This site was created as a way for Cobb Police Officers to stay informed about what is going on in their department and speak their mind without fear of reprisal
Thursday, June 12, 2014
June open comments
78 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I confirmed Marietta PD and Powder Springs PD are going to a take home car program. Looks like Cobb PD will keep losing folks left and right. Apparently it's getting so bad with manpower that special units are finally being called in to keep the precincts afloat. I also hear homicides in the county are up by 300% from what they were this time last year as well as an increased number in violent crime and traffic related deaths. Good things are coming, just not to Cobb PD.
I believe that only leaves Acworth and Cobb County without take home cars. I think we should go talk to the Braves front office and have them help us get take home cars, after all that's the only thing the commissioners care about right now. Yes pct 3 is in a manpower crisis.
Cobb police just lost a great officer to the Sheriff's office. Looks like the departures continue. The ship is sinking fast and no one is at the wheel.
Well, well....just your average day in Precinct 3. Let's see...A Sergeant who wants to be a beat officer. This Sergeant, who is aware of the manpower and morale now a days, continues to pressure his officer's to got out and beat the bushes even with 2 and 3 open beats! Folks that's just not safe at all. I was always taught if you have 2 open beats you stay off the radio unless dispatched. We have an unsafe Sergeant, who's dying to be a butter bar, continually putting his officer's at risk. No one, his LT and CAPT, hold him accountable!!!!! This is crap. His leadership skills are horrible. He doesn't care about no one but his self. And to top it off....today he stops a suspicious vehicle. You know what happens next! A beat officer has to back him up. Guess what? That opens another beat up! And he has the gall to make that beat officer transport his arestee to jail!!!! Unbelievable. I can't make this stuff up ladies and gentlemen. This has got to stop. I hope you read this "Sergeant". Be a Sergeant. Sign off on our reports. Sign off on our Kronos. Sign off on our leave. Sign off on our training. ETC, ETC, ETC. Be a freaking Sergeant. You know who you are.
So in about the last 6 months we've lost 2 special ops guys to the S.O. Marietta leads and We follow. You remember MPD gets the M&P 15's then we get them. And to those who say it's easier for a smaller department to start a take-home car program because they have less officer's. It's all relative, those cities also have smaller budgets. It all comes down to priorities. Dekalb is bigger than Cobb but made it a priority to start a take-home car program. We need to get involved politically via the FOP and start endorsing candidates running for the BOC who are pro police. That means standing at the poles in Cobb FOP shirt's on and the candidate's sign. Also, why is it in Public Safety the Fire Department and 911 have their own tax and the Police Department does not?
So...who will be the next 2 officers to leave for the Sheriff's Office when their 3 years are up...and they get fired and put back at the precincts for no other reason than their term limit is up.
I wouldn't be surprised if Acworth goes to a take-home car program before Cobb. The city's understand they can't compete without them and your cars last longer.
I'm also for putting my FOP shirt on and endorse a pro-police candidate at the poles.
I used to think the brass uptown was actually on our side but could not act due to the politics of the job. However, lately it has become obvious that there is no backing from anyone. Not uptown nor on Cherokee Street. I know of FIVE officers on their way out. They are not just talking about it. They have job offers cemented. When will someone, anyone wake up and act on this crisis? It's time to step up to the plate and make something of the county as it used to be! Sitting quietly and watching on the sidelines, or from your offices at headquarters, is not a sign of leadership. It takes risk to lead from the front. Stop protecting your job Chief Houser and lead from the front. Get your men and women behind you and fight this issue head-on. In public with backing from those you lead. If you choose to lead we will follow. If not...well then, there is no hope.
Now they want to spend over $100 million on a new HQ building and training facility. HQ looks pretty nice to me. An update might be necessary, but $50 million is way too much at this point. A new training facility would also be nice, but what is the immediate need for that if they will not address those officers which are leaving at an alarming rate. Fewer people are applying and annual training classes will shrink because there are NO officers. Their heads are in the clouds and there is no sign of any of them returning.
A message for Tim Lee and the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, Mr. Lee, I think you need to be provided some information about your job title and what it requires of you from the people of Cobb County. It is absolutely evident that you have no clue what you and the other elected persons are supposed to be doing. Just in case you have never been informed and that is the basis of your ignorance; I will set you up to be successful from this date forward. (That is a pipe dream of mine that you are surely to fall short of!) A Government is an organization in a specific geographic location which is dominant in physical force. Government is necessary to ensure the proper use of force. For this reason, it must specify objective laws to clarify the use of force, and it must have the ability to enforce these laws. The purpose of government is to protect the individual rights of its citizens. Since rights can be assaulted both within a country and outside of it, the government must deal with either threat. This requires an army for defense of the country, and a police system to protect the individual citizens from other individuals within the country. To ensure that rights are upheld properly, the judgment of the use of force must be objective. Since individuals involved in an incident are not likely to be objective, it is the government's job to judge the individual use of force by its citizens. For this reason, the government must provide a court system. Laws are the tools by which the court decides if a use of force is valid or not. These are the words of a Great Man that went by the name of Thomas Jefferson. In other words, Governments should protect the people who work, live, play and visit within its boundaries. Protect them by providing a quality Police, Fire and emergency services. Provide an adequate department that has all the necessary resources to protect life, limb and property. It is not the government’s job to provide entertainment! It is not the government’s job to provide recreation! It is not the government’s job to force its taxpayers to pay for a Baseball Stadium! It is not the government’s job to provide mass transit! It is the government’s job to provide a safe environment. Providing a safe environment will allow private business to come in and provide these types of services to the public. We are still a capitalist society! I know this comes as a total shock to Tim Lee because he has done absolutely nothing to ensure that this county is safe for anyone to conduct business, live peacefully, or tour without the threat of being murdered, robbed or have their private property destroyed by the criminals. Under the Tim Lee Negligent Plan, his actions allow the criminals to flourish. Yes, I said negligent. The Tim Lee plan has destroyed Cobb County and the once safe place by demoralizing and destroying the Police Department and its men and women who serve. His actions disgust me! The statement he made about the SPLOST being voted down for a bogus transportation project is exactly what he has made transpire in public safety. He stole these words from someone telling him that this is exactly has happened to the Cobb County Police Department on his watch. Tim Lee, as quoted: “ It’s up to us to decide whether we’re going to look forward and invest in the future like we always have in Cobb County” (Except when it involves our Police Department). “Or we’re going to say. Let’s do the safe thing, let’s do the safe thing’ and do nothing and let it get worse” (Like Tim Lee has allowed to happen to the Cobb County Police Department. I cannot wait to see who all is involved and get jobs with the Braves when they make the move to Cobb. I bet you millions it will be names we know. Just in time for retirement for some. What say you?
As long as Officers continue to come in and work on their off days to cover holes in the schedule, there is not a crisis. Another cute tactic we've seen is "working over" . For example, an Evening shift officer will work for a few hours (2-3) into Morning watch to "to get them through the rush". Which is fine but it is nothing more than schedule manipulation. The officer's name is shown as working when the Captain or HQ reviews the schedule but the fact is the officer leaves after just a few hours. I also heard there is a Lt at another precinct that took a weeks vacation while none of his troops can get any days off. Leadership 101. I never thought I'd see the day when folks would bail on the Police Dept for the Sheriffs Office. I also like the way the Director is only counting the loses of Officers to other Law Enforcement jobs not loses total. Here is food for thought.....How many of those people would still leave if they were well compensated and provided all of the items that are considered industry standard? My guess is not many. They got into this knowing they weren't going to get rich but were willing to accept the trade off thinking their employer would take care of them like they have in the past. Cobb County Police Department CAN BE a great place to work but it requires an investment of capital.
When you neglect the house, the paint fades, windows break and you have to decide if you are willing to make the investment or walk away....At this point it appears they are going to walk away.
Well....well...well....so it continues in Precinct Three. I heard that the "Sergeant" down at Precinct Three went in and complained (about the previous post) to his shift when he got back to work. I heard that he gave them an "ear full" and said that the person that wrote the comments about him was a "back stabber"......really? I think that rather than get upset and complain, sit back for a minute and read the post. Take it as some constructive and "firm" criticism. Rather than go in and complain, reflect and ask yourself is there truth in this post? Have I lost sight and do I need to re-focus? Maybe this is the only way that my troops feel that they can reach out and talk to me. Hmm....maybe they fear retaliation if they were to approach you and discuss other "options". Given the departments current morale issue it sounds like your behavior is the last thing your troops need. The last thing that needs to happen is that you get "butt hurt" and take it out your troops by rambling on in a squad meeting....man up and deal with it! If you can't put your big boy pants on and handle some criticism.....well then..... head on down to the Wha-wha Burger and get yourself a Wah-burger Deluxe with a side of French Cries. Then wash it all down with a big tall cold Wine-a-kin. If you want some sticks of "butter" that bad head to the grocery store...they got plenty.
I agree 100% with what was said here. Why on earth would you put your troops under more strain when its already at critical mass around here. You have guys leaving left and right for other departments or getting out of law enforcement completely because of the morale around the department and now you add to the problem by putting your troops under even more stress. What should be speaking volumes to the sergeant is that his behavior was easily identified without the mention of his/her name. Try improving the quality of life of your officers instead of ridiculing them for calling your ridiculous behavior out. Or you can continue your current operations and people will continue to leave like rats off a burning ship.
Ditto's to the previous reply's. When the officers in special ops had to change their work schedule to cover Pct 3 because of manpower issues you would figure some would take notice. In fact, STEP has been asked several times to help cover Pct 3 and Pct 1. I believe the pressure on the officers trickle down from the Lieutenant. Isn't this the same shift that the Lieutenant divided the officers in to 2 squad's, then pits the squads and sergeants against each other ?
This department has promoted managers and not LEADERS into supervision. You can tell the leaders from the managers by the morale of the officers on their shifts. Although morale is really down department wide, the shifts with managers are intolerable. Thank god I work for a Leader. If the count is accurate... by the end of July with several retirements leaving for the Campus Police, Cobb PD will have lost 30 officers so far in 2014.
I left the department recently and have no regrets in doing so. It was a tough decision as policing became a part of me, and I miss it daily. However, after years without a raise, increases to retirement contributions (which resulted in pay reductions for me), and furloughs, I had no other option but seek other employment for the sake of my family. When $8 million can be taken from Public Safety and used to secure the Braves move to Cobb (See MDJ article posted in some precincts) I began to wonder who had my back, except for the the officers to my left and right. At what point do you lose faith in those who are entrusted with leadership but continually fail to stand up for what is right for the employees and county as a whole? I am in a much better place and give little thought regarding my decision to leave. With respect to Director Heaton not counting those who left law enforcement I say this: Director Heaton, no one would have began looking for new employment had the county stepped up and committed to Public Safety employees. To think those officers would have left anyway is live with your head in the sand. The leadership needs to stop turning a blind eye and worrying about their own "job security." Worry about the troops, step up to the plate, and do what is right for those still sacrificing on a daily basis (those in offices making significant amounts of money and not standing up for change are not sacrificing, whether sworn or not).
Cobb County needs a military pay scale. If Cobb wants to lead again, pay needs to rise significantly. Starting pay at 38k is a joke in 2014.
Cobb provides some of the best academy training in the State of Georgia, the Southeast, and arguably the entire country. Yet our pay doesn't reflect this.
I think our pay should start at 42k and top out at 65k with step raises for 7 years to top out. I guarantee that retaining officers would be no problem. Take current officers and adjust their pay accordingly.
Another thing. Stop giving me extra annual leave for working a holiday. I can't use it with man power. Pay me time and a half or double time. That would be better.
Pct 3 just had 2 more drop their resignation letters in the last few days. And I know of at least 4 or 5 more that will probably be gone by the end of the year if things work out for them. It won't be long before we have to start disbanding units just to fill the beats. People are already getting training and annual leave denied left and right due to manpower. All that's doing is driving even more out the door. The commissioners need to wake up or their fancy new Braves complex will be a s*** hole with rent a cops for security.
Give credit where credit is due. I never thought I would say I agree with Commissioner Ott. He actually stated PD bleeding should be handled first before new HQ (without leaders) and Training Facility (we can't fill with recruits fast enough). Sandy Springs just hired a CCPD 10 year veteran. But hey 10 hour shifts is coming to Pct 3 soon and good things are coming.
He is acting as such because his "daddy" is no longer chief. It isn't surprising he act as such. This is the same supervisor that stated he KNEW he wasn't going to stay in uniform for long. It is sad that first-line supervisor are unconcerned and selfish. They are no far from the officer post. They should remember the stress, especially the current department condition.
PART 1 Hey guys, I just thought I would put this out here so it would kind of make some sense of what is going on here at the CCPD. I truly think that this blog is a great thing. We need a place to vent out our frustration about what is happening to our police department. If we did not care about the CCPD then we would say nothing and let it be destroyed. I for one do care. I grew up in Cobb County and know many families that live, work, and play here. They are inviting their family and friends to come in and visit with them. They deserve a GREAT police department that is fully capable of responding to any and all emergencies. A department that is well equipped for whatever scenario that may arise. We are asked to always look professional within the uniform that we wear. Yes we actually stand for uniform inspections from time to time. It is time that we show up on scene with the equipment that can pass an on the spot inspection at any time and be as reliable as the officer wearing the uniform. This county does not belong to Tim Lee, David Hankerson, any elected official nor the Public Safety Command Staff. It belongs to the taxpaying people, period! We work for and represent them, period! Officers and their supporters should have this blog and the option to say ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that is destroying this county and the CCPD. They need that ability; without worry of retaliation from command staff or precinct supervision. We could learn something about what may be happening within the department as a whole. Learning by the views posted from all precincts within this CCPD. We are the CCPD! We should do everything within our power to turn this boat around and be a success.
