I also have the 2005 EEO-4 reports, I looked at the numbers and they appear similar to the 2009 EEO-4 reports so I didn't bother with working the 2005 report.
When I got home yesterday, I found a message from HR requesting an interview next Wednesday. I did not expect the blog to make my comment an entire thread and undoubtedly the interview was provoked by the blogs publishing my comment.
So If I was to get an interview with the HR director what do y'all think we should discuss besides the EEO-4 numbers, the ramifications and solutions to the disparity.
Here is my wish list to discuss with the director. I am sure many of y'all have your own ideas on the subject. I would like to hear them.
(1) Attention by HR to the employee demographics to balance the current ratio of employee racial demographics to county citizen demographics.
A salary study that would provide incentive for all races to apply for DeKalb government employment.
(2) Employment policy and contracts to be consistent for all employees. No special transportation allowances, contracts, or promotions to political staff.
(3) On-call staff to receive compensation for time and personal vehicles usage when performing on-call tasks.
(4) Rescinding the college requirements for advancement in professional promotions. Currently requirements are listed as a college degree or time and experience. HR enforces the college requirement and ignores the time and experience requirement. I have personally interviewed blithering idiots with college degrees and no knowledge of the job requirements. Chief O'Brien was sidelined for nearly a year when he was desperately needed by DKPD as he completed the college requirements for his position. He had the experience and knowledge to do the job.
(5) Professional job certifications to be allowed instead of college degrees for technical/professional positions. Testing for current employee certification to be paid by the county.
(6) A standing committee to foster better communication between employees and the BOC. The committee should be as a small as possible to develop a consensus. 2-3 employees and 1 or 2 commissioners seem about right. The employees should be selected by a sealed vote by the employees. The Committee would schedule tours and discussions between the CEO, the commissioners, the departments and ALL employees. Ground rules for discussions is that no retaliation against employees is allowed for their thoughts and opinions expressed at the meetings.
DeKalb Officers summit the elimination of paragraph 3 as it relates to DKPD. Detectives are paid overtime for call out and have take home cars. If there is ever a need for a study, it would be a comparison of detectives called out versus not being called out.
Property crime detectives and TAC officers are rarely called out after hours, especially supervisors. Elimination of take home cars for property crimes detectives, TAC and supervisors would save tens of thousands of dollars each year, especially since gas is expected to reach 5 dollars per gallon by Memorial Day.
Also, promotional testing should be investigated. Currently race is priority. For example; If only one person of color takes a promotional test, they can realistically be scored as number one based solely on race without even finishing the test. A person of color only competes against persons of like color.
39 comments:
My issue as you mentioned is promotional testing. The results are kept hidden and testing material is being provided to certain people prior to them taking the test. The test should not be created by our own personnel. A perfect example of this just happened when a now Captain was part of creating the Lt. test when her husband was actually taking the test. An outside company needs to create and keep sealed the testing material. This has been an unfair and subjective testing process for far too long. We have people, for example Vicki Logan who is making the rank of Captain now, who has barely patrolled the streets or worked as a detective for less than two years. Please bring this major flaw up in your meeting.
From my end it appears that the promotional testing based on race is one "way". Personally I like the college degree requirement. If you want to advance, get a degree in order to do so.
Good job Ken and this IS why YOU need to be on the pension board. We need a smart, persistant guy with gut's on the pension board. Please run for the retiree position.
Ken I am not going to say anything bad about you if that is done I will do it to your face. I think your intentions are very well intended and I thank you for that. But who are to speak for me? Have you put this uniform on (or any other)? Have you been a detective or been in SOD? If you would like to talk to the HR director good but please stay to what you really know not what you have been told. Believe it or not this blog is not DeKalb Officers. It may be a segment but that’s all.
The promotional testing is a joke. I know to many good officers that should of been promoted but they are not a person of color. On the other hand i have seen people of color get promoted who in no way are qualified, it shows when they are promoted. This also exsists in the hiring process. The quality of officers hired are lowered thus in time the department suffers. As far as SOD and detectives are concerned i dont see a need for take home cars unless you are the one on call or if SOD knows there is a special detail coming up. College degrees are a good thing but to get a position because you have one isnt right either, i would rather have a person with experience.
