Lonewolf1
11-20-2007, 09:08 PM
LPD has a historic culture of favoritsm and nepotism. All the way back to the 1950's and 1960's when black officers were not allowed south of North Drive (Memorial BLvd.) to arresting whites. Most of that form of partiality changed. What took its place was the favoritism that became part of the LPD culture, "The Families". Where family members and best friends got promoted or were given the "cushy" jobs.
Don Jones, Alexander, Sonny Sherritt and Ron Nenner, Sam Baca, and the latest Chief, each had their enclave of officers and supporters that denigraded or ran off anyone who opposed their families. Looking at the current upper management at LPD and you can see signs of the favoritism throughout. People who couldn't or wouldn't make it as street officers became adept at stepping on others, rattnig out fellow officers to make themselves look good, or just plain old suck ups
The history that became culture at LPD flourished because there are no checks and balances in place to stop the administration from doing pretty much whatever it wants. Take a look a what is sitting on the top.
Upper management has long ignored the troops in favor of their personal agendas, not just this administration but going back for years and years. It has become cultural for each top adminstrator to have his/her agenda that has nothing to do with how good a job officers do or how much equipment you can get.
You can go out there everyday and make hundreds of arrests and write hundreds of tickets and will anyone upstairs say, "Hey, great job". No, they will whine and complain about the complaints you generated making all those arrest. Why is that? It is because if the police department is doing to good a job, people will complain. Complaints make the adminstration have to get off their butts and explain why the officers are doing such a good job. They do not want to do that, explaining how arrests solve problems and take care of long term issues interferres with their agendas of becoming the next Chief or fluffing up a resume' for a Chief's job somewhere else. That is why they don't want hard chargers. You will never see a Chief like Joe Arpaio in Lakeland. Because a strong, no-nonsence Chief is the last thing the City of Lakeland wants. They want someone that will fall in line and do the minimum and no make waves.
Following the top 3 are the various Captains and Lieutenants that follow and worship each respective Assistant Chief or Chief. Some do it out of blind loyalty, others because they would never have made rank without that particular person. You have seen them making the stupidest decisions or writing someone up for doing their jobs. Ridiculas.
Finally you have the few that got promoted on their own and say it like it is. Lieutenants and some Sergeants that have been good street cops and take care of the troops first and themselves last.
LPD is a corrupt organization. Yes, LPD is a corrupt organization, but not the kind of corruption that you read about in the newspapers or see on TV. The corruption of personal agendas, power struggles within, and sense of the feeling that if you do not belong to any particular "family" you are out there alone. When you have senior adminstrators who allow favoritism and personal bias directly impact the officers in the field you have allowed a cancer to remain in the Department. Actually, by allowing that you are the cancer.
To all real street cops, you need to remember to CYA, document everything, write down everything. Keep personal records and remember that if you work there 30 years, there will be only one or two people that you can really trust and call your friend. Everyone else is an acquaintance, so be careful. There is more danger within the walls of LPD than outside of them on the street.
Don Jones, Alexander, Sonny Sherritt and Ron Nenner, Sam Baca, and the latest Chief, each had their enclave of officers and supporters that denigraded or ran off anyone who opposed their families. Looking at the current upper management at LPD and you can see signs of the favoritism throughout. People who couldn't or wouldn't make it as street officers became adept at stepping on others, rattnig out fellow officers to make themselves look good, or just plain old suck ups
The history that became culture at LPD flourished because there are no checks and balances in place to stop the administration from doing pretty much whatever it wants. Take a look a what is sitting on the top.
Upper management has long ignored the troops in favor of their personal agendas, not just this administration but going back for years and years. It has become cultural for each top adminstrator to have his/her agenda that has nothing to do with how good a job officers do or how much equipment you can get.
You can go out there everyday and make hundreds of arrests and write hundreds of tickets and will anyone upstairs say, "Hey, great job". No, they will whine and complain about the complaints you generated making all those arrest. Why is that? It is because if the police department is doing to good a job, people will complain. Complaints make the adminstration have to get off their butts and explain why the officers are doing such a good job. They do not want to do that, explaining how arrests solve problems and take care of long term issues interferres with their agendas of becoming the next Chief or fluffing up a resume' for a Chief's job somewhere else. That is why they don't want hard chargers. You will never see a Chief like Joe Arpaio in Lakeland. Because a strong, no-nonsence Chief is the last thing the City of Lakeland wants. They want someone that will fall in line and do the minimum and no make waves.
Following the top 3 are the various Captains and Lieutenants that follow and worship each respective Assistant Chief or Chief. Some do it out of blind loyalty, others because they would never have made rank without that particular person. You have seen them making the stupidest decisions or writing someone up for doing their jobs. Ridiculas.
Finally you have the few that got promoted on their own and say it like it is. Lieutenants and some Sergeants that have been good street cops and take care of the troops first and themselves last.
LPD is a corrupt organization. Yes, LPD is a corrupt organization, but not the kind of corruption that you read about in the newspapers or see on TV. The corruption of personal agendas, power struggles within, and sense of the feeling that if you do not belong to any particular "family" you are out there alone. When you have senior adminstrators who allow favoritism and personal bias directly impact the officers in the field you have allowed a cancer to remain in the Department. Actually, by allowing that you are the cancer.
To all real street cops, you need to remember to CYA, document everything, write down everything. Keep personal records and remember that if you work there 30 years, there will be only one or two people that you can really trust and call your friend. Everyone else is an acquaintance, so be careful. There is more danger within the walls of LPD than outside of them on the street.