Sixteen Detroit police officers failed to finish their scheduled shifts on Friday. The unannounced work-stoppage was an apparent protest against the Detroit mayor’s planned reductions in pay for police, one part of a larger package intended to address the city’s financial crisis.
The apparent protest was a “concerted effort isolated to one shift at one district,” Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. explained in a statement. The police officers left during their 4-8 pm shift on Friday, according to the Detroit News.
Earlier in the week, Mayor Dave Bing warned police officers to expect a 10 percent pay cut in a speech outlining a series of budget control measures. “I do not want to cut boots on the street but we need police and fire to accept the same 10
percent cut in salary that the rest of our city employees have accepted,” Bing told city residents on Wednesday. “Adding that savings to the cuts instituted across all city departments will save a total of $13 million dollars this fiscal year.”
Additionally, Bing announced Friday that the city would lay off 1,000 employees, a nine percent work force reduction, even though he seemed to anticipate opposition to such measures. “We need support from our residents to help push our unions, businesses, vendors and elected officials to enact the common-sense changes we need,” Bing said.
