Captain Williams

That is an interesting observation lpdguest. I know the S.O. has their problems as well as anyother agency. Bartow also HAD zone units as did every other agency as you mentioned. I capitalized HAD b/c Williams said that was needed any longer. BPD doesn't need to patrol, they just need to respond to where they are called according to Williams. Williams was SUPPOSE to be there to provide morale and leadership, but the only thing he is leading is the line to sign up for the S.O.

Has your new director had any positive comments about your department? Did read that one of your captains resigned. Is that the master plan to force out all your senior administration?

I knew several of them in the past. Was it truly their fault that the city would not provide the needed personnel to keep up with annexation. Bartow for years, even for a small agency, had all the toys you needed to do the job. Someone at your agency had to get that for you. Your city has had money issues for a long time.

I guess when and if the Sheriff takes over, money will not be a issue. Bartow will also have all the personnel to do the job.

Good Luck!

Williams has gone from saying he wants to help us succeed to blatantly recruiting and tearing the department apart from within. His latest strategy is using extortion by saying either we approach the Sheriff and City and ask for the merger to have SOME power or await the "floodgates" to open when Sheriff Judd allows BPD Officers to be hired in March. Has even gone so far as to say its a done deal its going to happen anyway.

Does the City manager and City Commission know of this meeting. Do they really know how he has turned into a recruiter from within. We just want to work and make our department strong again. Leave us alone Williams and Judd. To the Commission and City Manager, we are willing to stick it out and help you help us. Dont abandon your own police department.

To the members of the Bartow PD, I told you guys this would happen several posts ago. Grady and his boy Larry want to create a Dept of Public Safety county wide with Grady as the Pope. Good luck to the members of the BPD. Keep on fightng for your jobs.

Dear Hostiletakerover. Yes the city manger and commision are aware the Sheriff has met with their employees and surprise surprise they support it. It has been relayed that the manager and commis. want the merger but don't want to be the responsible party. They no longer wish to support the Police but want it to look like the employees came up with the idea. So, to those of you patiently waiting,,,,,,the wait is over...the merger is coming.

i sure am gonna miss this place.

Williams has done nothing for this department but tear it down. In our first meeting he made the comment that he was here to bring the department back where it needed to be or he could be here to blow smoke up our a$$e$...well it appears that is all he has done is blow smoke.

Williams has done nothing for this department but tear it down. In our first meeting he made the comment that he was here to bring the department back where it needed to be or he could be here to blow smoke up our a$$e$...well it appears that is all he has done is blow smoke.

You are correct that Captain Williams has not made a lot of changes since he's been here, but what he has offered has made a difference to a lot of us. Captain Williams is only with us temporarily. It would make no sense to any of us for him to restructure everything, then make more changes when the new chief comes.

Captain Williams has opened his door and listened to the problems we have taken to him. He has made minor changes as appropriate, for example, communications is not supposed to ask for a cross street to better expedite our response times. The forms have been condensed so we don't have quite as much paper, and we are no longer required to write 22D reports on every 22D we respond to. These are small steps, but they have had a positive impact on the officers. The fact that he listens to our concerns has probably had the greatest impact on most of the officers.

Yes, Captain Williams did try to recruit us to go to the Sheriff's Office. I don't fault him at all for giving us an option. It happens that we have collectively decided not to go that route, and the majority of us wish to keep our department. I have not heard him push the Sheriff's Office at all since.

I think that Captain Williams has done much more than "blow smoke", and as far as him "tearing down our department", we have managed to do that on our own. We have all, myself included, argued with one another about what is in the best interest of this department, and we've watched some very self-serving people try to sway our opinions. We have had meetings exclusive of certain members of the department, and have not worked together as a collective unit. We are destroying ourselves. He doesn't have to tear us down.

We haven't given Cpt. Williams much of a chance to make changes, and I'm certain this has not been an easy task for him. I give him credit for his professionalism, and his genuine concern for each of us. He has made the effort to be a part of our agency by coming to the DUI checkpoint. When is the last time our former administration came out? He recently went to the academy graduation, not as a guest speaker, but in support of one of our own graduating. None of our other administrators bothered to show up. Captain Williams doesn't work 9-5 like our previous admin. He's been there a lot for us.

The point is, I think it's time we start working together again, and that means offering our support to the Captain. He hasn't made any earth shattering changes, but I know my morale has improved, and I've seen positive changes in the attitudes of my fellow officers throughout the department.

To the above post, did you ever think that Grady told his boy Larry to do these things? Ever hear of conquering from within? Be Very carefull BPD. It's only a matter of time