Question for the FOP

When are we going to stop losing and giving away what we have as officers? I can hear the answer now. We are losing non-contractual stuff and these are tough times. That only goes so far. Maybe we could stop the extravagant expense of the banquet and spend that money on professional negotiators to get us something in return come contract time. We have lost, are losing, and will lose even more.

Don't take this as an attack, but some answers would be nice.

Every officer should be outraged whether these cuts affect them or not. It is an attack on all of us and the hard work we ALL do every day. Everyone should take the attitude - What if it was you?

Bring back morale before it slides even lower. There is at least a handful of officers who have already been asking around at TPD. I can only imagine how many officers are looking into other departments. Hire new officers to replace them you say. Great. Oh wait you are sending some of the best FTOs back to patrol. I guess they will learn the ridiculous CAD program and the completely a waste of time report writing system. But when and how are they going to learn to be a police officer?

Send help before even more good officers abandon this sinking ship.

I have to agree, in the 11+ years I have been at this agency I have never seen morale at an all time low. When has the new Capt. attended a line-up to address his troops? Or even to just introduce himself? I thought the previous Capt.'s departure and the rumors that were flying around caused morale to be at an all time low. Well this trumps that ten-fold.

Now we have made cuts to various specialties only to boost patrol by a "few" bodies. This was suggested many times, long ago, that our community policing program needed to be somewhat revamped, and now that the positions have recently been filled they are deciding to listen. I feel sorry for the hard working officers who went the extra mile to earn the positions, only to have them ripped out from beneath their feet. What message are we sending here? Now what is there to look forward too for these fine officers. Their motivation is probably crushed. I too have heard many new officers discussing leaving for a new agency. And another thing, why were there not any transfers out of the DB back to patrol?

I have never seen such micro-managing, and where the Lt's get no respect. The Lt's know how to run their Districts and have been doing a great job given all the manpower and morale issues. It seems to me like many great ideas go on deaf ears around here. Staff needs to trust the people they appointed as supervisors and leaders and let them lead. There is enough work to go around and stress in this department that there is no room for all the micro-managing.

Fewer officers on the street, more calls for service, longer to complete reports, poor contract, insurance costs on the rise, good ole' boy system, .29 cents a mile, threats of no raises, do more with less, it will be better in the new building, no more OT..............enough already, stop kicking us while we are down and maybe say thanks for all we do once in a while. Let us not forget, the boat has been rocking for quite sometime now and its the officers that keep this place afloat with their hard work, dedication and professionalism regardless of all the negativity.

[86043]

The CPD has been on a gradual and steady downhill slide for many years. The current regime of Klein and Williams MUST go! If anything
positive, sustantive and/or worthwhile is ever going to happen to create change for the better, the impetus will certainly be the retirement of these two buffoons! Sid has had his head in the sand since his first wife passed (R.I.P. Barbara)...it may sound callous to say, but it is, nonetheless, the truth. He gave the reins to Dewey back then, and has never taken them back! Dewey runs the show and tells Sid what he wants him to know. Anyone who doubts this, or has not figured this out already, is either ill informed, blind or just plain ignorant! If you are looking for change from a patrol captain, it ain't gonna happen! That position is very carefully and meticulously filled by Dewey (the puppetmaster), and he controls most everything that the person sitting in that seat says and/or does...Slack and Hollway both suffered from the same problems. They had bright, good and fresh ideas, but in order to implement them, they had to have Deweys' approval, and they simply were never allowed (or even given the opportunity) to run patrol the way that it should be run! Although the current occupant of that seat is, by no means, a ball of fire...I am sure that he probably has one or two ideas about how to make things better, but unless his puppetmaster approves of the changes, he too will face the same wall of resistance...resulting in his apparent inability to make things better and/or bolster morale. Then, he too will suffer the same fate as the previous occupants of that office. The CPD could be an awesome place to work, but until there is a "regime change", it simply is not going to happen. To be sure, Dewey wants to keep a certain amount of division, unhappiness and discontent, as he sees too much good morale and comraderie as problematic, and it also imperils HIS vision of what the CPD should be! If everyone is getting along and seeing eye-to-eye, they might begin talking and agreeing...start some orchesrated momentum could result, that actually leads to change that he does not want! Think about it!

