MoCo's Police Union Takes Disability Debate to YouTube

Montgomery County's powerful police union is gearing up to play hardball in the debate over the county's troubled disability retirement system.

Even before the County Council takes up legislation to overhaul the system tonight, the union has prepared an online ad with a warning to residents.

The narrator says, "A few county council members are trying to play politics with our safety, trying to cut disability insurance for police officers. It's not fair and it's not smart."

It then singles out the sponsors of the legislation, Phil Andrews and Duchy Trachtenberg, who are responding to calls for reform and more oversight from the county's inspector general. The ad asks viewers to e-mail or call the council members and tell them to "stop playing politics with police officers' disability."

Walter Bader, a leader in the county's police union, said the organization has not decided yet whether to buy time to broadcast a shorter version of the ad on TV or radio.