3 ms·

Don't you think, though, that there are probably hundreds of people who would be eagerly lining up to do that job for half the price? It's not clear how many o

Don't you think, though, that there are probably hundreds of people who would be eagerly lining up to do that job for half the price? It's not clear how many of those are as qualified as the guys discussed in the article but, if there are any, isn't it the job of your town to get you the best deal it can when hiring a police force?

gambiting 9y ago
This could lead to an opposite problem - where I am from(Poland) police bribery is still an issue despite years of fighting against it, and I have no doubts one of the main reasons for it is the low pay of policemen. Someone with 10 years of experience in the force takes home about $800/month. So if they are offered $200 to forgive a fine, that's like a week-worth of money for doing less work.
- mac01021 9y ago
  What would you guess is the median monthly income there, counting people of all professions?
  - quuquuquu 9y ago
    Median net worth (not net income, and not average) in Poland in 2016 was $9,484 USD. So, assuming a cop is at the 50th percentile of society, a $200 bribe would be 2% of his life savings.
_petronius 9y ago
No, I don't think it's anyone's job to simply "get the best deal", at least not from an ideal-social standpoint. I think employers (whether government or not) should adequately compensate their employees. And I think employees get a much fairer shake in negotiating that compensation when they have the backing of a union. What is "adequate" I can't say, but without knowing more I'm not prepared to simply swallow the line that $400k is somehow totally outrageous. A lot of less useful people make a lot more money for a lot less work and personal risk. Anyway, $400k was only the last year of salary this guy made. The article is suspiciously quiet about what his compensation was over the course of his whole career.

3 ms·

Don't you think, though, that there are probably hundreds of people who would be eagerly lining up to do that job for half the price? It's not clear how many o

by mac01021 9y ago

gambiting 9y ago
This could lead to an opposite problem - where I am from(Poland) police bribery is still an issue despite years of fighting against it, and I have no doubts one of the main reasons for it is the low pay of policemen. Someone with 10 years of experience in the force takes home about $800/month. So if they are offered $200 to forgive a fine, that's like a week-worth of money for doing less work.
- mac01021 9y ago
  What would you guess is the median monthly income there, counting people of all professions?
  - quuquuquu 9y ago
    Median net worth (not net income, and not average) in Poland in 2016 was $9,484 USD. So, assuming a cop is at the 50th percentile of society, a $200 bribe would be 2% of his life savings.
_petronius 9y ago
No, I don't think it's anyone's job to simply "get the best deal", at least not from an ideal-social standpoint. I think employers (whether government or not) should adequately compensate their employees. And I think employees get a much fairer shake in negotiating that compensation when they have the backing of a union. What is "adequate" I can't say, but without knowing more I'm not prepared to simply swallow the line that $400k is somehow totally outrageous. A lot of less useful people make a lot more money for a lot less work and personal risk. Anyway, $400k was only the last year of salary this guy made. The article is suspiciously quiet about what his compensation was over the course of his whole career.