It seems the Dekalb County Police officers are ready to take action, they are attempting to organize what they are calling a Blue Flu on July 1st, 2022. They are asking all officers that are scheduled to work that day to call in sick or not show up for work on their assigned shifts.
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83 comments:
yes I will be a part of this stand
UNITED WE ARE STRONG
SPRED THE WORD BLUE FLU 7/1/2022
BETTER PAY, BETTER BENEFITS, AND BETTER WORK ENVIRONMENT
you cannot be written up for calling in sick for 1 day it is your earned time and they can not do anything to you.
I wish you luck with your fight for better pay and better benefits, but you need to make sure the public understands that the CEO and Commissioners are to blame for this. The public and the citizens are your allies and they can be your voices as well. if you are asked about this tell the citizens to call the CEO and the Commissioners and tell them to do what is right and give the officers the benefits they deserve.
it is time that the CEO and the commissioners answer for all the lies they have told the public and the media, no more pay studies, no more we will vote on a raise. it is time to fix the problem and give better pay and better benefits.
I have told at least 15 officers myself and all of us have agreed we will not be at work on 7/01/2022
Michael Thurmond this is your fault
Remember, you're working your extra job as an independent contractor. The County has no say when you can work it as long as it has been approved and it's not during your normal shift.
My supervisor had a meeting with us today and told us that she supports us if we all stand up together. This is really happening!
Those white shirts can't stop us if we stand together they might as well join us. Respect is earned not given because you passed a test.
They should repost all the other posts from the other blog to this one. Keep it under one heading for easy reading.
get the citizens behind this and have them call the media, make this headline news on all stations and newspapers.
Something has to be done. We are being ground away. We're comically underpaid and we're so undermanned that the exposure to danger with no backup is extreme. I hate to say it but maybe a blue flu is the only thing that will save this department.
we deserve better pay and better benefits we have been lied to for too many years.
this is a fact Dekalb police is the lowest-paid department in the metro area and we pay more for our benefits than any other agency in the state. we have one of the worst retirement plans for new officers in the state. we have 25 + year veterans that are not even making 70k a year and will never reach the top out pay. our pay scale is so decompressed from all the mismanagement over the years.
so I say let everyone hear our voices and stand together do not come to work on 7/01/2022
WE ARE ONLY
AS STRONG AS
WE ARE UNITED
AS WEAK AS WE ARE DIVIDED.
BLUE FLUE 07/01/2022
IN UNITY THERE IS STRENGTH: WE CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS WHEN WE ARE UNITED.
WITHOUT UNITY WE ARE VICTIMS.
STAY STRONG STAY UNITED
I WILL NOT BE AT WORK ON JULY 1ST 2022
If 500 pending calls doesn't get the publics and media's attention then we can do August 1 too. Gsp can't handle all the 41s and the sheriff s department can't handle those pending calls.
As a retired DKPD officer and homeowner in DeKalb,I stand behind you guys on this.
The commissioners don't listen to the residents that back the police (and never have) or quite frankly live in the more expensive districts. You've got to do something.
So do it! #blueflu2022
I'm totally on board with this however we need to be organized. If we're going to bring attention to our problems then we need to be able to offer solutions to them. We want better pay and better benefits, right? What would make our pay better? A raise? Then how much? Another 10%? 15%? And how do we improve our benefits? Require the County to contribute more? Have them renegotiate costs with our healthcare providers? Let's take some time to do some research and offer up a solution that out Department can take to the CEO and Commissioners!
Existing police officers and fire personnel would also have their county pension match doubled and receive $3,000 retention bonuses for the second straight year. New police hires who are already POST-certified would qualify for $5,000 bonuses.
Guys and Gals this is not the way to handle this situation. As a sworn officer in the State of Georgia you have sworn an oath to protect and serve the community. What about all of the innocent citizens that will be caught in the middle on 7/01/22 just for being who they are? They need you and they depend on you. The old, the young, the weak, all of Dekalb Citizens deserve better and that's what you bring every day just by doing your job. A job that you chose and desired to do and a sacrifice to help those that are not able to help themselves...I spent 29yrs with DKPD before retiring and it sickens me to hear the threats of a Blue Flu here on this Blog....I remember a time many years ago of a similar approach and Thank God we had Derwin Brown to quell such a tragedy who was a Captain at the time. There are other ways to handle this....just remember there are members of Georgia POST that have taken up following the comments made here and rest assured those that violate their Oath as a Police Office by Georgia Post Standards will lose their certification. Be smarter and don't let emotion take control of your actions.
