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
Saturday, September 2, 2017
September open comments 2017
Folks as a general reminder attacks on named individuals in the department will not be posted on this blog. We understand everyone's frustration at recent events and rightfully so however keep it professional. Thank you.
46 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Chief, I was impressed by your handling of the media on the Bank Bomb Shooting. I have only heard stories of your good reputation as a Cobb Police Officer. While I am disgusted by this one incident of poor judgement, I will try to not let it define who you are. One mistake in an otherwise exemplary career should not define a person. I just wished you would have applied this philosophy to Lt. Abbot.
I wonder what would have occured had Lt Abbott been a minority...progressive discipline maybe? What if the detective holding a sign in the protest was on the other side...with a flag? Tough to know who has our back these days.
I would hate to know I was just a political puppet being told what to do by folks who have no idea what it is to wear the badge and hold the line. Instead of standing up and saying the LT used poor word choice while dealing with a pain in the ass on the side of an extremely dangerous stretch of interstate and disciplining him fairly, the department catered to the political masses and fired him for his years of dedicated service. Say what you want chief, you showed the troops all they needed to see from you and that message is loud and clear. Command doesn't trust the troops and in turn we don't trust command. This department will stick a knife in your back in a heartbeat. By the way, how are we circumventing state law and allowing no license to be released on copy? Last time I checked that was an arrest and fingerprint offense according to state law. Oh that's right we cater to political pressure. Silly me.
LT Abbott Submitted his retirement paperwork and Chief Register accepted it. LT Abbott did not violate any laws so there is no criminal charges. He is not suing the Dept nor is he being sued.
So the "Chief" wants to talk to us about "honor" and "integrity," the same person who left the department knowing he was about to be terminated over, what would be considered and INTEGRITY issue..guess that means Abbott has a chance at the Chief spot in a few years. Guess it's like a credit report, and falls off the record after a few years. Let's get back to the honor and integrity thing, officers have dash cams, body cams, and every cell phone camera on Earth recording them. What about CS..nope not a single one, guess they never violate policy. Guess they never drive at 80mph trying to bait officers into a traffic stop and slamming into another vehicle. Guess they don't leave in the middle of a stalking investigation, only to be rehired, catered to, and given any position they want. Guess they don't have officers doing BS zone patrols every day all day long to make the PCT look more active. Guess they don't promote certain people so they fill the quota of certain minority groups to make the department seem more diverse..need I keep going, where is the HONOR and INTEGRITY u speak so highly of. I just don't seem to see it in most of those that are the supposed leaders of your department. Lemme guess if you start the fix from the bottom up eventually the top will be corrected through attrition..good plan, let's see how it works...
I guess progressive discipline is dead! You don't violate any laws, you don't violate any rights, and serve honorably for 28 years.....you get fired! But a certain someone says a racial slur in a meeting, the worst one possible....and you get a slap on the wrist! Shameful!
It is tough being a Change Agent. Chief Register should carefully consider whom he promotes during his tenure. I'm sure CS have a pretty good idea who's the personalities behind these shortsighted comments. These are your future Sergeants, Lieutenants, and Captains. But they don't have to be; if they don't personify the professional vision the Chief have for this great department they should exercise their right to seek employment in other places. Can we use this unfortunate event as an opportunity to make our Department better? Judging by Abbott's video we have room to get better.
If it is true that Lt. Abbott was allowed to retire then that is a good thing. If he turned in his paperwork before the news conference and the chief accepted it, then that calls into question the whole "transparency" bull squeeze that the chief is espousing. It just shows he would rather say he recommended termination over telling the whole truth. If so, he did the honorable thing but didn't have the stones to stand up to the media and NAACP to defend the honorable move.
When you release someone on a citation it states "License displayed in lieu of bail". Well if they don't have a license then how in the Hell can one do that? This was obviously yet another knee jerk reaction from uptown. Good things are definitely not ever going to come. Blue Flu.....Go!!!
I think we all have a pretty good idea who wrote that post. That type of thinking is part of the problem. Last I read nobody wants to leave they want to know CS is looking out for them. Shortsided, dang that's funny and ironic.
I've had alot of time to digest what's happened the past couple of days. I'll say this. I'm deeply saddened by what took place with the firing of LT. He is and was a close friend of mine and I think it was wrong what happened to him. Regardless of the words he used his heart was in the right place and firing wasn't that answer. There's no doubt the chief has a tough job but I think he got this one wrong and I think it's because he was pressured into it. Know this, we have a tough job and no one else wants to do it but they are quick to judge. Watch each other's backs and get to know your fellow officers. Quit separating each other by unit or precinct and shake a hand or say hello. Our job won't get any easier. Be there for each other and go home at the end of the day. I honestly love each one of you. Be safe and God speed.
To be fair, this individual said, "...certain minority groups...". You interjected race into the equation. There are a multitude of minority groups that they could have been referring too, yet as we often face, this is being taken out of context and spun to try to discredit the whole of the comment. Seriously?
Mike Boyce you are an embarrassment to the title Marine. You brag about your credentials and being there to support the troops! Sir, you aren't fit to poor piss out of a boot with the instructions written on the heel. But don't worry, you are living up to the title of Chairperson quite well as you continue to step on the backs of the men and women of public safety without merit raises or any of the other fixes you campaigned on. You're worse than your predecessor; at least he didn't hide how he felt about us. When the flood gates of officers leaving this department starts in the coming weeks, I hope it wipes that silly grin you had at the news conference off your face. Good luck explaining to the citizens why the department won't be able to keep up with calls for service, much less be proactive.
