerance from those that abuse their position. This job is difficult to get and easy to keep, unless you screw up.
The sheer nature of the job incurs overtime. Many officers create their own overtime with intentional late arrests or end of shift report writing or by arresting as many DUIs as possible, knowing court will be paid at an OT rate with 2 hour minimums. You also have to consider that Bellevue PD does not pay into Social Security. That is a tremendous amount of annual pay they receive in their checks which is not deducted for social security. Bellevue PD's benefit package is one of the best in the state. Out of a 40 hour work week, 3 hours of that per week is work out time in the gym, on duty, leaving only 37 hours per week for required work. Don't forget about tuition reimbursement on the taxpayer's dime either, which at UW's rate would be $12,401 per year for officers going to school.
I personally make over $100K without breaking a sweat. Bellevue officers who I know will tell you the same. If you bring in the next ranks in Bellevue PD, such as a Captain or Major, JUST their base salary is over $100K a year. They make out like bandits. Every peace officer must maintain excellent standards of conduct on duty, but also off duty at any location. This is particularly important because citizens are blissfully unaware that we make a good living driving around all day, especially when half of our time is writing reports, attending an in-service class on bloodborne diseases, or time wasting activities such as water cooler (car-to-car bs) time. To get the point across bluntly, the next time you are pulled over, remember that the officer probably gets paid more than you, has a better retirement plan, better benefits, better disability plan, better life insurance plan, and goes to college for free (all of this, paid for by you). On top of all that, he (or she) also wont get a ticket for speeding like the one you are getting.
Unfortunately, this rarely happens. As I said, our guilds are strong, our contracts watertight.
The annual Salary for a Seattle Police officer is listed online as follows::::: The Seattle Police Salary starts at $24.56 per hour, while at the Police Academy ~~~ Once successful, and sworn in as an Officer, the pay increases to $30.80, or the equivalent of $64,310.40 annually. ~~~ Seattle Police Salary increases incrementally and after attaining a full 5 YEARS of seniority, an officer will earn the GROSS income of $84,209.04 (not TAKE HOME) See? Nothing anywhere near a take home income of $100K.
Cops are simply paid by the hour and after working 40 hours in a week, they make overtime wages of time and one-half. They are required to work a variety of very strange "shift-work" hours for much or most of their career, and since they are often required to make several Court appearances each week, if their work shift is in the evening or at night, (as are at least two-thirds of the patrol force) they are required to "wake-up" in the middle of their (often odd) sleeping hours to drive to Court, wait around to testify and then drive back home again - only to then try and get back to sleep (if they are lucky). This obviously equates to more than a 40 hour work week on a regular basis. Cops are routinely NOT HOME for dinner with their families nor to help the kids with homework or kiss them goodnight at bedtime. Since they have to work on weekends for much/most of their career, they are unable to attend their kids games & many other social activities that civilians with 'regular' working hours enjoy. Cops are not allowed to 'strike' and are always subject to mandatory overtime. Maybe you work in police recruiting...... or something?
EXPERIENCED POLICE OFFICER SALARY: $5,592 TO $6,757 per month (Includes a minimum of 3 percent education incentive pay for two years of college credit) This makes the top base salary (not for commissioned officers) about $57,516 for entry level, up to $81,000 annually at the top of the pay scale. This is not including overtime, which I understand anecdotally (my aunt works for the King County Sheriff's Office), can add a lot of pay, but also a lot more hours away from home at odd hours (my opinion is that mostly police are really earning their overtime pay, but that's merely personal opinion on my part). There are a lot of variables in police pay, such as benefits and continuing education, but for those wondering, that is the official base.
I earn 30+ days of vacation a year. I have over 400 hours of sick leave banked. Any day I work OT can be taken in compensatory time, meaning, I can elect for 1.5 days off instead of 1 day of OT pay. Two days of comp time means I can take 3 days off. I get almost a dozen days of personal holiday leave time in addition to my vacation and comp time. My lunch breaks are paid as are my 15 minute breaks. Most officers average 50 hours a year in training. In BPD's situation, a 40-hour work week - 3 hours working out - 5 hours paid lunch/breaks - 1 hour training is about a 30 hour actual work week. There are daily briefings lasting minutes to an hour, meetings that come up that are half an hour or more which cut into that 30 hours. Police are rarely called to work in the middle of the night. Shifts are full to handle calls without having to call in officers. We can be as busy as we want or not busy at all. This isn't Hollywood with shootings every 5 minutes. I compare this to my spouse's work at a bank. I have way way way more time off each year than her with less education, less hours at work, and better salary and retirement package.
I encourage anyone that wants to work in public service, to consider police work in King County. You can't beat the job satisfaction, the brotherhood, and on top of that, it is a comfortable living and retirement with security. If only the bad apples would be removed, that would leave spots for those that would not choose to be kicked out of public venues for drunken behavior while attempting to claim 'police officer privilege' by flashing badges and threatening to give traffic tickets to citizens that 'drive in Bellevue'.
"Our daily job is not in the land of Crips and Bloods. It is in the land of Starbucks, Amazon, and Microsoft." AND, "I personally make over $100K without breaking a sweat." AND, " This job is as safe as you make it." I respectfully submit the following: The road to Starbucks, Amazon & Microsoft is paved with violence, homicides, robberies, drugs & prostitution along Hwy 99, Pacific Hwy S, Tacoma's Hill Top neighborhood, - and oh yeah, that other nice coffee shop called FORZA....... Remember? Perhaps you ought to "break a sweat" out there and stop policing with such a Pollyanna attitude ("someone whose optimism is excessive to the point of naïveté or refusing to accept the facts of an unfortunate situation"). Complacency is what will get you killed! Even if you are a cop in "Bell A" or another Eastside agency.