Promotion, is it worth it?

Let's see, you get promoted, you go to midnights, are in charge of at least 14 new deputies who can't make a decision, you get all those above you critisizing EVERY decision you make even though they put you there to make them.....hmmm......I would say nope it's not. Oh, and wait, if you aren't a "team player" you continually get passed over for other positions or shifts by those that are. YOU can define "team player."

Just being curious, I have heard this said in quite a few posts now. I would have thought with the current tough selection process that the caliber of new recruits would be the opposite of what you are saying. Is it that they are too young to handle the responsibility? Don't have enough general work experience to make decisions? Perhaps the recruitment process should include more "what would you do" scenarios.

Would like to know anyones take on why you think "new deputies can't make a decision".

Maybe can't isn't the right word, maybe it is afraid to because of the current climate and the fact that you can't make a mistake without getting "reemed" out by the "new mold" supervisors. Everyone is afraid to get in trouble for trying to do their job. We are cops, we are human, we make mistakes....at least at the lower level. No one above the rank of Sgt ever makes a mistake, hmm.

Yes the streets are too short handed, deps with barely a few years on are frustrated. It is a very sad thing to see. I donl't see anything changing any time soon. Sadly, it is going to get much worse before it gets better. Our Sheriff is a good man but he either doesn't care about the agency he grew up in, or he is really blind to what is going on.

I can't wait to leave. Unfortuneately that is being said by so many good people and with the economy the way it is we are stuck and they know it. There were 120 people in the retirement meeting last week. What would happen if all the people with 25 years on finally said I'm done and left in the next 60-90 days. We would cripple this agency.

I think if what you described were to happen the Chief would be very happy. All that is required is simply to redeploy a few SES squads until some rooks are cut loose from FTO to fill the zones. Our crime rate reduction all stems from ILP specialty efforts not patrol. That is a fact. Targeting and focus has brought us the results we desire the last 3 years...just research the most recent story in the Tribune and Times. The Sheriff and Chief can still lower the crime rate by attacking the 10% who commit the majority of the crime while providing just enough force to handle the calls for service.

It is far cheaper for companies and organizations to hire new workers than pay topped out old ones. Everything from benefits, retirement, and salaries calculates cheaper for newer employees with less time in grade. In other words looking at the bottom line the agency actually can stretch each dollar further. I think you have all missed the biggest point of all. It is desired that all those with 25 plus years on in service take a X8 and retire. That is the message being sent by those on high if you look at all the recent dynamics in the agency. They have already crunched the numbers and planned for mass exodus (I guarantee it). The Chief is very smart in this regard. Trust me if you have thought of it so has he. I say call him on it and all of you retire, because it will certainly be interesting for those of us who still have a ways to go before we can call it a day. After all you have earned it, go enjoy it so you don't die within five years of retirement.

One last thing, it is easier to train a new puppy than an old grumpy dog. I will let you figure out what the metaphor means.

There is no doubt that SES and STAR make an impact on the ILP offenders, they are not answering call to call to call all day and all night like the patrol squads. Patrol is very understaffed and if the Chief has planned for a mass exit then where are those people going to come from? We don't hire pre-certs any more. The Sheriff has not filled already vacant positions to cut the budget so if you lost over 100 people in a short time it would take along time to fill the void.

There are alot of grumpy old dogs and alot of grumpy new pups too, but if you don't have the experienced people to teach the new pups then that creates a whole lot of other issues.. why are people grumpy? they can't get transferred, can't get off of midnights, have bad supervisors, tired of working 12 hours call to call with no 10/40, no raises in sight with everything else going up. Who knows. I am an old dog, for the most part, I enjoy my job. I just don't like what is happening to the agency. Things aren't fair, Life isn't fair. This has been my family for alot of years and it is very sad to see what has happened. In over 25 years I have never seen moral at this low level. Don't bother with "stand up and have a voice", I have also been around long enough to know that there is no point in that. They only listen to what they want and they don't want to hear that anything is wrong. You just get labled and then your life is made miserable

I think if what you described were to happen the Chief would be very happy. All that is required is simply to redeploy a few SES squads until some rooks are cut loose from FTO to fill the zones. Our crime rate reduction all stems from ILP specialty efforts not patrol. That is a fact. Targeting and focus has brought us the results we desire the last 3 years...just research the most recent story in the Tribune and Times. The Sheriff and Chief can still lower the crime rate by attacking the 10% who commit the majority of the crime while providing just enough force to handle the calls for service.

