My days as a real cop draw to an end...

[Docwagon 856]

I've gotten the unofficial word I'm making LT day after tomorrow and will be going back to Investigations.  I'll be taking over the Domestic Violence unit, an office of 15 detectives and 2 sergeants.  I'll be a M-F day shift office drone driving a desk with my ass all day.  My wife says it'll be fun.  It won't be fun.  But, it's the first time in...18 years or so I've had a M-F job.  I don't know how long I'll have this office, as I'm likely to be offered the next opening in Homicide.  I still won't be a real cop again, but I'll at least see them on occasion. 😄 

 

I'm glad to be promoted but it's bittersweet.  Being a field sergeant has been the best job I've ever had.  I'll miss it.  I won't miss wearing the armor or gun belt. 

[GazzaGarratt 10,867]

Seriously awesome to hear, Doc. Amazing to hear your stories and how you've got through these years. Whilst you clearly will miss those 'real cop' days, I hope that the M-F week and slightly different intensity of life will give you some additional time with the family which is what its all about.

 

And just because you've got a promotion doesn't mean you can stop sharing your random stories from time to time 😎 Proud of you buddy, i'm sure all of FG is too ❤️

[The3rdWalker 1,263]

Congratulations on your promotion!

[Docwagon 856]

On 7/5/2021 at 2:22 PM, GazzaGarratt said:

Seriously awesome to hear, Doc. Amazing to hear your stories and how you've got through these years. Whilst you clearly will miss those 'real cop' days, I hope that the M-F week and slightly different intensity of life will give you some additional time with the family which is what its all about.

 

And just because you've got a promotion doesn't mean you can stop sharing your random stories from time to time 😎 Proud of you buddy, i'm sure all of FG is too ❤️

 

Ha, thanks.  Random stories now will either be from the past or standard office drone stories, most likely.  At least until/if I switch back to Homicide/Robbery.

 

The official email went out department wide about 6pm today and I got a lot of calls, texts, and MDT messages.  I said goodbye to half the shift (half are going on days off and I'll be gone before they return).  I'm on standby to report to my new assignment, so I had the option of burning time off or working district as...an appendix, really.  Useless and can be removed at any time. 😄  I'm saving my time off and being an appendix.

 

What's been really nice is how many people have expressed an interest in working under me.  A lot of my junior officers were ready to switch districts to follow me, something I also did once to follow a sergeant, so that was kind of heartwarming.  One in particular I'll take in a heartbeat if I can get her.  She started out at DCS as a civilian child death investigator, she'll be a great sworn detective.

While I'm excited for this new chapter, it's really hard to take off the chevrons.  I'm going to miss being "Sarge".

[Docwagon 856]

I've been at the helm of the office for a week and a half now.  Nobody has died.  Nothing has been set aflame.  Mission success.

 

I have my own office, both literally and figuratively.  I've got a literal corner office with an outside window.  I've never had an office before, just a desk.  I'm having photos I've taken in various outdoorsy places printed on canvas to decorate the office with.  Figuratively, as while I (obviously) have people above me they aren't physically there.  My captain has five other LTs who report to him, and he's about 3 miles away from me.  His boss is downtown and about 2 miles the other way.  His boss is the Chief of Police, and that's the top of the chain of command.  So, I'm the highest ranking officer at my facility.  This gives me options for office rules, as a cardinal rule of bureaucracy is the fewer people who know about any given issue, the more options you have.

 

 

[Plumbers Crack 4,033]

On 7/22/2021 at 2:17 AM, Docwagon said:

a cardinal rule of bureaucracy is the fewer people who know about any given issue, the more options you have.

 

 

So true, as long as you have a conscience to go with it, which I know you have Doc

[lepercolony 275]

Rather have you on the streets -- felt safer even though I live in a different state.  

 

Good to see you're doing well, Doc.  Congratulations on the next chapter, always nice to see good people get recognized.

[BO7H B4RRELS 2,447]

13 hours ago, lepercolony said:

Rather have you on the streets -- felt safer even though I live in a different state.  

 

Good to see you're doing well, Doc.  Congratulations on the next chapter, always nice to see good people get recognized.

 

Well, well, well... look at you using capital letters!  

 

[phil bottle 9,561]

I watched live during the testimonies by the police yesterday regarding the events of 6th in Washington.

I got quite emotional listening to their stories. Brave brave people is all I can say. 

 

Myself and a lot of my anarcho friends are no fans of the institution but we see the human beings underneath and you have to give respect where it's due. I hope the people they were protecting do the same.