To the post above, thank you, the fact is the person I was referencing is NOT black, now would it matter WHAT race they are..is they are not QUALIFIED for the job they should not get the position. The fact that ANY person get promoted because of race is a disgrace. The person I referred to has shown on several occasions that they have NO business being in CS..
"Guess they don't promote certain people so they fill the quota of certain minority groups to make the department seem more diverse"
So exactly what minority are we referring. I'm thinking back over the last 10 years and I only see a gay woman, Asian, and black. Which is it? You can't make a blanket statement, then pull back when called out. It's your opinion and that's fine. However, you may want to look at more than minorities when discussing promotions or assignments. The minorities, with perhaps one exception who probably should have been fired as an FTO, were all well qualified. Name two that were promoted for some diversity agenda.
This site was created during furloughs in order to improve communication and join the department tougher via a common mechanism. This month their is a reminder "Folks as a general reminder attacks on named individuals in the department will not be posted on this blog. We understand everyone's frustration at recent events and rightfully so however keep it professional. Thank you.". However, throughout this month the Chief, the Chairman and I believe the Director have been heavily criticized. Kind of hypocritical isn't it? This site has become the source of divisiveness within the department and is long past its useful prime.
Not pulling back at all, was making the statement while trying NOT to specifically name the individual I am speaking of..since the header asks we not do so..and yes said individual falls into one of those categories u mentioned, no they are not black, and yes in my opinion they have not shown any competence in running a PCT or being in command at all..and the point of the original statement was that those who stand in judgement of us have their own mishaps, some much worse than what we see ending careers today. I apologise if it came across as a dig at any minority group, over how the department handles promoting less than deserving individuals. I believe those in command, the true leaders, should be those individuals that officers trust, respect, and want to go out on the street for..not ones that complain the loudest, or threaten law suits, and certainly not for any diversity agenda..
I would like the author of this post to specifically cite how the Chairman has acted to deserve such a vile comment from an apparent fellow Marine (discraceful). Since becoming Chairman communications to the rank and file drastically improved. He comes out to the precincts to ride with officers and welcomes comments and concerns. Just recently he proposed a tax increase. He made an informative video supporting his proposal and went to many town halls explaining it. Before the vote there were 3 commissioners committed to yes BUT 1 changed his mind at the last minute. I don't see anyone on this site blasting him. At the conclusion of that meeting the Chairman had very stern comments to the crowd and colleagues at the board meeting because of the outcome. Furthermore, you should still be putting the blame on the former Chairman. He knew he would not get re-elected because of the stadium deal and prior to the election he lowered taxes to an unsustainable rate (current rate) in hopes of staying in office. Now Chairman Boyce is dealing with the budget shortfalls because of all of this.
I have not seen one example of the Chairman stepping on anyone's back. I suppose because he is the person in charge the buck stops with him so he takes the brunt of comments. However, I have seen far more examples from the other 4 people at the high table.
I do support the Chairman based on what I've seen so far.
So the chief and command staff has repeatedly called us out for posting anonymously on this site; why did you feel like you needed to voice your support for and concerns about the Director anonymously?
This site is not the SOURCE of the divisiveness. It is merely a representation of the divisiveness that exist as a result of the lack of trust in CS and the elected officials of this county. The only reason that it is past its usefulness is because those who can make changes still refuse to admit the issues this department faces.
I think the blog is still a useful outlet for people to vent their frustrations over the way things are going in this County. I hope we don't see furloughs again but we already know there will be no merit this year. The director said it by not saying it in his last DPS update. I will not criticize the director but in at least the last two meetings with the Chief he has called Ducimus The National Enquirer I disagree we know that is fake the issues posted on here are unfortunately very real. Our venting will not fix the issues but is an outlet for us to be heard. We should not be attacking each other as the blog was not meant for that but I still feel it's useful and in some instances has been informative.
Ok, its time we stop stroking the new chief in hopes to find a backbone. If you are looking for the chief, find the nearest camera and you will find the chief. First, lets talk about the Barricade/Bomb situation. The Department has a PIO, a very good PIO, so why didn't the chief let him do his job on the camera... its simple, he saw an opportunity to show his face on National TV. Even though he did not have all the information to answer the questions, stumbled, and at one point said it appeared "somebody" shot the suspect... well, wasn't it just the SWAT team there, so who else would have shot the suspect... and believe me, I am not saying the officer was wrong for shooting, the officer did what he had to, to protect himself and others in the range of the bomb blast, I applaud the officer... what I am saying why did the chief get on TV at that point when the PIO officer was handling the situation just fine... now, it was good for the chief to respond to the scene, and be available for follow up after the facts were revealed... it would have been very simple for the chief to respond, we cannot comment on that issue until the investigation is complete... rather than stumble on.... enough said about this situation, so lets move on to Lt Abbott. Once again, follow the camera and you will find the chief... Lt Abbott was an excellent officer who the chief said he knew for many years, but then followed it up with he did not know what was in his heart....and since the chief was afraid to make a stand and support his officer, that just repeated what the intoxicated driver said, he saw an opportunity to support his direction of community unity by throwing his offcer under the bus... now I agree with his approach to unify the community, that is critical to the success of any police department, however, not at the expense of one of his officers that has been a dedicated, committed, and roll model his entire career. There was no malice in what Lt. Abbott said, it was just a repeat of what the driver had said. Everybody would have seen this had the chief decided to show the entire tape of the incident rather than take advantage of the Lt's comments and find an opportunity to stand up in front of the entire community and say Lt. Abbott will be fired for his actions... Can you imagine what kind of support the chief would have had if he would have just showed the facts of the case and stand behind the LT. He would have received much more popularity by supporting his officers than he did by throwing him under the bus in front of the cameras.... there we go again, seems like where cameras are the chief is... maybe we should change his name to "camerachief".