This forum shall not be utilized to bash an individual officer or precinct supervisors. A time and place for everything! We are more professional than that. CCPD Officers are wearing shirts that advertise www.ducimus.info. The public is watching us here too. Inform them so they can see what our/their police department has become. Keep it professional. I have worked with many of you and I say we have a right to speak freely. I have worked with some, officers and supervisors, that are true LEADERS in every since of the word. Others that have not obtained that distinction are known as managers. It’s their choice of which they choose to be. I personally, choose to follow a leader and can do without someone trying to mange me. What would you choose? A Leader: Leadership is powerful, and it can make the difference between success and failure for yourself and any group you belong to. Regardless of your own abilities, many goals cannot be obtained without the help of others. Leadership involves accomplishing goals through others. Successful individuals do not become successful strictly by themselves. Successful individuals become successful with the help of others. The only way to reach the most difficult and important goals is through the help of others. Therefore, you will only be truly successful through exercising good leadership and helping others reach their goals. General George S. Patton defined leadership as the art of getting your subordinates to do the impossible. That is exactly what leadership is about, because it is impossible to accomplish the greatest goals without others, and for a group to be focused on a specific objective it takes leadership to motivate and guide the group toward its goals. A Manager: The organization and coordination of the activities of a business in order to achieve defined objectives. Management is often included as a factor of production along with machines, materials, and money. Consists of the interlocking functions of creating policy and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing an organization's resources in order to achieve the objectives of that policy. It is not my job here to tell anyone which to choose. On the other hand, I will give you my perspective. CCPD use to be an agency that had a Camelot aura about. The department was thought highly of around this nation. We are not that same agency today. That is the truth. The only way we will attain that recognition is by having the LEADERS be bold and make the right decision for this department at this time. Time is absolutely not on our side right now. I do not want to see another good officer leave. Hopefully the leaders here will agree with me.
I have a question for the Chief of Police and his entire Command Staff. Are you all proud of what has happened to the Police Department under your watch? Can you truly say that a new Headquarters and Training Center are the absolute priority to turn this department around? If you are that disconnected from reality, then there is no hope for the PD under this team. It does look like the puppet they put in place has fell right in line as he was ordered to when they gave him Mr. Forsythe's job. I work for the PD and yes, I am leaving soon too. No change will take place here under this group. Their lives are set when they retire and are not affected by what is happening to the rank and file. No State investigation will be opened into what under the table dealings took place with the knowledge of the entire group to force feed the Braves to Cobb. Their crony Sam Olens has the power to protect him and does. This group of leaders have as much credible leadership ability as that thing that is currently occupying the White House and his team.
Au contraire mon frere, I can ASSURE you that the command staff, commissioners and the public safety director are all reading this blog. I know that for a FACT. In fact, this blog gets over 350 to 400 hits a day. Because I know a guy, that knows the guy, who's brother is friends with the dude that runs the taco stand in AZ. So.. lets keep the pressure up !!!
Dumbfounded !!! Today I was at the retirement celebration for an officer with 29 years. What a great officer, SWAT team member, Range officer, dedicated member of this department. There are a lot of good years left in that officer... yet he's leaving for the Campus Police... Ok, if I was in his shoes I would do the same thing... really a no brainier, So whats so dumbfounding? While I was talking to fellow officers of all ranks I found out the number of officers leaving... I knew it was bad but... Rumors of course, 1 captain leaving for Glock, 1 captain just retiring, 1 officer leaving to work at car dealership, 1 leaving to sell real estate, 3 trying to go to the Sheriff's office.. really? 1 went to the SO. 1 more leaving to the Campus Police next month may be two. 1 going to Cherokee School police, 1 just resigned for Sandy Springs... I cant even remember the rest of the officers leaving.. I was DUMBFOUNDED !!! I guess I can forget going a special unit anytime soon. I mean DAMN... Just DAMN
Just a thought! I am hearing a buzz that some people want to know who is saying what about whom on this site. I have the answer they are looking for. Hey fix the dang problems that are destroying this department. As for Mr. Lee and his response about responsibility; [“But the police chief and Sam (Heaton) as the director of public safety, they have a responsibility for the whole department, which includes training,” Lee said. “I can see where someone on the street may not think that’s first priority, but it might be a priority for the whole department and that’s why we have leadership.”] How in the hell would Mr. Lee know anything about leadership. Let me introduce you to the “rank and file” that you talk about; they happen to be Police Officers. Officers that are not working the streets of Mayberry, but the violent crime filled streets that he and they have allowed to prosper. Yes, there is a drug problem in Cobb County also. I wonder what Mr. Lee’s priorities would be if he woke up to go out of his home and find his personal vehicle on blocks and his tires and wheels stolen. If he walked out of his safe haven and saw his personal vehicle with the window knocked out and his personal items stolen. A gun stuck in his face and the Perp takes his personal property. I bet crime fighting would become a priority in his life then. As it is now, it is happening to the taxpaying people of Cobb County and he could care less. Don’t say anything about it either because the Braves might realize that they are moving into an UNSAFE area. Hey Schuerholze! We hope you have your own personal security staff because there is no way Mr. Lee can provide the Cobb Police manpower he promised. Mr. Lee, Mr. Heaton and Mr. Police Chief, The County has plenty of empty space to store your evidence, plenty of space to train the 15 to 20 people that are unaware of our demise and hiring on, and by no means NEED THEIR OWN BUILDING! We need a new office and chair while the officers drive ridiculously wore out patrol cars. It is disgusting that they can even bring crap like that to the table. Officers are needed on the street with proper equipment and with proper pay. There should be a decent retirement and benefits package for persons willing to police in today’s environment. More gun carrying lawless people within the borders of this county. These gun wielding thugs have shown they are not scared to pull the trigger on police or the people. I will have to say that Bob Ott got one right. I can’t believe I just said that.
Tisk, Tisk Tisk, Tisk, Director Heaton… The Cobb County Department of Public Safety has just finished the spring 2014 session of the Citizens Public Safety Academy. The program provides an opportunity for Cobb residents to gain an inside look at the various organizations which make up the Cobb County Department of Public Safety. During the course, residents will toured the Emergency Communications Center, and saw how officers in the animal control, police and fire departments perform their duties. The class ended on June 17Th. On the last night of the program Director Heaton came in and spoke to the citizens in attendance. One of the citizens was taken aback at something Director Heaton said… And as soon as the program was over my phone blew up. So… What did Heaton say? (paraphrasing here) That the Cobb County Police Department was NOT in a “CRISIS”!!! And for them not believe everything you hear or read. That the police department was only 50 officers down and that 40 of those positions were the one’s just authorized by the commissioners a few months ago. Shame on you Dir. Heaton Man, talk about a stab in the back… I have been on your side, and came to your defense on so many occasions, insisting that the rank and file gives you a chance. I really thought that you were on “OUR SIDE”. I guess I’ll be joining in the bash Heaton choirs. Tisk Tisk, Shame on you.
To think that Oh Sammy Boy would anything to cause a ripple in the water is just crazy anyway. He was told before being retread in that position that he will not cause Tim Lee, David Skankerson any trouble. He was told to march to the beat of their drum and he could have the "Title" of Director. Oh Sammy has no clue and keeps his head in the sand of what the police department is going through. I bet he knows how to make a stupid video; he has shown he can do that. Hey Sammy, quit turning our stomachs with that crap you post. How about earning the paycheck you get and come visit the police officers from time to time and see for your own eyes what the truth is. That is if those two guys holding your strings will give you permission. On the other hand quit telling lies to our public citizens about the issues at this department. Now for this citizen's public safety academy, never saw them at precinct 3. To scared to let them see the truth? Once again, management continuing to fail. I have one question for Lee, Skankerson and the entire Public Safety leadership. Who's life has to be destroyed by injury or death to get a decision made by your group? I never thought I'd see this agency fall to such tremendous low's
As much as I want to get on the band wagon and dump on the Chief and Director, let's keep this in perspective. THEY DON'T WRITE THE CHECKS. The budgets are done already and even when those are done nobody gets everything they ask for. This lies squarely with Hankerson and the commissioners. Now let's call a spade a spade. A pay study? for hundreds of thousands of dollars maybe millions? You can bet the report is going to say whatever Lee and friends want it to seeing as how they are paying for it. That being said, they may tell the company to show a problem in their report. Then it is easier to justify spending on cars, equipment and salaries to the tax payer. Now lets talk about the SPLOST. After having the Braves rammed down everyone's throat, what citizen is going to vote for a SPLOST? You got it, NONE. So with that in mind it makes sense for Ott to oppose it publicly in hopes of protecting himself. He may be separating himself from Lee in hopes of not getting any of Lee's mess on him.
I hear that the "interrogations" continue down in Precinct Three....what's the saying? Oh yea... the beatings will continue until the morale improves....nah! not anymore. It's more like the troops will continue to pile out the door with the more absurd crap we lay on them....to include a supervisor that can't just let it go. Here is a question, what does he plan to do with the person who made the post? What laws have been broken? What polices have been broken? Oh, I get it...it's personal. Maybe he will bully or intimidate them....oh, it could get worse...the all dreaded deny the annual leave request maybe? Oh no, not that! Or maybe he will make them sit in a chair with a bright light shinning in heir face at which point he will say with authority...."tell me everything you know!" Please........ Or maybe you could just let it go...and give the troops a break!
In response to tisk...tisk....tisk...I am so happy that you finally see just what a "wet brown paper bag" Sammy Boy is. What does Sammy Boy care about the police department, he is a fireman (no knock on the hard working men and women in our fire department). The mere fact that he can stand before people and lie completely to their face speaks waves about him to me. Not in a crisis....I second you tisk...tisk...tisk...as I too say shame on you Sammy Boy. Yea we are 50 officers down from the allocated number of officers that we were authorized to have 10 years ago. What a bunch of lies...Hey Sammy Boy who do you think that you are fooling?....only yourself. How many times in the morning when you look at yourself in the mirror do you have to practice those lies? Or are you just the puppet? You see our problem is that Lloyd and Heaton have taken the "Ostrich" approach. If I just keep my head down in this hole in the sand then it doesn't exist. Except when Sammy Boy pulls his head out of the sand it is to come up long enough for air and a big ol' swig of "Cobb Way Kool-Aid" ain't that right Sammy Boy?
In regards to the previous post about the interrogation with the bright light in the face....that Sergeant could order the all dreaded "CODE RED"!.....just saying!
I came to Cobb as a veteran officer from a different agency. At that time, it took me nearly a year to get hired. Why so long? Because Cobb was the premier agency in the state. There was an line to get in. IA could cherry pick the best recruits, leaving behind a pool of highly qualified people still waiting to get in. Now they barely draw qualified candidates. Meanwhile officers are leaving in record numbers.
Cobb was one of the most proactive departments in the country. We had crime, but we took the fight to them; keeping it in check. We had a reputation that kept criminals doing business in other jurisdictions. Now we can barely answer the calls that come in. It is frequent that special ops units help answer calls. That's great for that call, but it is taking them away from what their mission is supposed to be. The public doesn't see how thin it is because Cobb Officers have risen to the occasion; but this is not sustainable.
This barely scratches the surface of issues facing our department. What is most concerning is that all of the problems have been brought to the County Mgr and Board of Commission, yet they continue to deny there are any issues. There seems to be no one at the wheel. No decisions are being made. The time to fix this is now.
If no one stands up and takes a action now, it will be too late to respond. Soon you'll see criminals becoming bolder, more officers getting hurt and the publics quality of life spiral in decline. Soon officers who "have been here to long to leave" will start prepping their resumes. I'm starting to consider it.
The leadership can say nothing is wrong all they want. Perception is reality for the perceiver. This blog stands as evidence a problem has been perceived. The outflow of veteran officers stands as evidence that we won't take it forever.
You were elected to do a job. Do it or step aside.
You learn early on as a recruit that Officer Presence is your first force option. You learn if your uniform and gear are squared away, your appearance can prevent the need for more force to control the situation; all which is safer for the officer, the suspect and the community.
Obviously, CCPD has been suffering from a morale problem of late. Officers who used to hold their head high and say with pride that they were a Cobb Police Officer are now leaving in record numbers.
One of the issues- our current fleet of cars. One recent standard I read suggest patrol units be rotated out of service after 90,000 miles, which would be about 3-4 years.
The Cobb fleet has numerous high mileage vehicles with 170,000+ miles, some as old as 8 years. The paint is peeling off many of them. Some have huge rust spots. Never mind the safety concerns of running code to a call in them.
When the public looks at your cars condition and shakes its head, it is hard to have good morale. When you don't care how the vehicle and equipment condition will affect officer presence it has an impact on morale and officer safety.
Take home cars are becoming the industry standard. The benefit to the department and community has been proven time and again elsewhere. At this time, our leaders, elected and appointed, seem to fail to realize the condition of the fleet. Doing something as progressive as a take home program will never happen, when they can not even maintain a current fleet.
Meanwhile, morale declines and our numbers continue to shrink.
Well it has been about 5 months since Cobb Officers went en masse to support the citizens who were speaking on our behalf at the Board of Commissioner's meeting. We wanted the BOC to have to acknowledge the current state of the department and to take action to correct the issues.
Since that time, the BOC has given us 40 more vacancies, which is ironic since that's the only thing we have plenty of.
The Cobb Way is the obvious punch line to close this post with, but this is no longer a laughing matter.
While on the topic of too little, too late, shall we broach the subject of the fabled Patrol Rifle Purchase Program?
Much like the elusive Sasquatch, we have heard of it, but never seen it. For nearly 3 years we've been told that it's about to happen. Officers can buy their rifles; the result being more officers in the field equipped to respond to critical incidents.
Instead of results, we get lip service and lies. How long does it really take to make a decision and move forward? If they handled the Braves opportunity like they do everything else, there's not a chance the Braves would've considered Cobb.
Guess at least we know where the priorities lie now at least.
You may refuse to listen to what we are saying, but eventually you will hear our footsteps as we are leaving. Hopefully, it won't be too late when you do.
