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
Sunday, January 8, 2017
January 2017 Open Comment
15 comments:
Anonymous
said...
GSP got their raise effective Jan 1, to be seen on paychecks Jan 15. Troopers $46,422; Sergeants $74,808; SFC's $82,289; Lt's $90,518. Cmon Cobb, it's time to quit kicking the can on the pay study and do something to keep those of us who haven't left yet.
The county has created a mess by neglecting the pay issue with the police department. What you have now is a group of veteran officers with 10+ years and officers with 3 years or less and no in between. This is caused by the fact that your veteran officers are locked in place with their retirement plan and don't want to start over somewhere else. And then you have officers with 3 years or less who are only hanging out until they find a better paying job with better benefits. Before too long the veterans will all be retired and Cobb will be left with nothing but a revolving door of young officers looking for a place to get good training and a paycheck until they can leave and go elsewhere for better pay and benefits. Looks like the GA State Patrol finally convinced the governor to make big changes to their pay scale to keep troopers from leaving and attracting officers to the State Patrol. Wonder if we will follow suit or keep sinking?
I keep hearing that Boyce has a committee and that Boyce has a plan to keep officer's but no one will tell us what that plan is. Stall tactics continue
If the economy comes around your mandate class with 11 recruits in it will seem huge when you have no one apply. There will be zero reason to stick around if you are under the new "no retirement". They don't want career officers anymore.
I heard today that Smyrna and GSP were not going to assist with the Braves. Neither has the on duty manpower but I think Smyrna officers can still work part times there but GSP can't... well they can for $80 an hour. Hell Yea $80 an hr ... Poor traffic guys !!
I was recently asked by a command staff member about officer morale. I replied it is low and that is fragile at best. When this department stopped allowing police officers to pursue bad guys for non-violent felonies and high and aggravated misdemeanors, the motivation to be a cop diminished. There has been no effort to establish alternatives aimed at catching and stopping the criminals. I believe that is the most damaging faction of the morale in this department. We were once a proud force who the criminals knew not to cross. And if they did there would be hell to pay. Our reputation and pro-active aggressive policing kept the citizens of Cobb County safer. Now we throw the citizens to the wolves and just document the aftermath. For those of us who still love the idea of catching bad guys and pro-active policing, the policies in place that limit policing kills our motivation and morale. If there were a police department that showed it was strong and encouraged pro-active policing, I would shed the french blue in a heartbeat. This department isn't what is used to be. We are a shell of what we once were. To the command who I know reads these posts. The answer is simple. Stop trying to appease the un-appeasable who are trying to tear down law enforcement at its core. Recognize strong pro-active policing works and keeps criminals on their heels, and finally support the officers when they make good reasonable law enforcement actions to stop a criminal and stop using the weight of the policy manual to crush officers. There was a time when you too wanted to come to work, get into a chase, a fight, and catch a bad guy to protect an innocent. You were proud to wear this uniform and proud to serve with the officer next to you, because you knew he had the same motivation. We hired the best, we trained the best, and we had a command staff that believed in locking up bad guys. A few bent cars didn't send the brass scrambling to generate new policies that limit good police work. That is the direction we need to go with a new police chief, new DPS director, new County Manager, and new chairman. We are all watching and waiting to see what direction is chosen. If it is the status quo, this department will continue its collapse.
Due to a technical glitch, there were some posts under November and December Open Comments that were never seen by the Blogmaster and so were not posted on the blog at that time. They came to light yesterday and have now been posted. Apologies to all, and especially to Dep. Chief Cox who was attempting to shed some light on certain misunderstandings. The oversight was not intentional and the issue has now been fixed. Dep. Chief Cox, we appreciate your efforts to communicate and keep us informed.
