Monday, February 28, 2011

Open Comments

53 comments:

Anonymous said...

So what evevr happened with Don Frank's trial?

Anonymous said...

So why did the Lieutenant from south resign? I’m not accusing him of anything but just wondered if anyone knew what happened.

Anonymous said...

He didn't resign. He retired. And that's a big difference. Far as I know, he was just smart and got the hell on.

Anonymous said...

I was just wondering if the blogmaster would help us all out and provide a list of topics that we can't talk about. Stuff comes up, then it disappears. Are there two people running this blog? One let's topics come up, then another deletes them? What happened to the comments about certain females being handed the answers to the promotional exams?

Anonymous said...

What Lt resign and man I wish I could leave....

Anonymous said...

Its better to keep this blog strickly about the inner workings of the county government and its mis-management and crookedness. We all know what kind of an idiot Burrell Ellis has become over the last couple of years and his broken promises. At least talking about Ellis and his stupid cronies can give us a little laughter. We know this because he talks a lot and doesn't say anything!

To get on subjects that differs from the above, usually causes problems which translates into scuttlebutt, and that can cause real problems. So lets all treat this blog as a way of getting rid of frustrations and venting.

Anonymous said...

Ahh retirement.... Good for him...I wish him well and thank him for his years of service. On to fishing, collecting pension and reading books. No more dealing with what the BOC slings towards the officers who remain.

Sherlock from Pine Lake said...

Does anyone have some good ideas on ways to save money? Not snarky comments, but realistic ideas that could actually work.

Anonymous said...

anon 9:52 one resigns from the county when you retire.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if he has a connection to Don Frank?

Anonymous said...

On a personal note, my plans for this year are to refurbish the camper and head out west for four months, visiting friends and relatives, hitting the big national parks throughout and probably ending up in Canada.
Also I placed a second FOIA request to the Finance department on employee demographics. I made it clear that I was serious about the request and would publish their evasions. I hear from friends that the county received the request but have heard of no official reply and do not expect one. I have a plan "C" that will be even more specific, direct and near impossible to ignore.
We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is up to the county.

Anonymous said...

You'll have to subpoena the county to show cause why they won't release the info. It's customary for them not to release anything under FOIA unless they are forced into a corner.

Good luck.

Anonymous said...

Sherlock from Pine Lake.
Hell yes we have some ideas to save money.
The GSU study had some great ideas on eliminating departments and bloated management. I disagreed with the GSU proposal to get rid of the Transportation department and submit abolishing the CEO's position and office instead. The Transportation department is working on traffic congestion control that has good value to the citizens.
If anyone can provide evidence of the CEO providing any value to the county, policy (which the CEO and BOC refuse to follow) or direction, lay it on us.

Anonymous said...

Can someone tell me how legal it is for the County to not cover you on insurance for two months totaly due to a mistake on their part, and when you bring it to their attention they charge you for those two months you were not covered. Everyone needs to check all their medical benefits or this too can happen to you. Law suit pending.

Anonymous said...

When will the PD maintain its own budget without the commisoners controlling it?

Anonymous said...

DeKalb’s 2011 budget by the numbers:

Total budget: $530 million

Total cuts: $33.6 million

Police cut: $4.7 million

Fire cut: $7.1 million

Sheriff’s cut: $3.5 million

District Attorney’s cut: $1.1 million

Library cut: $1.2 million

CEO cut: $155,800

Commission cut: $283,700

Ok there seems to be a problem here CEO cut and commissoners cut are not even in the millions and yet they want us to cut some of the budget Its time to fight power with power. They want us to cut fine let's all just take a furlough day and march downtown Decatur and see how they like it no services no fire no police no trash no county services whatso ever who do u think is gonna be responsible CEO Ellis and the commissioners will be held liability And they will have to answer to the citizens.

Anonymous said...

You want some money saving ideas for the county? How about lay-off half of the sanitation department and start collecting trash once a week like other counties. How about using some of the mass amount of county owned land and start their own police impound lot. Can you imagine how much money that would bring into the county. Sure, it is a liability but most major citys do it. How about putting some of the training staff back on the road since their is no academy class starting and there are more than enough trainers for in service. Those are just a few thoughts.

Anonymous said...

I almost joined the DeKalb PD, but because of you informative blog, I saw the light.

Harry Callahan said...

You want to save the County money in a way that could actually work.

Start with privatizing the Sanitation Department. The County can still charge the private contractors to use the landfills and it will eliminate all the expense. This would translate into a huge savings for the County and we already know it works. Other Metro Counties do it and have COMPETITION for those jobs. Nothing drives cost down and service up better than competition.

For those who will point out the job loss side of this action, that is coming anyway. Wouldn't it be better for the County to live within its means as most Americans have to? Or do we just let the whole thing collapse.

Harry Callahan

Anonymous said...

