Baltimore Police union threatens to file grievance over special events staffing
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore's police union apologized to its members on Saturday after learning that some officers had received notifications that they would need to cancel their Labor Day Weekend plans in order to provide security for the city's weekend events.
The union issued the apology in a letter signed by Fraternal Order of Police Union President Mike Mancuso. The union made the letter public on its social media account.
In the letter, Mancuso claimed that the poor planning of city officials and the Baltimore Police Department would cost the city $1 million in overtime pay "that will not be recouped from the organizers of these events."
Emails obtained by WJZ show that senior officers learned Tuesday night that they had to inform some of their subordinates to cancel their weekend plans.
These "selected personnel" are to be informed that they "MUST report to work" at 11 a.m. on Sunday, the email said.
"The members who MUST report to work are listed in the attached roster titled, 'MD Cycling Classis 09-04-22,'" the email said.
The email was signed by Lt. Col. John Herzog, Baltimore Police Department's deputy chief of patrol.
Maryland Cycling Classic is a professional cycling race that kicks off at Kelly Benefits in Sparks, Md.
After riding around northern Baltimore County, cyclists will enter central Baltimore for a circuit around 4:30 p.m. The race is expected to wrap up around 6 p.m. near Pratt Street and Market Place.
The 120-mile race will feature 16 teams of world-class professional cyclists from more than 20 countries. Some of the cyclists include recent Tour de France stage winners, Olympians and national champions.
Mancuso alleged in his letter that it had tried and failed to confront the Baltimore Police Department about special events staffing.
"This situation could have been avoided," the letter said. "For over a year, FOP3 has reached out to the Department to fix their broken special events system, but the Department has yet to respond."
The Baltimore Police Department did not immediately respond to WJZ's inquiry about the police union's effort to engage it over alleged problems with its special events system.
Mancuso declared in the letter that the union would be filing a grievance over the incident.