I cannot wait until I get the word that I have my new job. I do not plan to even give the County a 2 week notice. I am done here, absolutely done here. Going to an agency where the they have a leadership team and not a bunch of damn LOSERS that have fat pockets.
I hear some of the folks on here talking about not having the opprtunity to advance to a special unit. Come on! We are all on a special unit. It is the Cobb County Police Department 2010,11,12,13,14.... We are for certain "SHORT BUS" special as handicapped as we are these days and the equipment we operate. I hope the Command Staff are enjoying their days off with the family
MPD's take homes are approved now. Also the entire department is switching to a outer vest with a under armor shirt with a collar underneath. Meanwhile in Cobb, the take homes haven't been spoken about since it was thrown out there to quell an uprising, and the last change to their uniforms was to add collar brass.
Also the lateral from Atlanta PD left after only 2 or 3 weeks. Really? Two Officers leaving PD for the SO?! Fed's are hiring and taking at least 4.
I would like to propose a suggestion. It is uncertain if the Command Staff visits this page and reads the comments. For that reason, I suggest we prepare letters and mail or deliver them to headquarters. This is what I did. I prepared a letter and addressed one to the Chief, one to each of the Deputy Chiefs, and one to Major Merrifield. The envelope was addressed from "Cobb County Police Officer". The following is the letter I enclosed sent in several parts:
Part I:
Chief Houser, June 17, 2014
I have prepared this letter to share my thoughts and opinions on the current condition of the department. I sent anonymously so that it will be judged on its content, not the author. I only ask that you take the time to review it and consider the points. Let there be no mistake, I am proud to be a Cobb County Officer and I have no desire to work anywhere else. You have said on many occasions that you are interested in our thoughts and opinions. This department will still belong to me long after the current Chiefs, Precinct Commanders, and County Commissioners retire. It is for this reason that I express my concerns about the future. It is no secret that the state of the department morale is quite dismal. We are watching as a near constant exodus is taking place as officers leave for what they believe will be better opportunities. Furthermore, it does not seem as though there is anything coming in the near future to stop the bleeding. Even the most optimistic of our officers are finding it difficult to maintain their faith in the Cobb County Police Department. Our patches bear the Latin expression, “DUCIMUS CETERI SEQUUNTUR”, which is becoming more and more of a joke. There was a time we have all heard stories about when criminals feared the Cobb County Police. Atlanta officers told stories of how the “bad guys” would turn around at the county line during car chases because they knew that Cobb Officers were waiting on the other side of the bridge. Criminals used to say that “COBB” was an acronym for “Count On Being Busted”. We no longer have that reputation or that respect. Despite these things, I still believe that the Cobb County Police Department is the best around. We have the best training and, for the most part, the best equipment for a department our size. I only applied for Cobb County Police and no other department because this is where I wanted to be. That has not changed. If we have nothing else, we have each other. I know the quality of our officers and the standards to which we hold ourselves and each other. The other jurisdictions know the quality of our officers as well, which is why our officers are sought after so aggressively.
If you look back at the recent history, our retention problems seemed to begin when Sandy Springs became a city. They needed officers and they needed them quickly. They could not start a department with brand new officers and they needed to recruit experience. All of the other departments around us only got what Cobb County did not want, or what we let go. Therefore, Sandy Springs decided to offer $45,000 starting pay, take home cars, and a number of other attractive benefits in order to recruit our officers. They still came out ahead of the cost of training a new officer from start to finish and could count on attracting highly qualified and experienced officers. Their plan worked and other departments followed suit. When Brookhaven became a city, their Chief said in a news conference that he needed 40 officers and that he would take them all from Cobb. The county has not taken anything from us that they promised. We still have all of the benefits that were agreed upon when we completed our applications. We have, however, experienced furloughs and a dramatic increase in healthcare costs. We have also changed our retirement program to one that is rather embarrassing. We have also watched as the county did nothing to stop officers from leaving and have allowed there to become a retention crisis. Nonetheless, the problem is that the other departments have raised the bar while we sat and watched. We no longer lead…or follow. Now every municipality within Cobb either is offering or is in the planning stages for take home cars while our officers stand in the parking lot waiting for cars to go in service. On top of all of this, our department has decided that this is the time to start modifying the pursuit policy. It seems that it is now considered too dangerous to chase for traffic violations and property crimes. Yet these are the most substantial problems in the county. We work tens of thousands of traffic crashes each year and we are being plagued with entering autos and burglaries. It was brought to my attention that entering auto thefts are up 300% in Zone Three. Despite these numbers, it is our position that we will only enforce laws upon compliant criminals and violators. So basically, if you want to commit crimes in Cobb County, all you have to do is not stop when the police turn on the blue lights. Traffic stops have become nearly consensual encounters. If an officer attempts to initiate a traffic stop for a violation, and the driver fails to yield, we just let them go. If you do not want a ticket in Cobb County, just take the tag off your car and refuse to stop when the blue lights come on. Seems like an easy way to avoid paying a fine. That means we will only punish you if you do what you are supposed to do by stopping. Where is the motivation for our officers to be proactive? It seems that the only punishment that comes when a violator or criminal flees is against our own officers. Our officers see criminal activity and go after it because that is what we are trained to do. And when that criminal runs, it is almost painful to turn the lights off and give up. Sometimes we are fortunate and a follow up investigation is successful at apprehending that fleeing criminal. But that does not happen as often as it should. One of my fellow officers pointed out that there was a time when officers would celebrate and give each other “high fives” at the conclusion of a chase when the bad guy was captured. Now the officers fear the suspension days that are likely to follow the conclusion of a pursuit. We have supervisors who stretch the policy and the law to encompass officers’ actions to support the discipline that is eminent. This serves no benefit to our department or our morale.
As far as property crimes go, we are spending thousands of man hours on entering auto reports and investigations. These criminals are coming into Cobb and taking whatever they want from our citizens and visitors. But even this property crime is different from a burglary. When a home is burglarized it compromises the safety and security of the residents who live there. They may not feel safe going home, they may have trouble sleeping, and their children may even experience nightmares. I know this because these are things I have been told by victims. That makes burglaries a little more than just property crimes. When many departments started moving toward a “No Chase Policy”, Chief New answered the media by saying, “Cobb County has always chased in the past, we continue to chase now, and we will always chase.” While we waited for the Supreme Court to rule on the liability of vehicle pursuits, we stopped chasing under Chief Hatfield for a period of time. That was understandable. I recall watching the news as an entering auto victim at Town Center Mall gave an interview. He said that he pointed out the suspects to the police who responded. When the vehicle fled the officers did not pursue. That victim said on the news something similar to, “If the police are not going to do their jobs, what am I paying taxes for?” That is a pretty fair question. Now we are facing restrictions on pursuing criminals again. I have a strong fear that this will cause crime to become uncontrollable in Cobb County. I would suggest that we consider a different approach. It would make much more sense to seek out the best available pursuit training and bring that to Cobb County. Unless we go to GPSTC and take Advanced EVOC, we have no real pursuit training. More importantly, pursuit restrictions prevent us from doing any of this training during the FTO stage. It is possible that our pursuits and the issues that go along with them are a result of lack of training. This is training beyond what our policy states. Our officers should be trained in how to conduct pursuits as safely as possible. More importantly, they should be trained in pursuit judgment and prevention. There have been a number of pursuits, which ultimately ended up in police vehicles being damaged, that could have been prevented had the officers not waited until the light turned green to initiate the stop. But it was never trained into their minds to box in the vehicle while it was stopped at the light. The recent pursuit in Zone Three was an excellent example of that. Had the officers thought to box the car in where it was stopped, we may have prevented $15,000 in vehicle damage. The police vehicles were already in position to perform that maneuver perfectly.
Similar to the seriousness we put on active shooter training, and the practice we have with judgmental shooting, our officers should be presented with training that causes them to make pursue/don’t pursue decisions. They should have training that causes them to realize when a pursuit is too dangerous and have the ability to terminate their own pursuits. They need to have the foresight and ability to use tactics that prevent the pursuit before it starts. We do not need to stop pursuing; we need to start conducting better pursuits through training. And I would offer that we need to be as public about this training as possible to send the message that criminals can Count On Being Busted. That is the enforcement part of “Law Enforcement”. No one wants to see innocent civilians caught in the crossfire of a pursuit, but no citizen wants us to stop aggressively fighting crime. Just ask them. The job of a Law Enforcement Officer is dangerous. It is dangerous to pursue, it is dangerous to conduct traffic stops, it is dangerous to get involved in domestic disputes, and it is certainly dangerous to run into a building during an active shooter situation. We spend hours upon hours training with our bodies and our weapons, but we spend very little time training with our patrol vehicles. Police cars kill almost as many officers as gun do. We should try dedicating the same commitment to training cars and we do with our guns. I suspect that pursuits will be reduced automatically. Not only would officers have the knowledge to use better judgment, but maybe criminals will feel less confident in their ability to get away. Criminals will run if they believe there is a reasonable chance that they can get away with their crime. It is a pretty good bet they will get away if we are not going to chase them, and crime will continue to escalate at an alarming rate. It is as simple as that. Catching criminals is what we do…it is in the very nature and hearts of every man and woman who puts on a police uniform. It is not a natural response for a police officer to let the criminal simply drive away. “My Badge is a symbol of my dedication and commitment to integrity, truth, morality and justice. To protect the peaceful from violence, the weak from oppression and the innocent from deception.” That is what it says on the badge I wear over my heart. That is the promise Cobb County Officers have made to the citizens we swore an oath to protect. There is no doubt in my mind that you believe in this as well. I hope that you will continue to fight for us as you have been. There has not been a time in my career when I have felt more support from our leadership than I have now. The majority of our officers are terrified to some degree as to what is going to happen when the stadium is built. As you continue the battle with the commissioners, please point out the following considerations on my behalf: We will not be ready for the stadium by 2017. You have already recognized this. We are way behind in preparing for this. At the last recruit graduation ceremony, a group of us were approached by a County Commissioner who engaged us in conversation. During that conversation it was mentioned that the stadium has to be secured while it is being built. We have to protect the site, the materials, and someone has to keep the copper pipes and wires from being stolen. The Commissioner responded by saying that so much focus has been put on the finished product that no one seems to have considered the construction of the stadium. That Commissioner did not know what a beat was or what it meant for one to be open. I know this because it had to be explained. So clearly the Commissioners have not even discussed this aspect. It may help to remind them. The majority of the citizens have no idea that each precinct is typically manned by only 8 to 10 officers at any given time. I know this because I have seen the look on their faces when I tell them that. It was the same look that Commissioner had when it was told to [them].
In addition, we cannot have our public safety resources available by the time the stadium is built. We have to have our officers and our plan in place far in advance of that first pitch. We have to be able to provide trained and experienced officers who are ready to take on an unfamiliar mammoth task. We have to conduct classroom training and practical exercises repeatedly before that day comes. Our officers need to be prepared for the new traffic patterns as the Interstates and surface streets are modified. We have to be prepared for the increase in property crimes around the stadium area. We have to realize that the MARTA connection will provide a direct route for criminals to enter the county and help themselves to a whole new supply of victims. We have to be expecting an increase in person-to-person crimes, gang tagging, panhandling and vagrants. Everything that is around the stadium in Atlanta will be around the stadium in Cobb unless we address it before the project is complete. It will be impossible to do that while we are still working with open beats. But I am even more confident that there will be protests from the minute construction starts. Most likely they will be peaceful and consist mostly of sign holders, but there will be a protest. These will be the same kind of protests we saw from the “Georgia Flaggers” when the stars and bars were removed from the State flag. I am concerned that there will be a larger protest the day of the first pitch. Our officers need to be prepared for that, if for nothing more than understanding what is legal and what is not in regard to protests. Please convey to the Commissioners that we are out of time to discuss what we may or may not do. If we wait any longer the crisis will manifest itself in two ways: First, we will not have enough experienced officers who are qualified to train the number of officers we need. The FTO manual requires three years of experience in order to be activated. We are dangerously low on officers who have been here that long AND would be good training officers. In addition, our training facility may not be able to handle the class sizes we need by that time. Even with the idea of night classes as an option, we do not have enough officers to staff two shifts of academy training. More importantly, I ask that we never be put in such a position that we compromise the quality and the standards of Cobb County Police Officers. If we wait too much longer we will find ourselves needing people to fill uniforms instead of being able to seek out the best of the best. I fear that we will shorten our mandate training in order to accommodate the number of classes we need to get through the academy. I fear that we will be forced to lower our grading standards during Field Training. We are seeing it already as the FTOs are being told they are being “too hard” on the recruits. The result of that will be more vehicle crashes, poorly prepared criminal cases, civil rights violations, and lawsuits. We will quickly lose our reputation of being highly trained and professional police officers. Cobb County will begin showing up in negative media stories. Again, please reiterate these points to the Commissioners. If they do not want to believe you, invite them to ask us. We will tell them. Thank you for the support that you have been giving us during this difficult time. I ask that you do not give up and that you continue the battle. I ask that you help us bring back the meaning of DUCIMUS CETERI SEQUUNTUR. I ask that you help us rebuild and preserve the standard, the professionalism, and the pride of the Cobb County Police Department.
Thank you for your time, Cobb County Police Officer
Nice Letter, too bad that is has fallen on deaf ears. No way possible that the Command Staff are not aware of the goings on within this department. When we hear stuff like: No Crisis, We have adequate man power, We need a new training facility, We need a new headquarters, and the puppet Sammy Boy telling the citizens that don't believe what you hear and see; it is without a doubt apparent that they know what is happening. It is without a doubt that a choice has been made to allow the bleeding of this hemorrhage to continue by all that have a say. They do not feel the pain that WE, the individual beat officer's, feel everyday we show up. I hear some say here that a Blue Flu would have an adverse effect on the cause. I for one say I think it is the absolute prescription for this time. It is time for all officers in every precinct to make a stand and refuse to work any overtime. It is time we make a stand for the beat officer and say I believe that you and I understand what you are going through at this time. I will help do whatever necessary to make our environment better and provide what our Cobb County taxpaying community deserves. Until it gets back to what us veterans knew of in the pre Hatfield days, we have to take care of each other and do what we can to affect change.