It is far cheaper for companies and organizations to hire new workers than pay topped out old ones. Everything from benefits, retirement, and salaries calculates cheaper for newer employees with less time in grade. In other words looking at the bottom line the agency actually can stretch each dollar further. I think you have all missed the biggest point of all. It is desired that all those with 25 plus years on in service take a X8 and retire. That is the message being sent by those on high if you look at all the recent dynamics in the agency. They have already crunched the numbers and planned for mass exodus (I guarantee it). The Chief is very smart in this regard. Trust me if you have thought of it so has he. I say call him on it and all of you retire, because it will certainly be interesting for those of us who still have a ways to go before we can call it a day. After all you have earned it, go enjoy it so you don't die within five years of retirement.

One last thing, it is easier to train a new puppy than an old grumpy dog. I will let you figure out what the metaphor means.

Wow is all I can say. Maybe you are the Chief? So many great Deputies have given so much valuable service to HCSO and at a time in their careers when the Chief and Sheriff should reward these folks, the exact opposite is happening. Myself, along with hundreds of others are disgusted about what is being allowed to happen to "OUR" Sheriff's Office. It's no longer a family atmosphere and a Brotherhood and we all have become nothing but a bunch of numbers on somebody's bulletin/chalkboard. The office has used new UCR reporting procedures to give the public the image that crime has somehow been reduced! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha............just ask any zone Deputy and they will tell you that they are answering more calls then ever and have zero time to do anything about trying to reduce the crime. New policies have handcuffed the Deputies instead of the criminals and the new rookies being cut loose no how to operate a computer and push the enroute & arrive buttons, but are clueless about how to do real police work or what to look for on the street. It's all about fudging the UCR numbers right now and pulling the wool over the eyes of the taxpaying citizens and politicians of Hillsborough County. All the old school Deputies are either retired, desperately trying to retire or just gotten totally burned out with trying to be real cops anymore at a agency that no longer cares about them. In several more years, if even that long, the HCSO will be nothing but a bunch of young button pushing robots driving from call to call and the most common work related injury will be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and computer induced seizures! Oh what fun the criminals will be having then.... :shock:

[The Nitely Blog]

I wish to change my vote. After seeing the pending transfer memos / emails maybe promotion IS worth it. No longer does being promoted mean your back on mids patrol with a rookie squad. There seems to be an unlimited number of positions ya can slide into. :snicker: :snicker:

You are correct. If you do a good job you will be rewarded for it. Keep up the good work.

[The Nitely Blog]

You are correct. If you do a good job you will be rewarded for it. Keep up the good work.

Lordy I'm glad I have a few brews in me or else I might actually think this dude was serious.

Well nitely blog, I certainly hope you are one of the boys and you "fit the mold" becasue otherwise you will go to midnights and you will get stuck there even when you have seniority for days becasue they will give the day position to one of the chosen ones.

[The Nitely Blog]

Well nitely blog, I certainly hope you are one of the boys and you "fit the mold" becasue otherwise you will go to midnights and you will get stuck there even when you have seniority for days becasue they will give the day position to one of the chosen ones.

Naw brother I'm not one of the good ole boys and I sure as hell don't fit any mold. I'm destined to work patrol forever and ever or at least til the day I type up that wonderful and glorious resignation/retirement letter. They can have the promotion thing I don't want it. Nor could I probally ever get it. :wink: Don't need the heartache and headache that goes with being a supervisor around this place. I'm not young enough and in shape enough to get promoted. Add in the fact that I have knack for speakin' my mind I am out of luck for promotion.

I actually like working patrol because after you've been here as long as I have the supervisors that are out there on the street know you know your job and leave ya alone for the most part. Other than the occasional digital I hardly ever interact with my cpl or sgt. I do my job and they leave me alone. At the end of the day I have no outstanding case load and I learned along time ago to leave the job in the patrol car when I park it each night. Other than coming on this site for some occasional venting and stress relief I leave the office at the office. I don't talk shop on my days off other than on this site and very rarely hang out with other cops on my days off. The couple I did hang out with have retired and moved away and I'm too old to hang with these new young bucks coming on board nowadays.

Are we short handed on the street? Of course we are. I shake my head at some of the things I see going on around the office but after all these years no one in charge has ever came up to me and asked me how would I do it. So I simply get x8 and go answer my calls, write my reports and listen to some country tunes on the radio while on the way to the next call. With the size of some of the zones and mine in particular, I hardly ever see another deputy during the shift and usually only see another uniform when I stop by the office during the day. I don't think I have to worry about the powers to be putting me on nights so that a young pup with the right connections can have a dayshift spot. The young pup with the connection wont be working a zone very long before they move on to a specialty squad or get promoted.