86043, you have my vote for post of the year. Right on the mark.

It is a shame when a five year officer/detective knows more about the day to day operations of this agency than the Chief does. I wish he would go back to the old days when he took an interest in this agency, rather than being just the face of the agency and but Dewey back on the shelf.

Maybe regime change is closer than we think???

http://www.votemcmullen.org/2041529.html

Staff 3 leaving would not be for the best, right now he is the only voice of sanity Clearwater has. If you think the puppetmaster is bad now what will he do when he replaces the one man that stands up to him with another puppet. I wonder how the housing market is in Indian River? It may be time to move...

[86043]

I am sad to hear that Staff-3 could potentially be leaving, as he is the only one within the command staff that truly cares about and advocates for the line troops! Had he been the Deputy Chief of operations, things would certainly be much different now. I honestly do not know how he has endured 11 years of being beat up, bashed, overrun and pushed in the corner by Dewey, but it is a testament to his ability to endure, if nothing else. I know for a fact that he has tried on many, many occasions to stick up for, and look out for the rank and file, only to be shut down by the puppetmaster. Baird is an honorable and decent man. He does not (unlike Sid and Dewey) have a deceitful or malicous bone in his body! If he does become the Undersheriff/Chief Deputy in Indian River County, those guys and gals will most likely be the best treated cops in the State. You can bet that the same will not be able to be said of the CPD! Dewey will be looking for another snake to slither beside him in the third floor pit, and make no mistake...he will have a lot of influence (if not carte blanche) in the selection of the next D.C. A little more to think (and worry) about...

[86043]

On a lighter note, they could promote WWJD to Deputy Chief...just think about that for a minute. Instead of roll call, you could have pre-shift lap dances just to calm everyone down and boost morale. There could be no-panty Thursdays for female Officers/Recruits, after hours rappelling instruction and gift basket raids once in awhile. Might be just the ticket to boost morale and make it fun to come to work again. If anyone can get his ideas past Dewey, it is certainly WWJD, right? Look at all of the stuff that he has done that has been overlooked and/or forgotten about by Dewey. No one else, bar none, in the CPD could pull it off! WWJD for Deputy Chief...YEE-HAA!!

The Chute's are starting to deploy. This should be viewed as an early sign that things around here could be ripe for a major overhaul. I wish him luck as he has always been a nice down to earth guy.

I know they have denied consolidation but I can't think of another time where all of the Stars seems to be lining up. Upper Staff leaving for what amounts to be a lateral transfer, same report witing system, dispatching system, budgetary constraints, etc...


WWJD for DC.

Luv Boo :lol: :lol:

[86043]

Is Sid still chumming around with that moron Jim Coats...does anybody know?? He could be setting up a real sweetheart deal for Dewey at the S.O., and then he can finally make his exit (God knows, it is long overdue!). He knows that Dewey will not be made Chief at CPD, but he is very loyal to the evil little troll, and will make sure that he is taken care of before he goes! I can see him getting Dewey set-up as a big shot at PCSO after a well orchestrated takeover due to budgetary concerns and lost property tax revenues. I honestly don't think that anyone at City Hall would be looking to stop it. There seems to be some handwriting on the wall, and stranger things have happened...ya know?

A great LT made a move for a vote of NO CONFIDENCE for the Chief a while back. It's long overdue for that idea to pick up some steam. Let's go JW! If you have the ear of the city, tell them how we are feeling about now. Money can be saved without destroying the department.

This is the first time that I have posted, but I am a regular reader and check in on a regular baisis. I must say that this is one of the best strings I have read since this site has been introduced.