These problems are not just in DeKalb county but all over the country and one wonders why this country is failing.
Who is Ken and what is his background
Anon 8:51, I spent six years as a deck puke on a carrier. I wore the uniform in the middle of the cold war knowing that a Soviet sub would probably sink us a thousand miles before we reached a launch point.
What the frack have you done?
I bet the everyone with with a take home has an excuse on why they need the car. What about the rest who do not have a car to drive back and forth to work. Some of these take home cars are treated just like a POV they put miles and burn lots of gas cruising on the county dime on personal business. I love it when I see a county employee with his family in the vehicle going somewhere. Then most of the county cars that are take home are going out of Dekalb and several well over the 35 mile limit.
I'm spending a hundred dollars a week going to and from work and I live just a few miles outside the county.
The CEO is riding the backs of Public Safety to try and raise taxes. I wish him luck I want a raise.
Auburn Testing procedures have ruin this county in some of the people in management positions. We can also blame appointments too. This is a no win situation for the next 10 years.
Great insight to this county problems. He would be a great CEO for this county. Ken move to DeKalb.
Take home cars for all sworn law enforcement personnel. With rising gas prices officers are going broke going to and from work. While we see others in the department who sit behind desk and work fixed schedules have take home vehicles. We are a department with two classes the haves and have nots.
I agree with Anon 8:51.
It's hard to understand the sacrifices given up by Detectives and SOD. First, DeKalb PD is one of the few agencies that the position of Detective is not a promotion. By doing that, the PD saves money and maintains tight control over the Detectives. The money is saved by not having to pay the Detectives anymore money like with every other rank promotion. Likewise, by not promoting you, you are technically still an MPO so if you step on a Supervisors toes or someone in command just doesn't like you then they don't have to go through the process of demoting you and giving you a chance to appeal. Instead, they just transfer you back to the road to the precinct of their choice. At most agencies, Officers get promoted to the rank of Detective, get a pay raise, and get a take home car.
Even if a Detective is On Call and does not get called out he/she has to sacrifice by having to stay very close to home in case they need to respond. Even if a Detective is not called out they typically have to answer telephone calls at very odd hours. All of this is hard on family life and is physically hard due to the amount of sleep that they lose. You just wouldn't understand unless you've been in their shoes.
I say all of that to say this:
Detectives, SOD and other units with take home cars get take home cars for several valid reasons. Take home cars are pretty much the only big perk to being a Detective and taking them away would be a step in the wrong direction.
Remember, you are posting on a DeKalb County Police Officers blog and if you want our support, then you need to fight to get us more benefits instead of fighting to take our benefits away.
A lot of people who have never worn the uniform love to pick on and criticize Police Officers but they don't fully understand the sacrifices of the job.
Anon 8:51...I'm with you. My instinct tells me something is not right about this Lo flying gut...He BLOGS TO MUCH an thinks he is a expert on everything and everybody. You guys bettyer be careful in who you keep putting your trust in.....You have been very wrong before.
Ride their families around? Hell I seen one ride his dogs around in his take home car.
What would all of you do if you could not bitch about each other? If you're a patrol officer you complain about detectives. If you're detectives, you complain about TAC....get my drift. Quit bitching about each other, you all have different jobs that are equally important. You're all officers, aren't you?
I know it's not true for all detectives with take home cars, but many of them get called in when they aren't even on call. It happens more often than most people not in CID realize.
Take home cars?????? This is your major concern? My god people wake up!
Sure lets take the take home vehicles away from detectives and further demoralize the people of this department. Do you people listen to yourselves? Detectives have take home cars because they're detectives.
So they take the cars away which might save what, 20-30 thousand dollars, but you'll see overtime increase. I guarantee it. So is there any actual savings at all? I doubt it. Also remeber when you see gas at $4 bucks a gallon, that is not what the county pays. They are not a retailer. I know thats a little hard for alot of you imbeciles to comprehend but maybe it will get through your thick skulls.
