Police officers in Peabody, Mass. want the city to turn the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks into a paid holiday and give those who work on that day their normal pay plus 25 percent.
According to the Associated Press, the police union thinks it’s a good way to honor officers who died in the attacks, though none of the roughly 100 officers in Peabody died.
The first problem here is simple: 9/11 is not a national holiday. Why should it be treated as such? Now, whether it should be one or not is debatable, though irrelevant in this case.
The idea of giving police officers the day off for 9/11 also makes me a bit uncomfortable. Why does this union think that the appropriate way to honor officers who died that day is essentially stopping police work? Think about all the anniversaries – tragic or otherwise – that we mark without getting a day off of work: Columbus Day, Pearl Harbor day (Dec. 7), the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing (April 19), and a host of others.
A very smart lady named Jennie put it very eloquently: “That’s like commemorating women’s suffrage by deciding not to vote. You don’t commemorate the hard work and ultimate sacrifice of police officers by stopping police work.”
Luckily, it appears some city leaders are going to be fighting it. And they should. The idea is exploiting a very tragic occasion to get either a day off or extra pay for working. Beyond that, it’s not a national holiday. I wouldn’t get Sept. 11 off. My coworkers wouldn’t get Sept. 11 off. Just those officers in Peabody would get it off. If an officer wants to use a personal or sick day to take Sept. 11 off to mark the anniversary, go for it. But turn the day into something it isn’t.
