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Can you believe that Chief Ray suspended an officer for speaking his mind at a council meeting while in uniform... Do we not have freedom of speech anymore? I do not know the details.. They need to suspend a few officers over there for misconduct...That Department is completely screwed up... Wake Up over there...
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Well I failed to mention that he was voicing his opinion on the pay raises the other city employees got and the dept failed to recieve any.. And also what if he is scheduled to work on the nights the coucil meets... Then what... He has the right to freedom of speech and should not be punished for it..whether in uniform or not.....
Actually, I agree with JJ on this. When in uniform, officers are supposed to be apolitical...in uniform, it looks like they are representing what the city believes and what the chief believes and what the department believes. On this issue, I'm sure they all agree, but he should have voiced his opinion out of uniform. I believe there are probably regulations in a handbook that address this type of activity. If so, then the officer did what he did knowing there would be consequences. While I commend the officer for speaking his peace and I agree the PD should get raises and should be paid a heck of a lot more than they are -- he should have done it in plain clothes.
JJ & Eastside -- You two are corect on this to the best of my knowledge . I fully agree that ALL officers in this area need & deserve more pay . You just have to do it in a professional manner .But I can also see where OfficersWife is coming from - He may have to work the nights that the city council meets - So - What do You do ? Thanks !!
quote:
Originally posted by OfficersWife:
Well I failed to mention that he was voicing his opinion on the pay raises the other city employees got and the dept failed to recieve any.. And also what if he is scheduled to work on the nights the coucil meets... Then what... He has the right to freedom of speech and should not be punished for it..whether in uniform or not.....


Non concur. When in uniform an officer's speech and conduct are held to a higher standard than John Q. Public. If he/she felt so strongly about the issue they should have arranged to take the time off and voice their opinion as a concerned citizen and not a uniformed officer.

As for the issue itself, peace officers in this area are grossly underpaid. That is why I spent my 30 yrs. in law enforcement in another part of the country. It's about professionalism and following policy not freedom of speech.
quote:
Originally posted by meee267:
JJ & Eastside -- You two are corect on this to the best of my knowledge . I fully agree that ALL officers in this area need & deserve more pay . You just have to do it in a professional manner .But I can also see where OfficersWife is coming from - He may have to work the nights that the city council meets - So - What do You do ? Thanks !!


You request the night off to attend the meeting. You request the hour off to attend the meeting and you change your clothes. You write letters to the council. You send your wife with a written statement to the council. You write letters to the editor. You go to the News Media -- in plain clothes and off duty -- and state your opinion. There are many ways to skin a cat.
That is not the only officer suspended or fired. Chief Ray has fired a few officers for stupid stuff. That is why morale has crashed at Sheffield. Everyone was so happy when the old chief retired, now it is back to the same old thing.

An officer was just suspended for two weeks for phone video recording a person doing something funny. The officer was wrong but two weeks off not paid is just wrong.
Last edited by colbertcounty1
Thats the reason that Sheffield cannot keep good, honest, dependable officers because of the higher ups looking for excuses to get rid of the ones that dont kiss butt.. Excuse me for being so blunt but... they need someone with some balls over there to run the dept. ColbertCounty1 you are right, they were glad the old chief retired and the new one turned out the same way...PITIFUL!!!!!!!

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