My other question is where was the investigation... where was the Lt's rights in this case... what did the investigation reveal.. or was it just a view of the video and the chief and others coming to a conclusion that he was guilty or even better yet, that it was in the best interest of the County to find him guilty, regardless if he really was guilty.... again... where was the rights of the officer in this case,,, seems they were highly violated, but knowing the kind of officer Lt Abbott is, he took it on the chin, took one for the team, and decided to go quietly to avoid the mass media influx that his superiors,, all of them to include the chief up to the chairman.... had assembled... that brings up another question, why was there anybody else involved in this decision and especially the news briefing. This was an internal matter that should have been handled by the police department, and out of respect for the chiefs superiors, the chief should have advised the county manager and the chairman on his decision, AFTER AN INVESTIGATION; if the new chairman had any knowledge of police work, (and military is NOT police work no matter what he says), or even discipline matters, his actions to assembly the team that he did was totally inappropriate. But he continues to treat ANYBODY that does not agree with him like they are a private in the military and wants to make the do pushups or take a lap... he needs to learn how to treat civilians and that they are a critical part of the team.
To Lt. Abbott, my apologies to you and your family, you deserve better after your years of dedicated service. To the chief, if you stand behind your officers, you won't need the media to be successful; To administration above the chief... other than Rob, the new County Manager, they need to get a grasp on reality and start supporting Public Safety like they said they would, in their actions, not just in words when you get in the public; To all the officers of Cobb County Police Department; hang in there, you are a great department, you just need leadership that will do THE RIGHT THING, but I will say, its time for ALL OF THE OFFICERS TO COME TOGETHER, IF YOU DON'T COME TOGETHER AS ONE, YOU WILL SEE WRITINGS ON THIS SITE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME... LETS CHANGE THAT... I AM WILLING TO STAND UP FOR YOU AND THE DEPARTMENT, BUT YOU HAVE TO STAND UP AND COME TOGETHER FIRST... I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT DAY... YOU WILL BE SURPRISED HOW MUCH YOU WILL GET DONE AS ONE... GOD BLESS AND BE SAFE
In case you haven't heard yet in the latest update they have removed the 1% COLA raise that Boyce tried to get put in the budget, so nothing coming this year apparently
As do I, he definitely does not seem to be one the comment was referring to. In fact I don't think it was referring to any Sgt or Lt, I believe "Command Staff" generally refers to Capt. and above.
The last episode of Sam TV has Director Heaton telling us how far in the crapper the county really is. No raise this year. I predict no raises for the next 5 years. You newer officers have heard stories of the furloughs and years without raises, well your about to see it first hand. With your portable retirement if you don't take it and run your crazy. With the economy going up other agencies are going to be competitive. Cobb only has money issues because of BOC mismanagement.
I do not support the Chairman. He has no spine. He is a disgrace to Marines everywhere that truly believe in death before dishonor. Yes it is?words to the few of you that know nothing about integrity. For those of us that have bled for the Eagle, Globe and Anchor, it is our way of life. We do not sell out our brothers to political hacks and social injustice groups. The Chairman made the choice to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the NAACP, the SCLC, and that disgrace known as Lisa Cupid. How many keys has she given out to her study room? Now we are shovel fed diversity, deescaltion of force and more bullshit pacification training that put officers at risk. You office living, partial uniform wearing office Neanderthals have no idea what the streets are like to work these days. Take that sissy white uniform and strap on a vest, the remainder of the gear and hump a beat today. Do it without your collar insignia and see what it is like out here today. It is much different than you can fathom. Oh wait, you reviewed a video or arrived from IHOP after the scene was deemed safe, you are still in the fight. Makes me want to puke seeing what you are attempting to do to this profession. How about you take your news podium to the courthouse and get the demon seeds of society full jail sentences for their actions. Those of us that work the streets today list a sister in Polk County. Some of us knew her. A shitbag with an extensive criminal history was out of jail because of weakness. I will not allow you to weaken my ability to take care of those that I am charged with ensuring they go home. Yes, I will check your class box to say I have been warned. Thats all your new training will do; warn and inform us that we operate alone and you nor the county will have our backs protecting the community. After I check the box, I will wipe my ass with the verbiage and B/S documents you provide in this new training. This new Cobb County Police Department will see a lot more people harmed with the new policies coming.
The Chiefs meeting with Officers and Sgts was an eye opener. He was transparent alright. They have not bought cars out of the police budget and used SPLOST to buy new cars 2016 and 2017. Not going to buy cars in 2018 or 2019. He said when the old relics in the fleet at the pcts start dying, we will take the take home cars away from the officers who have them and put them in the fleet at the pct. Not buying cars in 2018bor 2019? I'm predicting most officers will loose their take home before they start buying cars again. That combined with at the very least 2 years without raises, you new officers are crazy if you don't take your retirement and run.
Since they used the SPLOST to buy cars for the "assigned car program" they didn't use the police budget to replace the 30 to 40 cars a year that wear out. So they sold the taxpayers on the SPLOST to cover what they should have been buying all along. You don't get anymore deceitful than that. The BOC is bad enough, but Heaton and the command staff knew they were replacing like they should and kept silent on it.