For once, many of the comments related to this topic are right on the money. Dewey has completely ruined this agency and if someone has to go, it should be him. With him gone many talented people are waiting in the wings to step in and do what is right for the backbone of the agency-Patrol. We need a leader that is respected, actually done police work and knows what the guys on the ground are going through. Who ever said the LT'S hands appear to be tied was right on. From what I hear and seen many good, common sense, ideas have gone by the wayside.

Dewey is responsible for the JB fiasco and that is another mess that he got off on. How do you think the many people who were directly affected or had to conduct the investigation feel once JB actually comes back to work the road or has to be supervised by one of them? Dewey does not care, he is just glad JB settled on getting his job back so that the truth would not come out. That is why the city chose not to interview any of the people close to the investigation. Because it would have come out how shady Dewey really is.

We have lost sight on what is really important. Many of us chose this profession to make a difference and job security. Taking the bad guys off the street and being able to go home safe at the end of the shift. To staff it is just smoke and mirrors. The areas that need the most officers and where a difference can be made are being reduced or eliminated and if you sneeze now a days you could end up in IA. Staff does not care about arresting the criminals, or acknowledging a good job. First thing they look at is "were there any policy violations" for us to follow-up on. And lastly, they obviously do not care about us going home at the end of our tour, because the manpower problem has been going on for years around here and it is only going to get worse. The calls and population are going nowhere but up and criminals are becoming more and more aggressive. Just look at all the officers getting legitimately injured lately.

Just when you think it could not get any worse, I heard a RUMOR from someone on my squad that the new Capt. wants 5-8 hour days for all of patrol. I think they call that phase two of the rectal exam. Boy wont that be a boost to moral. Yeah, I agree where has the new Capt. been? You think he would take a few minutes away from all the micro managing to address us in person.

[86043]

There is a lot to be said for solidarity, and unfortunately Dewey and Sid are famous for baiting people with specialty assignments and promotions so that they can put a lid on solidarity when it begins to foment. Usually there is some strategic impetus that gets people to the point that they can no longer sit idly by and say nothing...even if it means simply venting to people they know they can trust. It appears that the JB scandal is proving to be just such an impetus! Dewey is shrewd, and has cemented himself into a position from which it will be very difficult to unseat him. Sid is his buddy and pal (the only one that he has, and that pretty much goes both ways), and will do everything within his power to keep Dewey from being emabarrased and/or ridiculed. The move by GK a while back took a lot of balls, and for that to work there must be many more people willing to back his play. I doubt that ANY of the other LT's would line up behind him, and maybe 2-3 SGT's would have the balls, when push comes to shove...not very good odds, huh? It is a given that no one within the command staff would cross either one of them, for any reason (since Sid makes them write their resignation letter upon appointment, and keeps it in his possession). Sadly, there really is no one at City Hall who is going to lose any sleep over the cops having bad morale, they simply don't care...and most of them dislike the cops and feel that they have it too good and get too much of the cities money! It is certainly an uphill battle, but is it worth the fight...I would say YES! Look at all of the people who agree that Dewey has ruined a once fine Police Department, and Sid has (by ommission) allowed him to do it. The wagons need to be circled, and a grass roots effort initiated to put a stop to this long running travesty! If the majority of Officers feel similarly, then force the F.O.P. to pick up the torch and represent the will of the majority! The Executive Board has regularly scheduled meetings with tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum...put them on the hot seat and tell them flat out what the rank and file think of them, and that they have NO confidence in their ability to lead any further. Then draw a line in the sand and tell Klein that DEWEY MUST GO!!

Bring it to a meeting for the membership and you will need both JQ and JW, not a public forum web site challenge. You would be better off to post it on P.C.'s MySpace account than on this web site.......By the way who is gonna win the UFC??????? My money is on the Brac!!!!!

Bring it to a meeting for the membership and you will need both JQ and JW, not a public forum web site challenge. You would be better off to post it on P.C.'s MySpace account than on this web site.......By the way who is gonna win the UFC??????? My money is on the Brac!!!!!

UFC? BRAC?