By Thomas H. Mungeer

The Nov. 21 article, "Brothers in arms but not benefits," by Nick Reisman brought up several good points about the benefits afforded to local police officers versus state troopers.

It should be pointed out that all members of law enforcement dedicate their lives to helping others, even if that means endangering their own lives.

In today's society, it has become apparent our police officers are the first line of defense in the war on terrorism - patrol officers are constantly on the lookout for suspicious activities or anything out of the ordinary. It is important that governments - whether the state, or a county, city, village or town - pay their police officers salaries that are reflective of the dangerous and unpredictable work they proudly accomplish every day.

It is important to note that just about all local police departments, as well as state troopers, belong to the same retirement system - New York State Police and Fire Retirement System. Therefore, their retirement benefits are identical, and they can retire after 20 years of service. They do not contribute toward their retirement.

The article stated that troopers can accumulate 40 days of vacation per year, but the number is actually 224 hours and is based on a trooper's 12-hour day. That equals just over 18 days per year. A trooper can actually accumulate 300 days of sick leave, but that would take more than 23 years to do so if he or she never took used a sick day.

It wasn't too long ago when the State Police was viewed as a training ground for other agencies. A portion of my graduating class 16 years ago left the State Police within the first year to seek employment elsewhere because of the low salaries, and some troopers even qualified for public assistance. Through a series of successful contract negotiations, this union has turned that around.

I am proud of the 3,700 troopers who have made the commitment to serve and protect all of New York state's residents, including you, your relatives and your neighbors. While troopers are visible on our state's roadways, there are many capacities in which troopers serve with which the public may not be familiar. Troopers in Long Island, for example, primarily serve highway patrol functions, while troopers in upstate rural areas serve and protect the public in every way - from lending a helping hand to a grandmother who might be stranded along the side of the highway, to responding to a domestic violence incident. In many rural areas of the state, troopers are the only form of law enforcement. It is a dangerous job. Over the last seven years, 11 troopers have been shot and wounded, and while thankfully they lived, another 11 troopers have paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives.

Troopers' training in the State Police Academy is among the toughest, both physically and scholastically. Troopers must complete 1,079 hours of instruction at the Academy, more than double the minimum standard of 510 hours set by the state for standardized police training. To graduate from the State Police Academy, recruits must stay overnight at the training facility, Monday through Friday, for six months in Albany. Local academies allow their recruits to go home to their families at night.

In addition, troopers undergo refresher training throughout their careers and also have opportunities to complete more specialized training in areas including crime scene investigations, accident reconstruction, ballistics testing, drug investigations and emergency management operations.

By the very nature of their job, state troopers must be ready at a moment's notice to travel to any part of the state in case of emergencies. For example, a trooper who works at the Queensbury barracks can be ordered to immediately drive to the Buffalo area if there are Indian protests that endanger public safety. If you think back to 9/11, then-Gov. George Pataki sent 500 troopers from across the state to New York City that afternoon to help. Troopers assisted with traffic control and emergency operations, members of the specialized Mobile Response Teams helped in the rescue and recovery efforts, the scuba team assisted in the inspection of docks and surrounding waters, the K-9 unit provided cadaver dogs and bomb dogs where needed, and the aviation unit transported medical supplies and assisted with emergency medical flights.

Since then, troopers have provided extra security at government buildings, including the state capitol in Albany, and provided essential patrol and investigative assistance to a number of municipalities and their police departments including those in Schenectady, Rochester, Buffalo, Newburgh and Niagara Falls - and with great success - through Operation IMPACT.

Being a New York state trooper is a dangerous, difficult, and unpredictable job, and no day is ever routine.

Troopers, along with our brothers and sisters in law enforcement, dedicate their lives to serving and protecting the public, and should be compensated accordingly.

Thomas H. Mungeer is the president of the New York State Troopers PBA, the labor union representing active, uniformed members of the New York State Police from the rank of trooper through the rank of major, as well as retired members.