Sam Heaton and the Braves had a press conference today unveiling the Phase 2 of the Transportation (traffic) plan for the Braves. They’re boasting 30 intersections around the stratum will be manned by Cobb Officers. Well, we know those officers will be paid on the clock. But inside SunTrust Park, the Braves need a base officer pool of 80 to 120 officers and each officer must go through special training to work in the stadium. The Braves agreed to pay $40 hour for part time officers. I can sit in my car and make $40 an hour not stand on my feet for 4 to 5 hours and deal with drunks. GSP said they wouldn’t work it for less than $80. If we as Officers don’t “volunteer” to work the part time for $40, it will put the County in a precarious position only a few weeks out. Having said all that, the “BALL” is in our court. The County will be sending out a survey to the officers to determine how best to pay and what man power is available. It’s a little late for that. HOW do you not already know how many officers are available? OR, how much we’re willing to work for. IT’s CALLED SUPPLY AND DEMAND The Average Major League Baseball player makes $25 thousand dollars per game. That’s $8,333. (Repeating of course) an hour. Hold out for $60 dollars an hour they will pay it. It’s called “The Art of the Deal”
I can only imagine how good it must have fe lt to have opened a pay check as a GSP Trooper after the raise. Instead, we get an email that our pension is going up and no one knows the "X" factor. Congratulations to the state for recognizing that in order to keep good/well trained officer's you have to pay them more. Anyway, I see that the can has been kicked down the road once again.
I SWEAR TO GOD I will go to GSP if there is not a significant pay raise. Stop raising my insurance rates and limiting the amount of officers who can get exceeds because the county doesn't want to pay for it. I'm sick of this. We might get the best training but we don't have the best leaders.
I had the privilege to tour the Sun Trust Park and Battery last week. It is an impressive stadium and even more impressive business corridor. It is something Cobb County can be proud of and it will bring a significant amount of revenue to the economy. However, as an officer, I see a tremendous amount of stress and strain being put on this department. In speaking with officers around the county, there is one thing on their mind. When will this department see and recognize the obvious: 1) This department needs to be around 1200 strong in order to be fully functional and appropriately fill open spots, increase stagnant units and secure the citizens of Cobb County. 2) Precinct Five has yet to transition to 10-hour shifts 3) Not enough officers have assigned cars and the SPLOST money is gone 4) Precinct Four is adding 2 additional beats on February 20th and their current staffing routinely leaves two open beats. When has leaving four of ten beats open been acceptable? 5) The pay study the county wasted money on has now lost the confidence of the rank and file and is considered a punchline to a bad joke. 6) The K9 unit is understaffed with canines and handlers. They still have not received a dog, which was approved 2 years ago. 7) Precincts One, Two and Four are in deplorable conditions. Recently a visitor from Marietta Police came by precinct four and saw the cubicles and desks used by CIU detectives and sergeants. He was appalled at the condition of the furniture and commented how MPD supervisors seem to get updated furniture frequently. It was a complete embarrassment. The cubicles used at most precincts are well over 25 years old. If you are lucky enough to visit 100 Cherokee Street, you will see the best in office furniture. Millions of dollars has been spent on remodeling officers at the building. Millions more have been spent at the expanded locations on Whitlock and Powder Springs Street, while the interior of the precincts have been left to fall into a shameful condition. When will the $2,250,000 SPLOST funds approved for facilities be spent?
There is a lot of work to do for this department to return to being on solid ground. The next chief will have some difficult issues to address. The first question to answer may be, 'why would a potential police officer applicant come to Cobb County, when he/ she is ensured to receive less pay than other local agencies and no assigned vehicle for likely three years, when his peers in other departments will have a take-home patrol car the moment they graduate the academy?'
That is where we are and there is no denying it. Here are the solutions I recommend: 1) Increase starting pay to POI: $44,500 POII: $46,500 ...and then avoid compression by appropriately increase current officer accordingly. Prepare to have an assigned car ready and waiting for an officer immediately upon completion of his phase III of initial training. 2) Precinct Five should immediately go to 10-hour shifts. They will either run short for 24 hours, as they are now, or run short for 8-10 hours during the hours with lowest call volume. 3) Take the money in the current budget for patrol cars for replacement vehicles, if Hankerson hasn't re allocated it, and use it. However, do not replace the older cars. Assign them out. Develop a clear plan to assign every officer a car and communicate it to the troops. 4) Hire more officers, approve more FTO 5) Come out publicly and direct a clear message that the pay study was a fail and announce an internal pay study that will be completed in 30 days.Develop a team of one Captain, two lieutenants, one sergeant and five officers to develop a pay study. 6) Announce a plan to bring aboard new canines and handlers and hit your targets! 7) Assign a lieutenant, sergeant, and a contracted designer to develop a uniform appearance for the precincts. Allow money to be spent to improve the conditions of the precincts interior immediately.
