I need your help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greetings fellow Pinellas Park Police Officers!

I am not a regular to this forum, but a situation has developed that I feel needs to be addressed immediately. Several of us recently received a memo in our mailboxes concerning our “failure” to turn in the Special Operations ticket wave stat sheets. The memo emphasized the importance of productivity, teamwork in helping coworkers achieve organizational goals, and dependability. The memo further stated the failure to participate in the ticket waves would have a negative reflection in the areas of productivity, teamwork, and dependability on our evaluations. To quote the memo “This is below expectations for the agency and for your supervisors. In the future you will participate in these waves. A copy of this will be placed in your pending evaluation file.”

First of all, the majority of officers at PPPD do an outstanding job of handling calls for service, getting their reports in on time, and helping their coworkers. I see teamwork during every one of my shifts. Teamwork includes filling out impound slips for the primary officer, jotting down subject information for the primary officer, taking calls for officers when it is their Friday, and sitting on perimeter while K-9 attempts a track. These are all outstanding examples of teamwork. Secondly, the majority of PPPD officers are punctual, don’t take excessive sick time, turn their reports in on time, and generate few, if any, complaints. These are all intrinsic qualities of officers who are dependable. Finally, the majority of PPPD officers engage in proactive policing when they have free time. The enforcement of traffic laws, performing area checks, filling out FIRs, and conducting knock & talks all contribute to an officer's productivity.

All of us fill out monthly stat sheets for the purpose of tracking our productivity during any given month. I would venture to say that every officer that received a "failure to participate" memo did in fact participate in the ticket waves. That would be easy to check by looking at the officer’s stats during the time frame of the ticket wave. The attachment to my memo reported I did not turn in a stat sheet for all three waves during 2007. I did turn in the first ticket wave sheet. I was a couple of days late on the second stat sheet because I forgot to turn it in. I did try to turn it in after it was due, but I was told the numbers had already been tabulated and turned in. This particular stat sheet found its way into the circular file. During the most recent wave, I once again forgot to turn in my ticket wave stat sheet. The memo served as a reminder that I forgot it! I immediately placed my completed stat sheet in a Special Operations officer’s mailbox anyway.

The memo that was placed in our pending evaluation files serves only one purpose; discipline. “This failure to participate in these types of waves are a negative reflection in these areas of your evaluation. In the future you will participate in these waves.” The context of the above caption from the memo is targeted at officers who blatantly made a conscious effort not to participate in the ticket wave. I would hope this type of officer is not employed here at PPPD. I know all the officers that received the memo and they are not that type of officer. The memo did not provide a solution to the problem so I am proposing a course of action that may help provide a solution.

There are a few things we can do as a “team” to help the ticket wave stat sheets find their way to Special Operations “on time”. First, regular reminders from supervisors, Special Ops, and coworkers that the ticket wave stat sheets are due would help remind those of us with poor memories to turn them in. This is no different than getting reminders to turn our time cards in. What an excellent way to display teamwork. Help officers that need your help! I'm one of them. Secondly, supervisors already handle their respective shift’s monthly stat sheets. It would be a better idea to turn our ticket wave stat sheets into our supervisors. This would lower the risk of a missing stat sheet caused by the possible oversight of not crediting an officer for turning in his/her ticket wave stat sheet. This happens all the time. How many of us have turned in reports only to return from our weekend to see our names on the “late report” list? A simple check with Records uncovers the startling revelation that the report was signed by a supervisor and dropped off at records. The problem was the report was not checked off on the report log. Do the supervisors need a memo in their pending evaluation files everytime they forget to check off a report on the report log? Of course not! It’s a minor oversight that was not intentionally committed. It would be a supervisor's nightmare to constantly write memos because of this common occurrence.

This posting is not designed to be negative. Its purpose is to take a negative situation at the PD, provide a solution, and strengthen our relationships with one another. Supervisors have a hard enough task keeping abreast of the problems they encounter in their daily activities. They do not need to be saddled with the responsibility of administering discipline to officers when the reason for the discipline has an easy fix. I take pride in my work ethic, dependability, and productivity. I know everyone else at the PD does too. The memo served as a reminder that everything positive that we do can be wiped clean by a simple oversight that results in a memo. Please help your coworkers remember to turn in the ticket wave stat sheets next time. It is unnecessary for any of us to receive any future negative memos in our files. In the absence of any management proposed solutions, please ponder the solutions I have listed and by all means provide any additional solutions that might help turn this negative into a positive.

Thanks,
Scott Martin 377

Don't we have computers and programs that monitor our every call and move? How about special ops utilizing the state of the art computer equipment we have to track stats? Oops, we have to clear that with MIS. This department worries about the dumbest things, but turns a blind eye to important problems. It's not getting better Scott, good luck

Scott,

While I applaud some of what you say, I am conflicted.

