DALLAS — The largest association representing Dallas police officers urged city voters to oppose ballot measures claiming to help make the city safer as early voting got underway Monday.
Dallas Police Association said it is strongly opposed to ballot measures S, T and U -- also known as the "HERO amendments" to the city's charter.
"These items would negatively impact the residents in our city and our department," said DPA President Jaime Castro. "It’s clear to us that public safety would not be improved by these charter propositions and they would have the exact opposite effect of what their authors are claiming."
Proposition S would make it easier to sue the city for perceived failures to follow the city's charter, Proposition T would tie the city manager's employment and pay to the results of a public survey and Proposition U would require the city to hire 900 more police officers and earmark a portion of new tax revenue toward the public safety pension and new officers' salaries.
Castro, flanked by members of the Dallas City Council, all of whom previously expressed their opposition to the measures, said proposition U would affect the association's ability to negotiate pay raises for all of its officers.
He also expressed concern about the department's capacity to train 900 new officers and retain existing officers with the budget implications of the new hires.
"Budgeting for this level of hiring would not make the city safer and it would spell doomsday for the city budget," he said.
Instead of addressing the newly announced opposition from police officers, Executive Director of Dallas HERO Pete Marocco raised concerns about former Mayor Mike Rawlings canvassing on behalf of the anti-S, T, U campaign over the weekend.
He pointed to a video, broadcast by WFAA Saturday, that showed the former mayor knocking on doors -- with political flyers in hand -- and placing one flyer inside a mailbox.
“WFAA’s video of Mike Rawlings breaking the law putting political fliers in people’s mailboxes is indicative of the opposition’s lawless exceptionalism when he destroyed the police department and now mentors other city council members to do the same,” Marocco said in a statement.
He said the above quote is his comment on the opposition from the police association. The anti-S, T, U campaign declined to comment.
In a previous interview with WFAA, Marocco called concerns over public safety pay negotiations "alarmist rhetoric."
He said City Councilmembers were behind the critique, which was also raised by the city's firefighters' association on Friday.
"I don’t have any surprise about the fact that there are people at city hall that do not want to be held accountable," Marocco said Friday.
In addition to the opposition from the DPA, the Dallas branch of the NAACP announced opposition to amendments S, T and U on Monday.
"Just say no because it’s not good for us, us the people," said Dr. Sharon Middlebrooks, the local NAACP president. "A city manager is hired and fired in this city by the City Council. If you don’t like what your city council is doing, fire your city council person."
Early voting began Monday in Dallas.