Boston Center Has Sick Leave Problems

Over half of the 87 suspensions handed out by the Boston (Mass.) police department last year were to civilian dispatchers or sworn police officers in the communications center, according to records obtained by the Boston Globe newspaper. Most of the comm center discipline involved excessive sick leave and not showing up for work, the newspaper learned. Of the 161 civilians assigned to the comm center, 21 were disciplined for abusing sick leave or being absent without permission during 2010. The newspaper noted that several employees missed more than 30 days of work in one year. In 2009, one employee was out 81 days. Ironically, a BPD spokesperson praised the staff, saying most employee excel under very stressful conditions. Elaine Driscoll said, “Like any organization that employs human beings, the potential for human error exists, which is the exact reason why we have a very strong management and supervisory structure in place.” A union spokesperson told a reporter that comm center management is part of the problem, with uneven staffing for some shifts. Read more about the situation here.