In Massachusetts, for years and years, there have been police details at road construction sites. I personally didn’t care (at the time, I hadn’t realized the exorbitant cost to taxpayers to use police officers instead of civilian flaggers), except for one thing that really stood out to me: when there are cops on duty, I can never clearly tell whether I should go or stop because there’s just a hand waving. With civilians, they carry those nice big signs that say STOP or GO, and that seems a lot safer than not quite being able to see the sign that the cop is giving.
And the fact that civilians cost a lot less, with the economy the way it is and the lack of jobs, makes so much sense. I know the cops are going to miss their overtime, but it’s wasteful, and it would be nice if they would look at the big picture rather than just thinking of themselves. Civilian flaggers are the right choice. Most other states use them, and they’re smart to do so.
Plus, half the time that I pass a cop at a traffic detail, he/she is on the phone or talking to the construction guys instead of actually working. Taxpayers don’t want to pay for this. Others can do it just as well or better. And I’m thrilled that the governor of Massachusetts saw this and did something about it.