I would like the department to advise if that $100 million is to build a facility for the Evidence unit. Currently criminal case evidence is being held in any number of storage units and county employees have to pay from their own pockets when the County fails to pay the bills. Maybe they could explain if the County is going to catch up on the two year backlog of fingerprints at the evidence unit. You do want you burglary investigated instead of being placed in the Hold file?
Maybe, just maybe, the shift should do a little reflection, as well. We are all accountable for the work we do and we are each responsible for our morale. Will you turn a blind eye to crime because you haven't been dispatched to it? Surely not. You have personal pride it what we do and how it gets done, or you would be gone, too. How many magazines or websites can you browse in a day before you can no longer look yourself in the mirror and say, "Today I did a good job." No one wants to work in an unsafe environment, but by definition, police officers chose to do so. HOW unsafe is a matter of risk management. This should not excuse an officer from his responsibilities just because they are working short-handed. Reducing the pro-active effort is one thing, but sitting behind a building waiting to be dispatched can't be acceptable, can it? If your beat partner sees something that he decides needs to be addressed, would you leave him hanging just in case the dreaded "check a suspicious person delivering papers" call goes out? Surely not. Working short-handed has become the norm. The citizenry don't notice it because you have excellent beat partners who continue to do an outstanding job even with less help. Pick up your end of the deal and pull with the rest...or put it down and "ring out."
Double time would be equal compensation as a "hold over." You just "spend" the leave time on the day you have to work. That would be nice. A choice would be nice, too.
A "blue flu" endangers the ones of us who DO show up as expected. You would do this to your brothers/sisters in blue? I don't think anyone will miss you on the day you decide to do this. I doubt they notice when you are there.
I would do this WITH my brothers and sisters of the Cobb County Police. I would do this WITH those who do more than just go out and think writing a traffic ticket is police work. 1. Those that face violent crime on a daily basis. 2. Those who do not have a decent retirement plan. 3. The same ones that pay to damn much for their health care package. 4. The same ones that make a minute salary and ARE FORCED to work overtime so the supervision is able to fill the beats. 5. The same ones that have to work part times because the salary and benefits package is so disgusting that they will be required to work 40+ years in this job. 6. The ones that will only receive 1% a year for that 40 years of service at the Cobb Police Department to retire on. Would those on the command staff hire in today and do this job with the package being offered? I think not! To work for this department for a salary that absolutely denies the bulk of them the ability to live in CC because of the cost of living in CC, unless they are courtesy officers. They definitely cannot afford to be home/property owners in CC. I say this to all of you that work for Cobb PD and have not worked a beat in a while. YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT A CC BEAT OFFICER GOES THROUGH THESE DAYS. If you have not worked a beat in the past 5 years, the same applies. Just in case you have not heard Precinct 1, 2 and 3 have open beats on a regular occasion. Volunteer to work a beat in one of those areas on your day off. I hear most special units work 4/10 hour days. Preferably in Precinct 2 or 3! I mean work the beat to include show up at squad meeting and stay until you finish the day, maybe even take late car duties. I can take the personal attacks that you feel you need to fire my way. I am not here for your approval or to make you feel good about yourself. I am here and have been here a very long time. I will have a decent retirement because the package was a very good some 10-15 years ago. I have always been taught to leave something a little better than you found it when you leave. Not sure what you think about that! We have seen that words and showing up at the Commissioners meetings do nothing! I will do anything within my power that will enhance the quality of life for my brothers and sisters; to include a blue flu if required. Whatever it takes to get those in the Command Staff’s office, the Director’s office, the Commissioner’s office and the County manager’s office to FIX the problem! In turn this will provide the safety that the CC taxpayers have become accustomed to. I personally wish that this blog was unnecessary or CC Police officers did not have to wear T-shirts to advertise this site and beg for necessities. I did not create the problem! If you are a CC Police officer, then you are a brother/sister of mine too. All I want is something better for all. I want us to get back to being not only the best department, but the department that attracts ONLY THE BEST, the MOST QUALIFIED and that we take care of them all.
Your points are loud and clear. No one argues that. A "blue flu" is dangerous to your police family. If you doubt that, you should take a minute and calm down. There are NO easy answers to the depths of trouble the department is now in, but stooping to lower your professional standards is no way to build up anything. You have to reach deep and decide what will define you. We are all in the sinking ship, but poking a hole in the boat to show a weak spot won't help. Hope you get over your "flu."
Having read the above posts and being a sergeant myself, I must agree that my troops, my team, is the most important thing for me each and everyday. Now some of them may piss me off from day to day, but in the end it is my job to make sure they stay safe and get home to their loved ones each and everyday. To my fellow sergeants and supervisors, please focus and support the troops when possible and let the BS calls hold so officers can back each other up and stay safe.
You are all my Brothers & Sisters and I wish you a safe tour of duty!
I am calling all active FOP members to come to the August 6th Meeting at 1700 hours. We need to hire a professional spokesperson to represent our concerns at the Commission meetings and at public addresses, especially with the media. President Mull and VP Pierce have tried to accomplish this, but neither one "bless their hearts" is a professional or good representative for the members. At the August 6th, meeting a proposal will be made to hire a speaker. I understand that one of the proposals is for Lance LoRusso to be hired. I also understand that one of the Board members is fighting this proposal, saying he has two phantom people who will speak at no cost to the Lodge and the membership. In August it will be time to put up or shut up, we need action and we needed it yesterday. Too the FOP Lodge 13 Board, stop dragging your feet and use the memberships money to represent the membership NOW! For those interested, Lance LoRusso will be representing us at the July 22nd Commission meeting.. A concerned member will be raising the funding for this to happen so please join the Ducimus team as they attempt to continue the fight. ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL!!
It was clear to me the first time this was discussed at the lodge that it would go nowhere. Instead of spending the members money on toys for kids in Mableton, maybe some of THEIR money should be used to help THEM. To the board, It isn't that difficult. Draft a service/retainer agreement that details the price. Just because you enter into this agreement it doesn't mean the speaker is going run out and find cameras to talk in front of. THE MEMBERSHIP will dictate when the services are needed. The tail is wagging the dog here. You are using the process to drag your feet.
In response to picking up your end and pulling: I believe most officers have been pulling this weight for an extended period of time! Too long! If you have ever been in a gym and worked out, you would understand that holding onto a weighted object can wear on the muscles and create fatigue. When fatigue sets in a person can get tired. After an extended period of tiredness and fatigue a person needs time to regenerate so they can be ready for peak performance. It is my understanding that most precincts are always shorthanded and cannot afford to allow this time to their officers. No vacation time allowed! Playing on the officer’s loyalty to their beat partners to get them to come in and fill the beats (Unnecessary Overtime). I remember another time officers and their families were asked to do more during the financial crunch. Remember the furloughs? Remember no overtime being paid that they accrued? They were forced to flex that overtime and not at overtime pay. Remember asking the officer to walk 10% of his beat in order to save on fuel cost. I remember this and I remember the officer and their families having to bear the burden then too. They did so! It is time to QUIT putting the failures of the Hankerson/Lee/Heaton team on the backs of the officers and their families. Try this; quit asking the beat officer and try asking the command staff to donate their free time to work a beat. I am sure their salaried position will not be affected by doing so. This problem has been created on their watch and continues to grow. Their home lives should be affected equally adversely too. Asking your shift to do some reflection is a joke. Individual officers ARE NOT responsible for their own morale. Check Webster’s definition of morale. It is hard to be enthusiastic about the direction we are headed. We have NO confidence in the leadership because of THEIR actions. Officers loyalty is to the officer’s they work beside that share in the dismal conditions we face today. Some of those suspicious person calls end up being some of the most dangerous too. To make light of them is not the right call. Yes! A police officer made a choice when deciding to do this job and to work in an unsafe environment. You got one right for sure. Those who made that choice made it hoping the leadership team above them would provide them the best equipment and the best supporting team of officers in order to WIN most of those situations they come into contact with. No one wins them all, but being supplied with the proper team and equipment gives them the confidence to charge into that unsafe environment. If supervision continues to require more with less and verbally state, “It is because of the quality of officers we have here”! If they believe in that theory; they should compensate that OUSTANDING TEAM with proper pay and benefits package and give them the best equipment. I have seen firsthand that the bulk of officers I know and work with have been holding up their end of the deal and are not only pulling, but carrying this department!!!!!! It is time for the supervisors and management team to pick up their end of the deal and not “Put it down”, and quit ringing out to the Hankerson/Lee/Heaton team. There is also an old saying, “You get what you pay for”.
mo·rale noun \mə-ˈral\ : the feelings of enthusiasm and loyalty that a person or group has about a task or job.
The job is the same it always has been. You get to decide if you are going to come in with a good attitude or a poor one. It will have a much greater impact than anything the "management team" (I use that in the most loose sense) can possibly do. I am NOT suggesting we lay down and accept poor management, but we can't just stop being police officers because those above us can't/won't get out of their own way...or ours, for that matter. This thread started off with an anonymous personal slam on a sgt at P3. The impression given was that someone got his feelings hurt because the mean ol' sgt made someone work on a day they were short-handed. I wasn't there and it appears the sgt in question has taken the high road here and not responded. Kudos to him/her. It appears the sgt found someone to arrest and someone is embarrassed that he had the free time to do a transport. Regardless what the command staff does or does not do, I believe we still have an excellent department (what is left of it) and professional officers who can persevere. But we can't do it by "complaining our way to excellence." Those of us still here, for whatever the reason, owe it to ourselves and our beat partners to show the hell up and do the job. The point was missed when I describe us as "excellent." I think we are doing a damned fine job in horrible conditions. You don't want the OT? Go home. Some else will still have the job to do...with or without you. Go ahead...take your "blu flu" day. Good luck with what you see in the mirror in the morning.
Good luck with the new job. I hope the grass is truly greener on the other side....it can't be more dead! Don't forget about us left behind. Maybe we'll see you on the way to take your family to a ballgame as we sweat (on duty, no less) out in traffic as those you mentioned are hob-nobbing in their complimentary skyboxes. Good luck, brother.
Putting that SPLOST out there is just a way for the politicians to say, "Sorry. We tried." Why not do the really hard thing and raise the millage rate to cover the cost of government? The splost is temporary. Maybe it's time the citizens receiving such excellent service from their employees find out how expensive it really is. They want an aquatics center in every commissioners' district; they want a sports field on every corner; they want a fire station in their back yard; but do they really see what that has cost? I think not. They never see the bill because those responsible for telling them the debts they have incurred don't want to look like spendthrifts. Cowards, one and all. I want to see Hankerson driving a 200k mile Crown Vic. Better yet, one he bought at auction as he tries to make ends meet in the unemployment line.
You have to read this and take personal feelings off the table. Nothing in this statement said anything negative about a NON-beat officer! I am just saying that the bulk our officers are working a beat 5+ days a week with very little annual leave. That statement informed some that working a beat here is much different from when I worked a beat. I am one of those classified as a NON-beat officer. If you truly say that it is not different as a beat officer within this department than it was several years ago, you are wearing blinders! I will refrain from calling you names as you are probably a senior officer within this department and know as I do that we were chosen from many qualified candidates and were considered a top choice. We were respected! Not as we are as an individual’s, but what we “WERE” as a team. Our face then was the beat officer! Our face today is the beat officer. If we can take care of the individual every day beat officer, in turn it will make all special units and NON-beat officers jobs and lives much better. We will be able to actually focus on what our specialty is designed for and detectives will once again be able to do some investigations again. The face of this department is those officers that pound the beat. As they go, we go. I am not afraid to say that. No one within this agency, that is required to work, is living the good life.
So you are telling me that the job here, a police officer in Cobb County, is not one bit different or dangerous than it was just a few years ago? Please tell me you do not believe that statement. The job description is the same for certain. The elements of the crime we fight on the streets of Cobb County have changed, for the worse, tremendously. More violent criminals whom have become embolden in their lawless activities because they know of our demise. Yes I agree we do an excellent job. We soar over and above most agencies even though we are being shredded by the politics of the day. You can come and go and work as many shifts as you can grab. Some people have families that they actually like going home to and spending as much time with them as possible. So as far as what I OWE, I owe it to insure that I do not place my beat partner or any officer in the responding area into any undue danger. This job comes with dangerous circumstances that can implode in a moment’s notice. I agree we must take the fight to the criminal violators who prey on our public. We must take that fight to them on our terms, not theirs. I owe it to you, your family, to insure that I provide you the best support as your beat partner and to make quality cases that will lead to a successful prosecution and ultimately a conviction. I do not owe anyone anything other than that or any of my extra time that. I am owed no more than that. I will not make an arrest or a traffic stop to put a check mark on anyone’s stat sheet. I could care less if someone made 20 arrests in a month if the arrest cannot result in a conviction. Quality cases will define what type of officer you are, not quantity of cases.
78 comments:
I confirmed Marietta PD and Powder Springs PD are going to a take home car program. Looks like Cobb PD will keep losing folks left and right. Apparently it's getting so bad with manpower that special units are finally being called in to keep the precincts afloat. I also hear homicides in the county are up by 300% from what they were this time last year as well as an increased number in violent crime and traffic related deaths. Good things are coming, just not to Cobb PD.
I believe that only leaves Acworth and Cobb County without take home cars. I think we should go talk to the Braves front office and have them help us get take home cars, after all that's the only thing the commissioners care about right now. Yes pct 3 is in a manpower crisis.
Cobb police just lost a great officer to the Sheriff's office. Looks like the departures continue. The ship is sinking fast and no one is at the wheel.
Yep! In the MDJ today!! We lead other follow....er.