Dirty Harry, from what I observe, that is the plan. Drive the county to ruin so that the citizens will be forced to vote for raising their already high taxes.
It doesn't help that the DK School board is even dumber than the DK BOC and soaks up 70 percent of the DeKalb citizen's local taxes.

Anonymous said...

rumor has it the academy was not canceled because of budget cuts. It was canceled because post is investigating the training records.

Anonymous said...

Center Daywatch had 6 officers today from what I heard.

Anonymous said...

whats gonna happen when all the radio ops jump ship?

Anonymous said...

look we all bitch about stuff when things dont go our way. What are we going to do about it??? Nothing, we are just going to whine on here. We need to pick one day a week, and just not write tickets period. Why should we take all of the cuts when we are 40 percent of the revenue??? everyone knows that each watch has at least one officer that is vocal of their opinions, ban together and 10-67wt all night. Respond to 911 calls and be professional, but damn why help the rich get richer while we take the cuts, and work more part time jobs to make ends meet?? Just a thought... whos in?

Anonymous said...

Just curious ....how does a person with zero detective experience go to MAJOR FELONY as a supervior? WTF? It seems more of a liability. Hey 4 th floor people respect experience and its a slap in the face to have a person who's never done a detectives job when they had an opportunity to now wanna be a supervisor in cid. I respect those who've been there and did it. I will never respect people who were cherry picked by command staff to supervise people in a unit they have no experience in. Build your resume another way. You wanna know why people hate this place . Reason # 123 . Recruits don't get this info in through academies.....certain people in this department get positions based on who they blow..and know......not what they know. Its fucking pathetic but no one including the chief is willing to rectify it . Tell me I'm wrong ...

Anonymous said...

Anon 11:23

You are exactly right! If you are tight with Annette Lane then you can go to CID. If A. Lane doesnt like you then you will never go to CID. Welcome to Dekalb County!

Anonymous said...

CID selection idea utilizing a point system:
2 points - for each year of uninterrupted service (if you resign then come back, your time starts over)
2 points - for each year as a supervisor (supervisors position)
2 points - for each year as an active FTO
2 points - for each annual eval of at least 4.0
2 points - for each advanced law enforcement certification obtained
1 point - for each year serving on special unit (swat, trt, honor guard, etc)
1 point - each annual eval over 3.5 to 3.99

This is in addition to the already established CID requirements. Just a suggestion to cut out all the BS transfers based on who you know or how you look in a pair of jeans.

Anonymous said...

Chief A. Lane-Woodard has her flaws like the rest of us, but at least she does live in the county and has a vested interest in it. What other Police Chief of a major police department does not live in his/her jurisdiction?

Anonymous said...

Hi - there's a remark regarding POST examining the training records which is why the Academy was cancelled. POST audits the records every year...they would only close the Academy if someone was attending that did not have a valid application on file. If that is the case...then they are in some serious poo.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:15

Great post!! However, it will never happen because that would eliminate the buddy/buddy system that this place was built on. Think about this - we transfer people to specialized units without even making a simple 2 minute phone call to their sgt or lt to get some feedback about their attitude, work ethic, etc. Absolutely insane. Only in Dekalb!

Anonymous said...

I hear the sergeants had their chief's council meeting with Chief OB last week, and when the sgts brought up the threats of transferring people and pulling their part time jobs for not writing tickets, Chief OB was astonished. The Chief wanted to know where did that crap come from, and what precincts were threatening people. Wow! Either the Chief is lying, and I've never known him to be a liar, or there is a huge lack of communication among the command staff. Chief Yarbrough's message was made very clear - write more tickets or find somewhere else to work!

Anonymous said...

Why does the Uniform Division keep getting these pricks as Assistant Chiefs? Chief O'Brien please promote Major Fore to Asst. Chief over Uniform Division and watch morale soar. Then every Chief here will be people who know how to treat others with respect and dignity! At least move them around and maybe give us Chief Gassner or Chief Lane over Uniform. Uniform has suffered enough over the last couple of years with Kliesrath and now Yarbrough. Can we please get a break?

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:15

Agreed!! That last CID blue order had a bunch of 2800 badge numbers on it. Give the vet a chance. If he doesnt work out then send him back to uniform. You've been here 10-15 years, you deserve a SHOT!

Anonymous said...

Chief Yarbrough is full of himself. You must remember 1 thing when dealing with him - he is smarter than you. If you accept that then you will be fine. He says that the void in leadership in the department is at the sgt and lt level. So according to his theory, when you get promoted to captain you all of a sudden become a great leader. Even Auburn will tell you that the one thing their promotional exams cant measure is leadership. Where did all the capts and above get this great leadership training from? We have some very capable leaders at every level in this department. There's an MPO who was a Sergeant Major in the military. I think he may know a thing or two about leadership!

Anonymous said...

