Usfsp

[Unregistered]

Hello, I am a student working with a group composing an article for the Oracle student newspaper regarding the tension between the campus security guards on both USF Tampa and USF St. Petersburg campuses.

I am currently coordinating with the Crow's Nest at USFSP as well as the Oracle here on Tampa campus. Many of us would like to speak to some of you, the security guards themselves, and give you an opportunity to give further details about your views of the student body and our staff members.

We have archived a copy of this forum post and will be citing it in our article. We will also be providing a link to the copy so our readers can form their own opinions of what narrative has transpired between the security departments. Similar articles will be published in both papers simultaneously. We expect these articles to be completed and published within the next 3 weeks.

Please reach out to us with any opinions or comments you would like to share before the articles go public.

Our news line is 813-974-1888 for the Oracle here on Tampa Campus. The Crow's Nest can be reached at 727-873-4113. Just let us know you're inquiring about the unpublished LEO Affairs Forum article and you will be directed to someone on our team that is taking your comments.

This post will not be replied to, please contact us directly by phone or at our office.

-The annoying millennial students and socialist staff

Fake news!

[Unregistered]

Security is a contracted company. Get your facts right

[Unregistered]

USFSP PD to USF Tampa PD. I want to set the record straight. We envy you. We truly do. You do real police work while we feel like babysitters. Our campus is small, our resources are extremely limited. We have one command staff to every two officers. If you’ve ever seen Office Space, you understand how frustrating it can be. We are not as big as you nor as experienced as you. Our call volume is negligible to yours. We have one PCO on duty to your two. We’re not even allowed to enter stolen items, we have to call you. I know this creates a lot of jealousy on our part and makes some of the officers uncomfortable with the inevitable merge. We look up to you, we know we’re not all that and a bag of chips. While most of us accept that fact that we’re in charge of locking up bathrooms, there may be a few of us that despise you because we’re jealous. Very jealous. No, we’re not the best thing since sliced bread, but we try. We try very hard to make sure our campus, which is about the size of one of your parking lots, is safe.
I personally apologize if you feel like we’ve given you a bad name. It’s not our intention, we’re just under-experienced and under-trained due to such low call volume. You’re all wonderful and we greatly respect you and everything you do to ensure the safety of your staff and students, regardless of their beliefs on your large campus. Our officers here are under great stress because while we receive greater pay than we should and even better benefits from the University, we don’t feel safe in our jobs. Something you wouldn’t even take a report on becomes an astronomical feat for us. We have a Chief that is “Trying to change the culture.” The problem is, we don’t know what the culture is now, much less, the culture he desires because he refuses to communicate with sergeants and below. We’re all scared. Will this next case end my career? Should I engage this transient? It could create a report that gets me on probation or fired. Maybe I should just ignore it and move along. Worse, our Captain has been discharged for physically attacking his employees. We’re all worried if we say the wrong thing or react inappropriately we could be attacked, or worse, fired.
USF provides for our families through compensation, but the door is the ultimatum. We routinely break basic human constitutional rights under orders of the Chief. “Run the vagrants off before the event starts.” Well the event starts at 0700 and they’re allowed there until 0600, but one man can’t empty a campus in an hour, much less tell people who know their rights to leave public benches.
Our biggest problem is our Chief is a snake in the grass. He’s you’re best friend until he’s on the line. Then you’re a wet noodle causing problems. None of us trust him. He’s constantly starting projects and not finishing them, as if he were building a resume. He has an officer who is his secretary, in exchange she doesn’t have to take any calls. She has an office and never backs anyone up. Yet, she gets hazard pay/pension and can “work from home.”
Our campus department is in horrible shape. Everyone is applying other places or prepared to leave. This imaginary “culture change” our ‘Chief’ has in mind will destroy the department. We get it, we’re small, we don’t do much, and we’re lucky to have a job. However, when there’s a viper in the grass hiring LT’s on a yearly contract to bypass promoting officers to Sgt’s, officers tend to lose faith and give up. Feeling important, heard, and understood is more important than the benefits the campus offers.

[Unregistered]

I'm going to disagree with you on a few points. First off, I think the envy is isolated to resources, staffing, and perks. Yes, we don't get the call volume, and yes, we have to do bum sweeps on a daily basis to keep the place from turning into Williams Park, full of spice heads. But there's plenty to do, if you decide for yourself to take the initiative. I've done plenty, and it's caused me to run afoul of the Chief, Capt, and LT on a few occasions. But never once did I get the impression they were unpleased with my work or efforts, and I've never felt that my job was in danger. On the contrary, he's pretty quick to recognize and commend his guys when they do something above and beyond, like our recent suicide attempt. Somehow, everyone has decided that the bosses want no activity, which I think is a cop-out excuse for just being passive. Like I said, I do plenty, without any issue, other than some critiques or additional steps they'd like done on an investigation. In the moment, it's stressful as hell. But once you get past that, it becomes clear that they're doing what they can to help you succeed. If you feel like you're lacking experience, go out and start finding stuff. We're between downtown and Southside. It won't be hard.

None of them are gunning for you. They're all veterans of big agencies, and they're used to a certain environment, which they want to integrate into our operation. We're light years ahead of where we were under Chenevert, and are being treated like a legitimate agency now, because of their work, and the relationships they've built in the county. And keep in mind, the only person they've fired, was for gross misconduct.

As for the accreditation position, it was opened to everyone, and no one really wanted it. She took it as a light duty, which she needed at the time, and has turned out to be really good at it, so they've kept her in there. She doesn't work a squad, but has backed me up plenty of times, and has caught calls for me while I was knee-deep in a case. And as far as having a top-heavy command structure, it does seem like overkill. But when you look at it, Capt and LT are picking up plenty of the load in terms of administrative tasks, and assisting with larger scale cases that would typically require CID.

This isn't meant as an attack, but a disagreement. I like our command staff. I've *****ed about their methods in the heat of the moment, while blowing off steam, like everybody else. But I remember having an empty uniform in that office, who liked to turn the lights off, shut the door, and take a nap. We're doing more police work now, than we ever did under Benny. And yeah, there's a lack of experience, or atrophy of prior experience, because we're not working big calls as often as other departments. But I think the department was pretty up front about the size and activity level in the interview process. We chose this agency, and working here is what we make of it. Also, if you think you're grossly overpaid, I'm sure HR would be happy to discuss cutting your salary back to a number that you feel is commiserate with your job. Just make sure you leave everyone else out of that negotiation.

And all this bad blood nonsense between Tampa and St Pete, is just that. Nonsense. St Pete doesn't hate Tampa. And, minus a few folks on this site, I don't think Tampa hates us either. We don't even think about each other, except around contract time. And you're pining for what Tampa has and does, go apply. It might be exactly what you're looking for. This is a small-town environment here, with the addition of dealing with some of what comes with being located in south St Pete.

Again, not meant as an attack. I see the same things you do, just differently.

[Unregistered]

It is nonsense, there is no bad blood.

[Unregistered]

You wanna rumble, you got a rumble; after school at the SEC!

[Unregistered]

Switchblades out, *****es!

[Unregistered]

Maybe your perception is deluded from a brain freeze from alll the smoothies

[Unregistered]

Sponsored by the bring back Benny foundation

[Unregistered]

Don't knock the smoothie, bub.