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As I read through some of the posts on the Wauketown Cop Blog (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wauktowncop.blogspot.com">http://www.wauktowncop.blogspot.com</a><!-- m -->) I saw the following comment posted several times. "Be safe out there and remember - your first priority is to go home at the end of shift. If it means letting the calls stack up then so be it. Stack 'em up!"
Say what? Don't serve the public in a timely manner?
I thought serving and protecting the public was the "first priority"?
To me it sounds like there may be an effort by patrol officers to not fully serve the public so the public will ultimately complain about long waiting time for police response with the result that any proposed police layoffs or pay cuts would be history.
If you don't want to do your job then quit and let someone who does want to serve the public have your job.
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I sure hope this isn't a real WPD employee blogging. It would just justify what people say about bad cops. Sure police safety is important but drop the us against them attitude and try a little more "serve and protect".
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You know - Waukegan has become a cesspool. Sorry to say that - its my hometown & I still live here.
But honestly - why would anybody even want to be a cop in Waukegan... when you got people coming at you with hammers, and guns...
How can we even expect them to protect & serve us when we act like animals?
I am afraid to drive through lots of neighborhoods in Waukegan, I can't even imagine getting the courage to charge into the middle of a gang fight - because its "my job". Especially when my job is on the line.
I think we need to be giving our police a break - maybe some kudos are even in order.
But we seem to be pretty quick to point fingers.
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frank, I don't think that its about not doing their job. I think they would have something in the contract that says that they have to continue to work. I still see them out there all the time and from what I've heard they have been answering more and more calls. Is it possible that the person writing "let the calls stack up" is talking about the fact that calls already get stacked up. Does anyone know how many cops actually patrol the streets of Waukegan? I'd sure like to know?
I also have to agree that there are some really bad parts of Waukegan and I give those men and women a lot of credit for going into those areas and trying to keep the peace.
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I would hope that their #1 priority would be officer safety. Which I think is the message here, not to run into a situation without proper backup, thus, not endangering themselves, or the public. Maybe Frank should go for a "ride along" and see what our brave men and women have to go through on a shift to keep this city safe. Bet he wouldn't like it.
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I was going to make a long post defending my position that this amounts to a "slow down strike" but then I decided to just post this from the same poster who wrote the "stack em up" comment.
"Losing cops is not only a safety issue but also a big hit in contract negotiations. We lose this, how are we going to be able to get any concessions?"
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What the heck, here's a definition for a type of strike from the webpage <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/strike2.htm">http://money.howstuffworks.com/strike2.htm</a><!-- m -->.
Slow-down - All the union employees continue coming to work on time, and they continue to perform their jobs, but they do them more slowly. This might mean that they start doing everything "by the book," following every guideline and performing every safety check to the point that their work slows down. The resulting drop in production hurts the employer, but again, the employees aren't actually breaking any rules. This is sometimes called a partial strike.
Almost forgot one important point. In the context of our local situation the "employer" in the above definition would be the equivalent of the "citizens of Waukegan".
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frank, I suppose that I have to inquire about your logic of arguing that a police force could create a slow down strike by doing things "By the book"? Is that not what the local, state or federal governments require of Police Officers? Using your logic Frank, would you suggest that an Officer who does not follow rules or regulations "By the book" to still be performing their duties as properly required? Wouldn't they be considered rogue and or in abuse of power if they did not work "By the book" and more importantly to the letter of the law? Is it also not true that police departments have internal investigation units and an office of professional standards that maintain the efficacy of the department and in fact contend with and often prosecute Officers who do not respond, work and act "By the book"? Just one last question Frank, if your house was broken into, our your car stolen, or a member of your family mugged- will you want the Officers to respond and act accordingly and "By the book" or shall they just show up?
A slow down strike may work in a factory setting, or maybe even in an office but to argue that the men and women who work in the police force can force an issue like this is absurd.
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I didn't see that quote anywhere in the blog. I did see this...
Its really becoming a more and more dangerous city folks, make sure to watch your backs and cover each other. Don't hesitate to call for more cars if you need to, remember that everyone has to go home at the end of the shift and that is job number 1.
Different meaning. What the person was saying was be careful, everyone wants to go home at the end of the shift.
Maybe what was seen was taken down by now, who knows. Though again even if it was up there one person posted it. It does not reflect on the whole department.
There are butthole cops and great cops, just like the general population, there are buttholes and great people. You can't paint the whole dept with one single brush stroke.