I absolutely agree that there are good examples of teamwork that take place on every shift at the police department.

However, I also know every single one of us can think of someone on each of shifts or units that is slightly intentionally less productive than the rest.

I also believe that our bosses have a right to direct our participation in activities that they feel are important regardless of what we think. I believe the governing principal is he (or she) with the gold makes the rules.

However, if my intel is correct, the issue that prompted the memo were the officers who turned the stat sheets for the wave in to special ops with a big zero prior to the wave even starting. Also, they specifcially request that we all turn the sheets in and many just don't. I, like you, have forgotten to turn my stat sheet in, in the past. I think the lesson here is that there is a new emphasis on turning them in. I agree that teamwork would include SPO's, Sgt's and officers reminding each other to turn them in. Absent those reminders, I agree discipline would be unfair.

Regardless, I applaud your willingness to come on here to talk about this subject.

Thanks for the response.

I'm sorry I can't respond to you by name, but I believe you misinterpreted some of my post. I do agree in discipline. The problem I have is receiving a memo that accuses me of not participating in the ticket wave when in fact I did. My participation included stats for several of the categories on the stat sheet. I made a mistake, I forgot to turn it in. The verbage on the memo did not reflect this. It is very disappointing to be labeled a non-team player when the facts don't match the charge. What is most disturbing is several of us received the memo without even being counseled by a supervisor. The memo was just placed in the mailboxes.

Hopefully, something positive comes out of this in the form of a solution. Nothing in life is perfect, however; if we remind each other when the stat sheets are due, this problem can be eradicated. We can then get back to business, serve the community, and reach the organizational goals that the memo stated.

Scott

Who I am is not important. All that really matters is the discussion. I do applaud your using your own name though. I for now will choose to withhold mine.

I agree with you, perhaps the memos were a bad idea. However, this may motivate those (not you) who intentionally choose to ignore the requests for assistance on these type of projects because they are lazy. And there are some. Again, you have a very good rep for productivity and this part was not intended for you.

I also think this little excercise will remind us all to turn our sheets in.

My guess is the counselings will come to those officers who fail to participate in state wide enforcement waves. If you do the work, get credit and turn in the stat sheet. If you don't turn the stat sheet in because you didn't do any work when they asked you to...Take your lumps...After all it would have been your decision. Again, not intended for you Scott.

Scott,

You said some key phrases in your letter, "I forgot, I again forgot".

We have to remember to turn things in, as we get older like you and I are we might forget. Time cards have to be turned in on a specific day etc. Sometimes people forget and if you need help remembering leave a sticky note on your computer.


I'd leave my name but I forgot.


We love you Scotty

I agree with the views of 377. I take full responsiblity for not turning my ticket wave sheets in and I have no excuse. I have several issues on how they handeled the memo's. Not to long ago, I go inside my mail box and I see the stat sheet memo. Unknown supervisor took the time to highlight my number throughtout the memo stating were I failed to turn in the sheet. I was never counseled on the situation nor was I approached by a supervisor to explain my actions.

This complaint is not towards the Sergeants or SPO's. My heart goes out to the supervisors on patrol who had to take the time to write these memo's. You know this whole situation stinks when supervisors place the memo's in our mailboxes without taking the time to counsel us or explain our actions. WHAT A JOKE!

Come on command staff, pick your pison. This is a joke and you know it.


CLICK IT OR STICK A MEMO IN YOUR MAILBOX.

Hard to argue against that.

use the computer to track stats and leave the officers to do their jobs. why can't we use the computer to track all the stats? Mis and admin have access to everything you do during your shift, why can't they print a report and handle their stats? sounds like we have taken a few steps forward and many back if this can't be done.

First of all we all know that having Special Ops track your stats on the computer system is ridiculous. Think about it folks before you start running your mouths. We all know that when we clear any traffic stop with a cite we do so with a 23y. Now without looking up every single stop and looking at each individual entry or cite we can not tell just what kind of cite was written. Perhaps you wrote one for a red light and one for a seat belt, it all gets cleared as 23y. Now each of those I just described is tracked seperate on the stat sheets usually on each of the individual waves.

Now how hard is it for one person to keep track of their own stats during a specific one week period versus someone else tracking stats for the entire department???? If I heard right I think there were 7 or 8 people who continue not to turn in a stat sheet out of how many?????

Scott--If memory serves me right you worked back there before and participated in these different events and you should understand how important it is that these stats make it to the state on time. Turning in a stat sheet to Special Ops after the DUE DATE does no good because I don't think you can call the state and say "sorry Tallahassee we have a few who can't get their stat sheets in on time--can I add some more stats?"