Chief Cox, we all appreciate you honesty and willingness to communicate. Unfortunately, as a department we are not at a place where officers with concerns do not feel comfortable expressing concerns without fear of retaliation and therefore will not put their real identities in these posts. I am in that boat and I will submit this post as anonymous. However, I hope you address some of the issues and please feel free to dispel any that I have gotten incorrect. I believe they reflect most of the officers basic knowledge of where we stand as an agency.
Many of these requests are not solely controlled by the department's management. I will address the items that I can control quickly.
2: Precinct 5 is going to 10 hour shifts this month (February). I believe the date is February 26th.
4: Internal Affairs is actively recruiting for new officers. This includes a large job fair last week at the Galleria. If a applicant qualifies, we will hire them.
In regards to more FTO's, I have not denied any recent FTO applications. If you want to be an FTO, submit an application. If you meet the Department's standards for an FTO, it will be processed.
Note: In regards to officers fearing retaliation, I don't agree with anyone's comment that an officer has suffered retaliation when having a different opinion than myself. I understand that we all view matters from different perspectives and with different opinions or knowledge on a particular matter.
I also strongly feel that most of the officers concerns can be dealt with internally, without using social media. If an individual feels uncomfortable with communicating face to face, they can always write / type an anonymous note and put it in my mailbox. I can then answer the concerns through a department wide e-mail. This method will protect the officer's identity and does not give the appearance of "grandstanding" on social media.
15 comments:
GSP got their raise effective Jan 1, to be seen on paychecks Jan 15. Troopers $46,422; Sergeants $74,808; SFC's $82,289; Lt's $90,518. Cmon Cobb, it's time to quit kicking the can on the pay study and do something to keep those of us who haven't left yet.
The county has created a mess by neglecting the pay issue with the police department. What you have now is a group of veteran officers with 10+ years and officers with 3 years or less and no in between. This is caused by the fact that your veteran officers are locked in place with their retirement plan and don't want to start over somewhere else. And then you have officers with 3 years or less who are only hanging out until they find a better paying job with better benefits. Before too long the veterans will all be retired and Cobb will be left with nothing but a revolving door of young officers looking for a place to get good training and a paycheck until they can leave and go elsewhere for better pay and benefits. Looks like the GA State Patrol finally convinced the governor to make big changes to their pay scale to keep troopers from leaving and attracting officers to the State Patrol. Wonder if we will follow suit or keep sinking?
I keep hearing that Boyce has a committee and that Boyce has a plan to keep officer's but no one will tell us what that plan is. Stall tactics continue
If the economy comes around your mandate class with 11 recruits in it will seem huge when you have no one apply. There will be zero reason to stick around if you are under the new "no retirement". They don't want career officers anymore.
I heard today that Smyrna and GSP were not going to assist with the Braves. Neither has the on duty manpower but I think Smyrna officers can still work part times there but GSP can't... well they can for $80 an hour. Hell Yea $80 an hr ... Poor traffic guys !!
