Nomination For Hero Badge

Being a police officer is hard.  Being a Police Chief is even harder.  The are two paths to Chiefdom one requires a strong willed individual who knows right from wrong and requires that same spirit in his/her officers. This Chief is educated both at the school of hard knocks and has  a college degree earned on nights and weekends at the expense of his family.  This Chief is responsive to the community when the community is right and not because a segment shouts the loudest. This Chief will make hard and unpopular decisions and stand by them.

The second type of Chief is a bureaucrat more comfortable with systems than people.  He is able to see “all sides of the issue” therefore is easily confused when required to identify right and wrong.  Committees are helpful because the spread responsibility around. Because of compromises the committee won’t accomplish what they set out to do. Typically they  rocket up the ranks, staying in each position the minimum amount of time to get his ticket punched. He has been exposed to many facets of the job and is master of none of them.  He never stayed in one position long enough recognize the strengths and weaknesses of his coworkers.  So he has no loyalty down to subordinates and doesn’t expect any up, in return.  His greatest strength is shameless self promotion, often at the expense of those around him.

I don’t know what type of Police Chief  Grant is, but I’m glad I don’t work for him.  I am taking a flier here because it was mentioned in the article, that officers typically are subject to progressive discipline. The department is supposed to intervene with corrective action prior to an event escalating to a firing action. When that isn’t possible officers are informed, in writing, of charges and allegations against them, and they are given an opportunity to mount a defense.  Just on procedure alone Chief has some explaining to do. The story at the link: police-sergeant-fired-for-flying-confederate-flag-said-never-heard

Sergeant, I don’t buy your southern pride bullshit either. It’s time to retire, now is the perfect opportunity.  Sue the dogshit out of the department, throw in the First Amendment just to confuse issues.  A good employment lawyer ought to be able to make the city pay off like a slot machine and your department will probably wind up with a new Chief. You have twenty in, if you couldn’t have anticipated this, it is time to go.

I’m kinda weird.  I believe that if one wants to support an outlaw motorcycle lifestyle, or the the KKK, Black Panthers, or Code Pink, knock yourself out. However, you can’t join organizations like that and be a cop. Pick a side of the street you want to walk down and stick with it.  I haven’t got time for anybody who is half assed about anything.

The only thing a cop brings to the table is his credibility. Anything that undermines that credibility is a detriment, and it’s even worse when it is self inflicted. Today, tomorrow and the next day, and on forever, a twenty-one year old police officer is going to be called to mediate a variety of situations.  Think about that, a guy or gal with six hours of college in psychology and abnormal psychology, six hours of crisis intervention gained in the academy, who have yet to be involved in a relationship more involved than “puppy love” are going to be called to handle a dispute between between a couple who range in age from contemporaries to old enough to be their grandparents. The issues they will be called on to address, may be older than they are! These officers will do it and they will obtain a temporary result, because of the “credibility” they bring to resolve the dispute.  Talk about smoke and mirrors! Much of what cops do is like that. They can’t be fully functional waving the FAG Flag, spouting politically correct dictates, or whistling Dixie. The first thing a cop has to do is control his ego, after that the job is easy.

Not a whole lot of sympathy here.  Like they say you want sympathy?  Look it up in the dictionary, it’s someplace between Shit and Syphilis.