DON'T BACK DOWN

If you haven't heard yet, you will hear now, about what happened today. Two of our fellow officers were fired, and one was suspended. Our thoughts and prayers are with our two brothers that were let go and their families, the day after Christmas.
Whatever your personal opinion is of the officers that were let go, there is no excuse for the way this was handled. With a union, there would be protocal for matters such as these.
For those of you that are Anti-Union, if there is one thing that you should want from your job, it is job security, and the union can give you that. Like many others have said, the union will not make things perfect, but they can protect our job. As officers, we lay our lives on the line everyday. We shouldn't have to worry about laying our jobs on the line also.
Again, for those of you that are Anti-Union and think that the union may protect officers that are not doing their jobs, there will be protocal and procedures for that also. Not one of us should ever be fired on a whim. Equal treatment for all is what the union will do, and that is what we should all want.
I am sure that everyone in the department has made a mistake at one time or another on the job. I know many of us have been in accidents where we have been found at fault, and we have never been suspended. Now, with talk of the union though, we have an officer suspended for a crash. It should be the same for us all.
Stay Strong and United. Don't let the threats and promises that are coming down scare you or persuade you. If you have been following the posts on this site, you'll see that former officers agree things would be different if the union would have been voted in years ago. This is our chance to see if we can make a positive change for our department and ourselves.
It's funny how now that the union vote is coming, we are hearing about K-9 and the ERT team. I am sure next we will hear about a seargent's exam. All of these things are needs for a growing city and will happen eventually with or without a union. But just as we have heard from past officers of our departmetnt, promises were made before the union vote, and then they were not followed through. Don't let these things make the decision for you. Stay strong no matter what the promises or threats. Don't fold.
And if you were Anti-Union, the events that unfolded today should make you realize why we need a union. There is no reason for us to sit here and talk about who didn't tell who about what meeting, or speculate about hidden agendas for wanting or not wanting the union. All squads and detectives need to come together and stay united so that we can make a difference. We all love what we do and we want to stay here and serve this city, but we want fair treatment and a voice with the city council.

Rock the Vote! Vote yes for the Union!

WOW.......... I second that blog. My thing is give the people that were fired time to get their personal affairs in order. Going home to your family and telling them you were relieved of duty permanently is very harsh the day after Christmas. I think this could of been handled a lot better then what it was. At least give the people that were fired fifteen to thirty days to set there selves up. This could all happen to us at a moments notice. That is why I believe that a Union should be in place. My prayers to the individuals that were fired at a moments notice. This goes to show you "at will, at it's best." To the individuals that were suspended, please, if you are not individually represented by the PBA, please sign up. You deserve protection! Don't wait for the Union to come, get the protection you need before it comes. Also, to those who are not individualy represented, get the protection you need. "ROCK THE VOTE", vote yes....for the Union.

Give someone 15 to 30 days to get their affairs in order, O.K. run this through your head. Officer X, you are going to be fired in 30 days. Go out there and do a great job for me. Thats all the city needs for an officer to go out with a bang. I can see the head lines now, Officer told he was going to be fired in 30 days, Officer violates civil rights of everyone he comes into contact with. During the law suit, jugde asks city, if the officer was going to be fired, why did you let him stay for 30 days? Well judge, we just wanted to be nice. I'm glad you are not running things here in the city, none of us would have a job.

Thank you chief for opening my eyes for me. I always believed in you and our command staff. Till now that is. I didn't think a union was necessary here and have been against the union coming in from the start.Then you suddenly decide we need to stop the S15 at Tequilas and Big Dogs. HMmmmmmmmm did the issues you claim you have start all of a sudden or did they start after the notification about the union? You al of a sudden want the mileage from officer's homes to the PD because of some study the city wants. Hmmmmmmmm one again why when the union is mentioned doe this issue get brought up? You all of a sudden suspend an officer for his first accident while responding to a call where an officer is asking his backup to step it up on a possible burglary in progress. Maybe a written reprimand was more in order. Let me ask you this were you suspended or reprimanded in any way for the three accidents you were involved in during the past year? NO a a matter of fact they were hidden from officer's. You say no they were not hidden hmm but you never mention your mistakes when you chastise others for the same mistakes. As for the officer;s that were FIRED I agree with one of those but not the other. One was immature and did not need to be a liability or a cop.. The other was and is a good cop and you wanted him gone because he was pro union and was not afraid to speak his mind. You say you have an open door policy but it is obvious that door is only open to those who speak your thoughts and not their own.
SO THANK YOU CHIEF FOR OPENING MY EYES TO THE REAL YOU AND MOST OF THE COMMAND STAFF AS WELL FOR THE WONDERFUL GIFT OF SIGHT AT CHRISTMAS. I CAN SEE THE UNION VERY CLEARLY NOW