Now, let me say this to all of you who are pushing for this Blue Flu,...its every last one of you who are the cowards. Stay strong out there and don't forget why you wanted to become a DeKALB COUNTY POLICE OFFICER to begin with.
Have a Nice Day!!
Serenity Now
Command staff already being told to get ahead of this or they'll be handling the pending calls.
Violation of Oath of Office? Lol. GTFOH. The County has no ground to stand on even if they wanted to try and pursue that. What are they going to do, fire 100+ officers for using sick time? This is great. Command staff is already getting nervous! The line has been drawn and we're already seeing that upper management doesn't care about the real workers! STAND STRONG. THE CITIZENS WILL SUPPORT US.
@anonymous at 12:06am (serenity now), I retired 2 years ago and I think it’s great these guys are finally trying to take a stand to get better pay and benefits. They are running shorter shifts than you ever worked and you are calling them cowards? These guys are working harder, under more dangerous conditions than anyone at any point in DeKalb history. DeKalb is lucky to have any law enforcement left at this point. You say there are other ways to go about it but you offer nothing as an alternative, because there is no other way. They literally have nothing to lose, the job market is wide open with better paying jobs. Losing a certification doesn’t really mean shit.
Anonymous 12:06. I completely understand your sentiment. But the reality is that the citizens are already suffering greatly due to the mismanagement of the department. We currently number just over 300 active officers and we're about to dip below that. Calls are going unanswered and we're losing more people every single day. Something must be done to slow the number of people we are losing.
Soon we won't have a DKPD anymore if the hemorrhaging isn't stopped.
The most recent raise has been revealed to be a pay decrease for most officers.
New officers are leaving almost immediately after graduating the academy and most of our command staff and leadership are just biding their time waiting the last few months till their retirement.
If drastic improvements aren't made soon, there will be no one to hand the department over to.
LOL @ SerenityNow. Spoken like a true Yes Man. I've seen more spine in jellyfish. There's nothing cowardly in standing up for the betterment of your Department. Go back to retirement. Nobody misses you.
They scared y'all! We already got the brass nervous! Stick together, we are strong!
With great power comes great responsibility. Well those in power have been irresponsible. Time to hold them accountable! NO WORK JULY 1, 2022.
Command staff should handle those calls, remind them of where they came from. Put them all in South EW for a shift once a month.
Listen 29 year guy. You're clueless. Just enjoy the pension. Post can't do anything at all. We all have accrued sick time as a benefit and we will take it when we're sick and theres a blur flu coming around on july 1 lol. Oh and these comments are anonymous and nobody knows who the blog master is fyi.
SerenityNow thank you for your service and please enjoy your retirement, but please do not speak on things you are not educated on. I have given my adult life to this department and been through 6 pay studies, 8 different police chiefs, and 4 different CEO, all of which have lied to the officers and treated them with disrespect. they have made promises and broken all of them, hands down Michael Thurmond and Mirtha Ramos have been the absolute worse of them all. the only people who care about the police are our brother and sisters in blue who we work with each day. Even some of them will not stand with us in the stand we must take. they want the benefits but they do not want to take a stand by another officer and fight the good fight.
I will stand for July 1st or any other day that I need to it is time we are treated better and respected for the sacrifices we make each day.
to SerenityNow you are not a brother in blue, you probably were someone's lapdog and snitch. don't let this idiot discourage anyone take your stand and do not work on July 1st
just to bring Dekalb up to par with the metro area agencies we need a 25% raise not broken into two or three years one big raise now. the county needs to; lower the rate on our insurance without losing coverage or making us pick new insurance companies. and a better pension plan.
This is just a good place to start
be strong and do not let anyone tell you not to call in. if you do not take a stand for yourself now then we will never get any respect from the BOC
you are doing this for your future and your family's future stay home 07/01/2022
As a resident of Dekalb county, I took it upon myself to email Michael Thurmon with my concerns of this Blue Flu that DeKalb police officers are talking about. the CEO has not responded to either of my emails. I support the police and whatever they need to do to have the benefits and pay they deserve.
Chief Ramos, CEO, Thurmond, Board of Commissioners:
DKPD is the best Department in the South and we love working for this Department. But we have seen our numbers reduce, our contributions to the pension and benefits has increased and so has cost of living. Other metro Atlanta Departments have benefitted from significant raises and better healthcare. It is time for you to address the elephant in the room and address the areas where you have failed us. We are tired and we will not be silent. We WILL be heard.