Now lets say you win and the take home cars are parked. Did your life suddenly get better? Did the county funnel additional money into the police budget? Nope, they didn't. There are plenty of examples of DKPD and DKFD saving and eliminating but where's the money go? All you get is another group of people who are pissed off. But hey that's really what alot you want isn't it? Simply a case of "if I can't have it they can't either". Liberal pansies!!
Mr. LoFlyer, Ken Choate
First of all, you have no idea what its like to walk the shoes of a police officer in this county. Further more you have no idea what it takes to be a detective. Last but not least you have no idea what it’s like to be a part of SOD.
Unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world. Lord I wish we did so we could know at all times when all hell is going to break lose and we can be there to stop the unfortunate event. Mr. Choate, it doesn't work that way. You have to have individuals that are prepared to respond at anytime day or night to any tragic event that may take place within Dekalb County. These individuals need to be able to respond in a timely manner to whatever the crisis is. You and all of these other take-home car envy people need to get over the fact that these individuals are needed. It's true that some are on a rotating call basis but at any moment it may be necessary to activate everyone, which has happened on numerous occasions. These officers are not compensated for being in an on-call status, but are restricted from doing what everyone outside of their assignments take for granted. That restriction is the freedom to go and do what ever you want when you want. Until you have walked a day in a detectives shoes or worked a day in SOD you have no idea what you are mouthing off about.
Now, the unfortunate thing about being a part of SOD is you have no set schedule. Your off days are constantly changed and you hours are constantly changed. You don't have the fortunate ability to leave at the end of your shift and go home not having to worry about getting half way home and having to return for some sort of incident or to please some commissioner who had a brain fart at the last minute and needs officers for some detail. The task it takes to effectively run and have at the counties disposal dedicated officers who are willing to sacrifice these things that you and all the other take home car envy people take for granted.
The old saying, “it must be nice to have that car”....you know how sick you get of hearing that crap...well everyone of those guys that perform those jobs that require the use of that car deserve alot more than what they're getting. Imagine what would happen if you didn't have those detectives available to the county to respond to a major incident or those guys in SOD to respond at a moments notice to get out on a scene. They respond from their homes...straight to the scenes at all hours of the night. Try calling up uniform guys who have just gotten home or on their off-days...good luck getting them. You see Mr. Choate these officers assigned to CID, SID, Major Felony, SOD and Swat.... are dedicated to providing to the best of their ability their services to this county 24-7...regardless of their normal schedules because they take pride in doing the job that needs to get done that no one else has the guts or stomach to do.
So why don't you do us all a favor go find another bone to dig up and chew on..
Oh and just FYI...No I'm no longer in any of those units and no I don't have a take home car. But I've been in CID and I spent 15yrs in SOD...and I did have a take home car for many years. I know exactly what it's like to be called at all hours of the day any day of the week, but now I'm back in uniform as a supervisor and just so you know...I'm glad those officers are doing what they're doing. They're greatly needed to do the job that needs to be done at a moments notice.
Guess we don't all have a crystal ball to look in like you must have to prepare us for that next crisis. By the way can you go ahead and help us out with that, I'd love to know where to send my guys to catch the next perp, you putz.
To Anon 12:47...
AMEN BROTHER!!!!
Be thankful you aren't YET expected to purchase your own insurance for your patrol vehicle as in a lot of departments.
Just my observation, but many of you appear to be attacking Ken Choate regarding a take-home car issue. While I agree with the posts supporting keeping things just the way they are, I think the attacks against Ken Choate are misdirected. Read again the post. It begins, "Ken Choate writes". Notice the font. The DeKalb Officers blogmaster(s) then insert (different font) what apparently Ken Choate has written. After that, the font changes again back to the original. So, it appears to me and even states "DeKalb Officers submit" and then goes on about taking away or reducing the take-home car program. It appears to me that many of the posts here complaining should actually be directed toward the blogmaster(s) because it sounds like to me that it is THEIR opinion and not that of Ken Choate.
Again, this is just my observation/interpretation of what I am reading...
