DON’T BECOME YOUR OWN LIABILITY

I appologize for the legnth of this blog, but there was a lot on my mind to cover. Take what time (and breaks) you need to get through this one. I hope it will be worth it in the end.

As time passes it becomes more apparent of how much the attitude has changed towards state workers. Not only has it changed by the public, which I will get into in a minute, but look at how we are now being treated by those with a higher position or pay grade. I include medical staffing, paroles (whom most used to be C/O’s), Administration, and everyone who works in Sacramento that has an idea of what we do, but especially those who don’t have a clue which includes the Governor, his appointed department heads (including the Secretary of CDCR) and all the other figure-head ‘yes men’ that works in the other branches of state government. For the purpose of this article, I will start from the bottom-up of positions where responsibility lies as to where and why this change has happened. Believe me, there’s enough blame to go around.

Fault cannot be placed on the sheep that buys into all that they are being told or reported to about us even if the facts may be blurred to fit the story. Who might those innocent sheep be? The ones we took an oath of service to protect from those who committed crimes and were deemed not worthy to live in society and sentenced to be removed by the courts of law for whatever time period: the public, or what the governor likes to refer to lately as “the private sector”.

The spin of the story on C/O’s depends on the type of brush that we are painted with for the private sector. Either we are the fanatical, unsung hero’s on an MSNBC reality show that does a job no one in their right mind (including the CHP) will not do, or we’re the money hungry, corrupted, and uneducated non-essential ‘Peace Officers’ that should be fortunate that we even have a job. Well, here’s some news: some of us have filed bankruptcy, had houses foreclosed, cars repossessed, credit ruined and families torn apart, just like the private sector. We are Californians. Just because we are state employees does not mean we are immune to the economic turmoil of the Great Recession. But that’s another story…

The department and their leadership have not proven to hold the ability to understand what the ‘mission’ of our department is actually about or seemingly want to understand. They’ve changed the title of the department to sound more compassionate yet slashed and cut every program which may be helpful to cut recidivism. CDCR Secretary M. Cate has become a puppet just a waiting for his judge appointment. Not one time has this Secretary stood up for the department he heads or the men and women who work in it in any capacity. They throw statistics in the air showing that change is occurring but we still see the same faces enter our doors on petty violations. This shows the parole regions are cleaning up the streets but these violators end up being released to ‘Continue On Parole’ the very next week just to ease the stress of an overcrowded system. Obviously the Board of Prison Terms only cares about substantiating the necessity of their personal positions and not actual parole/rehabilitation reform.

The CDCR website reports that the number of parole cases will be cut in half from 70 parolees per agent to 48. This extreme cut can only be accomplished through hiring more Parole Officers, which the majority will be transferring Correctional Officers. Yeah, that sounds like it will save the state a lot. More criminals on the street for more parole agents to have to account for which I’m sure the max number on an agents case load will only increase from 48, not remain there or under. The reform, as sold, will be the paroles liability.

The governors’ office has shown the most obscene amount of abuse of power. Schwarzenegger has shown how possible it is to become drunk on the authority of the governors office. What amazes me is the attitude that he and those that surrounds him has when it comes to defining, understanding, and applying laws and state policies. Schwarzenegger has one basic thought process:

‘I vill devine dee codes uf law az I zee vit so I can do vut I vant to all doze zat dizagree vit me. Dee courtz vill cleen up da mezz aftur I am out uf office, but buy den it vill be too late vor doze zat uppose me’.

Unfortunately, the state courts and legislators have sat back and said nothing on the legality or morality of his actions. Governor Schwarzenegger has placed a price on public safety, moral judgment of law, and ethics of those who hold public office and that amount in his eyes is obviously very low. The abuse of the governor’s power and the lack of backbone to speak against him will be the leadership’s liability.

At the state level, departmental Administration has grown four times over the last five years all while cutting or redirecting positions on the line of every institution that has increased overtime, hold-over’s, and the number in frequency of staff assaults (average 9 per day by CCPOA statistics). The increase of staff assaults are never reported in the local newspaper. If it’s reported about an inmate, it’s a huge injustice of abuse of authority and power by officers. If it happens to an officer, it’s just part of the job and the question is asked ‘what did the officer do to upset the inmate’? Let’s not forget that these inmates are not in prison due to excessive good behavior. The Administration’s stance has become to believe and defend those who break laws and accuse those who are hired to enforce them.

Officers are treated as guilty until proven innocent and inmates are believed and coddled before the investigation even begins. It’s understandable that an investigation has to be done. Just look at the sources for what they are and place belief in them accordingly. Not everything is a conspiracy against an inmate or by fault of an officer’s action. Believe it or not, we get set up too. Our backgrounds were extensively cleared to be hired by the department. Their backgrounds are the reasons why they were incarcerated. If an investigation has to be done, go after the person where the responsibility lies no matter if he may be an inmate, officer, or administrator. Establish the facts and punish those at fault. Don’t look for the easy scapegoat, look at the truth. Assumption without investigation is a liability. So is turning a blind eye to the guilty party.