Is it true that at least one Precinct to go for yearly qualification officers must go on their off day due to Manpower? Or must go to active shooter training on their off day and not be able to take another day off during the week? Again due to Manpower? My understanding the same Precinct gets reprimanded for not having enough self-initiated activity yet several beats are open and if traffic stops and such are done and a person is arrested that officer is taken out for at least an hour and a half, leaving at least another beat open? That on a regular basis 2 - 4 beats are open? If so it doesn't sound very safe for the officers to be doing traffic stops due to lack of backup even though the overall call volume is low. Is any of this true? Or just grumpy officers?
This is in two posts because of character limit…I never thought I would post anything here. I simply never found myself compelled to have my voice heard over most issues. However, recent events have changed that, and it is plain to see that a severe issue faces our department that I fear will have a more devastating effect on morale than ever before.
While the below does reference two people (not by name) nothing is geared as negative or degrading to them. They are simply the ones who happened to find themselves in the middle of this. It should be obvious that they had no bearing on what happened to them and no ability to affect it what-so-ever. Please do not reply with anything specific regarding these individuals nor mistake anything in this comment as a blight against them.
Together, we have faced an unsupportive hierarchy, years without any sort of pay increase, furloughs, ineffective equipment for the sake of saving money, and veiled promises. As past questionnaires have shown, our bottom line pay is most important to us. At one point, years ago, we turned down take home cars for a permanent pay increase. Most of us have seen this county bring on pay studies and discard the findings. Recently, it seemed as if this was going to be a turning point. Finally, the compression and unrealistic pay was realized. But again, when push came to shove, no supervisor was given a raise, and only brand new employees were given a small pay increase, furthering the compression issue. While disappointing, I can’t say this was surprising considering the history we have endured. While the estimated 20% pay spike this pay study should have brought most supervisors was not realized, I think most of us accepted it as yet another Cobb County let down and moved on. But with the most recent promotions, they decided to begin to honor the pay study and institute the correct increase to only those promoted going forward. The most recent sergeant now makes around $36 an hour, putting him at around 20k a year more than the lowest paid sergeant (who likely was promoted just 5 months prior to him) and, while I’m not sure what the highest paid sergeant’s pay is, I do know $36 an hour is more than a sergeant who has been a supervisor longer than this person has been employed with the department. A brand new sergeant is now being paid more than a sergeant with nearly 20 years of supervisory experience.
Continued from previous post...It has been a long time problem that we have FTO’s and officers in the county that make more than Sergeants. Opinions differ, but I think most would agree that someone of lower rank shouldn’t make more than someone of higher. While I personally agree with this, I never let it bother me too much because I respected the person of lower rank’s tenure and seniority in the department. However, we have reached a point where a newly promoted are making almost as much as one of the highest paid next rank. This isn’t the exception, this is the new rule.
Human Resources says the only way they will re-evaluate your pay is if you were hired before this Sergeant and your last FOUR performance appraisals were an “Exceeds.” In a department where if you do well, have aspirations, and progress through specialized units you are told, “Well, we just don’t give out exceeds for your first year here,” we are held to the standard of having 4 exceeds. I didn’t realize my desire to be better would prevent me from getting such a pay increase in the future. There are two issues here, first our rating system is greatly flawed, second, and on point with this topic, we are rewarding being stagnant.
We are expected to take this overt slap in the face from the County and the Department, all the while giving out this years selected In-service training on ETHICS! Are you kidding me! So the department that decided our experience, our time, our sweat, our tears, our hard work, our devotion means so little to them that they would rather pay a new Sergeant more than many lieutenants, wants us to preach about DOING THE RIGHT THING! Guys, we are Dan Akroyd’s character in Trading Places. You can almost see those responsible betting each other on what the outcome will be. There is a person out there saying, “Not only will I start paying brand new guys more than them, I will make them disperse information about ethics and talk about ‘doing the right thing’ in their squad meetings, AND they will like it.”
I want to close this by reiterating that there should be no hard feelings to the new promotions. None of this is their fault, and I am actually happy for them. I am not one to be petty, greedy, or jealous of others, so let it be clear: this is not a petty or jealousy issue. This is a “right vs wrong” issue. I expect the Department that I have been with my entire career would “do the right thing.” We let them beat into us that “We represent the department, both on and off duty.” “We are held to a different standard.” I chose to apply and continue with the Cobb County Police Department because I had the same faith and trust in them as they put in me. I was proud to wear our patch because I truly felt that we represented something different. It’s time they remember that the department also represents us and they should also be held to a higher standard.
Congratulations to the Gwinnett County Commissioner's for realizing they need to take care of their police officers and giving them a 7% raise. If only we had Commissioner's that realized that. Also, congratulations to the Captains and Majors on getting a bump in pay in this check. Lord knows we are having problems keeping those ranks filled. The officer's have been neglected for to long and it's time we do something about it. I think it's time we have another mass exit.
As a life long resident of Cobb County and retired employee, I think it may be time to run for Commissioner. I have the time and funds--- Here is the plan. 1.Sell the new stadium,2. stop non-essential spending,3. Hire department heads with integrity and a backbone,4. Promote employees with same,5.Make Public Safety a priority (hire more police and fire)(fair and retroactive raises)(Have all Command staff really work a beat or fight fire-ems monthly)5.Ask Georgia elected officials for tax exemptions for Police and Fire) These are just a few ideas. Post your ideas-Thanks
46 comments:
Chief, I was impressed by your handling of the media on the Bank Bomb Shooting. I have only heard stories of your good reputation as a Cobb Police Officer. While I am disgusted by this one incident of poor judgement, I will try to not let it define who you are. One mistake in an otherwise exemplary career should not define a person. I just wished you would have applied this philosophy to Lt. Abbot.