Well, well....just your average day in Precinct 3. Let's see...A Sergeant who wants to be a beat officer. This Sergeant, who is aware of the manpower and morale now a days, continues to pressure his officer's to got out and beat the bushes even with 2 and 3 open beats! Folks that's just not safe at all. I was always taught if you have 2 open beats you stay off the radio unless dispatched. We have an unsafe Sergeant, who's dying to be a butter bar, continually putting his officer's at risk. No one, his LT and CAPT, hold him accountable!!!!! This is crap. His leadership skills are horrible. He doesn't care about no one but his self. And to top it off....today he stops a suspicious vehicle. You know what happens next! A beat officer has to back him up. Guess what? That opens another beat up! And he has the gall to make that beat officer transport his arestee to jail!!!! Unbelievable. I can't make this stuff up ladies and gentlemen. This has got to stop. I hope you read this "Sergeant". Be a Sergeant. Sign off on our reports. Sign off on our Kronos. Sign off on our leave. Sign off on our training. ETC, ETC, ETC. Be a freaking Sergeant. You know who you are.
So in about the last 6 months we've lost 2 special ops guys to the S.O.
Marietta leads and We follow. You remember MPD gets the M&P 15's then we get them.
And to those who say it's easier for a smaller department to start a take-home car program because they have less officer's. It's all relative, those cities also have smaller budgets. It all comes down to priorities. Dekalb is bigger than Cobb but made it a priority to start a take-home car program.
We need to get involved politically via the FOP and start endorsing candidates running for the BOC who are pro police. That means standing at the poles in Cobb FOP shirt's on and the candidate's sign. Also, why is it in Public Safety the Fire Department and 911 have their own tax and the Police Department does not?
CCPD is hemorrhaging employees at an alarming rate. Looks like the people in charge don't care, what a shame.
So...who will be the next 2 officers to leave for the Sheriff's Office when their 3 years are up...and they get fired and put back at the precincts for no other reason than their term limit is up.
I wouldn't be surprised if Acworth goes to a take-home car program before Cobb. The city's understand they can't compete without them and your cars last longer.
I'm also for putting my FOP shirt on and endorse a pro-police candidate at the poles.
I used to think the brass uptown was actually on our side but could not act due to the politics of the job. However, lately it has become obvious that there is no backing from anyone. Not uptown nor on Cherokee Street. I know of FIVE officers on their way out. They are not just talking about it. They have job offers cemented. When will someone, anyone wake up and act on this crisis? It's time to step up to the plate and make something of the county as it used to be! Sitting quietly and watching on the sidelines, or from your offices at headquarters, is not a sign of leadership. It takes risk to lead from the front. Stop protecting your job Chief Houser and lead from the front. Get your men and women behind you and fight this issue head-on. In public with backing from those you lead. If you choose to lead we will follow. If not...well then, there is no hope.
Now they want to spend over $100 million on a new HQ building and training facility. HQ looks pretty nice to me. An update might be necessary, but $50 million is way too much at this point. A new training facility would also be nice, but what is the immediate need for that if they will not address those officers which are leaving at an alarming rate. Fewer people are applying and annual training classes will shrink because there are NO officers. Their heads are in the clouds and there is no sign of any of them returning.
And I hear there is another special ops officer that will be leaving in a couple weeks.
Yeah. Nobody expects us to all have a car in our driveway overnight. But it's past time to START doing something......anything.
http://www.policeone.com/patrol-issues/articles/7306524-Calif-department-to-require-mandatory-overtime-raising-fatigue-worries/
Read this article. This isn't far away. Keep it up Command Staff and Commissioners!
A message for Tim Lee and the Cobb County Board of Commissioners,
Mr. Lee, I think you need to be provided some information about your job title and what it requires of you from the people of Cobb County.
It is absolutely evident that you have no clue what you and the other elected persons are supposed to be doing.
Just in case you have never been informed and that is the basis of your ignorance; I will set you up to be successful from this date forward.
(That is a pipe dream of mine that you are surely to fall short of!)
A Government is an organization in a specific geographic location which is dominant in physical force. Government is necessary to ensure the proper use of force. For this reason, it must specify objective laws to clarify the use of force, and it must have the ability to enforce these laws.
The purpose of government is to protect the individual rights of its citizens. Since rights can be assaulted both within a country and outside of it, the government must deal with either threat. This requires an army for defense of the country, and a police system to protect the individual citizens from other individuals within the country.
To ensure that rights are upheld properly, the judgment of the use of force must be objective. Since individuals involved in an incident are not likely to be objective, it is the government's job to judge the individual use of force by its citizens. For this reason, the government must provide a court system. Laws are the tools by which the court decides if a use of force is valid or not.
These are the words of a Great Man that went by the name of Thomas Jefferson.
In other words, Governments should protect the people who work, live, play and visit within its boundaries. Protect them by providing a quality Police, Fire and emergency services. Provide an adequate department that has all the necessary resources to protect life, limb and property.
It is not the government’s job to provide entertainment!
It is not the government’s job to provide recreation!
It is not the government’s job to force its taxpayers to pay for a Baseball Stadium!
It is not the government’s job to provide mass transit!
It is the government’s job to provide a safe environment. Providing a safe environment will allow private business to come in and provide these types of services to the public. We are still a capitalist society!
I know this comes as a total shock to Tim Lee because he has done absolutely nothing to ensure that this county is safe for anyone to conduct business, live peacefully, or tour without the threat of being murdered, robbed or have their private property destroyed by the criminals.
Under the Tim Lee Negligent Plan, his actions allow the criminals to flourish.
Yes, I said negligent.
The Tim Lee plan has destroyed Cobb County and the once safe place by demoralizing and destroying the Police Department and its men and women who serve.
His actions disgust me! The statement he made about the SPLOST being voted down for a bogus transportation project is exactly what he has made transpire in public safety. He stole these words from someone telling him that this is exactly has happened to the Cobb County Police Department on his watch.
Tim Lee, as quoted: “ It’s up to us to decide whether we’re going to look forward and invest in the future like we always have in Cobb County” (Except when it involves our Police Department). “Or we’re going to say. Let’s do the safe thing, let’s do the safe thing’ and do nothing and let it get worse” (Like Tim Lee has allowed to happen to the Cobb County Police Department.
I cannot wait to see who all is involved and get jobs with the Braves when they make the move to Cobb. I bet you millions it will be names we know. Just in time for retirement for some.
What say you?
As long as Officers continue to come in and work on their off days to cover holes in the schedule, there is not a crisis. Another cute tactic we've seen is "working over" . For example, an Evening shift officer will work for a few hours (2-3) into Morning watch to "to get them through the rush". Which is fine but it is nothing more than schedule manipulation. The officer's name is shown as working when the Captain or HQ reviews the schedule but the fact is the officer leaves after just a few hours. I also heard there is a Lt at another precinct that took a weeks vacation while none of his troops can get any days off. Leadership 101.
I never thought I'd see the day when folks would bail on the Police Dept for the Sheriffs Office.
I also like the way the Director is only counting the loses of Officers to other Law Enforcement jobs not loses total. Here is food for thought.....How many of those people would still leave if they were well compensated and provided all of the items that are considered industry standard? My guess is not many. They got into this knowing they weren't going to get rich but were willing to accept the trade off thinking their employer would take care of them like they have in the past.
Cobb County Police Department CAN BE a great place to work but it requires an investment of capital.
When you neglect the house, the paint fades, windows break and you have to decide if you are willing to make the investment or walk away....At this point it appears they are going to walk away.
Oh yeah Go Braves!
Well....well...well....so it continues in Precinct Three. I heard that the "Sergeant" down at Precinct Three went in and complained (about the previous post) to his shift when he got back to work. I heard that he gave them an "ear full" and said that the person that wrote the comments about him was a "back stabber"......really? I think that rather than get upset and complain, sit back for a minute and read the post. Take it as some constructive and "firm" criticism. Rather than go in and complain, reflect and ask yourself is there truth in this post? Have I lost sight and do I need to re-focus? Maybe this is the only way that my troops feel that they can reach out and talk to me.
Hmm....maybe they fear retaliation if they were to approach you and discuss other "options". Given the departments current morale issue it sounds like your behavior is the last thing your troops need. The last thing that needs to happen is that you get "butt hurt" and take it out your troops by rambling on in a squad meeting....man up and deal with it!
If you can't put your big boy pants on and handle some criticism.....well then..... head on down to the Wha-wha Burger and get yourself a Wah-burger Deluxe with a side of French Cries. Then wash it all down with a big tall cold Wine-a-kin. If you want some sticks of "butter" that bad head to the grocery store...they got plenty.
Give your troops a break.
I agree 100% with what was said here. Why on earth would you put your troops under more strain when its already at critical mass around here. You have guys leaving left and right for other departments or getting out of law enforcement completely because of the morale around the department and now you add to the problem by putting your troops under even more stress. What should be speaking volumes to the sergeant is that his behavior was easily identified without the mention of his/her name. Try improving the quality of life of your officers instead of ridiculing them for calling your ridiculous behavior out. Or you can continue your current operations and people will continue to leave like rats off a burning ship.
Ditto's to the previous reply's. When the officers in special ops had to change their work schedule to cover Pct 3 because of manpower issues you would figure some would take notice. In fact, STEP has been asked several times to help cover Pct 3 and Pct 1. I believe the pressure on the officers trickle down from the Lieutenant. Isn't this the same shift that the Lieutenant divided the officers in to 2 squad's, then pits the squads and sergeants against each other ?
This department has promoted managers and not LEADERS into supervision. You can tell the leaders from the managers by the morale of the officers on their shifts. Although morale is really down department wide, the shifts with managers are intolerable. Thank god I work for a Leader. If the count is accurate... by the end of July with several retirements leaving for the Campus Police, Cobb PD will have lost 30 officers so far in 2014.
I left the department recently and have no regrets in doing so. It was a tough decision as policing became a part of me, and I miss it daily. However, after years without a raise, increases to retirement contributions (which resulted in pay reductions for me), and furloughs, I had no other option but seek other employment for the sake of my family. When $8 million can be taken from Public Safety and used to secure the Braves move to Cobb (See MDJ article posted in some precincts) I began to wonder who had my back, except for the the officers to my left and right. At what point do you lose faith in those who are entrusted with leadership but continually fail to stand up for what is right for the employees and county as a whole? I am in a much better place and give little thought regarding my decision to leave. With respect to Director Heaton not counting those who left law enforcement I say this: Director Heaton, no one would have began looking for new employment had the county stepped up and committed to Public Safety employees. To think those officers would have left anyway is live with your head in the sand. The leadership needs to stop turning a blind eye and worrying about their own "job security." Worry about the troops, step up to the plate, and do what is right for those still sacrificing on a daily basis (those in offices making significant amounts of money and not standing up for change are not sacrificing, whether sworn or not).
Cobb County needs a military pay scale. If Cobb wants to lead again, pay needs to rise significantly. Starting pay at 38k is a joke in 2014.
Cobb provides some of the best academy training in the State of Georgia, the Southeast, and arguably the entire country. Yet our pay doesn't reflect this.
I think our pay should start at 42k and top out at 65k with step raises for 7 years to top out. I guarantee that retaining officers would be no problem. Take current officers and adjust their pay accordingly.
Another thing. Stop giving me extra annual leave for working a holiday. I can't use it with man power. Pay me time and a half or double time. That would be better.
Pct 3 just had 2 more drop their resignation letters in the last few days. And I know of at least 4 or 5 more that will probably be gone by the end of the year if things work out for them. It won't be long before we have to start disbanding units just to fill the beats. People are already getting training and annual leave denied left and right due to manpower. All that's doing is driving even more out the door. The commissioners need to wake up or their fancy new Braves complex will be a s*** hole with rent a cops for security.
Give credit where credit is due. I never thought I would say I agree with Commissioner Ott. He actually stated PD bleeding should be handled first before new HQ (without leaders) and Training Facility (we can't fill with recruits fast enough). Sandy Springs just hired a CCPD 10 year veteran. But hey 10 hour shifts is coming to Pct 3 soon and good things are coming.
He is acting as such because his "daddy" is no longer chief. It isn't surprising he act as such. This is the same supervisor that stated he KNEW he wasn't going to stay in uniform for long. It is sad that first-line supervisor are unconcerned and selfish. They are no far from the officer post. They should remember the stress, especially the current department condition.
PART 1
Hey guys, I just thought I would put this out here so it would kind of make some sense of what is going on here at the CCPD.
I truly think that this blog is a great thing. We need a place to vent out our frustration about what is happening to our police department. If we did not care about the CCPD then we would say nothing and let it be destroyed. I for one do care. I grew up in Cobb County and know many families that live, work, and play here. They are inviting their family and friends to come in and visit with them.
They deserve a GREAT police department that is fully capable of responding to any and all emergencies. A department that is well equipped for whatever scenario that may arise. We are asked to always look professional within the uniform that we wear. Yes we actually stand for uniform inspections from time to time. It is time that we show up on scene with the equipment that can pass an on the spot inspection at any time and be as reliable as the officer wearing the uniform.
This county does not belong to Tim Lee, David Hankerson, any elected official nor the Public Safety Command Staff. It belongs to the taxpaying people, period! We work for and represent them, period!
Officers and their supporters should have this blog and the option to say ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that is destroying this county and the CCPD. They need that ability; without worry of retaliation from command staff or precinct supervision. We could learn something about what may be happening within the department as a whole. Learning by the views posted from all precincts within this CCPD. We are the CCPD! We should do everything within our power to turn this boat around and be a success.
Add another one in the minus column. Pct 2 just lost an officer to Sandy Springs PD.
This forum shall not be utilized to bash an individual officer or precinct supervisors. A time and place for everything! We are more professional than that.
CCPD Officers are wearing shirts that advertise www.ducimus.info. The public is watching us here too. Inform them so they can see what our/their police department has become. Keep it professional.
I have worked with many of you and I say we have a right to speak freely.
I have worked with some, officers and supervisors, that are true LEADERS in every since of the word. Others that have not obtained that distinction are known as managers. It’s their choice of which they choose to be.
I personally, choose to follow a leader and can do without someone trying to mange me. What would you choose?
A Leader: Leadership is powerful, and it can make the difference between success and failure for yourself and any group you belong to. Regardless of your own abilities, many goals cannot be obtained without the help of others. Leadership involves accomplishing goals through others. Successful individuals do not become successful strictly by themselves. Successful individuals become successful with the help of others. The only way to reach the most difficult and important goals is through the help of others. Therefore, you will only be truly successful through exercising good leadership and helping others reach their goals. General George S. Patton defined leadership as the art of getting your subordinates to do the impossible. That is exactly what leadership is about, because it is impossible to accomplish the greatest goals without others, and for a group to be focused on a specific objective it takes leadership to motivate and guide the group toward its goals.
A Manager: The organization and coordination of the activities of a business in order to achieve defined objectives. Management is often included as a factor of production along with machines, materials, and money. Consists of the interlocking functions of creating policy and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing an organization's resources in order to achieve the objectives of that policy.
It is not my job here to tell anyone which to choose. On the other hand, I will give you my perspective.
CCPD use to be an agency that had a Camelot aura about. The department was thought highly of around this nation. We are not that same agency today. That is the truth. The only way we will attain that recognition is by having the LEADERS be bold and make the right decision for this department at this time. Time is absolutely not on our side right now. I do not want to see another good officer leave. Hopefully the leaders here will agree with me.
I have a question for the Chief of Police and his entire Command Staff. Are you all proud of what has happened to the Police Department under your watch? Can you truly say that a new Headquarters and Training Center are the absolute priority to turn this department around? If you are that disconnected from reality, then there is no hope for the PD under this team. It does look like the puppet they put in place has fell right in line as he was ordered to when they gave him Mr. Forsythe's job. I work for the PD and yes, I am leaving soon too. No change will take place here under this group. Their lives are set when they retire and are not affected by what is happening to the rank and file. No State investigation will be opened into what under the table dealings took place with the knowledge of the entire group to force feed the Braves to Cobb. Their crony Sam Olens has the power to protect him and does. This group of leaders have as much credible leadership ability as that thing that is currently occupying the White House and his team.
I can assure you that the public is not reading this forum nor our the command staff or commissioners.
Au contraire mon frere, I can ASSURE you that the command staff, commissioners and the public safety director are all reading this blog. I know that for a FACT. In fact, this blog gets over 350 to 400 hits a day. Because I know a guy, that knows the guy, who's brother is friends with the dude that runs the taco stand in AZ. So.. lets keep the pressure up !!!
Dumbfounded !!! Today I was at the retirement celebration for an officer with 29 years. What a great officer, SWAT team member, Range officer, dedicated member of this department. There are a lot of good years left in that officer... yet he's leaving for the Campus Police... Ok, if I was in his shoes I would do the same thing... really a no brainier, So whats so dumbfounding? While I was talking to fellow officers of all ranks I found out the number of officers leaving... I knew it was bad but... Rumors of course, 1 captain leaving for Glock, 1 captain just retiring, 1 officer leaving to work at car dealership, 1 leaving to sell real estate, 3 trying to go to the Sheriff's office.. really? 1 went to the SO. 1 more leaving to the Campus Police next month may be two. 1 going to Cherokee School police, 1 just resigned for Sandy Springs... I cant even remember the rest of the officers leaving.. I was DUMBFOUNDED !!! I guess I can forget going a special unit anytime soon. I mean DAMN... Just DAMN
Just a thought! I am hearing a buzz that some people want to know who is saying what about whom on this site. I have the answer they are looking for. Hey fix the dang problems that are destroying this department.
As for Mr. Lee and his response about responsibility; [“But the police chief and Sam (Heaton) as the director of public safety, they have a responsibility for the whole department, which includes training,” Lee said. “I can see where someone on the street may not think that’s first priority, but it might be a priority for the whole department and that’s why we have leadership.”]
How in the hell would Mr. Lee know anything about leadership. Let me introduce you to the “rank and file” that you talk about; they happen to be Police Officers. Officers that are not working the streets of Mayberry, but the violent crime filled streets that he and they have allowed to prosper. Yes, there is a drug problem in Cobb County also.
I wonder what Mr. Lee’s priorities would be if he woke up to go out of his home and find his personal vehicle on blocks and his tires and wheels stolen. If he walked out of his safe haven and saw his personal vehicle with the window knocked out and his personal items stolen. A gun stuck in his face and the Perp takes his personal property. I bet crime fighting would become a priority in his life then. As it is now, it is happening to the taxpaying people of Cobb County and he could care less.
Don’t say anything about it either because the Braves might realize that they are moving into an UNSAFE area. Hey Schuerholze! We hope you have your own personal security staff because there is no way Mr. Lee can provide the Cobb Police manpower he promised.
Mr. Lee, Mr. Heaton and Mr. Police Chief,
The County has plenty of empty space to store your evidence, plenty of space to train the 15 to 20 people that are unaware of our demise and hiring on, and by no means NEED THEIR OWN BUILDING! We need a new office and chair while the officers drive ridiculously wore out patrol cars. It is disgusting that they can even bring crap like that to the table.
Officers are needed on the street with proper equipment and with proper pay. There should be a decent retirement and benefits package for persons willing to police in today’s environment. More gun carrying lawless people within the borders of this county. These gun wielding thugs have shown they are not scared to pull the trigger on police or the people.
I will have to say that Bob Ott got one right. I can’t believe I just said that.
this is Part 2 of the statement above.
Tisk, Tisk
Tisk, Tisk, Director Heaton…
The Cobb County Department of Public Safety has just finished the spring 2014 session of the Citizens Public Safety Academy. The program provides an opportunity for Cobb residents to gain an inside look at the various organizations which make up the Cobb County Department of Public Safety. During the course, residents will toured the Emergency Communications Center, and saw how officers in the animal control, police and fire departments perform their duties. The class ended on June 17Th.
On the last night of the program Director Heaton came in and spoke to the citizens in attendance. One of the citizens was taken aback at something Director Heaton said… And as soon as the program was over my phone blew up. So… What did Heaton say? (paraphrasing here) That the Cobb County Police Department was NOT in a “CRISIS”!!! And for them not believe everything you hear or read. That the police department was only 50 officers down and that 40 of those positions were the one’s just authorized by the commissioners a few months ago. Shame on you Dir. Heaton
Man, talk about a stab in the back… I have been on your side, and came to your defense on so many occasions, insisting that the rank and file gives you a chance. I really thought that you were on “OUR SIDE”. I guess I’ll be joining in the bash Heaton choirs. Tisk Tisk, Shame on you.
To think that Oh Sammy Boy would anything to cause a ripple in the water is just crazy anyway. He was told before being retread in that position that he will not cause Tim Lee, David Skankerson any trouble. He was told to march to the beat of their drum and he could have the "Title" of Director. Oh Sammy has no clue and keeps his head in the sand of what the police department is going through. I bet he knows how to make a stupid video; he has shown he can do that. Hey Sammy, quit turning our stomachs with that crap you post. How about earning the paycheck you get and come visit the police officers from time to time and see for your own eyes what the truth is. That is if those two guys holding your strings will give you permission. On the other hand quit telling lies to our public citizens about the issues at this department. Now for this citizen's public safety academy, never saw them at precinct 3. To scared to let them see the truth? Once again, management continuing to fail. I have one question for Lee, Skankerson and the entire Public Safety leadership. Who's life has to be destroyed by injury or death to get a decision made by your group? I never thought I'd see this agency fall to such tremendous low's
As much as I want to get on the band wagon and dump on the Chief and Director, let's keep this in perspective. THEY DON'T WRITE THE CHECKS. The budgets are done already and even when those are done nobody gets everything they ask for. This lies squarely with Hankerson and the commissioners.
Now let's call a spade a spade. A pay study? for hundreds of thousands of dollars maybe millions? You can bet the report is going to say whatever Lee and friends want it to seeing as how they are paying for it. That being said, they may tell the company to show a problem in their report. Then it is easier to justify spending on cars, equipment and salaries to the tax payer.
Now lets talk about the SPLOST. After having the Braves rammed down everyone's throat, what citizen is going to vote for a SPLOST? You got it, NONE. So with that in mind it makes sense for Ott to oppose it publicly in hopes of protecting himself. He may be separating himself from Lee in hopes of not getting any of Lee's mess on him.
Would someone be so kind as to ask the "lieutenant want to be" to pick me up a gallon of milk while he is grabbing his sticks' butter, thanks.
I hear that the "interrogations" continue down in Precinct Three....what's the saying? Oh yea... the beatings will continue until the morale improves....nah! not anymore. It's more like the troops will continue to pile out the door with the more absurd crap we lay on them....to include a supervisor that can't just let it go.
Here is a question, what does he plan to do with the person who made the post? What laws have been broken? What polices have been broken? Oh, I get it...it's personal. Maybe he will bully or intimidate them....oh, it could get worse...the all dreaded deny the annual leave request maybe? Oh no, not that! Or maybe he will make them sit in a chair with a bright light shinning in heir face at which point he will say with authority...."tell me everything you know!" Please........
Or maybe you could just let it go...and give the troops a break!
In response to tisk...tisk....tisk...I am so happy that you finally see just what a "wet brown paper bag" Sammy Boy is. What does Sammy Boy care about the police department, he is a fireman (no knock on the hard working men and women in our fire department). The mere fact that he can stand before people and lie completely to their face speaks waves about him to me. Not in a crisis....I second you tisk...tisk...tisk...as I too say shame on you Sammy Boy.
Yea we are 50 officers down from the allocated number of officers that we were authorized to have 10 years ago. What a bunch of lies...Hey Sammy Boy who do you think that you are fooling?....only yourself. How many times in the morning when you look at yourself in the mirror do you have to practice those lies? Or are you just the puppet?
You see our problem is that Lloyd and Heaton have taken the "Ostrich" approach. If I just keep my head down in this hole in the sand then it doesn't exist.
Except when Sammy Boy pulls his head out of the sand it is to come up long enough for air and a big ol' swig of "Cobb Way Kool-Aid" ain't that right Sammy Boy?
In regards to the previous post about the interrogation with the bright light in the face....that Sergeant could order the all dreaded "CODE RED"!.....just saying!
I came to Cobb as a veteran officer from a different agency. At that time, it took me nearly a year to get hired. Why so long? Because Cobb was the premier agency in the state. There was an line to get in. IA could cherry pick the best recruits, leaving behind a pool of highly qualified people still waiting to get in. Now they barely draw qualified candidates. Meanwhile officers are leaving in record numbers.
Cobb was one of the most proactive departments in the country. We had crime, but we took the fight to them; keeping it in check. We had a reputation that kept criminals doing business in other jurisdictions. Now we can barely answer the calls that come in. It is frequent that special ops units help answer calls. That's great for that call, but it is taking them away from what their mission is supposed to be. The public doesn't see how thin it is because Cobb Officers have risen to the occasion; but this is not sustainable.
This barely scratches the surface of issues facing our department. What is most concerning is that all of the problems have been brought to the County Mgr and Board of Commission, yet they continue to deny there are any issues. There seems to be no one at the wheel. No decisions are being made. The time to fix this is now.
If no one stands up and takes a action now, it will be too late to respond. Soon you'll see criminals becoming bolder, more officers getting hurt and the publics quality of life spiral in decline. Soon officers who "have been here to long to leave" will start prepping their resumes. I'm starting to consider it.
The leadership can say nothing is wrong all they want. Perception is reality for the perceiver. This blog stands as evidence a problem has been perceived. The outflow of veteran officers stands as evidence that we won't take it forever.
You were elected to do a job. Do it or step aside.
Officer Safety and a Little Bit of Pride
You learn early on as a recruit that Officer Presence is your first force option. You learn if your uniform and gear are squared away, your appearance can prevent the need for more force to control the situation; all which is safer for the officer, the suspect and the community.
Obviously, CCPD has been suffering from a morale problem of late. Officers who used to hold their head high and say with pride that they were a Cobb Police Officer are now leaving in record numbers.
One of the issues- our current fleet of cars. One recent standard I read suggest patrol units be rotated out of service after 90,000 miles, which would be about 3-4 years.
The Cobb fleet has numerous high mileage vehicles with 170,000+ miles, some as old as 8 years. The paint is peeling off many of them. Some have huge rust spots. Never mind the safety concerns of running code to a call in them.
When the public looks at your cars condition and shakes its head, it is hard to have good morale. When you don't care how the vehicle and equipment condition will affect officer presence it has an impact on morale and officer safety.
Take home cars are becoming the industry standard. The benefit to the department and community has been proven time and again elsewhere. At this time, our leaders, elected and appointed, seem to fail to realize the condition of the fleet. Doing something as progressive as a take home program will never happen, when they can not even maintain a current fleet.
Meanwhile, morale declines and our numbers continue to shrink.
Well it has been about 5 months since Cobb Officers went en masse to support the citizens who were speaking on our behalf at the Board of Commissioner's meeting. We wanted the BOC to have to acknowledge the current state of the department and to take action to correct the issues.
Since that time, the BOC has given us 40 more vacancies, which is ironic since that's the only thing we have plenty of.
The Cobb Way is the obvious punch line to close this post with, but this is no longer a laughing matter.
Marietta PDs program is still up in the air - not approved yet.
While on the topic of too little, too late, shall we broach the subject of the fabled Patrol Rifle Purchase Program?
Much like the elusive Sasquatch, we have heard of it, but never seen it. For nearly 3 years we've been told that it's about to happen. Officers can buy their rifles; the result being more officers in the field equipped to respond to critical incidents.
Instead of results, we get lip service and lies. How long does it really take to make a decision and move forward? If they handled the Braves opportunity like they do everything else, there's not a chance the Braves would've considered Cobb.
Guess at least we know where the priorities lie now at least.
You may refuse to listen to what we are saying, but eventually you will hear our footsteps as we are leaving. Hopefully, it won't be too late when you do.