First of all for "eye wide open " you should proof read your entries. I have been here for some time now. I have seen many come and go. The officer's who were terminated and they were not that many all deserved it. Both officer's that you are talking about had their issues. I know it was the day after Christmas, but being terminated sucks no matter when it happens. The union WILL not change the City's at will policy. The City will not give that up. Big Dawgs would be back for off duty if the owner would take care of his outstanding debt to the City. Officer's also need to stop acting unprofessional while working there. As for rock the vote you make me laugh half of the pro union officers are so back and forth they do not know what they want. You say stay united but everyone has their own agendas why they want this union. You bring out the negative but let's look at some postive stuff. Officer's able to transfer to CIU, SCU, GANG, K-9, MOTORS, and even go out for ERT. Officer's with under a year have obtained some of these postions. We have officer's under a year training as FTO's.. Most agencies would not even give you that opportunity with under three years in patrol. The new k-9 squad will most likely be 290's in up.

You bring out the negative but let's look at some postive stuff. Officer's able to transfer to CIU, SCU, GANG, K-9, MOTORS, and even go out for ERT. Officer's with under a year have obtained some of these postions. We have officer's under a year training as FTO's.. Most agencies would not even give you that opportunity with under three years in patrol. The new k-9 squad will most likely be 290's in up.

First off, i've yet to see anyone trained by someone with less than one years experience. Your right that K-9 will be mostly 290's and up with the exception of 219 who deserves to be where he is.) What I laugh at most is that the anti-union people say the city wont do this, or the city wont do that. Im glad we have all the answers. What we should be focusing on is not slamming other officers but rather what we can do to make this place better. PCPD is a great agency, with great officers. We need consistency. We need a system that is fair to all parties, and productive. We need to work together, for a common goal. People say that everyone has their own agenda. I do not think that is true. I believe that everyone has their own opinions, and wants. That is a bad thing? Absolutely not. What I want does not have to be the same as what you want. The idea is that everyone wants things to be better. If I wanted "X", and you wanted "Y", then we ended up with "Y", I would be fine. Why? Because that is better than what we had before. We will have to develop a prioritized list to bring to the table. It will require a lot of members input, and dedication. We need to be competitive with other agencies in the area, and especially agencies our size. We need to have a fair system. It might be a tougher system, but if it is fair, and it is consistent, then there should be no problem. I don't understand why some people are so against it. As has been said before. The union might not be the perfect answer but it is the change we need, and without it, there will not be any change. I think the large majority understands this, and that is why they are for the union.

When is the vote? Whether you are for or against, doesnt there have to be a vote, when is it and where?

So the fight begins in earnest. I know both guys and by all accounts one put himself in the position to be fired but the other...though you may not like him personally...was not due to have his career ended.

The hits just keep on coming and what I posted in LETTER TO THE MAYOR, shows that my appraisal of the character and leadership of PCPD, which caused me to leave and go to TPD, was completely accurate. Anyone who has been an officer for even a short amount of time, has made mistakes. Experience can help you in not making the obvious ones but you will make mistakes. The more 10-8 of an officer you are, the more errors you are bound to make, it's just simple math.

So, the question; When you make that mistake will it later be held against you by the leadership of PCPD in an effort to get you fired? And why? Because you went from HERO to ZERO, for some position or decision you disagreed and maybe you voiced it to the wrong person.

The history of PCPD, simply stated, is this; IF YOU ARE IN FAVORED STATUS YOU WILL BE PROTECTED FOR MINOR ERRORS/MISTAKES BUT IF NOT... THE HAMMER IS ALREADY IN MOTION. Ask around and get some history. Any RECENT changes or actions that make it look like reprimands and disciplinary actions are FAIR and evenly distributed, across the board are much too late and smoke and mirrors to try and make a case.

What has just happened is going to make a lot of guys nervous but if the city and the current administration at PCPD win this fight, and the union is not voted in, you are at their whim and you will pay a price for it. You will pay a price for voting in the PBA as well, this fight is not for cowards or the faint of heart. You need to consider yourselves brothers-in-arms and get the mindset, that your in it for the long hall to win!!! Get informed! Get single-minded! Get determined! Get active! WINNERS NEVER QUIT! QUITTERS NEVER WIN!

My thoughts and prayers are with the officers terminated and those reaping the wrath of the city and PCPD.