Last time I checked we have had to turn in time sheets at the end of the two week pay period, it comes EVERY TWO WEEKS! How hard is it to remember this???? Yet Bev is always checking off a list of either last minute folks who make her job much harder or simply just plain "I did not turn it in" folks who make more work for her.

Many people at the pd do not understand the big picture as to why it is important to track these stats during these different waves, having helped put the entry packet together in the past I am sure Scott can tell you why it is important. And one more thing to think about--the state provides us with the stat sheets during every wave because there are only certain things they want tracked depending on what it is that is going on.

This whole thing is really simple folks..... Turn in your stat sheets on time so the stats can be passed on to the state. And I don't give a crap who you are but when a giant ZERO is put on a stat sheet before the due date and placed back in Special Ops that just says one thing---"screw you I am not helping out again this time."

Oh yea one more thing, all those folks that did turn in stat sheets with 0 as a final count---thanks for following directions despite your lack of effort at least you folks understood the part about "please turn in your stat sheets by ????? even if you have no stats!"

I am sure anyone in Special Ops would be glad to answer questions for those that feel that stat sheets are "not worth my time."

Better luck during the next wave. P.S. The due dates are always put in the pass on log, some of you may want to read it from time to time or at least pay attention when read off is going on since you are unable to read it for yourselves.

I don't know who you are, but thanks for the response. I agree it is my fault, however; my posting is a call for help to make sure it doesn't happen again. This post is targeted to those of us that unintentionally forgot to turn the sheets in. By the context of your post, it doesn't appear that you could give a rats back side about a solution. Yes, I did work back there and I was very fortunate my supervisor and the rest of Special Ops constantly reminded us to turn the stat sheets in.

A slow down in the communication process didn't help either. Why did it take until the end of the third ticket wave before any of us received notice that some of the previous waves' stat sheets were unaccounted for? A simple rule of supervision is punishment should be timely. If an officer is exhibiting a behavior that needs to be corrected, don't wait months down the road to level the discipline. I can speak for myself and say this issue wouldn't have gone any further than the first missing stat sheet if I had known my first stat sheet went missing. I'm sure the others that didn't intentionally forget to turn them would agree. I know that for sure because I X65 with them every week.

Please read my initial post again carefully. I never said the stat sheets weren't important. If I felt that way I wouldn't be on this forum attempting to correct our oversight. If used properly, this type of forum can bolster teamwork by working together to find a solution so all the stat sheets are turned in on time. I'm sorry, what was your proposed solution again?

Scott 377

All of the posts on here are good. What all of you who are spouting off do not understand is the reason for a timely receipt is because we get free stuff for it. The earlier its in the better. Then it goes by stats and size of agency. If you have not realized by now we are in it for the bragging rights. By you not turning in your sheet that's one set of stats that won't count. Think about it, do you think the state requires our timely submission? NO. They could give a crap, everything is PR, whether at the state level or at ours. But the bottom line is this. TURN YOUR CRAP IN. As soon as you get it write it in your court calendar. Another thing I agree with that has already been mentioned is how many stat sheets do I have to do. Why do I have to do a daily, weekly, monthly. This is to help the supervisor at eval time. Why can't they look it up on the computer or take some notes when reading reports. The way I see it as long as we make the supervisors life easier then maybe they'll get off our backs. FU

Some of you are a bunch of little lazy whiners...I swear.

This is simple folks...Do you job as dictacted by your boss. It is a standard that every employee in every job in the world must follow.

Your job as it relates to this topic is this.

1. Participate to some extent in the wave.
2. Turn in the stat sheet.
3. Be accountable for YOUR own stats.

Stop making excuses for who else should do it and why you didn't, just do it.

Scott, I agree, punsihment should be timely. Good point, however the memo didn't state this is going in your pending file. It said, in the future, if you fail to do this, it will. That is not punishment, it is a friendly reminder of what the future holds if YOU fail to do YOUR job (as outlined in 1-3 above) again.

Why should the city give you a badge and a gun with all the responsibility that goes with that if you can't follow simple instructions.

Heck, 7.00 an hours sales people can turn in stat sheets but professional police officers can't. Please, complain about something a little more substitive.

Scott this was not aimed as a sting to you.

I agree with you Scott. There is an automatic assumption if you don't turn it in, you have done nothing. Get a memo for not turning it in, yes, but not the lack of participation. Even though I did not get this memo, I have forgotten in the past, especially on Evening Shift. Luckily, I almost forgot this time but a certain person in Special Ops reminded me about the sheet, since I work the same shift. Thats the only problem about Mid's, you are always kinda out of the loop.