I cannot wait until I get the word that I have my new job. I do not plan to even give the County a 2 week notice. I am done here, absolutely done here. Going to an agency where the they have a leadership team and not a bunch of damn LOSERS that have fat pockets.
I hear some of the folks on here talking about not having the opprtunity to advance to a special unit. Come on! We are all on a special unit. It is the Cobb County Police Department 2010,11,12,13,14....
We are for certain "SHORT BUS" special as handicapped as we are these days and the equipment we operate. I hope the Command Staff are enjoying their days off with the family
Private security job in Atlanta that makes more than our starting salary, with benefits.
https://careers-whitestonegroup.icims.com/jobs/1099/security-officer_armed_ga/job?mode=job&iis=Job+Board+-+Indeed.com&iisn=Indeed.com&mobile=false&width=1920&height=985&bga=true&needsRedirect=false
MPD's take homes are approved now. Also the entire department is switching to a outer vest with a under armor shirt with a collar underneath. Meanwhile in Cobb, the take homes haven't been spoken about since it was thrown out there to quell an uprising, and the last change to their uniforms was to add collar brass.
Also the lateral from Atlanta PD left after only 2 or 3 weeks. Really? Two Officers leaving PD for the SO?! Fed's are hiring and taking at least 4.
Stay classy cobb county.
Acworth is getting take homes .
Cobb County's new motto...."We leave and others follow"
I would like to propose a suggestion. It is uncertain if the Command Staff visits this page and reads the comments. For that reason, I suggest we prepare letters and mail or deliver them to headquarters. This is what I did. I prepared a letter and addressed one to the Chief, one to each of the Deputy Chiefs, and one to Major Merrifield. The envelope was addressed from "Cobb County Police Officer". The following is the letter I enclosed sent in several parts:
Part I:
Chief Houser, June 17, 2014
I have prepared this letter to share my thoughts and opinions on the current condition of the department. I sent anonymously so that it will be judged on its content, not the author. I only ask that you take the time to review it and consider the points. Let there be no mistake, I am proud to be a Cobb County Officer and I have no desire to work anywhere else. You have said on many occasions that you are interested in our thoughts and opinions. This department will still belong to me long after the current Chiefs, Precinct Commanders, and County Commissioners retire. It is for this reason that I express my concerns about the future.
It is no secret that the state of the department morale is quite dismal. We are watching as a near constant exodus is taking place as officers leave for what they believe will be better opportunities. Furthermore, it does not seem as though there is anything coming in the near future to stop the bleeding. Even the most optimistic of our officers are finding it difficult to maintain their faith in the Cobb County Police Department. Our patches bear the Latin expression, “DUCIMUS CETERI SEQUUNTUR”, which is becoming more and more of a joke.
There was a time we have all heard stories about when criminals feared the Cobb County Police. Atlanta officers told stories of how the “bad guys” would turn around at the county line during car chases because they knew that Cobb Officers were waiting on the other side of the bridge. Criminals used to say that “COBB” was an acronym for “Count On Being Busted”. We no longer have that reputation or that respect.
Despite these things, I still believe that the Cobb County Police Department is the best around. We have the best training and, for the most part, the best equipment for a department our size. I only applied for Cobb County Police and no other department because this is where I wanted to be. That has not changed. If we have nothing else, we have each other. I know the quality of our officers and the standards to which we hold ourselves and each other. The other jurisdictions know the quality of our officers as well, which is why our officers are sought after so aggressively.
Part II:
If you look back at the recent history, our retention problems seemed to begin when Sandy Springs became a city. They needed officers and they needed them quickly. They could not start a department with brand new officers and they needed to recruit experience. All of the other departments around us only got what Cobb County did not want, or what we let go. Therefore, Sandy Springs decided to offer $45,000 starting pay, take home cars, and a number of other attractive benefits in order to recruit our officers. They still came out ahead of the cost of training a new officer from start to finish and could count on attracting highly qualified and experienced officers. Their plan worked and other departments followed suit. When Brookhaven became a city, their Chief said in a news conference that he needed 40 officers and that he would take them all from Cobb.
The county has not taken anything from us that they promised. We still have all of the benefits that were agreed upon when we completed our applications. We have, however, experienced furloughs and a dramatic increase in healthcare costs. We have also changed our retirement program to one that is rather embarrassing. We have also watched as the county did nothing to stop officers from leaving and have allowed there to become a retention crisis. Nonetheless, the problem is that the other departments have raised the bar while we sat and watched. We no longer lead…or follow. Now every municipality within Cobb either is offering or is in the planning stages for take home cars while our officers stand in the parking lot waiting for cars to go in service.
On top of all of this, our department has decided that this is the time to start modifying the pursuit policy. It seems that it is now considered too dangerous to chase for traffic violations and property crimes. Yet these are the most substantial problems in the county. We work tens of thousands of traffic crashes each year and we are being plagued with entering autos and burglaries. It was brought to my attention that entering auto thefts are up 300% in Zone Three.
Despite these numbers, it is our position that we will only enforce laws upon compliant criminals and violators. So basically, if you want to commit crimes in Cobb County, all you have to do is not stop when the police turn on the blue lights. Traffic stops have become nearly consensual encounters. If an officer attempts to initiate a traffic stop for a violation, and the driver fails to yield, we just let them go. If you do not want a ticket in Cobb County, just take the tag off your car and refuse to stop when the blue lights come on. Seems like an easy way to avoid paying a fine. That means we will only punish you if you do what you are supposed to do by stopping. Where is the motivation for our officers to be proactive?
It seems that the only punishment that comes when a violator or criminal flees is against our own officers. Our officers see criminal activity and go after it because that is what we are trained to do. And when that criminal runs, it is almost painful to turn the lights off and give up. Sometimes we are fortunate and a follow up investigation is successful at apprehending that fleeing criminal. But that does not happen as often as it should. One of my fellow officers pointed out that there was a time when officers would celebrate and give each other “high fives” at the conclusion of a chase when the bad guy was captured. Now the officers fear the suspension days that are likely to follow the conclusion of a pursuit. We have supervisors who stretch the policy and the law to encompass officers’ actions to support the discipline that is eminent. This serves no benefit to our department or our morale.
Part III:
As far as property crimes go, we are spending thousands of man hours on entering auto reports and investigations. These criminals are coming into Cobb and taking whatever they want from our citizens and visitors. But even this property crime is different from a burglary. When a home is burglarized it compromises the safety and security of the residents who live there. They may not feel safe going home, they may have trouble sleeping, and their children may even experience nightmares. I know this because these are things I have been told by victims. That makes burglaries a little more than just property crimes.
When many departments started moving toward a “No Chase Policy”, Chief New answered the media by saying, “Cobb County has always chased in the past, we continue to chase now, and we will always chase.” While we waited for the Supreme Court to rule on the liability of vehicle pursuits, we stopped chasing under Chief Hatfield for a period of time. That was understandable. I recall watching the news as an entering auto victim at Town Center Mall gave an interview. He said that he pointed out the suspects to the police who responded. When the vehicle fled the officers did not pursue. That victim said on the news something similar to, “If the police are not going to do their jobs, what am I paying taxes for?” That is a pretty fair question.
Now we are facing restrictions on pursuing criminals again. I have a strong fear that this will cause crime to become uncontrollable in Cobb County. I would suggest that we consider a different approach. It would make much more sense to seek out the best available pursuit training and bring that to Cobb County. Unless we go to GPSTC and take Advanced EVOC, we have no real pursuit training. More importantly, pursuit restrictions prevent us from doing any of this training during the FTO stage. It is possible that our pursuits and the issues that go along with them are a result of lack of training. This is training beyond what our policy states.
Our officers should be trained in how to conduct pursuits as safely as possible. More importantly, they should be trained in pursuit judgment and prevention. There have been a number of pursuits, which ultimately ended up in police vehicles being damaged, that could have been prevented had the officers not waited until the light turned green to initiate the stop. But it was never trained into their minds to box in the vehicle while it was stopped at the light. The recent pursuit in Zone Three was an excellent example of that. Had the officers thought to box the car in where it was stopped, we may have prevented $15,000 in vehicle damage. The police vehicles were already in position to perform that maneuver perfectly.
Part IV:
Similar to the seriousness we put on active shooter training, and the practice we have with judgmental shooting, our officers should be presented with training that causes them to make pursue/don’t pursue decisions. They should have training that causes them to realize when a pursuit is too dangerous and have the ability to terminate their own pursuits. They need to have the foresight and ability to use tactics that prevent the pursuit before it starts. We do not need to stop pursuing; we need to start conducting better pursuits through training. And I would offer that we need to be as public about this training as possible to send the message that criminals can Count On Being Busted. That is the enforcement part of “Law Enforcement”. No one wants to see innocent civilians caught in the crossfire of a pursuit, but no citizen wants us to stop aggressively fighting crime. Just ask them.
The job of a Law Enforcement Officer is dangerous. It is dangerous to pursue, it is dangerous to conduct traffic stops, it is dangerous to get involved in domestic disputes, and it is certainly dangerous to run into a building during an active shooter situation. We spend hours upon hours training with our bodies and our weapons, but we spend very little time training with our patrol vehicles. Police cars kill almost as many officers as gun do. We should try dedicating the same commitment to training cars and we do with our guns. I suspect that pursuits will be reduced automatically. Not only would officers have the knowledge to use better judgment, but maybe criminals will feel less confident in their ability to get away. Criminals will run if they believe there is a reasonable chance that they can get away with their crime. It is a pretty good bet they will get away if we are not going to chase them, and crime will continue to escalate at an alarming rate. It is as simple as that.
Catching criminals is what we do…it is in the very nature and hearts of every man and woman who puts on a police uniform. It is not a natural response for a police officer to let the criminal simply drive away. “My Badge is a symbol of my dedication and commitment to integrity, truth, morality and justice. To protect the peaceful from violence, the weak from oppression and the innocent from deception.” That is what it says on the badge I wear over my heart. That is the promise Cobb County Officers have made to the citizens we swore an oath to protect.
There is no doubt in my mind that you believe in this as well. I hope that you will continue to fight for us as you have been. There has not been a time in my career when I have felt more support from our leadership than I have now. The majority of our officers are terrified to some degree as to what is going to happen when the stadium is built. As you continue the battle with the commissioners, please point out the following considerations on my behalf:
We will not be ready for the stadium by 2017. You have already recognized this. We are way behind in preparing for this. At the last recruit graduation ceremony, a group of us were approached by a County Commissioner who engaged us in conversation. During that conversation it was mentioned that the stadium has to be secured while it is being built. We have to protect the site, the materials, and someone has to keep the copper pipes and wires from being stolen. The Commissioner responded by saying that so much focus has been put on the finished product that no one seems to have considered the construction of the stadium. That Commissioner did not know what a beat was or what it meant for one to be open. I know this because it had to be explained. So clearly the Commissioners have not even discussed this aspect. It may help to remind them. The majority of the citizens have no idea that each precinct is typically manned by only 8 to 10 officers at any given time. I know this because I have seen the look on their faces when I tell them that. It was the same look that Commissioner had when it was told to [them].
Final Part:
In addition, we cannot have our public safety resources available by the time the stadium is built. We have to have our officers and our plan in place far in advance of that first pitch. We have to be able to provide trained and experienced officers who are ready to take on an unfamiliar mammoth task. We have to conduct classroom training and practical exercises repeatedly before that day comes.
Our officers need to be prepared for the new traffic patterns as the Interstates and surface streets are modified. We have to be prepared for the increase in property crimes around the stadium area. We have to realize that the MARTA connection will provide a direct route for criminals to enter the county and help themselves to a whole new supply of victims. We have to be expecting an increase in person-to-person crimes, gang tagging, panhandling and vagrants. Everything that is around the stadium in Atlanta will be around the stadium in Cobb unless we address it before the project is complete. It will be impossible to do that while we are still working with open beats.
But I am even more confident that there will be protests from the minute construction starts. Most likely they will be peaceful and consist mostly of sign holders, but there will be a protest. These will be the same kind of protests we saw from the “Georgia Flaggers” when the stars and bars were removed from the State flag. I am concerned that there will be a larger protest the day of the first pitch. Our officers need to be prepared for that, if for nothing more than understanding what is legal and what is not in regard to protests.
Please convey to the Commissioners that we are out of time to discuss what we may or may not do. If we wait any longer the crisis will manifest itself in two ways:
First, we will not have enough experienced officers who are qualified to train the number of officers we need. The FTO manual requires three years of experience in order to be activated. We are dangerously low on officers who have been here that long AND would be good training officers. In addition, our training facility may not be able to handle the class sizes we need by that time. Even with the idea of night classes as an option, we do not have enough officers to staff two shifts of academy training.
More importantly, I ask that we never be put in such a position that we compromise the quality and the standards of Cobb County Police Officers. If we wait too much longer we will find ourselves needing people to fill uniforms instead of being able to seek out the best of the best. I fear that we will shorten our mandate training in order to accommodate the number of classes we need to get through the academy. I fear that we will be forced to lower our grading standards during Field Training. We are seeing it already as the FTOs are being told they are being “too hard” on the recruits. The result of that will be more vehicle crashes, poorly prepared criminal cases, civil rights violations, and lawsuits. We will quickly lose our reputation of being highly trained and professional police officers. Cobb County will begin showing up in negative media stories.
Again, please reiterate these points to the Commissioners. If they do not want to believe you, invite them to ask us. We will tell them.
Thank you for the support that you have been giving us during this difficult time. I ask that you do not give up and that you continue the battle. I ask that you help us bring back the meaning of DUCIMUS CETERI SEQUUNTUR. I ask that you help us rebuild and preserve the standard, the professionalism, and the pride of the Cobb County Police Department.
