More than 200 school safety officials packed into a City Council hearing room Dec. 14, with dozens more waiting in the lobby at 250 Broadway across from City Hall, for a hearing on the merits of placing SSAs in the civil service competitive classes so they can enjoy many of the same protections and benefits as police officers and special officers.

Local 237 Secretary-Treasurer Gregory Floyd led the testimony at the hearing before the Committee on Civil Service and Labor chaired by Council Member Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. Also representing Local 237 were Recording Secretary and Director of Political Action and Legislation Patricia Stryker and Special Assistant George Geller. Several SSAs testified, including Rosemary Colon, Vincent Lattimore, Laura Riley, Daniel Fredericks, Paul Pass, Kangela Moore, Michael Waldo, Arlinda Lambert, and Victoria Chiaramonte.

The Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which would have to amend the city’s code to grant competitive status to school safety agents, attended the hearing, but the agency’s representatives declined an invitation to testify.

Speaking before a standing-room-only audience that spilled into the hall, Gregory Floyd represented more than 4,000 school safety agents, saying they are subject to rigorous training and fitness qualifications the same as other peace officers and, in addition, they protect “our children, a precious population,” by performing dangerous duties that include crowd control, confiscating drugs, firearms and knives, and making arrests.

“Yet I suspect the public would be amazed to know that school safety agents are the only peace officers employed by New York City who are not tested by a civil service exam,” said Floyd, illustrating his point with a chart featuring 10 of the city’s peace officer titles. “Less care is given to hiring school safety agents, the third largest group on the chart, than is shown in the hiring of officers who guard New York City’s buildings, or who ticket automobiles in our streets. Both of these latter positions require applicants to take a formal civil service examination.”

As civilian employees of the New York Police Department since 1998, school safety agents “are not properly valued as professional peace officers,” said Floyd, reciting long-held issues such as the "annual turnover of at least 10 percent of the title and few or arbitrary promotional opportunities,” which drives the exodus. “About 25 percent of SSAs are going to Corrections,” said Floyd, emphasizing the need for a fair system of promotions.

“We’ve gone backward,” said George Geller. "Agents no longer have opportunities to advance to patrolman with two years experience on the job. This [Police] Commissioner took that opportunity away. [Raymond] Kelly said he would reconsider, and we hope as a result of this hearing he will.”

“Most shameful is how injured SSAs are treated,” said Floyd, adding, “There’s no such thing as an assault injury for them in the NYPD.” He also noted that agents are often “brow beaten” and denied sick time or personal leave time. “The refusal to designate school safety as a competitive civil service title is reflected in the shameful treatment of agents on the job.” Floyd emphasized the issue by recalling when SSAs were deployed on 9/11 to evacuate schools and civilians. “Some were in the rubble. Thirty SSAs were injured at WTC and treated to Band-Aids instead of appropriate medical treatment. Courageous people didn’t get credit. We’re not offered the same benefits as peace officers.”

Listening intently, Addabbo requested injury statistics, to which Floyd responded, “The NYPD won’t give me one shred of paper on the issue.” Addabbo also noted, for the record: “There’s strength in numbers here,” as he viewed the crowd of officers who overflowed the room, the halls and even the downstairs lobby, where many were forced to remain, and where, Floyd said, he was told the NYPD was monitoring members who came to the hearing.

Looking back to 2003, Floyd recalled that Commissioner Kelly said he was not opposed to competitive status, although Governor George Pataki vetoed the bill.

“I was told the chancellor had no objection to this bill,” said Patricia Stryker, noting that the obstacle may be “fear” of paying higher wages. “I believe that’s the bottom line. We don’t need legislation in Albany. It can be done in New York.”

Weighing in further with accounts of their front-line experiences, school safety agents’ testimonies highlighted many reasons their position should be validated by a selection process including a formal civil service examination to guarantee not only that the highest quality of civil servants will protect our children but that SSAs receive the benefits of the competitive civil service titles.

“We’re uniformed for discipline, but civilian for salary,” said Level III agent Lattimore, who has 16 years of service. Level I Agent Colon said she was assaulted three times in her five-year stint. On May 5, 2005, her nose was fractured and she suffered a shoulder injury. “I exhausted my sick and vacation time so I went back to work, even though I hadn’t healed. One problem was that my radio wasn’t working.” Similarly, Paul Pass, a Queens South agent, said he was hurt on the job and needed an operation. “I knew I had to use my own time, so I chewed on Tylenols for a year.” The 17-year veteran warned, “If we don’t move to civil service New York City is going to suffer. We lost 150 members to Corrections in one command.”

Level III agent Moore said she passed the Corrections Department test and even went to their orientation. “Jails are safer than schools,” said Moore, who decided, nevertheless, against switching to Corrections. “I love what I do, but hope things will get better.”

Chiaramonte, an agent at Central Headquarters Operations Unit, said, “We get at least three line of duty injuries every day. They’re getting hit with chairs and bats.” She added that agents are “burned out,” and have to do overtime to make ends meet. “Most of us work Saturdays and Sunday. On Monday, I’m not late. I’m tired.”

In his parting words, Addabbo expressed hope that the mayor’s administration would be as “gung ho as I am.”