Re: 911:: working with a jerk

[Guest guest]

Confrontation. Just ask that deputy to come to dispatch, then just you two go

into a room and quietly ask him what you have done to make your Radio

relationship so miserable. It is a simple question. Based on the answer see

what can be done to reach a mutual agreement. I have tried over the 28 years I

have been in Public Safety to ignore certain situations, or have someone else

check something out, and through it all I found that the direct method works

best. Sometimes this alone will straighten out the problem. Sometimes it may

require a shift change. But get it out in the open before something happens

that can cost someone their life. Remember that we deal in life and death

situations all the time. And, for this next statement their will no doubt be

those who disagree, which is fine, but, based on experience, education, and

working during the highs and lows of public safety communications, their is,

from my prospective, no gray areas. It is black and white, yes or no, life or

death, blessing or cursing. So either you work the problem out, or you get rid

of the problem, whom ever it may be. My opinion and my advise. Thank you .

May the pay raises be much, the overtime slim, and all your radios work when

they are suppose to.

[Guest guest]

I would call Tony Soprano...

555-HITT

[Guest guest]

ditto! ditto! ditto! Again Marcus comes through with a good solution that

doesn't involved bloodshed, bullets or needless paperwork!

annette

> Confrontation. Just ask that deputy to come to dispatch, then just you

two go into a room and quietly ask him what you have done to make your Radio

relationship so miserable. It is a simple question. Based on the answer

see what can be done to reach a mutual agreement.

[Guest guest]

I agree totally with Marcus! A face to face is the most logical way to work

it out, but with a OIC present. Get it out in the open and be very

courteous and professional. He'll probably come off looking like a jerk.

Oh, and don't forget to document, document, document!!!

Lyn

magik@...

Subject: 911:: working with a jerk

> Katt kattwoman911@... on Wednesday, August 30, 2000 at

18:41:01

>

> Message: I am have only posted to the list once before, but I feel

strongly about this and I must vent! I work third shift and there is a

certain deputy who has taken a dislike to me and tries to make my worklife

miserable

[Guest guest]

I agree with Marcus that you must confront this deputy. If that doesn't work you

should go to the supervisor level because this could become a life or death

matter if it starts to affect your work. Find out what is motivating him - maybe

he got turned down for a promotion that he felt he richly deserved, or he is

having family problems (this is a biggie). He might just need someone to pay

attention to him and that is the only way he knows how to get it.

I had a deputy do something similar to me last year and due to geographical

constraints it was not possible for me to meet with him in person. But you

better believe I asked him via telephone why he constantly questioned me and

didn't trust me to do my job. Once confronted he apologized profusely because he

knew there was no grounds for him to treat me like he did.

There was a sergeant who seemed bent on changing everything I dispatched simply

because he could. He was a fairly new sergeant and was just trying out his

stripes, I guess. I finally said to him on the talkaround channel one day,

" Chair's warm, come on up and dispatch. " I thought for sure I was going to get a

complaint but what I actually got was another profuse apology and an

acknowledgement that he couldn't dispatch his way out of a wet paper bag with a

hole in both ends.

Whatever you do, don't let it eat you up. Anyone who was on the list about this

time last year will remember my clashes with my shift supervisor (who thankfully

is no longer my supervisor). I took her crap until I couldn't take it anymore.

By then I was too wound up to look at the situation rationally and she exploited

that for all it was worth. It also caused me to behave in ways that I'm still

embarrassed to acknowledge (the word catty comes to mind).

I have more stupid pieces of paper in my file that shouldn't be there because

she got it into her head that I was a troublemaker and needed discipline. Then

she figured out that the thing I hate most about working in law enforcement is

being written up over minor incidents. She also got it into her head that I was

a lightweight after I had the nerve to cry on the console after a deputy

committed suicide. (Forgive me but I'm human!) She tried to control me but all

she did was make me feel like I was being persecuted.

Moral of the story is: You can't manage people with paper.

It cost me my CTO position - it was never discussed with me, they just took it

away, but I know that had something to do with it because I went from being a

great CTO to not being one at all. It probably cost me a transfer to a full-time

deputy sheriff position. She even had the comm center supervisor convinced I was

a loser for a while, but that all changed when I went to day shift and the comm

center supervisor saw what I was capable of. Amazing! For about 6 months I

threatened to quit every day until I finally got a new supervisor.

