A million years ago in a location not unlike this one....

[Guest guest]

....... I copied and " pasted " a small, on-line news article about CETA funds

and hiring of dispatchers for Some Municipality. I made an ambiguous

comment about " CETA programs " (like I didn't know those programs were STILL

around!) and posed [an extremely rhetorical] question to the list about the

possible variance in quality of temporary employees in a Comm Center.

Waaay back then, my signature line included " CHP - Monterey " and the URL to

the department's CAD TIP page, as well as my personal web-site

URL. " Cause, y'see, I was [and am] very proud to work for the CHP.

About a week later or so, give or take a day or three, I was called into my

lieutenant's office to discuss something about my " public "

behavior. Apparently an employee of the " maligned " Municipality had

written a letter to my Commander, with an attached copy of my post to this

list.

Questions posed by the letter-writer included queries about my " use of

state equipment, " and " time spent while paid, " and " posing as a

representative of the department " when .... well, *commenting* .... about

another agency.

Such a pleasant bit of time to spend, those several minutes. NOT.

Off duty, sir. At home, using my own e-mail address, sir. I don't have

Internet access at work, sir, so I couldn't have located that news snippet

to copy in my posting. I didn't call [the municipality] stupid, sir. Yes,

I do " sign off " as a dispatch supervisor for the department, and where I

work. I am proud of that, sir. I also provide the public Internet

[address] for the department, sir, to showcase this Comm Center.

Could I see the nexus created from [the totality of] my signature line and

to The Department [For Which I Worked]? Only if I was very short-sighted,

sir.

Whoops.

Anyway, I was directed to write a letter of apology, with a specific order

to remove all reference to the CHP from my off-duty signature line.

A couple of months later, we got a new Commander, who just happened to have

encountered The Break Room, himself, off-duty, MONTHS EARLIER (pay

attention now) and e-mailed me, at home, with praise for the web-site and

the work that our dispatchers do for the department. So, once he reported

as the new Commander, he had access to personnel files. To see all the

good and bad that had been documented prior to his assuming command.

One evening, he stepped just inside the doorway of my office and said,

pleasantly, " How's my hard-working Comm Sup? The one who is happy to be

somewhere.... and well, we don't know WHERE that is, but it's someplace to

be proud of... "

Yes, I blushed. Before I could stammer any sort of reply, he said, " You

have an interesting personnel file. That letter thing, I'm sure that

wasn't pleasant, and I'm sorry that happened before I got here..... but

it's probably not a bad idea to continue to be just as careful as you can -

you never know what snakes can be laying in wait in the woodwork. And

that's too bad, isn't it? "

And, although that particular and specific Most Wonderful Captain In The

Entire Department has since retired and a few other Commanders have come

and gone, I will never forget those teasing, but sincerely cautionary words.

Portions of my signature line were composed in jest, several years ago, but

remain in place because of the " You Never Know " Factor.

But that's in the past, millennia gone by, and no reason to endlessly

debate this or that learning experience which may or may not be similar in

kind.

Over. Done. With just the small scar left behind. Other people poking at

it really doesn't foster healing. It's enough for y'all to say " I know how

you feel! " and let it go at that. Preferably, off list, actually. If I -

or anyone else similarly wounded - needed an advocate, I'm sure Freida, I

mean *I, or anybody like me* - would appoint one. Otherwise, leave it alone.

I really enjoy the manner in which I've been able to share experiences with

other folks in Public Safety Communications ACROSS THE WORLD, and compare

notes, to see how it's NOT " just us here " that suffers something, or deals

with other problems. There are chances of discovering solutions - isn't

that a nifty idea?

Oh, and camaraderie; that's certainly something worth fostering. It's

priceless.

Happy to be here, proud to serve.

Olmstead

Public Safety Dispatch Supervisor

~somewhere on the Central CA coast~

http://www.gryeyes.com

[not presumed to be a statement of my employing agency]