Police Week is an annual observance that pays tribute to law enforcement officers who have lost their lives or become disabled in the line of duty. It is typically a time for communities to honor and recognize the sacrifices made by their local police officers. However, in Mount Vernon, the police officers chose to boycott Mayor Shawyn Patterson Howard’s Police Week celebration as a show of solidarity and protest against ongoing issues within the department.
The tension between the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) and City Hall under the Mayor’s administration has been growing due to disputes over pay, safety concerns, and understaffing. The PBA argues that these issues put both officers and the community at risk, leading to overworked and undervalued police officers.
The officers’ decision to boycott the event also highlights the city’s failure to pay the retroactive pay owed to them after agreeing to a contract they believed to be fair. This is particularly striking given that the city claimed not to have the funds, yet the city council and the Mayor gave themselves raises before paying the police their retroactive pay.
PBA President Nicholas Mastrogiorgio expressed the officers’ frustration, stating, “After being denied a contract for 6 years, still being out of contract, working short-staffed, and watching over 120 officers transfer, while still being the lowest-paid Department in Westchester, the least America could have done to help improve work conditions in Mount Vernon was give the officers the free benefit of a healthier, more family-friendly work schedule.”
The police officers’ boycott during a week meant to honor their service and sacrifices underscores the growing discontent and strained relationship between Mount Vernon’s law enforcement and the city’s leadership. It serves as a powerful statement of their dissatisfaction with the current working conditions and the lack of support they feel from the Mayor and City Hall.