BETTER PAY - a 20% raise
BETTER BENEFITS - less contribution by employees (several police departments nationwide cover healthcare 100%)
As you can see, we support each other and will do what it takes for us to be heard. Will you support us?
Anyone here scared of POST? If POST had any interest in maintaining any standards for officers they'd have taken up shortages within Dekalb long ago and made it safe for officers and citizens alike by maintaining manpower standards based on population and crime set by the FBI long ago.
Young officers…please don’t be so naive to think that something like this will help you…it will only hurt you…you are either being played by some very immature people or trolled by some serious anti-police people…either way it’s a lose/lose scenario if you get involved… if you’re so unhappy at DKPD that you are ready to betray your oath, for Christ’s sake just quit!
to all officers do not let the last two posts scare you or influence you. it is within your right to take a sick day that you have earned. they can not take your officer accreditation or fire you for being sick. these do not care about you or your family, they are part of the problem. stay strong and take your day on July 1st
anyone trying to discourage the officers from taking a stand for better pay and better benefits is part of the political problem. the CEO and BOC have lied to us for years and they have shown us time and time again they do not care about the officers. The BOC has given themselves significant raises over the past four years but they refuse to pay the officers or even offer them better benefits.
stay strong Dekalb stay home 07/01/2022
some of these posts are so funny, I hope the officers are smart enough to read through the bullshit and the fake threats.
first of all, can not get your IP addresses, they would need a search warrant from a superior court judge and serve said warrant to the blog master and whoever is running the blog site.
that will not happen because this is an open blog site and nothing criminal is being done just an open forum for officers to vent and express thoughts.
they do not even know who or where the blog site is being run.
Bolton, Alexander, and Conroy all had major felony attempts to find out who is running the blog and spoke to the chief magistrate judge to have it shut down. they all were told that nothing can be done and they could not find out who is running it.
so do not let them scare you.
you must stay strong and fight for better pay and better benefits, do not be scared let's stand as brothers and sisters in for ourselves and our families. BLUE FLU 07/01/2022
Chief Ramos and the command staff are not concerned about July 1st, they have been told this Blue Flu will not happen and officers will not follow through with this. They know that the officers have never been organized and have never really taken a stand against the county and BOC. they are calling your bluff.
I feel bad for you guys because you deserve better pay and benefits, but now that you have made this through Blue Flu and when it falls apart you will never be able to demand or take a stand for better pay again.
someone needs to take the lead and organize this stand, haimer looks like a good candidate
don't let them win, make them realize you mean business, show them you are united and take a stand, Blue Flu 07/01/2022
Let me know if y’all are serious about this blu flu…I have some scores to settle in the county and I’ve been waiting for the perfect timing…
As I stated earlier every last one of you made the choice to be a DKPD Officer. A BLUE FLU is an absolute direct conflict with your Oath and puts people's lives in danger. Does Integrity, Truthfulness or Honor not reflect the very essence of what it means to put on that uniform and stand against those that mean to cause Chaos in society....Well let me just say that I feel your pain and I know what it feels like to be stepped on by the County Politicians...I've worked those bad neighborhoods, had to fight to stay alive on several occasions and have sweat alongside the finest Police Officer in the Nation right here in Dekalb County....was in it for 29yrs. This threat of Blu Flu is a Huge Mistake...neglecting your job and duty just to make a point to the Politicians in Decatur is a recipe for disaster. How are you going to feel when people die as a result of your actions.....or lack of?
Trust me when I say this but this is an ABSOLUTE Insurrection because without you all there to protect the lives and property of innocent citizens in Dekalb then there will be violence in the streets and neighborhoods. Ask yourself this, would you be willing to put you family, your parents, you child, your spouse lives at risk...or is it just OK with you to sacrifice others safety. Bad mouth me all you want but you know what I'm saying is true.
Right Now there is a group that's trying to cause the very Chaos that will get many people hurt.....They are nothing more than Thugs in a uniform...in my opinion they don't deserve to wear the DKPD Uniform & Badge.
Have A Nice Day!!
Serenity Now
well, Serenity Now no one asked for your opinion, you have no clue as to what is going on in the department now, just go away and enjoy your retirement...the officers that are still here working and being underpaid are the ones still paying into the nice retirement that you get to enjoy. see you received a 5% raise each year and retired at the top out pay. these officers have not received any raises but still, pay into your retirement so those so-called thugs are supporting your fake ass. just say thank you and shut your mouth or come support us and stand with us.