[Docwagon 856]

On 7/23/2021 at 9:43 AM, Plumbers Crack said:

So true, as long as you have a conscience to go with it, which I know you have Doc

 

I'll go to the wall for a guy who's a little right, but if you're wrong you're wrong and if you lie to me you can go get fucked.  I've got no problem recommending someone for termination and have.  What I don't like is how much ass covering there is when guys screw up but without bad intent or when people make paperwork just to make paperwork.  A guy accidentally discharges a Taser cartridge during maintenance checks.  A certain captain would want a police report and an internal report.  I told him to mark out on investigation at roll call, write that CAD number as the incident the discharge took place, and go get a replacement at the property room.  Don't volunteer any info.  If they give you shit, have them call me.  They didn't ask because they don't care, as long as they have a number to write down they are happy.  It's an honest mistake and one a sergeant can address, there's zero reason to get the LT or above involved.

 

 

Now I'm the LT and I'm already telling the SGTs to solve problems at the lowest level possible.  One of my detectives is now finding out why.  He asked if he could work from home Friday, the sergeant said not without my permission.  This detective emails me and says he is completely caught up on his cases and he has all his gear in his car if he gets called out, so it would be a "waste" to drive in to the office to "twiddle his thumbs".  Now, I've already told the guys they aren't chained to the desk but I expect them to work their cases appropriately.  Suspects and victims aren't in our building, and you can't play detective by telephone all day, so I don't need to see you, I need you to be working.  I told him he was free to work from home that day, as I have no rule about when someone must be in the office as long as they are taking care of their work.  I also told the SGTs to make him a priority in booking (booking is how reports street officers take become cases and get assigned to individual detectives) as I would hate for him to be twiddling his thumbs for very long.  Basically he told me he doesn't have enough work to do, and I'm fixing that.  Who in their right mind goes to their boss' boss and says "I don't have enough work"?

 

I've also revamped the office's method of bidding for time off, which was grossly unfair and very unpopular with the detectives.  It was logistically simpler, but resulted in the same hand full of people getting every major holiday off.  We'll be doing it like street officers do it (and like we did in Homicide/Robbery) next year, where seniority matters and the most senior guy will get his first request for sure, but everyone's first choice goes in the book before anyone's second choice does so they "good" holidays get spread out more.  The senior guy can still get Christmas or Thanksgiving or July 4th, but probably can't get all 3

 

I've reinstituted office pitch-in lunches starting this Wednesday, which had fallen victim to COVID.  Modernized a few things, now it's pretty much like being a fireman.  If everything is working right, I don't have much work to do.  If things go sideways, it's my problem no matter who's problem it is.  But here's how far from being a real cop I am now.  This week I used Excel to go through overtime slips vs grants to make sure we were being reimbursed for certain special project overtime.  I found about $450 that was coded incorrectly that was grant money eligible....good times.

[Docwagon 856]

"I sure got a lot done in that meeting" has to be said about as often as "Wow, that guy revving his motorcycle next to me at the stop light sure is cool."

[Docwagon 856]

Another "the fewer people who know..." situation.  We have to do annual inspections soon.  My office wear suits, but the inspection is geared toward street officers.  A lot of the stuff we are supposed to "inspect" isn't even issued to my guys.  The former LT actually made them wear a uniform in for a day for inspection.  Most Investigations units have the detectives bring the uniform in on a hanger.  I told my sergeants to have the detective take a photo and show them that they have all the required doo-dads on the uniform, raise their right hand and swear they can still fit their ass in the pants, and call it a day...and to keep their mouths shut about it because if the CPT says they need to bring it in physically we'll end up doing that.  I'll be "inspecting" the sergeants the same way. 

 

Nobody actually cares about this, it's just a checkbox we have to do because a certifying body says it's a best practice.  I put just as much effort into box checking as it deserves, and the less time my guys spend on this sort of BS, the more time they have to work their cases.

 

Side note:  The detective who said he didn't have enough work to do got 4 new cases in 2 days instead of his normal 2.  Sgt said he seems like maybe he's putting two and two together. 😄 

 

 

[Docwagon 856]

About a month ago I got word from the brass that I was presumptive 'next up' for any openings in Homicide, but no opening was expected for a few years.  NP, I'm fine parked where I am.  Thursday I got a call from the Homicide Captain asking if I'd be interested in Night LT spot, the current LT decided to retire abruptly. We haggled out hours and the like, and unless that LT backs out of his retirement at the last minute I'll most likely be taking over next month.  

 

I won't have my own office any longer, physically or literally.  There are four Homicide shifts (Day, Middle, Late Tac, and Late).  I'll have Late Tac and Late. Still have about the same number of detectives and 2 sergeants, though.  I share an office with the Day LT, but our hours don't overlap so it's more of a 'don't hang pictures on these two walls' sort of deal.  I still have a window.

 

I'm excited to get back to going to scenes, to having some more involvement in real police work, etc.

[GazzaGarratt 10,867]

Good for you, Doc. Usually people are looking for that step to get to retirement as early as possible 😄 but you've always loved your job it seems.

 

And if it gives us more stories out and about with the scenes then it's good for us all!