Saturday, June 21, 2014

'Market Place' story on NJ cops suing bosses


The ‘Marketplace’ story that I was featured on concerning cops suing bosses can be seen and heard on this link: Who sues police departments the most? Police officers

Unfortunately, Sally Herships didn’t have time to look beyond New Jersey…or consider fire departments.  You and I know that this issue exists in many states.  In the end it can be traced back to ineffective IA/OPS operations and either lazy or abusive bosses. 

We do have some officers who simply won’t accept any responsibility for their own actions and will fight any censorship or discipline.  But even those officers can be nullified when the administrative investigation is done in a reasonable and defensible manner.  Cutting corners and hastily done investigations will always get us in trouble and feed the employees who want to show that the bosses, or as they call them in fire departments the ‘white shirts,’ are just out to get them.

Friday, June 20, 2014

When cops sue their employer.


Last week I worked with a reporter from NPR’s ‘Marketplace’ on a story about New Jersey cops suing their employers.  The local report can be found at

She was astounded by the fact that these cases cost the local jurisdictions in New Jersey more than lawsuits brought by citizens accusing police misconduct.  But, this is really an issue throughout the country.  The reporter hasn’t even considered the issue with firefighters or arbitration awards. 

If there is one common denominator in these cases, it’s that the agency’s IA/OPS process generally is flawed.  Sure some chiefs and sheriffs have vendettas against an employee usually because they challenge the boss, are lazy, or go behind the boss’ back to local politicians.  In their haste to do something, the chief or sheriff often cuts corners on the methodical process of the administrative investigation.

Other times the haste in the internal investigation is generated by a sudden outcry from a local politician or the media.  The chief or sheriff now wants to show that s/he is the boss and takes premature disciplinary action.  Someone has to tell the boss to slow down; take the reasonable approach to the investigation; and then administer fair, reasonable and defensible discipline.

The IA/OPS operation should be conducted in a responsible way to address all of the stakeholders in the process: the aggrieved person, the accused employee, the agency, and the community served by the agency.