Does anyone know if Lt. Abbot needs help with his legal bills? If so is there a gofundme account that we can use to help support him?
I wonder what would have occured had Lt Abbott been a minority...progressive discipline maybe? What if the detective holding a sign in the protest was on the other side...with a flag? Tough to know who has our back these days.
I would hate to know I was just a political puppet being told what to do by folks who have no idea what it is to wear the badge and hold the line. Instead of standing up and saying the LT used poor word choice while dealing with a pain in the ass on the side of an extremely dangerous stretch of interstate and disciplining him fairly, the department catered to the political masses and fired him for his years of dedicated service. Say what you want chief, you showed the troops all they needed to see from you and that message is loud and clear. Command doesn't trust the troops and in turn we don't trust command. This department will stick a knife in your back in a heartbeat. By the way, how are we circumventing state law and allowing no license to be released on copy? Last time I checked that was an arrest and fingerprint offense according to state law. Oh that's right we cater to political pressure. Silly me.
I can assure you no one uptown has your back. That's blatantly obvious
LT Abbott Submitted his retirement paperwork and Chief Register accepted it. LT Abbott did not violate any laws so there is no criminal charges. He is not suing the Dept nor is he being sued.
So the "Chief" wants to talk to us about "honor" and "integrity," the same person who left the department knowing he was about to be terminated over, what would be considered and INTEGRITY issue..guess that means Abbott has a chance at the Chief spot in a few years. Guess it's like a credit report, and falls off the record after a few years. Let's get back to the honor and integrity thing, officers have dash cams, body cams, and every cell phone camera on Earth recording them. What about CS..nope not a single one, guess they never violate policy. Guess they never drive at 80mph trying to bait officers into a traffic stop and slamming into another vehicle. Guess they don't leave in the middle of a stalking investigation, only to be rehired, catered to, and given any position they want. Guess they don't have officers doing BS zone patrols every day all day long to make the PCT look more active. Guess they don't promote certain people so they fill the quota of certain minority groups to make the department seem more diverse..need I keep going, where is the HONOR and INTEGRITY u speak so highly of. I just don't seem to see it in most of those that are the supposed leaders of your department. Lemme guess if you start the fix from the bottom up eventually the top will be corrected through attrition..good plan, let's see how it works...
I guess progressive discipline is dead! You don't violate any laws, you don't violate any rights, and serve honorably for 28 years.....you get fired! But a certain someone says a racial slur in a meeting, the worst one possible....and you get a slap on the wrist! Shameful!
It is tough being a Change Agent. Chief Register should carefully consider whom he promotes during his tenure. I'm sure CS have a pretty good idea who's the personalities behind these shortsighted comments. These are your future Sergeants, Lieutenants, and Captains. But they don't have to be; if they don't personify the professional vision the Chief have for this great department they should exercise their right to seek employment in other places. Can we use this unfortunate event as an opportunity to make our Department better? Judging by Abbott's video we have room to get better.
Troll.....
So do you chug that Kool aid they handed you, or just use a direct IV??
If it is true that Lt. Abbott was allowed to retire then that is a good thing. If he turned in his paperwork before the news conference and the chief accepted it, then that calls into question the whole "transparency" bull squeeze that the chief is espousing. It just shows he would rather say he recommended termination over telling the whole truth. If so, he did the honorable thing but didn't have the stones to stand up to the media and NAACP to defend the honorable move.
When you release someone on a citation it states "License displayed in lieu of bail". Well if they don't have a license then how in the Hell can one do that? This was obviously yet another knee jerk reaction from uptown. Good things are definitely not ever going to come. Blue Flu.....Go!!!
I think we all have a pretty good idea who wrote that post. That type of thinking is part of the problem. Last I read nobody wants to leave they want to know CS is looking out for them. Shortsided, dang that's funny and ironic.
I've had alot of time to digest what's happened the past couple of days. I'll say this. I'm deeply saddened by what took place with the firing of LT. He is and was a close friend of mine and I think it was wrong what happened to him. Regardless of the words he used his heart was in the right place and firing wasn't that answer. There's no doubt the chief has a tough job but I think he got this one wrong and I think it's because he was pressured into it. Know this, we have a tough job and no one else wants to do it but they are quick to judge. Watch each other's backs and get to know your fellow officers. Quit separating each other by unit or precinct and shake a hand or say hello. Our job won't get any easier. Be there for each other and go home at the end of the day. I honestly love each one of you. Be safe and God speed.
So are you saying you believe promoted black officers don't deserve their position? interesting
To be fair, this individual said, "...certain minority groups...". You interjected race into the equation. There are a multitude of minority groups that they could have been referring too, yet as we often face, this is being taken out of context and spun to try to discredit the whole of the comment. Seriously?
Mike Boyce you are an embarrassment to the title Marine. You brag about your credentials and being there to support the troops! Sir, you aren't fit to poor piss out of a boot with the instructions written on the heel. But don't worry, you are living up to the title of Chairperson quite well as you continue to step on the backs of the men and women of public safety without merit raises or any of the other fixes you campaigned on. You're worse than your predecessor; at least he didn't hide how he felt about us. When the flood gates of officers leaving this department starts in the coming weeks, I hope it wipes that silly grin you had at the news conference off your face. Good luck explaining to the citizens why the department won't be able to keep up with calls for service, much less be proactive.
Going to need more fire fighters too; won't be enough police officers to man the Braves next year at this rate.
To the post above, thank you, the fact is the person I was referencing is NOT black, now would it matter WHAT race they are..is they are not QUALIFIED for the job they should not get the position. The fact that ANY person get promoted because of race is a disgrace. The person I referred to has shown on several occasions that they have NO business being in CS..