I was recently asked by a command staff member about officer morale. I replied it is low and that is fragile at best. When this department stopped allowing police officers to pursue bad guys for non-violent felonies and high and aggravated misdemeanors, the motivation to be a cop diminished. There has been no effort to establish alternatives aimed at catching and stopping the criminals. I believe that is the most damaging faction of the morale in this department. We were once a proud force who the criminals knew not to cross. And if they did there would be hell to pay. Our reputation and pro-active aggressive policing kept the citizens of Cobb County safer. Now we throw the citizens to the wolves and just document the aftermath. For those of us who still love the idea of catching bad guys and pro-active policing, the policies in place that limit policing kills our motivation and morale. If there were a police department that showed it was strong and encouraged pro-active policing, I would shed the french blue in a heartbeat. This department isn't what is used to be. We are a shell of what we once were. To the command who I know reads these posts. The answer is simple. Stop trying to appease the un-appeasable who are trying to tear down law enforcement at its core. Recognize strong pro-active policing works and keeps criminals on their heels, and finally support the officers when they make good reasonable law enforcement actions to stop a criminal and stop using the weight of the policy manual to crush officers. There was a time when you too wanted to come to work, get into a chase, a fight, and catch a bad guy to protect an innocent. You were proud to wear this uniform and proud to serve with the officer next to you, because you knew he had the same motivation. We hired the best, we trained the best, and we had a command staff that believed in locking up bad guys. A few bent cars didn't send the brass scrambling to generate new policies that limit good police work. That is the direction we need to go with a new police chief, new DPS director, new County Manager, and new chairman. We are all watching and waiting to see what direction is chosen. If it is the status quo, this department will continue its collapse.
Due to a technical glitch, there were some posts under November and December Open Comments that were never seen by the Blogmaster and so were not posted on the blog at that time. They came to light yesterday and have now been posted. Apologies to all, and especially to Dep. Chief Cox who was attempting to shed some light on certain misunderstandings. The oversight was not intentional and the issue has now been fixed. Dep. Chief Cox, we appreciate your efforts to communicate and keep us informed.
Sincerely,
Blog Management
Sam Heaton and the Braves had a press conference today unveiling the Phase 2 of the Transportation (traffic) plan for the Braves. They’re boasting 30 intersections around the stratum will be manned by Cobb Officers. Well, we know those officers will be paid on the clock. But inside SunTrust Park, the Braves need a base officer pool of 80 to 120 officers and each officer must go through special training to work in the stadium. The Braves agreed to pay $40 hour for part time officers. I can sit in my car and make $40 an hour not stand on my feet for 4 to 5 hours and deal with drunks. GSP said they wouldn’t work it for less than $80. If we as Officers don’t “volunteer” to work the part time for $40, it will put the County in a precarious position only a few weeks out.
Having said all that, the “BALL” is in our court. The County will be sending out a survey to the officers to determine how best to pay and what man power is available. It’s a little late for that. HOW do you not already know how many officers are available? OR, how much we’re willing to work for.
IT’s CALLED SUPPLY AND DEMAND
The Average Major League Baseball player makes $25 thousand dollars per game. That’s
$8,333. (Repeating of course) an hour.
Hold out for $60 dollars an hour they will pay it. It’s called “The Art of the Deal”
Dep. Chief Cox, is there any truth to the rumors that about 18 to 20 are leaving to GSP now?
I can only imagine how good it must have fe lt to have opened a pay check as a GSP Trooper after the raise. Instead, we get an email that our pension is going up and no one knows the "X" factor. Congratulations to the state for recognizing that in order to keep good/well trained officer's you have to pay them more. Anyway, I see that the can has been kicked down the road once again.
I have heard officers comment that a few within the Department are considering a career with GSP. I have not been told 18-20 are leaving.
As of today (February 1st), I have not seen any resignation paperwork indicating that an officer is leaving to pursue a career with GSP.
I SWEAR TO GOD I will go to GSP if there is not a significant pay raise. Stop raising my insurance rates and limiting the amount of officers who can get exceeds because the county doesn't want to pay for it. I'm sick of this. We might get the best training but we don't have the best leaders.
I had the privilege to tour the Sun Trust Park and Battery last week. It is an impressive stadium and even more impressive business corridor. It is something Cobb County can be proud of and it will bring a significant amount of revenue to the economy. However, as an officer, I see a tremendous amount of stress and strain being put on this department. In speaking with officers around the county, there is one thing on their mind. When will this department see and recognize the obvious:
1) This department needs to be around 1200 strong in order to be fully functional and appropriately fill open spots, increase stagnant units and secure the citizens of Cobb County.
