Hiring within?

Has anyone else noticed the trend of our department letting possible police applicants go. We keep hiring applicants from outside the department and our own people are turned away without a fair shot. Not to say that the outside applicants aren't quantified, but we have many qualified applicants within. You would think that if our Dispatchers, PSA's, Ect want to continue a career as a police officer our department would love to have them aboard, but that seams to not be the case. Just offering up an observation.

its more important to keep the PSA's and ship them to CIS for them to solve burglaries.
you know the officers are not important when the PSA's are getting new vehicles.
dont get me wrong the PSA's work the butts off just to keep the dayshifters from moving from their shade tree and well doing their jobs.
the city has always done everything they can to keep from being full staff.
ask your self this question. if the p.d. is budgeted for lets say 250 officers and we only have 235 working then where is the money going that is budgeted for the other non existent officers. better yet ask the union to ask the city that question.

[AFOR]

The PSAs are the hardest working members of the agency. They drove our hand me down cars for years. If anyone deserved new cars it was them. They willingly respond to and handle the calls that the day shift officers will not. They need their own supervisor. Someone who will speak for them, and help them in their attempts at career advancement. They are used and abused, and have no chance for advancement. The only hope for some is to get through the academy and hit the streets as an officer. Unfortunately admin doesn't see that as a priority. When we hire PSAs we tell them it is a stepping stone to officer, and can show them the proof in those that have been allowed to do that. There should be a more structured plan available to all of them. All employees should have a chance at advancement.

i agree with you AOR that the PSA's should be allowed to advance up the ranks per say.
it is solely the dayshift officers and supervisors that allow the PSA's to be used and abused. if , ike your say, the PSA's are handling calls the officers wont, then maybe those officers should seek other employment. those are probably the same officers that cant pass the supervisors test or just complain about the process but never get out there and change it. POWER TO THE PSA'S..........

AFOR I couldn't have said that better myself. However, I do have to correct you. You see the PSA position, has a lot of room for advancement, is a stepping stone, and is amazingly well structured. Just so happens it's structured for them to advance and step on the stones to another department...lol. It's ok though, after all of our PSA's leave to be officers elsewhere day shift will figure out how to 10-65 all the 21's.

Let's get some things straight. First off the PSA's do handle a alot and do deserve new cars. Second, the PSA's purpose is to handle reports that do not require an officer so that the officer's are available for in progress calls, this is extremely important due to the current lack of manpower. And finally to the obvious rookie who posted, the veteran officers were working 21's while you were still sitting in your soiled diaper and eating your boogers. Quit your complaining, put in 10 years and then bid for dayshift. At which time you will probably be one of the j___ offs who abuse them.

AT LEAST THE LAST POST ADMITS THAT DAYSHIFT ABUSES THE PSA'S.
I WAS HOPING THAT YOU WOULD GO WITH THE " IVE VALTOX TESTED MORE DOPE THAN YOU HAVE PACKED FOR EVEIDENCE". I LOVE THAT CLASSIC LINE.
I FORGOT, DAYSHIFTERS NEVER SEE DOPE.
I HAD A SENIOR AND I MEAN THE SENIOR DAYSHIFTER ASK ME WHAT I WAS PACKAGING ONE TIME. THE DOPE WAS METH.....MAYBE THEY WILL LET ALL HIS EXPERIENCE TRAIN SOMEONE.
MAYBE HE WILL GO TO NIGHTS DURING THE NEW T.O.

In reference to the comments about PSAs, you are correct in that they, for the most part, are the hardest working members of the Patrol Division. There is current a proposal to allow the PSAs and Comm Center personnel to attend the Police Academy as a means of progressing their careers. In the past we did allow this, such as Sgt. Woolverton, who was a Comm Spec. The issue became sending someone who occupied a current slot (PSA or Comm) and tying up a sworn slot at the same time. The Department could not attempt to fill the PSA/Comm Spec slot until the individual completed the Academy training. Hopefully the new proposal will resolve the issues and we can again begn to send these folks that have demonstrated their commitment and work ethic. Also understand they all do not necessarily meet the Department standards for sworn officers.

In regards to the PSA cars being "hand me downs", this is incorrect, they were new when issued to the PSAs, but were not Police Packages, which assisted to their poor maintenance records. Hopefully they will all be replaced (half have been replaced already) in the near future.

LOL, alert tones? in progress calls? how long has it been since anyone listened to the radio between 9p and 4a? You think DAYshift has 10-8 in progess calls? What, a 54 hold up? 10-97 southside, 10-97 northside, 77, make the call...........my heart just skipped a beat, that was stressful and my god..... and it required a friggin FAR!!!!!!!!!! Where's my heart medication? "### on Alpha, I got one running from me , NB on ....." (simulataneously) Lakeland all units, Charlie is gonna be 10-33, Sig 56 just occurred, suspect, BM, last seen running....." meanwhile on Bravo Ch........"### copy a rollin 28, coming back sig 10.........., confirm that, have we got the air unit up? Can you advise on K-9?......Lakeland I'm 10-31 WB on New Tampa, speeds 90mph, conditions...... "## have units from south 10-80 to Charlie to assist......northside, request PCSO and FHP ref. the sig 10 WB toward plant city......." Come on people, fact of the matter is the PSAs would be EXTREMELY useful if assigned to the nightshift, if nothing more than as acting as SDO. That'd free up at least one officer to work those in progress calls. Well with the on going IA's, maybe not, but hey how bout we let the has-been's continue to abuse those hardworking PSAs and then complain when they get a new car. Guess that's a "perk" of day shift, you get to do next to nothing. Some of them wonder why I won't bid day's given my seniority. ( I still like to work with real COPS, kind of gives me a sense of accomplishment)

for a short period of time PSA's were working nightshift on the SDO. A certain deputy chief who cant walk to his car said it was too dangerous to have PSA's at the desk at night.
Once the glass was installed at the SDO the issue was never revisited.
It's ridiculous to have an officer at the desk, especially a pregnant officer. doesnt the pregnant officer still have duty to act. id like to see that law suit.
then in the infinite wisdom of the all mighties, they took the good PSA's and put them in CIS to work burglaries.
i challenge you to pull up the "to be approved " reports that Swick types everyday. whos really doing the work up there?
get the cops on the streets and the citizens at the desk. heck just close the front door like most departments do at night. you wont see a deputy workng a desk at the main SO or at a sub station.

stand stiff.....errrr strong