I will not waste my breath on Serenity Now, I am sure he must have been in some admin position.. I will stand with my fellow officers and I will call in on July 1st
as a supervisor, we cant write you up for calling in sick unless you have shown a pattern of abusing your sick time. this is your time and we can not tell you that you cant use it. we are also being told that this is not a major concern for the precincts and the command staff feels like it's a bluff.
I wish you luck on the results you are fighting for, I support the police and I believe you deserve better pay and better benefits.
i will stand with my fellow officers a will not work on 7/01/2022
I too will stand with my fellow officers and i will get 5 of my fellow officers to stand with me and stay home July 1st
F&*% you Serenity Now, I will not work July 1st
hey Serenity Now, since you are retired just sign your real name to your post.
It's funny how we're praised for standing up for Dekalb citizens but wrong for standing up for ourselves. Stand together for DKPD. Thet think we bluffing. Prove them wrong July 1st.
There's no point in wasting your breath on Serenity Now. They obviously made no impact while they were here...if they actually worked here in the first place! Bless their scared little heart! Stick together for the cause.
Better pay: 20% raise
Better benefits: Less employee contribution
#DKPDISTRONGERTOGETHER
Kinda interesting how the people who on here posting that this is a bad idea don't offer any solutions to the problems. We deserve better pay and better benefits point blank period. I'll be at home July 1.
2-2.26 ILLNESS/CONDITION (PHYSICAL/MENTAL) SICK LEAVE Failure to notify a superior officer/supervisor when one becomes ill or injured and cannot report for work, or if there is any change in one's physical/mental health that could disqualify the individual from being employed by the department or impair one's abilities to carry out his job assignment is prohibited.
County Policy above. You can take a day off for "mental health" reasons.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/supreme-court-sides-minneapolis-residents-suing-depleted-police-force-731-officers
Hey Serenity Now,
Since you’re so full of righteous indignation, tell us all who you are. Let the reputation you established in your 29 years speak for you. Are these words coming from a true brother or sister in blue ? Did you put in your time in the trenches, back up fellow officers and if you promoted did you lead from the front ? Or were you a call dodging slug? Maybe a brown nosing backstabber who went from one cush position to another on someone’s coattails or by being a lapdog? Pretty ironic that you are talking about honor and pride and hiding your identity when you’re already retired and have nothing to lose. Gary Gainey was once called out on this forum by an anonymous post. He responded, answered the allegations leveled against him and signed his name. What’ve ran home nah think of him, you have to respect that response from him.
Here you are retired - and anonymously admonishing officers who are dealing with the worst conditions the county has ever seen as to how to conduct themselves. Sounds very on brand for the classic model of DKPD command staff.
Regardless of my personal opinion on the “blue flu” the lines are clearly drawn. I do believe many think it’s all a bluff.
In addition to a one time raise, they need to reimplement annual raises. When I was a rookie, the score you got on your eval is what you would get for an annual raise. So, for my non-math people, if you scored a 3.8 on your annual eval, you got a 3.8% raise that year. It made officers strive to do well, was a great recruiting tool and helped retain officers.
"People don't leave jobs, they leave toxic work cultures"
-Dr. Amina Aitsi-Selmi-
DeKalb is as toxic as it gets. We are underpaid, overworked and taxes at a premium on what little money we make. Very few supervisors have your back because they are afraid they'll lose their spot. The CEO and BOC don't appreciate us and love it that we are quiet about it.
It's time to make a stand. It doesn't matter if you've been here for 30 years or 30 minutes, we must unite and be heard.
They will see what it's like without us on July 1. Spread the word, stand together.
20% immediate raises for all PD
Require the County to cover insurance costs
Reinstate annual raises
We need to set up a meeting with all the officers so we can be on one accord.
Serenity now is trying to talk some sense to some disgruntled employees. It is and has been a lot officers want to see DKPD burn down. There are other ways to handle this. Dkpd have received more pay raises than Atlanta police in the last six years. Atlanta is trying to catch up with PD. If you hate Dekalb county police try working in Atlanta.
so you are telling officers to run away from bad situations instead of fighting them head-on, just leave the department and not stand up for what is right and just. if we dont fight for ourselves right now no one will ever fight for us and we will never get the benefits we are owed.
I have been a Dekalb police officer for 29 years and I was proud to say where I worked and what my profession was I looked forward to coming to work and being a part of this department. Today I do not tell anyone where I work and I never wear anything that says Dekalb police on it. The state of our department is a disgrace not because of the officers but how it is run by the command staff and the CEO. In the academy, you are told on a daily basis if you lie, cheat, or steal you will be fired and prosecuted for violating your oath of office. The many CEOs and the BOC along with all the Chiefs have lied to us and cheated us out of raises and our pensions were stolen from us because we were promised we would reach top-out pay and have the best benefits in the metro area. It is a very sad situation that we find ourselves in and it is obvious the CEO and BOC do not care about public safety. Stay strong And just watch each other’s back all we have is each other and even sometimes we don’t have that.
