The State
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A group representing law enforcement officers in the southeast is asking the City of Asheville to give hazard pay to the people who serve and protect.
The Southern States Police Benevolent Association, a group of more than 50,000 law enforcement officers employed by federal, state, county and municipal governments, sent a letter to Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, asking the city for compensation. Their letter stated men and women are putting their own health and their families on the line every time they go to work.
Brandon McGaha, a spokesperson for the SSPBA says cities like Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro are giving essential workers a 5% pay increase during the pandemic. He says Asheville and Hendersonville have been slow to respond and make any indication if they plan on doing the same.
“They are still responding to the criminal patrols, working wrecks, and everything that takes place during their normal shifts,” McGaha said. “But they have the extra danger now of fighting something they can’t see, which is the virus.”
“They have the extra danger of taking this virus home to their family and we feel they should be reasonably compensated for that,” McGaha said.
Mayor Manheimer responded to the letter on Thursday saying in part, “We are in the middle of a crisis, day to day we are learning new things and adapting to a new normal. I appreciate the men and women who work in our city and the job they’ve done.”
“All of the responses are, ‘yeah, we support our cops, and we are looking at options’. None of them are really dedicated it seems at this point to give actual pay,” McGaha said.
Manheimer said the city is looking into hazard pay policies, but she’s not certain how the city can afford those at the moment. Manheimer said the city is predicted to dip into savings to be able to balance next year’s budget.
The PBA says while they acknowledge many Americans are out of work due to the pandemic, first responders did not sign up to put themselves at risk of contracting the coronavirus.
“I respect the fact that some folks are out of work, its first responders who have to respond and they did not sign up for a pandemic,” McGaha said.