Gamewarden TV

[randlemanboater]

Willy,

I don't know how it is up there but here in NC we are having a hard time finding people to hire. I heard that the SHP is down 150 Troopers. We have to fill the spots, so we hire people now that we wouldn't have 10 years ago. I think that has a lot to do with it.

[randlemanboater]

Apparently the Secret Service is having trouble finding people too, I just heard a radio comercial advertising a "job fair" for them in Greensboro comming up.

Probably a pretty good way of getting people, go to cities where the cops are most disgruntled and hire em away.

[willy]

A friend of mine says that some of the towns in Colorado including their state police have raised the hiring age to 45 because they cannot get people. :o Can you imagine starting these jobs at age 45 OMG.
I know a lot of it is they don't want to deal with the piss poor management that goes on in most towns. They don't pay very well in most places. For example top pay here in NJ can vary from 48 G's to 90 G's a year depending on the town for a patrolman. You cannot live in NJ for anything in the lower half of that range and would be struggling at the upper end. Average home price in all but a few run down areas is over 400G's. And in most places you would really like to raise a family the homes are in the 600G's area. And that is if it a smaller home.
The taxes are thru the roof and go up several hundred every year. I have a nice home on two acres, but it is not a new home or a fancy home. 14,000 a year in taxes. I am cheap compared to some.
They will never get top level people until they improve the compensation.
Also ours is one of the only professions where if you want to leave and go to another town or county to work it does not make a diffrence what training and experience you have you have to start at the bottom of the pay scale and seniorty again. Any other profession an experienced and trained person can take another job or position and improve his lot. Threfore there is no competition for the good cops, retention is high because they are stuck or loose tremendously to relocate.
Young people don't want to work long hours and thru the nights and holidays for a low wage scale. They want to be rich, have a job that cares about them, be able to advance within the organization or move to another job without starting over. The generation I came on with and the generation that was before me were veterans, used to tough times and screaming bosses etc. our tolerances for pain, aggravation sleep deprivation were well established before we were brought on. And it was an honored and respected profession.
If a police officer told my dad that I had been screwing off somewhere my a$$ was grass. No argument, no discussion. Today if you don't have video of your kid screwing off they look at you like you had two heads. And even if you do have video it is because of social pressures and the stress of being hounded by the police. ::)
Nowadays police are looked at by a large percentage of the population as an necessary evil.
New people coming on the PD's the past several years are very disenchanted much to early in their carreers for many of these and other reasons. I hope they can make it, the vast majority of the people I have known who wear a badge have good hearts and most care about the people they serve. Some just seem to lose site of it sometimes for the reasons stated and others.

[willy]

And Air, thanks.

[randlemanboater]

Man, Willy is on a roll today.

You are right on all accounts brother.

My department actually has a lateral entry program where we pay for experience. You have to have 2 years on the street to come in that way.


Our top pay for patrolman is not a lot more than your bottom, but you can get a decent house for 100k and a real nice place for 200k.

[willy]

There are a few places that by necessity have had to make changes in lateral moves because they needed bodies.
In NJ it has not happened. And lucky for the towns because the majority of them are run by good old boy systems that are horrible, put flaming A$$holes in charge with no abilities, that could not lead men out of the closet if they had to but they are the personal suckup of someone in the in click. If they actually instituted the effective mangement we are all taught a lot of them would die of massive coronary's.
Every once in awhile a decent guy rises to the top in their respective PD and it is a joy to see the changes in attitudes and performance that occurs.
I'll tell you Randle, if I could move out of this state, if I didn't have to wait for my teens to get thru the school system I would be gone, yesterday.
For you guys still on the job, I wish you all the best. I know why deep inside you guys do the job and God bless you. We can only hope things get better for all of us.

[randlemanboater]

We got room for ya down here in NC when your kids finish up Willy.

One of the good things about being with a bigger dept (580 sworn, close to 800 total employees) is that a fair number of good guys make it up the ladder and counteract the a$$holes. Of course I still work for one of those you described, but he will be gone in 16 months so things are looking up.

[Blue_Runner]

You have to learn how to treat people with respect and dignity. You have to be able to read people, which comes with life experience. You have to be able to see things from other peoples perspective, and realize many of them are afraid of you.
You have to be professional in how you conduct yourself, how and what you say, but many nowadays don't understand that you can be extremely profesional and still have compassion for those you deal with.
You also have to be confident as a man, as a lawman and in your abilities to do what needs to be done.
Those that don't act like those wardens I talked about.

That should be in the academy handbook, 1st page, or maybe a footnote on every page. Mission statement, etc. etc.

Willy, you tha man! Why don't you come down here and run for sheriff?? Remember Gerald Hege - I know you've heard of him. Yep that's my county. ;)

[willy]

He was a piece of work huh. Pink jail cells ::)
You guys might be a little to flambouyant for me ;D