"Guess they don't promote certain people so they fill the quota of certain minority groups to make the department seem more diverse"
So exactly what minority are we referring. I'm thinking back over the last 10 years and I only see a gay woman, Asian, and black. Which is it? You can't make a blanket statement, then pull back when called out. It's your opinion and that's fine. However, you may want to look at more than minorities when discussing promotions or assignments. The minorities, with perhaps one exception who probably should have been fired as an FTO, were all well qualified. Name two that were promoted for some diversity agenda.
Signed. Lennox Clark
This site was created during furloughs in order to improve communication and join the department tougher via a common mechanism. This month their is a reminder "Folks as a general reminder attacks on named individuals in the department will not be posted on this blog. We understand everyone's frustration at recent events and rightfully so however keep it professional. Thank you.". However, throughout this month the Chief, the Chairman and I believe the Director have been heavily criticized. Kind of hypocritical isn't it? This site has become the source of divisiveness within the department and is long past its useful prime.
Not pulling back at all, was making the statement while trying NOT to specifically name the individual I am speaking of..since the header asks we not do so..and yes said individual falls into one of those categories u mentioned, no they are not black, and yes in my opinion they have not shown any competence in running a PCT or being in command at all..and the point of the original statement was that those who stand in judgement of us have their own mishaps, some much worse than what we see ending careers today. I apologise if it came across as a dig at any minority group, over how the department handles promoting less than deserving individuals. I believe those in command, the true leaders, should be those individuals that officers trust, respect, and want to go out on the street for..not ones that complain the loudest, or threaten law suits, and certainly not for any diversity agenda..
I would like the author of this post to specifically cite how the Chairman has acted to deserve such a vile comment from an apparent fellow Marine (discraceful). Since becoming Chairman communications to the rank and file drastically improved. He comes out to the precincts to ride with officers and welcomes comments and concerns. Just recently he proposed a tax increase. He made an informative video supporting his proposal and went to many town halls explaining it. Before the vote there were 3 commissioners committed to yes BUT 1 changed his mind at the last minute. I don't see anyone on this site blasting him. At the conclusion of that meeting the Chairman had very stern comments to the crowd and colleagues at the board meeting because of the outcome. Furthermore, you should still be putting the blame on the former Chairman. He knew he would not get re-elected because of the stadium deal and prior to the election he lowered taxes to an unsustainable rate (current rate) in hopes of staying in office. Now Chairman Boyce is dealing with the budget shortfalls because of all of this.
I have not seen one example of the Chairman stepping on anyone's back. I suppose because he is the person in charge the buck stops with him so he takes the brunt of comments. However, I have seen far more examples from the other 4 people at the high table.
I do support the Chairman based on what I've seen so far.
So the chief and command staff has repeatedly called us out for posting anonymously on this site; why did you feel like you needed to voice your support for and concerns about the Director anonymously?
This site is not the SOURCE of the divisiveness. It is merely a representation of the divisiveness that exist as a result of the lack of trust in CS and the elected officials of this county. The only reason that it is past its usefulness is because those who can make changes still refuse to admit the issues this department faces.
I think the blog is still a useful outlet for people to vent their frustrations over the way things are going in this County. I hope we don't see furloughs again but we already know there will be no merit this year. The director said it by not saying it in his last DPS update. I will not criticize the director but in at least the last two meetings with the Chief he has called Ducimus The National Enquirer I disagree we know that is fake the issues posted on here are unfortunately very real. Our venting will not fix the issues but is an outlet for us to be heard. We should not be attacking each other as the blog was not meant for that but I still feel it's useful and in some instances has been informative.
Trust
: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something
: one in which confidence is placed
Just thought there were a few in this department that could use the reminder of the meaning of what this word means.
^Well said.
test
Ok, its time we stop stroking the new chief in hopes to find a backbone. If you are looking for the chief, find the nearest camera and you will find the chief. First, lets talk about the Barricade/Bomb situation. The Department has a PIO, a very good PIO, so why didn't the chief let him do his job on the camera... its simple, he saw an opportunity to show his face on National TV. Even though he did not have all the information to answer the questions, stumbled, and at one point said it appeared "somebody" shot the suspect... well, wasn't it just the SWAT team there, so who else would have shot the suspect... and believe me, I am not saying the officer was wrong for shooting, the officer did what he had to, to protect himself and others in the range of the bomb blast, I applaud the officer... what I am saying why did the chief get on TV at that point when the PIO officer was handling the situation just fine... now, it was good for the chief to respond to the scene, and be available for follow up after the facts were revealed... it would have been very simple for the chief to respond, we cannot comment on that issue until the investigation is complete... rather than stumble on.... enough said about this situation, so lets move on to Lt Abbott. Once again, follow the camera and you will find the chief... Lt Abbott was an excellent officer who the chief said he knew for many years, but then followed it up with he did not know what was in his heart....and since the chief was afraid to make a stand and support his officer, that just repeated what the intoxicated driver said, he saw an opportunity to support his direction of community unity by throwing his offcer under the bus... now I agree with his approach to unify the community, that is critical to the success of any police department, however, not at the expense of one of his officers that has been a dedicated, committed, and roll model his entire career. There was no malice in what Lt. Abbott said, it was just a repeat of what the driver had said. Everybody would have seen this had the chief decided to show the entire tape of the incident rather than take advantage of the Lt's comments and find an opportunity to stand up in front of the entire community and say Lt. Abbott will be fired for his actions... Can you imagine what kind of support the chief would have had if he would have just showed the facts of the case and stand behind the LT. He would have received much more popularity by supporting his officers than he did by throwing him under the bus in front of the cameras.... there we go again, seems like where cameras are the chief is... maybe we should change his name to "camerachief".
