New Colonel

Major Lucas did not get the promotion because of his, well, MAJOR missteps of the last couple of years. He should put his tail between his legs, realize all the damage to employee morale and the image of detention he himself has damaged and move to Tennessee. He may have the rest of his church members snowed, but those who work for him are hardly sad to see him get passed over. It is refreshing to see judgement passed on him. as he has done to so many others- How does it feel to be the most qualified for the job and get passed up?? NOW, YOU know how it feels.

Previtera will bring fresh perspective..much needed at this time when morale is low, low, low...

Others like Stein, Herman, Hall, Flowers, etc should take note and realize that they can always bring somebody in from the outside when what we have "in house" ain't so great. So STOP treating your subordinates like crap..the job ain't rocket science and show some gratitude for the 99.9% of your employees who are hard-working and loyal.

Collecting $$ for a retiring Colonel to buy him a laptop and niceties for his new job when he makes $140K or better per year when the guy never even bought pizza at $5/pie for his people. Ludicrous!!!! Ass-kissers!! This is the stuff people hate about HCSO- recognition is for the top down not the upper echelon continously patting each other on the back..your people WHO ARE THE BACKBONE OF THIS AGENCY do great things every day- if you get some fresh air and stay out of each other's asses you just might notice!!

Good post overall. It is especially true that the real workers at HCSO get little if any recognition for their daily hard work. Everything that this office puts out now in regards to ones upward movement within the office has little to do with ones work product and history of working hard. It only seems to matter who you know and whether you can run fast at a obstacle course. The job involves soooooo much more then this and it would sure be nice to see somebody get promoted or transferred based upon their experience and work ethic rather then all this other meaningless garbage. Previtera will probably do a good job and has always seemed approachable and friendly, unlike somebody we all know close to the top. I imagine that some of the Majors who have given alot of years and sweat to the office feel cheated that a outsider came in and was quickly promoted above them. I have to agree that the training unit has gotten better under the current regime, but other areas, such as communication and open door policies have taken a drastic decline. This is the reason I believe morale is very poor in areas. A perfect example would be to try and get a accurate answer on how the fitness course is going to be handled. You talk about a lack of communication, holy geez, what a mess that whole thing has been. Anyways, goodluck to the new Major and hopefully things will get better for the blue collar workers at the jail. Be safe!

Good post overall. It is especially true that the real workers at HCSO get little if any recognition for their daily hard work. Everything that this office puts out now in regards to ones upward movement within the office has little to do with ones work product and history of working hard. It only seems to matter who you know and whether you can run fast at a obstacle course. The job involves soooooo much more then this and it would sure be nice to see somebody get promoted or transferred based upon their experience and work ethic rather then all this other meaningless garbage. Previtera will probably do a good job and has always seemed approachable and friendly, unlike somebody we all know close to the top. I imagine that some of the Majors who have given alot of years and sweat to the office feel cheated that a outsider came in and was quickly promoted above them. I have to agree that the training unit has gotten better under the current regime, but other areas, such as communication and open door policies have taken a drastic decline. This is the reason I believe morale is very poor in areas. A perfect example would be to try and get a accurate answer on how the fitness course is going to be handled. You talk about a lack of communication, holy geez, what a mess that whole thing has been. Anyways, goodluck to the new Major and hopefully things will get better for the blue collar workers at the jail. Be safe!

Excellent post brother. I personally know Previtera and will tell you that he is very fair. Also, he is man enough to form his own opinions of people. So what does that mean? It means that everyone in detention is probably going to get a fresh start. This is everyones opportunity to overcome the "bad reps" that have followed them around for years under the old regime. Show him that you are hard working and dependable and I assure you that he will take notice. Just my two cents...

PM

AAAAAAND, he's not an elitist.

And the rumor has it that there is no one within HCSO that can handle the job of training major and thus Sheriff Gee will bring in another ex-FBI agent.

[Carl Shawver]

And the rumor has it that there is no one within HCSO that can handle the job of training major and thus Sheriff Gee will bring in another ex-FBI agent.

Col Previtera is NOT and NEVER HAS BEEN an "FBI Agent"!!!

Whew! Glad to have that off my chest. It is a real irritation to me, having been a Secret Service Agent for twenty years, when I hear or see someone (who has just now heard or read that a person was a Secret Service Agent) refer to that person as an FBI Agent.

Not to disparage FBI agents, but there is a distinct difference in agencies and their agents.

The distinction may be appreciated by those who know the difference between Deputy Sheriffs and Police Officers. It's not necessarily that one is better than the other, just that they are different and derive their authority from different sources.

Here is a quick primer: The FBI is a part of the Department of Justice and is a very large organization. The Secret Service (formerly a part of the Department of the Treasury) is now a part of the Department of Homeland Security and is relatively small as federal law enforcement agencies go. (And we like to think - Elite.) :mrgreen:

I know Col. Previtera and hold him in high regard. I think that most folks will be pleased with his leadership. In any organization there will be those who will be unhappy with his decisions and/or his style; but that is always the case.

By the way: my service with HCSO extends back to the Sheriff Blackburn days. Chief Dixon (over the Jail at the time) had no corrections background. Certainly Jim Sasser (Head Jailer) didn't. Don't recall regarding Al Perotti (after Dixon) who replaced him - but I don't think so. Col Parrish didn't, but established an outstanding national reputation. People are often selected for positions at the top levels based on their transferrable management and supervisory skills, perhaps developed in other disciplines. Previteria has shown this kind of talent.

Sheriff - Good selection.
Jim - Best wishes; I know you will do well.

Carl, relax, sit down and take it easy. Never meant that Jim was one. But after Jim came an ex-FBI agent who was brought in as a department head. We now need another department head and David once again will be going to the FBI ranks.

Excellent post, Carl. I just heard that Colonels Previtera and Brown have already devised a plan to help with the jail refusal problem at ORJ. When a deputy brings in a person that needs to be medically cleared, rather than the deputy having to spend the remainder of his shift at the hospital, they are going to create a detention detail (for extra cash) that will take the prisioner to the hospital. This will be a win/win for both sides of the house. Patrol will get the much needed resources back on the road, and detention personnel will get to earn some easy money.

This is the type of forward thinking that will bridge the gap between detention and patrol. I am sure that we will see more common sense solutions to problems that have plagued us for years.

[Carl Shawver]

Carl, relax, sit down and take it easy. Never meant that Jim was one. But after Jim came an ex-FBI agent who was brought in as a department head. We now need another department head and David once again will be going to the FBI ranks.

I guess I was too subtle.

The tirade about being confused with the FBI was tongue in cheek. (That means it was a joke.)

Hummmm. Maybe the Sheriff will look around for another former USSS Agent. (Not me!!! I'm perfectly content flying with the Aviation Unit - and an occasional late evening with one of the STAR units.)

:wink:

Who in their right mind can feel sorry for Major Lucas? When you don't even take the time to watch a video before releasing it to the media and then cause embarrassment to everyone who works at the Sheriff's Office, it is hard to feel sorry for him. I personally feel bad he wasn't fired for his part. Oh yea, Colonel Parrish asked him not to resign. How noble. That occurred while he was working on his other job, not worrying about his Department or agency. In fact, the jail commission sure didn't slow down his travel. Why not, while under attack from all fronts don't stay in town and help defend your troops.
I know Major Previtera well enough that he wouldn't release a video or flee from controversy. He would stand and defend his troops if they acted properly

Carl,

You never worked for him...it's a different story brother.