Thank you for your time,
Cobb County Police Officer
Nice Letter, too bad that is has fallen on deaf ears. No way possible that the Command Staff are not aware of the goings on within this department. When we hear stuff like: No Crisis, We have adequate man power, We need a new training facility, We need a new headquarters, and the puppet Sammy Boy telling the citizens that don't believe what you hear and see; it is without a doubt apparent that they know what is happening. It is without a doubt that a choice has been made to allow the bleeding of this hemorrhage to continue by all that have a say. They do not feel the pain that WE, the individual beat officer's, feel everyday we show up. I hear some say here that a Blue Flu would have an adverse effect on the cause. I for one say I think it is the absolute prescription for this time. It is time for all officers in every precinct to make a stand and refuse to work any overtime. It is time we make a stand for the beat officer and say I believe that you and I understand what you are going through at this time. I will help do whatever necessary to make our environment better and provide what our Cobb County taxpaying community deserves. Until it gets back to what us veterans knew of in the pre Hatfield days, we have to take care of each other and do what we can to affect change.
*polls
I would like the department to advise if that $100 million is to build a facility for the Evidence unit. Currently criminal case evidence is being held in any number of storage units and county employees have to pay from their own pockets when the County fails to pay the bills. Maybe they could explain if the County is going to catch up on the two year backlog of fingerprints at the evidence unit. You do want you burglary investigated instead of being placed in the Hold file?
Maybe, just maybe, the shift should do a little reflection, as well. We are all accountable for the work we do and we are each responsible for our morale. Will you turn a blind eye to crime because you haven't been dispatched to it? Surely not. You have personal pride it what we do and how it gets done, or you would be gone, too. How many magazines or websites can you browse in a day before you can no longer look yourself in the mirror and say, "Today I did a good job." No one wants to work in an unsafe environment, but by definition, police officers chose to do so. HOW unsafe is a matter of risk management. This should not excuse an officer from his responsibilities just because they are working short-handed. Reducing the pro-active effort is one thing, but sitting behind a building waiting to be dispatched can't be acceptable, can it? If your beat partner sees something that he decides needs to be addressed, would you leave him hanging just in case the dreaded "check a suspicious person delivering papers" call goes out? Surely not. Working short-handed has become the norm. The citizenry don't notice it because you have excellent beat partners who continue to do an outstanding job even with less help. Pick up your end of the deal and pull with the rest...or put it down and "ring out."
Double time would be equal compensation as a "hold over." You just "spend" the leave time on the day you have to work. That would be nice. A choice would be nice, too.
Well written, indeed.
A "blue flu" endangers the ones of us who DO show up as expected. You would do this to your brothers/sisters in blue? I don't think anyone will miss you on the day you decide to do this. I doubt they notice when you are there.
I would do this WITH my brothers and sisters of the Cobb County Police. I would do this WITH those who do more than just go out and think writing a traffic ticket is police work.
1. Those that face violent crime on a daily basis.
2. Those who do not have a decent retirement plan.
3. The same ones that pay to damn much for their health care package.
4. The same ones that make a minute salary and ARE FORCED to work overtime so the supervision is able to fill the beats.
5. The same ones that have to work part times because the salary and benefits package is so disgusting that they will be required to work 40+ years in this job.
6. The ones that will only receive 1% a year for that 40 years of service at the Cobb Police Department to retire on.
Would those on the command staff hire in today and do this job with the package being offered? I think not!
To work for this department for a salary that absolutely denies the bulk of them the ability to live in CC because of the cost of living in CC, unless they are courtesy officers. They definitely cannot afford to be home/property owners in CC.
I say this to all of you that work for Cobb PD and have not worked a beat in a while. YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT A CC BEAT OFFICER GOES THROUGH THESE DAYS.
If you have not worked a beat in the past 5 years, the same applies. Just in case you have not heard Precinct 1, 2 and 3 have open beats on a regular occasion. Volunteer to work a beat in one of those areas on your day off. I hear most special units work 4/10 hour days. Preferably in Precinct 2 or 3! I mean work the beat to include show up at squad meeting and stay until you finish the day, maybe even take late car duties.
I can take the personal attacks that you feel you need to fire my way. I am not here for your approval or to make you feel good about yourself.
I am here and have been here a very long time. I will have a decent retirement because the package was a very good some 10-15 years ago. I have always been taught to leave something a little better than you found it when you leave. Not sure what you think about that!
We have seen that words and showing up at the Commissioners meetings do nothing! I will do anything within my power that will enhance the quality of life for my brothers and sisters; to include a blue flu if required.
Whatever it takes to get those in the Command Staff’s office, the Director’s office, the Commissioner’s office and the County manager’s office to FIX the problem! In turn this will provide the safety that the CC taxpayers have become accustomed to.
I personally wish that this blog was unnecessary or CC Police officers did not have to wear T-shirts to advertise this site and beg for necessities. I did not create the problem!
If you are a CC Police officer, then you are a brother/sister of mine too. All I want is something better for all. I want us to get back to being not only the best department, but the department that attracts ONLY THE BEST, the MOST QUALIFIED and that we take care of them all.
Your points are loud and clear. No one argues that. A "blue flu" is dangerous to your police family. If you doubt that, you should take a minute and calm down. There are NO easy answers to the depths of trouble the department is now in, but stooping to lower your professional standards is no way to build up anything. You have to reach deep and decide what will define you. We are all in the sinking ship, but poking a hole in the boat to show a weak spot won't help. Hope you get over your "flu."
Having read the above posts and being a sergeant myself, I must agree that my troops, my team, is the most important thing for me each and everyday. Now some of them may piss me off from day to day, but in the end it is my job to make sure they stay safe and get home to their loved ones each and everyday. To my fellow sergeants and supervisors, please focus and support the troops when possible and let the BS calls hold so officers can back each other up and stay safe.
You are all my Brothers & Sisters and I wish you a safe tour of duty!
I am calling all active FOP members to come to the August 6th Meeting at 1700 hours. We need to hire a professional spokesperson to represent our concerns at the Commission meetings and at public addresses, especially with the media. President Mull and VP Pierce have tried to accomplish this, but neither one "bless their hearts" is a professional or good representative for the members. At the August 6th, meeting a proposal will be made to hire a speaker. I understand that one of the proposals is for Lance LoRusso to be hired. I also understand that one of the Board members is fighting this proposal, saying he has two phantom people who will speak at no cost to the Lodge and the membership. In August it will be time to put up or shut up, we need action and we needed it yesterday. Too the FOP Lodge 13 Board, stop dragging your feet and use the memberships money to represent the membership NOW!
For those interested, Lance LoRusso will be representing us at the July 22nd Commission meeting.. A concerned member will be raising the funding for this to happen so please join the Ducimus team as they attempt to continue the fight. ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL!!
Well put. Be your brothers' (yes, and sisters') keeper!
Ahh, the voice of reason.
It was clear to me the first time this was discussed at the lodge that it would go nowhere. Instead of spending the members money on toys for kids in Mableton, maybe some of THEIR money should be used to help THEM.
To the board, It isn't that difficult. Draft a service/retainer agreement that details the price. Just because you enter into this agreement it doesn't mean the speaker is going run out and find cameras to talk in front of. THE MEMBERSHIP will dictate when the services are needed. The tail is wagging the dog here. You are using the process to drag your feet.
In response to picking up your end and pulling:
I believe most officers have been pulling this weight for an extended period of time! Too long!
If you have ever been in a gym and worked out, you would understand that holding onto a weighted object can wear on the muscles and create fatigue. When fatigue sets in a person can get tired. After an extended period of tiredness and fatigue a person needs time to regenerate so they can be ready for peak performance.
It is my understanding that most precincts are always shorthanded and cannot afford to allow this time to their officers. No vacation time allowed! Playing on the officer’s loyalty to their beat partners to get them to come in and fill the beats (Unnecessary Overtime).
I remember another time officers and their families were asked to do more during the financial crunch. Remember the furloughs? Remember no overtime being paid that they accrued? They were forced to flex that overtime and not at overtime pay. Remember asking the officer to walk 10% of his beat in order to save on fuel cost. I remember this and I remember the officer and their families having to bear the burden then too. They did so!
It is time to QUIT putting the failures of the Hankerson/Lee/Heaton team on the backs of the officers and their families.
Try this; quit asking the beat officer and try asking the command staff to donate their free time to work a beat. I am sure their salaried position will not be affected by doing so. This problem has been created on their watch and continues to grow. Their home lives should be affected equally adversely too.
Asking your shift to do some reflection is a joke. Individual officers ARE NOT responsible for their own morale. Check Webster’s definition of morale. It is hard to be enthusiastic about the direction we are headed. We have NO confidence in the leadership because of THEIR actions. Officers loyalty is to the officer’s they work beside that share in the dismal conditions we face today.
Some of those suspicious person calls end up being some of the most dangerous too. To make light of them is not the right call.
Yes! A police officer made a choice when deciding to do this job and to work in an unsafe environment. You got one right for sure.
Those who made that choice made it hoping the leadership team above them would provide them the best equipment and the best supporting team of officers in order to WIN most of those situations they come into contact with. No one wins them all, but being supplied with the proper team and equipment gives them the confidence to charge into that unsafe environment.
If supervision continues to require more with less and verbally state, “It is because of the quality of officers we have here”! If they believe in that theory; they should compensate that OUSTANDING TEAM with proper pay and benefits package and give them the best equipment.
I have seen firsthand that the bulk of officers I know and work with have been holding up their end of the deal and are not only pulling, but carrying this department!!!!!!
It is time for the supervisors and management team to pick up their end of the deal and not “Put it down”, and quit ringing out to the Hankerson/Lee/Heaton team.
There is also an old saying, “You get what you pay for”.
The FOP has absolutely no power in this county and is a joke to the commissioners.
mo·rale noun \mə-ˈral\
: the feelings of enthusiasm and loyalty that a person or group has about a task or job.
The job is the same it always has been. You get to decide if you are going to come in with a good attitude or a poor one. It will have a much greater impact than anything the "management team" (I use that in the most loose sense) can possibly do. I am NOT suggesting we lay down and accept poor management, but we can't just stop being police officers because those above us can't/won't get out of their own way...or ours, for that matter. This thread started off with an anonymous personal slam on a sgt at P3. The impression given was that someone got his feelings hurt because the mean ol' sgt made someone work on a day they were short-handed. I wasn't there and it appears the sgt in question has taken the high road here and not responded. Kudos to him/her. It appears the sgt found someone to arrest and someone is embarrassed that he had the free time to do a transport. Regardless what the command staff does or does not do, I believe we still have an excellent department (what is left of it) and professional officers who can persevere. But we can't do it by "complaining our way to excellence." Those of us still here, for whatever the reason, owe it to ourselves and our beat partners to show the hell up and do the job. The point was missed when I describe us as "excellent." I think we are doing a damned fine job in horrible conditions. You don't want the OT? Go home. Some else will still have the job to do...with or without you. Go ahead...take your "blu flu" day. Good luck with what you see in the mirror in the morning.
Good luck with the new job. I hope the grass is truly greener on the other side....it can't be more dead! Don't forget about us left behind. Maybe we'll see you on the way to take your family to a ballgame as we sweat (on duty, no less) out in traffic as those you mentioned are hob-nobbing in their complimentary skyboxes. Good luck, brother.
Putting that SPLOST out there is just a way for the politicians to say, "Sorry. We tried." Why not do the really hard thing and raise the millage rate to cover the cost of government? The splost is temporary. Maybe it's time the citizens receiving such excellent service from their employees find out how expensive it really is. They want an aquatics center in every commissioners' district; they want a sports field on every corner; they want a fire station in their back yard; but do they really see what that has cost? I think not. They never see the bill because those responsible for telling them the debts they have incurred don't want to look like spendthrifts. Cowards, one and all. I want to see Hankerson driving a 200k mile Crown Vic. Better yet, one he bought at auction as he tries to make ends meet in the unemployment line.
And you know what the NON-beat officer is going thru? Wow. Is that jealousy? Or just ignorance?
You have to read this and take personal feelings off the table. Nothing in this statement said anything negative about a NON-beat officer!
I am just saying that the bulk our officers are working a beat 5+ days a week with very little annual leave. That statement informed some that working a beat here is much different from when I worked a beat. I am one of those classified as a NON-beat officer.
If you truly say that it is not different as a beat officer within this department than it was several years ago, you are wearing blinders!
I will refrain from calling you names as you are probably a senior officer within this department and know as I do that we were chosen from many qualified candidates and were considered a top choice. We were respected! Not as we are as an individual’s, but what we “WERE” as a team. Our face then was the beat officer! Our face today is the beat officer.
If we can take care of the individual every day beat officer, in turn it will make all special units and NON-beat officers jobs and lives much better. We will be able to actually focus on what our specialty is designed for and detectives will once again be able to do some investigations again.
The face of this department is those officers that pound the beat. As they go, we go.
I am not afraid to say that. No one within this agency, that is required to work, is living the good life.
So you are telling me that the job here, a police officer in Cobb County, is not one bit different or dangerous than it was just a few years ago? Please tell me you do not believe that statement. The job description is the same for certain. The elements of the crime we fight on the streets of Cobb County have changed, for the worse, tremendously. More violent criminals whom have become embolden in their lawless activities because they know of our demise. Yes I agree we do an excellent job. We soar over and above most agencies even though we are being shredded by the politics of the day. You can come and go and work as many shifts as you can grab. Some people have families that they actually like going home to and spending as much time with them as possible. So as far as what I OWE, I owe it to insure that I do not place my beat partner or any officer in the responding area into any undue danger. This job comes with dangerous circumstances that can implode in a moment’s notice. I agree we must take the fight to the criminal violators who prey on our public. We must take that fight to them on our terms, not theirs. I owe it to you, your family, to insure that I provide you the best support as your beat partner and to make quality cases that will lead to a successful prosecution and ultimately a conviction. I do not owe anyone anything other than that or any of my extra time that. I am owed no more than that. I will not make an arrest or a traffic stop to put a check mark on anyone’s stat sheet. I could care less if someone made 20 arrests in a month if the arrest cannot result in a conviction. Quality cases will define what type of officer you are, not quantity of cases.
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