non responsive COMMAND

I am a Retired LEO from another juisdiction that has family living in Highlands County. I have read comments about the way the Brass at HCSO will take any complaints on Officers. That is a crock. Members of my family attempted to file a complaint on action taken by so called Deputies of Sheriff Susan Benton, and were told that the complaint would be trashed before they got out of the building. This statement by a so-called Captain. It appears that this Department, or should I say some of the Department has gone rouge, and needs to pulled back into line with the legal norms of our County, State, and Nation. The next stop may be the PRESS. Or the Feds. It's up to my Family.

Let me guess - your family is another group of individuals coming in to complain about the manner in which they were spoken to, looked at, or maybe it was their complaint was not handled in the manner the TV show CSI portrays it to be. Brass you may have been, but I will take a shot and say, you lost your sense of where you came from, just like many of the brass of today. If your family's complaint was a valid one, I am sure the brass upstairs would have documented and handled the complaint, no matter how BIG or SMALL. So unless their complaint is a valid one, tell your family to stop their whinning or better yet the tissues are on isle 8.

Sounds like Shocked gets his pay checks signed by Susan Benton. I'm a 22 years of service retired Captain, and have earned a Masters degree in Business, and have always advised my family that the system will work if you let it. But, when a person of authority tells them, when they have a legitimate complaint, that he/she will not let the complaint move forward, then the system is being manipulated for what ever reason. HCSO is tax supported by the citizens of Highlands County and should be responsive to the needs and complaints of the citizens that pay the check Shocked is cashing every other week. You need to grow up, and think for yourself, and not be in lock step with the the Brass of a rouge Department.

Or maybe, just maybe they lose complaints like some evidence and property has come up missing. You think?

Well I've got an idea. Post the complaint and let us tell you whether it should have got thrown into the garbage. If you're here to tell us about the upper brass of the HCSO, don't waste your time. We know about our brass. After all, we get that paycheck signed every pay period.

No complaint, about any Police action should be trashed. They all deserve to taken with a degree of respect and at least checked into and a reply sent to the citizen that filed the complaint. They pay your salaries, and should be treated with the same respect you would show anyone that is paying you to work for them. I'm glad I live in another County that does respect the public when they either have a rightous complaint or a bogus one. Both should be taken and treated alike until one or the other is proven or disproven. Then the citizen should be contacted with the results. If the Officer is correct in his/her action then the citizen should be advised so, if not then action should be taken toward the Officer. This policy is simple and clear to both the public and the Police Officers. No exceptions, Brass or LEO alike.

What's the complaint about

There is nothing to your complaint or the officer is on one of the "chosen"

Im calling BS on this one. Mr. Brass sounds like another guy who wears (or wore) the uniform and thats about it.

Just another Cop sounds like the Officers that are the problem with alot of departments today. In it for the pay check, and judging before all the facts are know. You know nothing of this complaint or the years I wore the badge and worked. As with the Brass in HCSO they judge before investigating the complaint. I am not the one that this happened too, but as I have stated it happened to members of my family, ones I have told the system works if you let it. But, I forgot it happened in Highlands County, where the system has never worked as it does in the rest of the State. One day Highlands County, and it's elected Officals, this includes the Sheriff, will catch up with the rest of the State of Florida, and Country. And, yes it seems that the Deputy(s) involved were some of the chosen ones from what I have learned, or their Unit is, one day HCSO will become a PROFESSIONAL Law Enforcement Agency. Just not under this Sheriff.

What's a 'rouge' department? Something like a 'lipstick agency' or 'mascara office?' Or was this guy trying to say 'rogue?'

Again, I say BS. You havent mentioned the complaint or anything, just slinging mud sore of speak at the "chosen ones", as if you know who the chosen are. If they complaint wasnt taken seriously, then I would bet anything your family broke the law or were way out of bounds. The brass at HCSO will take a complaint all the way to the top if there is even a shred of truth to it. So again, I say BS until you can provide something more than "I am a legend in south Florida and my poor, poor, family got tossed by the crooked HCSO people"...

So what agency did you work for Retired Brass? I bet they didn't lose, misplace, or not document properly because they had a veteran captain like yourself in charge. Post your EX-agency's name, I will research their evidence inventories from the past, and I will report back to this forum with my findings.

