Is the road that bad lately?

Granted I've been tucked away in an office for several years, but I keep hearing from the Road Dogs that it's not what it used to be. What do you mean by that? What happened? And how the hell can we fix it?

We don't employ the caliber of deputy that we once did. The days of the stand alone deputy that handled his own issues are gone. Now are the days of the four deputies showing for a BS disturbance call. Then three stand around while one chats with people for no apparent purpose. Heaven forbid that a real hot call goes out. Then you get an entire squad talking over each other on the radio while one deputy, who is 10-97, tries to get out relevant info but cant. We have deputies who have never been punched in the face, and have never done the same. We have deputies who are issued more equipment than most small agency SWAT teams. But for some strange reason there are rumors of morale issues on the road, even though we are now better paid, better trained, and better equipped than we have ever been in the history of this agency. I say the current road deputies of the rookie range have no clue what it is to respond to a real bar fight alone and have to hold your own. They have no clue what it is to be in danger, real danger, since they have umpteen back ups for a verbal domestic. No, we dont have a morale issue, we have spoiled deputy wannabes who have no clue what hard work is. They want everything handed to them and credit for every move they make, including showing up to work on time.

I only wish I was as tough as you.....I wish I could go into a bar fight ALONE and stomp all those drunk a-holes like you do.

Whats funny from my point of view is a lot of the big bad tough veterans (not all) think they don't have to respond to calls anymore because they "put their time in". Thats BS!!! If you are out there on the road then you still need to work.

Why go to any call alone; domestic, disturbance, DO conduct if you don't have to? If people are X8 then there should be a back-up for you.

You don't know where anyone came from or what experiences they have had as LEO's. Maybe you did get punched in the face...I'm sure you were using the utmost officer safety skills when that happened too. Maybe if you weren't such a tough guy and had back-up it would not have happened. But don't fear i'm sure you stomped him and that bad guy learned his lesson from you.

We don't employ the caliber of deputy that we once did.
You got that right! Today's Deputy's are certainly better trained, educated and more prepared than the Deputy of yesterday, who at one point were just given a badge, gun and told to do the job.

Now are the days of the four deputies showing for a BS disturbance call.
Again, I'm glad it's a BS domestic call and that a Deputy didn't get ambushed like you see in so many places around the US. But if it wasn't, at least help...both for police and medical attention would be available.

As for the radio issues., well, a lot of the old timers haven't quite figured out when and how to use the laptops. Guess it's a generational gap? LOL.

We have deputies who have never been punched in the face, and have never done the same.

Last I checked we are law enforcement officers and not boxers. If a Deputy manages to make it through 25 years without getting his faced punched or punching someone else, sounds to me like he/she did a good job! (P.S. This isn't the wild west).

We have deputies who are issued more equipment than most small agency SWAT teams.

Again, how many school/mall shootings were there when you were younger? Oh that's right, everybody back then settled their differences with punches as you so kindly pointed out. Here's a newsflash for ya, they use GUNS now. Be glad we can fight back (even now we are often out gunned).


As for morale and being able to hold their own, there are quite a few "rookies" that I would much rather have as back up. At least they will be able to "stand their own" as you say, without having a heart attack or a stroke just getting out of the car and getting to me in time. Morale sucks because the Sheriff just showed that even though he had the money set aside and budgeted for our raise last October, unless he got everything he wanted, he wasn't going to give it to us and didn't. Just where is that money right now I ask? How about those great hours we work too? Get with the program, we are one of the few supposed "premier" law enforcement agencies in the country that work eight fives. Take into account your court time (unless you are a slug) and that doesn't leave a whole lot of family/personal time. How about the fact that before the bid Central Days were told to not expect to take vacation time because of the staff shortage? Nah, that doesn't affect morale.

P.S. Where's the soup kitchen?

Typical of the know it alls of this board. I never said to work a 34 alone. One back up, not four! It's absurd. There was a time when deputies had no back up, not by choice, just by happen stance. And let me see you talk your way out of a sucker punch "Hungry Vet". We live in more civil times than 30 years ago, but bad things still happen. As for morale, you guys are whiney cry babies who have had everything handed to you. This place is a country club and youre the spoiled brat children of the members. Cowards.