My other question is where was the investigation... where was the Lt's rights in this case... what did the investigation reveal.. or was it just a view of the video and the chief and others coming to a conclusion that he was guilty or even better yet, that it was in the best interest of the County to find him guilty, regardless if he really was guilty.... again... where was the rights of the officer in this case,,, seems they were highly violated, but knowing the kind of officer Lt Abbott is, he took it on the chin, took one for the team, and decided to go quietly to avoid the mass media influx that his superiors,, all of them to include the chief up to the chairman.... had assembled... that brings up another question, why was there anybody else involved in this decision and especially the news briefing. This was an internal matter that should have been handled by the police department, and out of respect for the chiefs superiors, the chief should have advised the county manager and the chairman on his decision, AFTER AN INVESTIGATION; if the new chairman had any knowledge of police work, (and military is NOT police work no matter what he says), or even discipline matters, his actions to assembly the team that he did was totally inappropriate. But he continues to treat ANYBODY that does not agree with him like they are a private in the military and wants to make the do pushups or take a lap... he needs to learn how to treat civilians and that they are a critical part of the team.
To Lt. Abbott, my apologies to you and your family, you deserve better after your years of dedicated service. To the chief, if you stand behind your officers, you won't need the media to be successful; To administration above the chief... other than Rob, the new County Manager, they need to get a grasp on reality and start supporting Public Safety like they said they would, in their actions, not just in words when you get in the public; To all the officers of Cobb County Police Department; hang in there, you are a great department, you just need leadership that will do THE RIGHT THING, but I will say, its time for ALL OF THE OFFICERS TO COME TOGETHER, IF YOU DON'T COME TOGETHER AS ONE, YOU WILL SEE WRITINGS ON THIS SITE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME... LETS CHANGE THAT... I AM WILLING TO STAND UP FOR YOU AND THE DEPARTMENT, BUT YOU HAVE TO STAND UP AND COME TOGETHER FIRST... I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT DAY... YOU WILL BE SURPRISED HOW MUCH YOU WILL GET DONE AS ONE...
GOD BLESS AND BE SAFE
In case you haven't heard yet in the latest update they have removed the 1% COLA raise that Boyce tried to get put in the budget, so nothing coming this year apparently
sgt clark has moral authority in this discussion. he revealed himself and defended his opinion logically and with clarity. I see a leader in him.
As do I, he definitely does not seem to be one the comment was referring to. In fact I don't think it was referring to any Sgt or Lt, I believe "Command Staff" generally refers to Capt. and above.
Braves get millions, librarians get big raises and the Police get nothing!
The last episode of Sam TV has Director Heaton telling us how far in the crapper the county really is. No raise this year. I predict no raises for the next 5 years. You newer officers have heard stories of the furloughs and years without raises, well your about to see it first hand. With your portable retirement if you don't take it and run your crazy. With the economy going up other agencies are going to be competitive. Cobb only has money issues because of BOC mismanagement.
https://www.policeone.com/police-products/traffic-enforcement/articles/242599006-How-ticket-quotas-negatively-impact-police-morale-and-public-trust/
I do not support the Chairman. He has no spine. He is a disgrace to Marines everywhere that truly believe in death before dishonor. Yes it is?words to the few of you that know nothing about integrity. For those of us that have bled for the Eagle, Globe and Anchor, it is our way of life. We do not sell out our brothers to political hacks and social injustice groups. The Chairman made the choice to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the NAACP, the SCLC, and that disgrace known as Lisa Cupid. How many keys has she given out to her study room? Now we are shovel fed diversity, deescaltion of force and more bullshit pacification training that put officers at risk. You office living, partial uniform wearing office Neanderthals have no idea what the streets are like to work these days. Take that sissy white uniform and strap on a vest, the remainder of the gear and hump a beat today. Do it without your collar insignia and see what it is like out here today. It is much different than you can fathom. Oh wait, you reviewed a video or arrived from IHOP after the scene was deemed safe, you are still in the fight. Makes me want to puke seeing what you are attempting to do to this profession. How about you take your news podium to the courthouse and get the demon seeds of society full jail sentences for their actions. Those of us that work the streets today list a sister in Polk County. Some of us knew her. A shitbag with an extensive criminal history was out of jail because of weakness. I will not allow you to weaken my ability to take care of those that I am charged with ensuring they go home. Yes, I will check your class box to say I have been warned. Thats all your new training will do; warn and inform us that we operate alone and you nor the county will have our backs protecting the community. After I check the box, I will wipe my ass with the verbiage and B/S documents you provide in this new training. This new Cobb County Police Department will see a lot more people harmed with the new policies coming.
The Chiefs meeting with Officers and Sgts was an eye opener. He was transparent alright. They have not bought cars out of the police budget and used SPLOST to buy new cars 2016 and 2017. Not going to buy cars in 2018 or 2019. He said when the old relics in the fleet at the pcts start dying, we will take the take home cars away from the officers who have them and put them in the fleet at the pct. Not buying cars in 2018bor 2019? I'm predicting most officers will loose their take home before they start buying cars again. That combined with at the very least 2 years without raises, you new officers are crazy if you don't take your retirement and run.
Since they used the SPLOST to buy cars for the "assigned car program" they didn't use the police budget to replace the 30 to 40 cars a year that wear out. So they sold the taxpayers on the SPLOST to cover what they should have been buying all along. You don't get anymore deceitful than that. The BOC is bad enough, but Heaton and the command staff knew they were replacing like they should and kept silent on it.
