ATTENTION: LP AND BARRY J OFFICERS
Please listen to me and read this article in its entirety. Please read with an open mind and understand I am not being disrespectful to you. But I am addressing an issue that needs to be addressed because this issue is affecting all of us. As President of this wonderful union that I love so much, I’m asked questions all the time by officers working in the halls. What is the union doing about unsafe working conditions in the halls? What are you doing about holdovers?
Well, let me address it this way. This is not a new problem. In 2016-21 if I recall correctly, the halls, specifically Barry J at the time, was off the hook. There was a lot of gang violence. There were A LOT OF ATTACKS on officers, nurses, teachers, and anyone who entered a unit. The youth were also destroying County property causing the Probation Department thousands of dollars in damage with no corrective actions (consequences). Some officers were seriously hurt. Some with life threatening injuries. Some of those officers are still out on medical leave and others have resigned from the department altogether.
During this time, two officers died in the line of duty while another officer was almost beat to death. Not to mention, some officers were so stressed out that they (we) developed medical conditions that we never had prior to these stressful working conditions. For example, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, anxiety, mental health related issues, migraines caused by stress. Have you ever tried working with a migraine? Some officers were placed on medications that had negative side effects that didn’t allow them (us) to drive, caused dizziness, fatigue, suicidal thoughts, sleepless nights, and the list goes on. This was a nightmare for the department as a whole. It was (is) a nightmare for line staff today as well.
During this time period, there was very little empathy for the officers in the halls dealing with and living in this stressful situation. Instead, advocate groups, the Probation Oversight Commission, the Board of Supervisors, the DA, and our own department failed us. Laws were created that restricted us from doing our jobs. By the way, many hard-working officers were fired for protecting themselves from brutal attacks by the youth. Resources were taking away and as officers we had to make decisions that were self-motivated. They call this self-preservation.
With that being said, Sisters and Brothers, we cannot revert back to those years where we continue to call out in record numbers leaving our Sisters and Brothers at work understaffed. Not showing up for work does more harm than good. I know it’s scary working in some of our units wondering if we will leave work in a body bag. Sisters and Brothers, not showing up for work is not the answer. When we don’t show up for work, here is what it does. It cripples us as a DEPARTMENT. Because of our staffing shortages in the halls, we have now crippled the field. Some of our clients in the field do not see their POs because their POs are in the halls. This is causing a mess. Our clients in the field deserve better.
So, moving forward, my team and I will be reaching out to you for ideas to make things better for you in the halls. In the meantime, come to work, attend union meetings, get involved in what the union leadership is doing. Be part of the solution. As it stands right now, the DPO 2s are holding it down. They are fighting for you and your rights to be safe and most of you are not there. We need you, your ideas and your commitment. Oh yea, holdovers. I don’t know about you, but when it’s time for me to go home, I want to go home. Don’t come talking about I’m being held over. That pisses me off to the max. I worked my shift and at the end of it, I’m out.
Our plan moving forward: All 685 members will be asked to sign a petition demanding that Article 12, Page 27 in our contract be recognized by the department (safety). Sisters and Brothers, there must be accountability and corrective actions in the halls. The youth and young adults cannot continue to run amok without being corrected. Once the membership signs the petition, we will present a letter with the petition to the Chief demanding that Article 12, Page 27 be enforced by the department. A copy of the letter and petition will be delivered to the Chief, the BOS, and the POC by me and our legal team. Depending on the Chief’s response to the letter, will determine our next move. As your president, my team and I will fight for our safety. In order for this to work, you (DSOs and Sr. DSOs) have to fight with us.
The goal is (1) stabilize the halls with accountability where the youth and young adults know there are boundaries. When these boundaries are violated, there will be immediate corrective actions. (2) Once we stabilize the halls, and we will with your involvement, we will then work on getting our DPO 2s back to their area office. This can and will be done if we come together as a union. When the time comes, when it becomes necessary, we will be calling on you to show up at POC meetings, BOS meetings, Union Strategy meetings, and to speak up.
Sisters and Brothers in the halls, please come to work and the holdovers will stop. Please don’t send me emails telling me how I suck as a president and how you don’t appreciate this article. Send me emails asking what you can do to help. Together we can move mountains. I am so excited about this fight. I am all in.
LET’S GO 685. WE CAN DO THIS. WE CAN TURN THIS THING AROUND.
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