How can any police officer support someone (Loflyer) that has no idea what it takes to be a police officer. Most of his comments focus on race no matter the subject. He is retired but still wants to be involved in DeKalb's everyday business, dude get a life. We as police officers need to be careful of who we support especially someone who I think is a racist. Who is to say that those blacks that took the promotion did well because they exactly studied. Two out of the top six for the last promotion test for Sgt were black and the top two for the Lt's test were white. Loflyer, you have never taken one of these test how do you know the results are based on race and why do you care now. You have no life and DeKalb was all you had. Now you are trying to get that life back, by posting on a police blog when you have never been an police officer. You are sad human being,can someone please give this racist jerk a junior police badge so he can feel important. Go enjoy retirement like most retired people.
Can we get a promotion or a bonus for our degree? That's only fair, this 2011 wake up this is not Mayberry anymore.
Hurry back Vernon, we miss ya
It' s about time they are starting a Crime Suppression Unit. These perps are out of control. I was just about to move to Douglaville to move from all this crime.
Why does everyone hate when someone works his or her ass of in uniform and puts in for CID or SOD and gets a selected. To all you haters there is no other reason to be in those units besides the take home. Do you see CID and SOD running around crying becuse there plans were cancelled and there hours where changed. Do you see CID or SOD saying why can't uniform handle these details. All I want to say is stop bitching becuase I can guess the ones bitching are the same one running from calls and J2 another words lazy asses just filling a spot on the watch list for 10 hours. Do your job and put in for a spot in CID or SOD when it comes open. I can already hear the comments in ref to the lazy officers "why should they do anything". Let me go ahead and address it becuase I didn't take this job because I just love the CEO and the county I took it becuase I like to police. Some of you should try it sometime. Ken get a clue if they take the cars away you won't have a SOD because everyone would leave and CID would always be short becuase why would anyone put in for that job. Ken stick to getting us pay and better equipment and stop trying to make this place worse then it already is.
First to Anon 8:51, I apologize, my last remark was juvenile and uncalled for. I am about 90 percent nice guy and 10 percent jerk. The jerk got the best of me on this occasion.
To those of you who don't know my background, I was 25 years with IT as a network engineer, My team and myself created the county INET network, a 400 million dollar network for about 5 million dollars including labor. (Ron Hart was the genius that deserves the credit for the idea and implementation)
As a network engineer I serviced every department and building that had a computer. In case no has noticed, the county functions on computers in one way or the other. If the servers and network crash then so does much of county operations.
I worked with DKPD extensively on network issues and problems. This is why I know so much about the CADS and Recorders Court software issues.
I had a strong interest in county operations because I was raised in DeKalb and love the county. I want DeKalb to provide the best government possible for the least cost to its citizens which is why I would talk with anyone about anything concerning the county. Over the years I developed a lot of friends and found kindred spirits in the DeKalb employee base who felt the same.
I confirmed with HR an interview with Director Ransom on Wednesday. I will provide a report afterwords.
Best of luck!
KenC
Loflyer...keep doing what you are doing. A hell of a lot of us appreciate your efforts and comments.
Ken you are doing a great job. Don't let a few of these take home car freeloaders distort the message.
I would give mine up with no crying. These guys and gals are abusing them, putting more miles back and forth to extra jobs than they do on the county dime.
Grocery shopping, dates and so forth. Especially the ones with limo tint and confidential tags. They can't be traced and can get away with more.
Just another government assistance program.
KC,
You are a IT geek.
Your interaction is not worth the computer chip that it is stored on.
Maybe you think you know everything because you were busy reading other folks emails or hacking into memos.
IT has the single worse track record by fare of any County department.
Constant upgrades to systems that do not work,antiquated email systems and a net work that after spending MILLIONS of dollars does not measure up.
I know because I deal with that mess everyday. Not 1 IT guy has a clue about waht anyone in the County really does, so stop pawning your resume off as one of an expert
Who is Ken C and what are his qualifications?
I promise you some of you guys on here are simply worthless. All the issues we have in this deapartment. Low moral, no raises furloughs, insurance. But say something about someone having a take home vehicle and your ready to march on the Maloof Building. JUST DAMN....Noflyer, jusy do whatever your going todo and go away. Tired of hearing from you.