My memo did state a copy was going in my evaluation file. To quote it exactly "A copy of this will be placed in your pending evaluation". There is no room for misinterpretation from the above quote. You can be sure I'll tie knots in everything to make sure I don't forget again! I'll also try to remember sending a D=PPPD message to everyone before the sheets are due next time. Hopefully, one-hundred percent of the stat sheets arrive on time after the next wave and the PD gets the much needed equipment.

Scott

Scott,

I agree it shouldn't go into a pending file without a warning first, however to the poster before you:

Bottom line is participate in the wave. Your bosses expect you to and we are not the boss. Unless something has changed, even us in police work have to do what our bosses say unless it unethical or illegal. Fairly certain participating in a buckle up campaign is neither. And don't post this crap that you are too busy to participate. That would be a lie.

Thanks to everyone that viewed the post. I also want to thank you all for being civil and not turning this into a free for all. Hopefully, every single stat sheet will be accounted for after all future ticket waves. Feel free to send this old man an AM to remind him when the next ticket wave stat sheet is due! The more the merrier! I in turn (if I remember!) will do the same for you all!

Until then........Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

Scott

We should get memos when we forget something....okay, but let's hold everyone accountable for their actions, especially those who are supposed to lead by example. The "Do as I say, not as I do" attitude has never been a good way to lead. Neither has group punishment.

When an employee steals money from the city for years under the nose of a sergeant who is bedeviled by her charms , he should get a talking to. If a sergeant accuses you of something and he does the same thing, he should get a talking to. No sergeant has ever been held accountable in this agency since one got demoted in what the 80's?

Leave hard working patrol people alone, you have to do more than write tickets. This city is infested with crime and quality of life issues and we worry about winning some stupid laser gun in a ticket writing contest. Put the SPO's on ticket duty and let them do more than X94, X58, X19.

How goes it Back Up King? Still fooling the people in charge?

We write tickets when we have time, you chase traffic Special Ops, take all these burglaries and domestics and I'll go write tickets.

Patrol, the lowliest of the low!

IF WERE SO ACCOUNATBLE:

Why is it one officer, lets just call him "Forest" is always the lowest stating officer in everything.

Added to the fact "Forest" can't even remember his gun and badge on some occasions. Or if he does remember it he loses it or can't even put it on right.

Yet "Forest" is able to stay under the radar and appears untouched. I guess its because Forest has some “friends” that give him a heads up so he can do his highly regarded 34 deltas and 34 Ks. Trust me this guy never misses chow either.

Yet while Officer Forest cruises around town the rest of us “Accountable” officers on the shift take calls and cover his zone. He can make sure the food’s hot at IHOP.

Accountability; a word / phrase that is selectively used at PPPD. The Officer Forests of our agency need to be accountable, yet I believe this will never happen.

This post is to direct some light and Officer Forest’s actions. I bet you he turned in his stat sheets with a big fat zero or even a 1 or 2. Yet because he turned it in…. He’s under the radar………………..

I believe 26 PATROL officers recieved memo's that will go into there pending evals. Are you kidding me that is 40% of patrol. I was one of them to recieve the memo. I can't believe the PD would allow a memo to go out like this. Morale is at an all time low in the five years that I have been here. I wonder what kind of response that patrol will have towards the next ticket wave sheets? I know my response, and it will reflect my monthly stat sheets. I failed to turn my sheets in, period. We all know when our time sheets are due. The PD placed a memo out, noting that a memo will be needed when you fail to turn your time sheet in on time. I know we should be held accountable for our actions but THIS IS A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!! :evil:

Scott, we love you man!!!!! But, in the famous words of a friend of both you and I..."FTP"......This is just another way to jam up the people they really would rather not have here.....I have an idea...Why dont they have the spo's oh I mean corporals collect them..Or is 333 so grossly lazy and out of shape that he cant even do that..Oh wait, hes to busy belittling someone and making them quote a statute book.......Maybe he can teach people how to become a better officer as soon as he becomes one..I gotta go, I think I just heard him coming out of l1's office

333 just stay away from evenings please. That will be the day if they make him sergeant oneday. The way things are going I wouldn't doubt it.

He was my FTO and I thought he was a very good one, I learned alot. I thinks it is really a cowards way to talk about others on this board. Would you say it to his face in the hallway,. or do you sneak and say Hey Bro!!

Grow some balls, say it to his face and don't be a coward.

Hey I agree, he is a great FTO and SPO. I think he is our 2007 officer of the year. He is a great back up officer and one of the best K-9 officers the PD has ever seen. I hope he tests well and becomes the next sergeant. :twisted: