Next Sheriff

[Unregistered]

I thought I got out of the Jail, but it followed me.

[Unregistered]

I thought I got out of the Jail, but it followed me.

I know what you mean. The jail is one of the most toxic environments I have ever worked in. What's even worse it's not because of the inmates. The culture there is horrible. Officers are micromanaged, given inconsistent messages, and disciplined without proper investigations. Those that show even the least amount of resistance to the BS are targeted and run off. Others leave just to escape it. The jail is consistently short staffed because of this. The Major is just one of the Chief's do-boys who lacks any mind of his own. Basically he just doesn't know any better. One jail Captain is an overly ambitious narcissist. She's the Chief's little attack dog. They have numerous little supervisors they are bringing up in their image.
You may say, "Whatever, I'm on the road and this doesn't affect me." You'd be wrong. This culture they have created in the jail costs the agency hundreds of thousands of dollars if not more in overtime, turnover, hiring, and training of new employees. You then factor in poor performance due to low job satisfaction. These types of working environments have also been connected with increased use of sick time and actual illness. Considering these additional factors the true costs go into the millions. That's money that could have gone to equipment, training, and pay raises.
Our current Sheriff lacks any emotions of his own and doesn't understand this.

[Unregistered]

Who would like to see the Sheriff's Office perform a job satisfaction survey and or a evaluation where you get to evaluate your supervisor, anonymously of course?

[Unregistered]

Yes, the culture in the jail has spread out to the road. I've read about corruption in several threads here. Some were from Charlotte county's resident nut Charlotte County Cop Watch. While this guy is completely off base I have seen post from somebody that apparently works here. There has been a lot of talk about our current Colonel being corrupt because he supposedly promised nice contracts to jail vendors in return for their support of Prummell's campaign. Is has been postulated that this was how TR bought his way into the number 2 spot. This may very well be true, but try to prove it. All of this is really just a distraction, it's politics. There is very little that can be done about it. The real issue and the real problem with the CCSO has nothing to do with corruption. The real issue that faces the members of the CCSO today is the culture that was created in the jail and thanks to TR has migrated out to the road.

What exist over at the jail and is coming to the road is a punitive culture. With this culture supervisors are not coaches, or mentors guiding a members growth to ensure success of the mission. They are instead bullies that intimidate and play gotcha games with the members they are supervising. They have lost sight of the mission and purpose of a supervisor. Some may argue that they have never made the mental transition from supervising inmates to supervising officers. If this were true the command staff would have corrected it. Instead the command staff at the jail encourages and supports it. The current jail Major defends this culture by claiming that the CCSO is a paramilitary organization. This is not only in opposition to the mission of law enforcement, the culture at the jail is not anything like the military. If a culture like that existed in the military it would spell disaster for all involved. Should not be surprising that it's coming from a man that has never served in the military.

Another issue with this admin is it's my way or the highway approach. This has caused many deputies in both detention and road patrol to choose the highway. This has left every squad short. Admin claims that the level of turnover is normal, every agency is having the same problem. This is an exaggeration. Looking at the data from these other agencies shows that their turnover is lower and mostly due to retirements. Another factor is the improving economy has individuals that entered law enforcement because it was stable are now leaving. for better working conditions and better pay. Another argument for the low staffing is the lack of qualified applicants. When you look around at other agencies they are hiring like crazy. You have to ask are their requirements different? The answer to that is no. They are getting more applicants because experienced professionals know the CCSO is a poor place to work. Most who have spent their entire careers here do not realize this. The admin attempts to hide its terrible culture by covering it up with accreditation and awards. A real leader doesn't need to constantly taunt his academic achievements in every email and speech. People know a real leader when the see him or her. You know them by the look on faces of the ones they lead. You do not see that at the CCSO. What you see is back stabbing and political favors being returned. You see members at the jail afraid to talk or even act. Forgive me if this may come off a bit strong, but this is what you see with a tyrant, or dictatorship.

Whoever the next Sheriff is he, or she needs to look around and clean up this agency. This culture needs to be replaced and the agency brought into the 21st century.

[Unregistered]

I've known the man both personally and professionally for more than ten years, class act. He is highly regarded by his troops and supervisors at his present agency. Given his professional, political and personal ethics I would assume he would clean house. He still has friends in the rank and file and is probably well aware of the issues.

[Unregistered]

I'd be willing to give Shane a shot, but I would like to know what his plan for cleaning up the agency is first. He has a tall job ahead of his if changing the culture of the Sheriff's office is one his goals. Mind you it should be the goal of anyone opposing the current status quo.

[IKNOWCHARLOTTE]

I know Shane personally and last time I spoke with him, he was happy at FDLE and not looking to run for Sheriff. I tell you if he did, he would be a formidable candidate and have appeal of both Republicans and Democrats. Shane beats Prummell easily.

As far as who is in and announced now, the only official candidates are Ritchardt and Pope. Most expect Prummell to run for a second term. Angelini will announce in early 2016 and he will have a huge bump in support. Expect many of the Punta Gorda crowd to support him immediately over Prummell.

[Unregistered]

That's a shame, about Shane not running. This agency needs LEADERSHIP. The administration we have now is sorely lacking in that department. Sadly few within the agency would even recognize a true leader if one appeared. For to long we've been subjected to petty would be dictators only interested in pushing their own agendas for personal advancement. The culture that now exist here at the CCSO has invaded every facet of the agency. Members believe it is natural to "buy" your way to the top. This can be done with actual dollars, or more often by becoming lapdog/attack dog. The rite of passage, proof of loyalty seems to be selling out a fellow member. A supervisors success seems to be directly linked to their willingness to ruin the careers of other members. This is not how it should be. I hope our next Sheriff understands this and will make it his first mission to replace this self destructive culture.

[Unregistered]

I know who his undersheriff would be

[Unregistered]

So civilian directors who already make $$$ were given take home brand new Ford Edges. They must have been told to back the cars in their designated spaces so we wouldn't see the county star tags. Oh they pay 100 bucks a month for the usage.