The opposition to having to have a college degree in order to get promoted is actually meant to promote "equity". Equity among people.
There are people out there who think " Hey, ---- those college people! Not everybody gets to go to college."
So by totally discrediting the college degree and making it irrelevant, the department, or should we say the county...is making such a statement and enforcing it's own version of "equity". You know, the well known liberal term.
For anything above a sergeant, a 4 year degree should be a requirement. Think about how many whites and blacks that would eliminate?
The counties policy has always been "If you don't like it ....quit!" And many have......
Just out of curiousity what does a college degree say about how good of a police officer you are? This is especially true in today's world of online degrees and so on.
I'm not knocking the requirement of a college degree, just asking a simple question. I've had terrible supervisors with and without degrees. Eliminating or choosing someone based on the sole fact of a degree or lack thereof seems kind of stupid. I mean college is full of idiots. LOL!! This job isn't like being a doctor, cpa, and so on, where your degree directly correlates to your profession.
Oh well....y'all can get back to the take home car bashing now.
Lo Flyer - keep up at what you are trying to do: making the County better and the leaders accountable for their actions.
To the person who criticized LoFlyer on the basis that our computer system sucks (which is does) and that IT is full of idiots (which it is) therefore Lo Flyer must be an idiot also. I only have one thing to say to this person... didn't your boss use to be Tebo and is it fair to judge you based on that? Exactly my point.
Don't be so ignorant as to lump everyone together based on a single (superficial) characteristic. We all know what that is called depending on the characteristic is chosen and the County just paid out $1.3 million to settle that.
We need to stop picking at each other and work together or nothing will ever change. As they say (Ben Franklin I think)- We either hang together now or we will certainly hang separately in the future. It is our choice.
-JW
To those suggesting that I shut up and move on, let me give you my motivation. Even though many of you think little of DeKalb IT, my small section, the INET team accomplished some near miracles. In the 90's we built a fairly crappy data network with some major flaws and performance problems. We learned from our mistakes and under the leadership Ron Hart we designed and built the INET data network. The INET is a highly redundant extremely high speed data network that was absolutely state of the art when first implemented. We leveraged the cable TV franchise agreement to provide the county with fiber to every facility we had on the books. Comcast valued the commercial worth of the INET at several billion, on a practical value to the county the INET is worth about 400 million. We built it for five million. Telling me that I am a worthless geek only proves your ignorance of how and why the county works. You might be the worlds greatest cop, but don't know jack about county operations.
How many of you have smelled the stench of the raw sewage intake at Pole Bridge? Seen the magnificent Scott Candler filter plant? Walked through the CEO's offices, the BOC offices, the libraries, rec centers, Roads and drainage, Sanitation, and all the other facilities that the county owns? I have. I probably have a better understanding of DeKalb county government operations than any person alive.
I have a responsibility to my friends and co-workers that I left behind when I took the retirement incentive. We have all watched the decline of DeKalb government over the last two decades. Anyone claiming that DeKalb government is efficient, fair and open with its citizens and employees is ignoring the facts or the reality of the situation.
The reality is that DeKalb leaders are near paralyzed with the current financial crises. They only know how to grow an expanding and less efficient government that favors their friends and favored interest groups. For all their intelligence and high pay, they have not produced any plan for reorganizing and downsizing DeKalb government in two years. Most employees recognize that the CEO and BOC have done more harm than good to the citizens and employees over the last years. I am one of the few with the knowledge and experience to offer some valid alternatives to their mindless solutions. This is not a game, I do not want to be your friend or best buddy. I just want to fix DeKalb government. We all know that is impossible but I can give it my best shot.
Best of luck, guys.
KenC
Yarbrough (the hair) doesnt have a college degree, but he is clearly smarter than everyone else! Well at least in his eyes.
Keep doing what you do Ken. I for one am glad someone has the ability and balls to go after our terrible leaders. Ignore the naysayers. You have many supporters.
Hang in with us Loflier. We appreciate your thoughts and input.
from a real Dekalb officer.
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