$100,000 question,,

Did the Director have a copy of the promotional exam?

Anonymous said...

I second the Promotion of Major Fore, he is fair and treats people with respect. He hasn't forgot where he came from and realizes that he puts his pants on the same way anyone else does. Voss on the other hand is another story, he needs to get off his high horse and work with us and not against us.

Anonymous said...

Dont know what you are talking about with Capt Voss. I work at Tucker and he is a good guy. Never seen him disrespect anyone or mistreat anyone. As far as Major Fore is concerned, we cant do any better than this guy. Every email he sends out ends with - thanks for all you do. If you see that enough, u actually start to believe it.

Anonymous said...

The CID point system is a great idea. At least everyone would had some what of a fair shot to get there. Anything is better than what we have in place now.

USE YOUR HEAD said...

The point system is and has been in place but clearly is not utilized during the selection process. This system should more importantly be used in the promotional process. Time in grade and evals should count for something.

Anonymous said...

If the point system is in place, how do people who never worked in CID get a supervisor's position in CID? Maybe there's some other point system we're all unaware of!

Anonymous said...

People who barely have 3 years here were on the last blue order. What point system was used to select them? Pull their stats; none of them were raising much hell on the road. They were average producers. Again, what point system are we using?

USE YOUR HEAD said...

AGAIN, it is in place, just not adhered to

Anonymous said...

Most of you are just talking out of your ass concerning CID. If you were actually in CID you would know that Chief Lane lets the Lieutenants and Captains make almost ALL of the decisions concerning who is picked for CID. She rarely gets involved in the decisions at all. I actually know several people who are in CID who Chief Lane really doesn’t care for. Your theory just doesn’t hold up under the bright light of the truth.

How many of you really want to work Major Felony? You talk shit about who gets chosen for CID but when the advertisements are posted only a small percentage of uniform officers apply. Of those who do apply it is amazing how many suspension hours some of the officers have. A lot of them are just unfit for CID and that is just the cold hard facts. Then when asked if they would be interested in Major Felony almost all of them say NO! The truth is that most of you just don’t want to put in the work required. Well how about Narcotics? Would you be interested in that? “I would you know but I have to work my extra jobs, so I just can’t work those hours.”

It is mostly just a bunch of bull shit excuses at the end of the day. Most of you would rather talk about CID than actually work CID.

Anonymous said...

What's wrong with being a lifetime MPO? I'd rather be a lifetime MPO that people respect than someone who just makes rank because of who they know.

Anonymous said...

Anon 3:52,

There isnt anything wrong with working uniform for your entire career. I enjoy working uniform and I've never had the desire to go to CID. Those who have the desire, more power to ya.

As far as Major Felony is concerned, I always hear them complain about how hard they work, their hours, and their sacrifices (all valid I'm sure), but I dont see any of them putting in a request to go back to UNIFORM.

Anonymous said...

Major Felony is without a doubt the cream of the crop, with Strike Force being a close second. You have to remember, there is no doubt the hours they put in and the work they do, for the most part go unnoticed. Keep in mind CID is not a promotion, and they have twice the work uniform does, its not like they take a day off of work and come back on their monday and have a clean plate... wow a take home car, bottom line if you can survive Major Felony for 2 years then you have proven you are a dedicated employee who can work anywhere within the department.

Gold Badge said...

Major Felony ....Strike Force..... South Precinct....etc....yeah yeah.... each one is bigger and badder than the rest....... if you're not one of "us"..... that's a load of crap.

There are good officers in every unit..... there are crappy officers in every unit.

Good officers work hard in the unit their assigned and excel in their unit.

Give it a rest..... I know slugs in every unit and great officers in every unit. The key to success is finding what you enjoy doing, what works for you and what works for those you care about.

USE YOUR HEAD said...

As with anything in this dept it is all about perceived prestige. The desire isn't to be more helpful or do more in police work but to be able to say I'm a maj fel det. etc. Lets keep it REAL...

Anonymous said...

If they cancel all the cell phones issued to county employees, they could save over a million -five hundred thousand dollars a year.

I'm just trying to help reduce the budget for the county.

I wish I has a county phone with unlimited minutes and e-mail access.

Only in DeKalb will you find this type expense.

Anonymous said...

How many officers have a cell phone that the county does not pay for it's daily use?

Anonymous said...

Instead of calling out 90, now we should call Wiz Miller to track our perps. "Radio start the Wiz, we have subjects on the ground". "Radio to the Wiz", "All units be advised we are unable to locate the Wiz on all channels". We are clear he is 10-6 training our next Captain to be.

Anonymous said...

Is there a valid reason the county sent out a press release to let us know CEO Ellis will be working from home for 2-3 weeks? WHO CARES?

Anonymous said...

Ellis is working from home for two weeks...does that mean officers will again be pulled off normal patrol to guard his neighborhood?