To this day I would give just about anything to have a good relationship with my

former supervisor. It is unlikely to happen because she will not change her

opinion of me and she is in the habit of insulting people in the department that

she knows are my friends. In other words, she is still fighting even though I

stopped a long time ago. Do yourself a big favor and don't even get started on

that path if you can stop it right here, right now.

OK, done venting. Did y'all miss me when I was gone? :-)

Michele Hriciso

Brevard County Sheriff's Office, FL

Homepage: www.thecluster.com

E-mail: E911Tigger@...

ICQ #28949458

AOL or MSN IM - E911Tigger

----- Original Message -----

From: kattwoman911@...

This is a web form response sent in by

Katt kattwoman911@... on Wednesday, August 30, 2000 at

18:41:01

Message: I am have only posted to the list once before, but I feel strongly

about this and I must vent! I work third shift and there is a certain deputy who

has taken a dislike to me and tries to make my worklife miserable. Whenever I

work the county board, he won't answer his radio, questions where the troopers

are, etc. He even went as far as to lodge an unfounded complaint against me!

Anyway, does anyone have a suggestion how to deal with him? I am sure to be as

professional as possible and follow the SOP's to the tee when I know he is

working (not to imply that I am unprofessional at other times!). I guess I am

just venting, but any suggestions would be appreciated!

[Guest guest]

Well, you could lodge complaints against him, but that would sound like sour

grapes even if they are justified. As for not answering the radio, if MY

officers don't answer the radio, they get toned. We broke one of that bad

habit one night, after probably four times of not answering his radio until

the 3rd or 4th time, with the alert tone being what got his attention, the

dispatcher toned the FIRST time he called. When the officer inquired as to

the reason of the tone, the dispatcher replied, " Just figured I'd quit

wasting my breath with the first 3 tries! "

Good luck, just remember YOU are in control!

Kim

911:: working with a jerk

>

>This is a web form response sent in by

> Katt kattwoman911@... on Wednesday, August 30, 2000 at

18:41:01

>

>Message: I am have only posted to the list once before, but I feel strongly

about this and I must vent! I work third shift and there is a certain deputy

who has taken a dislike to me and tries to make my worklife miserable.

Whenever I work the county board, he won't answer his radio, questions where

the troopers are, etc. He even went as far as to lodge an unfounded

complaint against me! Anyway, does anyone have a suggestion how to deal with

him? I am sure to be as professional as possible and follow the SOP's to the

tee when I know he is working (not to imply that I am unprofessional at

other times!). I guess I am just venting, but any suggestions would be

appreciated!

[Guest guest]

Damn right I missed you! You are the only other person I know that can get

into as much hot water as I can, and I miss your kindred soul when you

aren't with us!

Lyn

magik@...

(who hasn't been to work in 3 weeks and is STILL being plotted against by

the Big Kahuna)

To: <911consoleegroups>

Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2000 10:53 PM

Subject: Re: 911:: working with a jerk

>

> OK, done venting. Did y'all miss me when I was gone? :-)

>

> Michele Hriciso

[Guest guest]

<smiling graciously> Thanks " Ed " - I mean, Lyn.

You are soooooo correct, I can get into the hot water. But I can get out of it

too! Remember the chain of command violation I supposedly made that got thrown

out? I'm surprised my new nickname isn't Teflon, that egg just would not stick

to my face.

Moral of that story is: If you're going to write someone up, at least have a

valid reason! :-)

Glad to be back,

Michele Hriciso

Brevard County Sheriff's Office, FL

Homepage: www.thecluster.com

E-mail: E911Tigger@...

ICQ #28949458

AOL or MSN IM - E911Tigger

----- Original Message -----

From: ED MARKER

Damn right I missed you! You are the only other person I know that can get

into as much hot water as I can, and I miss your kindred soul when you

aren't with us!

Lyn

magik@...

(who hasn't been to work in 3 weeks and is STILL being plotted against by

the Big Kahuna)

>

> OK, done venting. Did y'all miss me when I was gone? :-)

>

> Michele Hriciso