REVERE – Local police and counterparts across the state are claiming state-set rates for private roadwork details rival the pay per hour they receive, and may have gained an unexpected State House ally Thursday in their ongoing battle against road construction flaggers.Hourly rates collectively negotiated for police officers working private utility details range from $35 to $42 on the North Shore with Revere officers paid $37 an hour.The state prevailing wage for flaggers and signalers in metropolitan Boston is slated to increase from $36.95 an hour to $37.45 an hour on May 31.”Flagmen under prevailing wage make more than detail police officers,” said Police Chief Terence Reardon.Top legislative leaders had joined with Gov. Deval Patrick last week in announcing they hoped to save taxpayers $100 million over 20 years by initially replacing police officers assigned to work construction or utility repair jobs on local side streets or small roads with privately-hired flaggers.It now appears that Patrick is about to dash those legislators’ hopes and surrender on the issue after a backlash from police unions and some local officials who bombarded lawmakers with phone calls and huddled outside Senate President Therese Murray’s State House office Thursday as senators considered language changes to the flagger bill.During his monthly radio show on WTKK-FM Thursday, Patrick said he’s heard a variety of complaints and the more he thinks about the issue, “the less certain I am that we can fix this top down, by just saying, ‘Here’s the governor’s policy or the state government’s policy,’ because the conditions are so different at local levels.”There’s a lot we can do about how we deploy the State Police at the state level, but I think we’re going to have to show some respect for the judgments at local levels and create some space when public safety permits and makes prudent the use of flagmen,” the governor added.Gubernatorial aides quickly scrambled, insisting the governor’s on-air comments was not a shift in policy.”His statement on the radio is consistent with his message all along with cities and towns – give them the tools to better manage their budgets,” said Patrick spokesman Kyle Sullivan. “In terms of flagmen, we are waiting to see what comes out of the Senate and House, but we stand ready to work with them and develop regulations that determine when it is safe and cost-effective to use flagmen on road-side projects.”State rates for flaggers include “fringe benefits” and detail reform supporters say current hourly rates for flaggers could be amended.Police officers working details in uniform but not on their regularly scheduled shift earn a minimum of four hours income in Revere and other communities across the state.Several Revere officers earned over $40,000 in detail pay alone, not counting their base salary, in 2007. But utilities hiring details also pay a fee to the city that totaled $100,000 last year.Reardon and top police union officials say public safety is a major benefit of having officers work details.Revere Superior Officers Association President James Guido said police officers are training to respond to medical emergencies and prepared to respond to crimes.”Every time police are on detail it is an extra officer on the street. What happens if there is an accident?”Patrol Officers Association legislative liaison Joseph Rizzuti and Guido spoke with legislators this week about the detail proposal and underscored public safety concerns.”There’s not a day that goes by on a detail when safety is not an issue. I’ve shut down a job to respond to an incident a block away.”There is no state law in Massachusetts requiring officers at job sites, but its become commonplace across the state.(Material from The Associated Press contributed to this report.)