I understand what some are trying to say but at the same time the daily reminder that the CEO, Chief Ramos, & Commissioners don't give a damn about us makes me want to join this Blue Flu fight. It seriously pisses me off but I think we need to organize better. We need to get the citizens in this fight with us and have that support and show up at the Commissioner meetings in mass to present a strong message with community support. We need officer's from each division & precinct to help stage some meeting times & locations so we can better organize. As much as I would love to stick it to the CEO & Commissioners on the morning of 7/01, I just can't do the Blue Flu. I'm a No.
I cant do this anymore we have been silent and taken all the lies and all the B/S we can stand, it is time to stand up and fight for ourselves i will not work on July 1st
best thing you can do...........is leave.
July 1st??????????? BS............what do you think? We were TALKING LIKE THIS 20 YEARS AGO!!!!!! You think this is a new idea???????
Problem..... your p---- co workers will show up........!!!!!!!
Democrat run county. They dont like you blue folks!!!!
Vermin started it..... with his pal Richard Stogner........
Vermin....you know the Republican/ Democrat who hated cops!!!!!!
Burn baby Burn!!!!!!!!
Dangerous job. Want to ride the blade???? Go somewhere where they appreciate you........
https://www.actionnews5.com/story/25955703/blue-flu-outbreak-119-more-mpd-officers-call-out-sick-monday/
Look at the link. It was done in the past in Memphis and they got results. Stand strong.
A one time raise would be great but it's not going to keep people from leaving. They need to bring back the annual raises.
As of now the BOC doesn't have public meetings since Covid outbreak. If you watch a BOC meeting it's zoom and citizens comments are read and the BOC determines whether or not your comment is read publicly. They have all the control. I believe July 1st will get their attention because they can always be an August 1st. By the way, there will doubting Donalds who will watch from a distance but benefit from the sacrifice of others. They are cowards!!
I agree we need better pay and better benefits asap. We're losing so many people so fast. We have almost no one left. But I'm not sure a Blue Flu would necessarily help.
I was with the department for just under two years. I handled my calls, I wrote my reports, and most importantly I did my part to try and be the best I could be. I even tried to be as proactive as I could when possible. You can’t trust anyone in the department and not even some supervisors. The department is an absolute joke and I’m glad I was able to get my certification and leave with dignity. You can’t be proactive, you can’t deny bullshit reports, you can’t have an opinion, and you can’t even find time to take a shit during shift. I’m glad I left and my stress has been nonexistent ever since that decision. Best of luck to everyone that is still at the department. You really need to ask yourself is it worth it, go find another department with better pay and quality of life. Dekalb is the biggest SHIT hole I’ve ever seen.
This is not the way to deal with this. Yes, there is a big issue with the Politices in this County interfering with Policing the County. Policing should be left to sound mind trained individual's not elected officials. Elected Officials your roll is, to write the Ordnance’s and Policies for the the agency, Govern accordingly and allow The Police Chief and their trusted staff implements them. Not all this backdoor mess and interference from a Director and CEO. Now to the Officer’s what you are putting on this blog about the Blue Flu is very unbecoming. If I was still working for the Police Department and not retired, I would print this blog and everyone that did not show up for work would be charged with felony violation of oath of office and fired. Printing the blog although it has no names will show that your actions were calculated and deliberate. The CEO can call the Governor to send in the National Guard's and Dekalb has a Memorandum of Understanding with the surrounding agencies that they will help cover the County’s calls. In addition the Majority of the agency's officer’s are Deputized, which mean will allow the to make arrest if they need to! The CEO needs to do what is right but any officer that participates in this deserves to be fire. You are placing the Citizen lives business owner’s lives and property in jeopardy. If you want to protest just leave and do it that way. As for the Police Command Staff stand up and lead the officer’s and stop letting them lead you, work together for the great of DeKalb County! FOR THE RECORD I DONT LIKE WHAT IS GOING ON GUYS BUT DON’t DO THIS.
You’d print this blog and charge anyone who called in sick with violation of oath of office ?!? I don’t know who you are, or what you did for the department or how long you worked there, but I pray to God you understood probable cause better when you made arrests (if you ever actually made any) than you seem to now.
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