Many line officer positions have been cut or redirected while more and more administrative positions equivalent to Captains level or higher have been created at the local and state levels. What is a Captain or above salary compared to officers with an overtime cap and why are there so many new administrative positions in Sacramento and the institutions? Which is more worthy of their salary: The one who puts his safety and life on the line every day or the pencil pusher who creates policy without understanding the stresses of what necessitates running a unit or yard with rival gang members living, recruiting, and planning to attack each other all the while attempting to keep all sanctions free of harm and to go home unharmed yourself? The State Administrators have created an unsafe work environment, making themselves liable.

Administration at the state level has created more unnecessary positions to pacify the small amount of whiners that supposedly were not fit to have the same right as the public. At this time those same whiners seem to have more rights than the ‘private sector’. If you don’t believe it, look at the amounts that the medical costs have increased since the Federal Receiver came into power. Those lawsuits have cost the state millions upon millions of tax dollars and the cost to take care of inmate medical conditions and the momentum to grant those services are staggering. A C/O’s base pay has remained the same (before furloughs) for the last six years although the cost of all other services in the department has increased. The fear of lawsuits by inmates and thug huggers has state level administration themselves a liability.

With the local Administration, there have been so many added management positions that need to be justified that nit-picking everything from speed and cell phone use by staff driving onto grounds to where staff parks after business hours and weekends have become an offense where you may receive a Letter of Instruction. I’m not speaking about something that will impair the safety and security of the institution. I’m speaking of controlling staff even before they enter the gates of the institution, still on their own time – in their own car! And all that money, energy, and time spent on justifying an administrative placard on a parking space. As an example of impairing safety and security, some institutions have even cancelled quarterly qualifications for certain positions due to budget restraints. So tower positions, transportation and other positions will not remain qualified as required because of budget constraints. How many officers will be ready to ‘stop the threat’ if they can not even maintain the required qualifications for the post they work? Will the officers or warden be held liable?

CCPOA holds just as much responsibility as everyone else does. They forgot what their job was and what they were supposed to fight for. CCPOA leadership got greedy because they were able to get almost anything they wanted, including money, from previous ‘friendly’ governors. The union telegraphed their next move and the state was ready for it. With Schwarzenegger, too much emphasis was placed on posturing to prove who the toughest leader was between the governor’s office and CCPOA elected representatives. Like two Baboons shaking branches and beating their chests over control of the jungle no one wants responsibility for. They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior and expecting a different outcome. I guess another definition would be to face the same opponent with the same strategy and expect to win again. The fight became personal between CCPOA’s leadership and the state administrative offices. Now there’s so many personal lawsuits flying around both offices neither side will take the other serious enough to actually sit down to hash out differences and we, the union members are caught in the middle.

They forgot that negotiating is not easy as Checkers. It’s more complex and strategic like Chess. CCPOA thought they were going to intimidate a self absorbed, union loathing governor and lost. What happened to the work that CCPOA was doing to show the public the job that we do in an attempt to win the support of the ‘private sector’? While the governors’ office places spin on whatever he wants in the press about us, we hear almost nothing from CCPOA to counteract any misguided information given to the press. No more advertisements in newspapers, magazines, radio, or television except for our own website and newsletter which is kind of preaching to the choir. We only hear small little snippets of out of context press releases that do nothing for our membership or our struggle for a fair contract. We have gone without a contract longer than any other state worker union in California. I can see that used as our next slogan:

                    CCPOA - Our job is so tough, we don’t need no stinking contract!

CCPOA’s inability to remain focused for what they represent has become a liability.

What hurts me more than anything is that we give them the ammunition they need or want to prove any case against us. Instead of throwing the rules and safety policies back at them, we cut corners so that we finish our duties. Even as they cut positions, redirect officers, and run units short staffed, we do what is needed to complete our daily responsibilities. We would rather shave some time to complete a task quickly than complete it safely or leave it incomplete and log the reasons why. We want to show our worth by being able to finish our duties even if our own complacency will make us do it in a less than safe manner. We’d rather fly under the radar so Administration will leave us alone than to point out a possible problem that may not be completed due to time constraints because of so many other duties which are mandated to be completed. But how can we show our true worth and fly under the radar when even to this day, as monthly staff searches continue, contraband is still being confiscated, giving the facade of proof that administration seeks to continue viewing line staff in the jaded way they have since the beginning of this new local administration.

How many times has this happened to you? :

You report to your assigned area to see that one of your regular partners called in. The person working has knowledge of other units, but to your knowledge has never worked in your area. You try to explain to them how things are done, but they still end up attempting to run their own program which goes against how things have been done in your area. Not only does this throw a monkey wrench into the program but it also creates a conflict between the working staff which inmates around are able to notice and possibly even attempt to exploit.

Every time I see this, I go back to a saying I heard a lot when at the academy – SLOW IS FAST. No one is trying to set up their partner and its not that you can’t do the job in the area. But if you aren’t used to the area you are working in, slow down and let the experienced officer run the show. He may have less time that you, but he may have more time in that area. Every one appreciates someone who is willing to step up and run the show, but it’s not your show. You don’t have to prove that you can work in any area and you’re the big man on campus no matter where you are. No matter who plays quarterback, it’s about going home safe and in one piece. Don’t become your own liability.

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy without even knowing it. All the while institutional and state administration as well as Sacramento is sitting back saying ‘See… I told you’. They may carry as much, if not more blame than we as line staff, but guess where the finger will be pointed. It’s time we get real. Forget Checkers, let’s play Chess.

I’m Just Sayin…