2) Precinct Five has yet to transition to 10-hour shifts
3) Not enough officers have assigned cars and the SPLOST money is gone
4) Precinct Four is adding 2 additional beats on February 20th and their current staffing routinely leaves two open beats. When has leaving four of ten beats open been acceptable?
5) The pay study the county wasted money on has now lost the confidence of the rank and file and is considered a punchline to a bad joke.
6) The K9 unit is understaffed with canines and handlers. They still have not received a dog, which was approved 2 years ago.
7) Precincts One, Two and Four are in deplorable conditions. Recently a visitor from Marietta Police came by precinct four and saw the cubicles and desks used by CIU detectives and sergeants. He was appalled at the condition of the furniture and commented how MPD supervisors seem to get updated furniture frequently. It was a complete embarrassment. The cubicles used at most precincts are well over 25 years old. If you are lucky enough to visit 100 Cherokee Street, you will see the best in office furniture. Millions of dollars has been spent on remodeling officers at the building. Millions more have been spent at the expanded locations on Whitlock and Powder Springs Street, while the interior of the precincts have been left to fall into a shameful condition. When will the $2,250,000 SPLOST funds approved for facilities be spent?
There is a lot of work to do for this department to return to being on solid ground. The next chief will have some difficult issues to address. The first question to answer may be, 'why would a potential police officer applicant come to Cobb County, when he/ she is ensured to receive less pay than other local agencies and no assigned vehicle for likely three years, when his peers in other departments will have a take-home patrol car the moment they graduate the academy?'
That is where we are and there is no denying it. Here are the solutions I recommend:
1) Increase starting pay to POI: $44,500 POII: $46,500 ...and then avoid compression by appropriately increase current officer accordingly. Prepare to have an assigned car ready and waiting for an officer immediately upon completion of his phase III of initial training.
2) Precinct Five should immediately go to 10-hour shifts. They will either run short for 24 hours, as they are now, or run short for 8-10 hours during the hours with lowest call volume.
3) Take the money in the current budget for patrol cars for replacement vehicles, if Hankerson hasn't re allocated it, and use it. However, do not replace the older cars. Assign them out. Develop a clear plan to assign every officer a car and communicate it to the troops.
4) Hire more officers, approve more FTO
5) Come out publicly and direct a clear message that the pay study was a fail and announce an internal pay study that will be completed in 30 days.Develop a team of one Captain, two lieutenants, one sergeant and five officers to develop a pay study.
6) Announce a plan to bring aboard new canines and handlers and hit your targets!
7) Assign a lieutenant, sergeant, and a contracted designer to develop a uniform appearance for the precincts. Allow money to be spent to improve the conditions of the precincts interior immediately.
Chief Cox, we all appreciate you honesty and willingness to communicate. Unfortunately, as a department we are not at a place where officers with concerns do not feel comfortable expressing concerns without fear of retaliation and therefore will not put their real identities in these posts. I am in that boat and I will submit this post as anonymous. However, I hope you address some of the issues and please feel free to dispel any that I have gotten incorrect. I believe they reflect most of the officers basic knowledge of where we stand as an agency.
Many of these requests are not solely controlled by the department's management. I will address the items that I can control quickly.
2: Precinct 5 is going to 10 hour shifts this month (February). I believe the date is February 26th.
4: Internal Affairs is actively recruiting for new officers. This includes a large job fair last week at the Galleria. If a applicant qualifies, we will hire them.
In regards to more FTO's, I have not denied any recent FTO applications. If you want to be an FTO, submit an application. If you meet the Department's standards for an FTO, it will be processed.
Note: In regards to officers fearing retaliation, I don't agree with anyone's comment that an officer has suffered retaliation when having a different opinion than myself. I understand that we all view matters from different perspectives and with different opinions or knowledge on a particular matter.
I also strongly feel that most of the officers concerns can be dealt with internally, without using social media. If an individual feels uncomfortable with communicating face to face, they can always write / type an anonymous note and put it in my mailbox. I can then answer the concerns through a department wide e-mail. This method will protect the officer's identity and does not give the appearance of "grandstanding" on social media.
Deputy Chief Cox
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