Hmm, I wonder if they have 100 % accountability?

In reference to your complaint, this place (HCSO) brings IA's into play for what I consider no absolute reason, so for your family's complaint to go unanswered means you had absolutely NADA.

Please, if you don't have anything educational, nice, or informative, move somewhere else and stay off our forum. I'm sure you Ex-agency has one.

It wouldn't be a "non responsive COMMAND" because they did respond with NO and there was communication between two parties. Maybe you meant "Not the answer we wanted or hope for from COMMAND". Just a thought.

4Retired Brass:

I think your name tells us all what you were about.. First you were not a COP you were a civilian in a uniform. Your commit about the post which states," it sounds like cops who are the problem with agencies today." You know what the problem with agencies are today, Citizen who have no resect for Cops and only want us around when they need something. Your family probably has the same additude. Oh the family of a Capt well shut down the department and get anything done they want. I will bet you were a desk jocky and then butt kissed up the ladder stepping on all the good cops as you went up.. If you live in such a great county with such great police MOVE YOUR FAMILY. We wont mind. Remember Reitred Brass we will still come and protect your family while you live some where else. If you wont post even an idea of the complaint I bet it was BS. But when you were a Capt you would have stessed that officer out with an IA just because someone did not like the outcome of the call and how it was handled. But your right stress the officer over some BS just because the public is upset. Lord knows we dont have enough stress as it is. Oh and stop by we will gladly give your family their $1 back becasue we owe them nothing.

You call yourself Brass PLEASE continue this because you will never be a COP.

I also call B.S. on that one. For one he never mentions the nature on the compliant. Also he says it is something that happened to someone in his family. Meaning he was never freaking there in the first place. Yall how many times have you dealt with an idiot that says "you can't do this to me, I'm the son, daughter, whatever of an ex whatever". Then the moron proceeds to tell you how because of their lineage they know all about the law, so get out of their face. And then you write the person up and the next day the relative comes in enraged because little johnny was mistreated by an unfair justice system, and he or she told him all about it so it just must be true.
Retired Brass.. get a freakin life and good luck with your talk with the president you psycho. Speaking of Retired Brass, you ever ever stop and think about all of the psychos we have in our county ? I swear I have never seen so many freakin nut bags in one county. Just go to the mall or a restaurant. I see past sig 20's and future sig 20's just walking around acting all crazy and stuff. It's damn scary.
But anyways I digress. Retired Brass alot of people think they're the only ones that matter on this planet and unfortunately many in our profession lose sight of where we came from when we started. If you are legit, and if you were not there (as I suspect) than I seriously suggest you take whatever your family member tells you with a grain of salt. Everyones perception is screwed up when angry at a situation and hearing something from law enforcement that we don't want to hear. Just ask Chief Dettman. He'll tell you how much the deputies suk and violated his sons rights evertime that little law breaker gets arrested...... right ?

[DeputyDewey]

No complaint, about any Police action should be trashed. They all deserve to taken with a degree of respect and at least checked into and a reply sent to the citizen that filed the complaint. They pay your salaries, and should be treated with the same respect you would show anyone that is paying you to work for them. I'm glad I live in another County that does respect the public when they either have a rightous complaint or a bogus one. Both should be taken and treated alike until one or the other is proven or disproven. Then the citizen should be contacted with the results. If the Officer is correct in his/her action then the citizen should be advised so, if not then action should be taken toward the Officer. This policy is simple and clear to both the public and the Police Officers. No exceptions, Brass or LEO alike.

To Retired Brass:

Some would say your quote is true and even to the face of that law enforcement works for the citizens. But Cops do not need citizens. We can very well live our lifes just as happy as a cop as if we were doing somethign else. But the people NEED cops. You can't change the bare fact of is everyone needs the police. No one else is going to put up with the B.S. that the some citizens put the police through. And when the officer/deputy dosn't handle that complaint the way this non-trained citizen thinks it should be handled they complain. Maybe this person in the upper rankings of the S.O. seen this and point blank let that citizen know. The people of Highlands County may pay the deputies salary but they don't call the garbage man to come to their house when their car is broken into.....they call the police!