BIDDEFORD — Several Biddeford police officers and a Biddeford firefighter delivered emotional testimony at a City Council meeting Tuesday, detailing the grisly nature of their jobs in an effort to dissuade city officials from pursuing benefit cuts as they negotiate new contracts for the city’s public safety and public works employees.

Sgt. Jeff Greene recounted a 2009 incident in which he was forced to shoot and kill a woman who was walking toward him with a gun on Main Street.

“Before I shot her, I remember thinking of my wife and saying to her, ‘I’m coming home,’ and that decision ultimately cost someone their life,” said Greene, as he fought back tears.

Sgt. Peter Mador told officials about a case involving the kidnapping, rape and attempted murder of a young girl in Limerick. “That’s why cops are here,” said Mador. “That’s why we do this job.”

Others shared similar stories, all to illustrate the point that cutting benefits, such as sick time and retiree health insurance, would be especially harmful for police officers and firefighters, who regularly deal with intense and emotionally taxing situations that can result in conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder.

The city and the unions representing its police officers, firefighters and public works employees have for months been locked in a battle over new contract nego- tiations. The employees’ old contracts expired in June.

While the city has expressed a desire to cut benefits, arguing that the burden on Biddeford taxpayers has become too high, the unions maintain that the proposed cuts are unfair and will ultimately hurt the community. Many police officers specifically have claimed that if the proposed cuts go through, up to 50 percent of the officers at the Biddeford Police Department will quit.

“This is the worst possible time to cut paying benefits,” Greene told councilors, citing the city’s growing drug problem, increased crime and gang activity. “We need your support more than ever right now to make this city get better.”

Similarly, Patrol Officer Derek McDonald said, “If you want the best (officers), then you need to respect the job we have to do and provide us with fair pay and fair benefits.”

Tim Sevigny, president of the Biddeford firefighters’ union, said the benefits currently given to city employees are not a luxury but a means of survival. “Our benefits are not higher than anybody else’s,” he added. “They’re in the middle.”

After the meeting, Mayor Alan Casavant said he was optimistic about the contract negotiations and said the process of mediation had just started Tuesday.

“For me the essence or the key is to be able to have some dialogue and talk about the issues instead of letting emotions and rhetoric trump everything and just sit down and talk faceto face,” he said.

— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].