Is it true that at least one Precinct to go for yearly qualification officers must go on their off day due to Manpower? Or must go to active shooter training on their off day and not be able to take another day off during the week? Again due to Manpower? My understanding the same Precinct gets reprimanded for not having enough self-initiated activity yet several beats are open and if traffic stops and such are done and a person is arrested that officer is taken out for at least an hour and a half, leaving at least another beat open? That on a regular basis 2 - 4 beats are open? If so it doesn't sound very safe for the officers to be doing traffic stops due to lack of backup even though the overall call volume is low. Is any of this true? Or just grumpy officers?
This is in two posts because of character limit…I never thought I would post anything here. I simply never found myself compelled to have my voice heard over most issues. However, recent events have changed that, and it is plain to see that a severe issue faces our department that I fear will have a more devastating effect on morale than ever before.
While the below does reference two people (not by name) nothing is geared as negative or degrading to them. They are simply the ones who happened to find themselves in the middle of this. It should be obvious that they had no bearing on what happened to them and no ability to affect it what-so-ever. Please do not reply with anything specific regarding these individuals nor mistake anything in this comment as a blight against them.
Together, we have faced an unsupportive hierarchy, years without any sort of pay increase, furloughs, ineffective equipment for the sake of saving money, and veiled promises. As past questionnaires have shown, our bottom line pay is most important to us. At one point, years ago, we turned down take home cars for a permanent pay increase. Most of us have seen this county bring on pay studies and discard the findings. Recently, it seemed as if this was going to be a turning point. Finally, the compression and unrealistic pay was realized. But again, when push came to shove, no supervisor was given a raise, and only brand new employees were given a small pay increase, furthering the compression issue. While disappointing, I can’t say this was surprising considering the history we have endured. While the estimated 20% pay spike this pay study should have brought most supervisors was not realized, I think most of us accepted it as yet another Cobb County let down and moved on. But with the most recent promotions, they decided to begin to honor the pay study and institute the correct increase to only those promoted going forward. The most recent sergeant now makes around $36 an hour, putting him at around 20k a year more than the lowest paid sergeant (who likely was promoted just 5 months prior to him) and, while I’m not sure what the highest paid sergeant’s pay is, I do know $36 an hour is more than a sergeant who has been a supervisor longer than this person has been employed with the department. A brand new sergeant is now being paid more than a sergeant with nearly 20 years of supervisory experience.
Continued from previous post...It has been a long time problem that we have FTO’s and officers in the county that make more than Sergeants. Opinions differ, but I think most would agree that someone of lower rank shouldn’t make more than someone of higher. While I personally agree with this, I never let it bother me too much because I respected the person of lower rank’s tenure and seniority in the department. However, we have reached a point where a newly promoted are making almost as much as one of the highest paid next rank. This isn’t the exception, this is the new rule.
Human Resources says the only way they will re-evaluate your pay is if you were hired before this Sergeant and your last FOUR performance appraisals were an “Exceeds.” In a department where if you do well, have aspirations, and progress through specialized units you are told, “Well, we just don’t give out exceeds for your first year here,” we are held to the standard of having 4 exceeds. I didn’t realize my desire to be better would prevent me from getting such a pay increase in the future. There are two issues here, first our rating system is greatly flawed, second, and on point with this topic, we are rewarding being stagnant.
We are expected to take this overt slap in the face from the County and the Department, all the while giving out this years selected In-service training on ETHICS! Are you kidding me! So the department that decided our experience, our time, our sweat, our tears, our hard work, our devotion means so little to them that they would rather pay a new Sergeant more than many lieutenants, wants us to preach about DOING THE RIGHT THING! Guys, we are Dan Akroyd’s character in Trading Places. You can almost see those responsible betting each other on what the outcome will be. There is a person out there saying, “Not only will I start paying brand new guys more than them, I will make them disperse information about ethics and talk about ‘doing the right thing’ in their squad meetings, AND they will like it.”
I want to close this by reiterating that there should be no hard feelings to the new promotions. None of this is their fault, and I am actually happy for them. I am not one to be petty, greedy, or jealous of others, so let it be clear: this is not a petty or jealousy issue. This is a “right vs wrong” issue. I expect the Department that I have been with my entire career would “do the right thing.” We let them beat into us that “We represent the department, both on and off duty.” “We are held to a different standard.” I chose to apply and continue with the Cobb County Police Department because I had the same faith and trust in them as they put in me. I was proud to wear our patch because I truly felt that we represented something different. It’s time they remember that the department also represents us and they should also be held to a higher standard.
Congratulations to the Gwinnett County Commissioner's for realizing they need to take care of their police officers and giving them a 7% raise. If only we had Commissioner's that realized that.
Also, congratulations to the Captains and Majors on getting a bump in pay in this check. Lord knows we are having problems keeping those ranks filled. The officer's have been neglected for to long and it's time we do something about it. I think it's time we have another mass exit.
As a life long resident of Cobb County and retired employee, I think it may be time to run for Commissioner. I have the time and funds--- Here is the plan. 1.Sell the new stadium,2. stop non-essential spending,3. Hire department heads with integrity and a backbone,4. Promote employees with same,5.Make Public Safety a priority (hire more police and fire)(fair and retroactive raises)(Have all Command staff really work a beat or fight fire-ems monthly)5.Ask Georgia elected officials for tax exemptions for Police and Fire)
These are just a few ideas. Post your ideas-Thanks
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