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I can pretty much forget about being a cop now, can't I?

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  • #1

    I can pretty much forget about being a cop now, can't I?

    Let me make a long story really short. I've been a dispatcher at a smallish police department and was going to attend the academy and become a police officer in March. Here's what happened about 2 weeks ago:

    - I'm dispatching, leave my terminal logged in like everyone else does
    - Someone runs an out-of-state plate through my terminal that comes back to a missing person
    - It's my name logged in, so they question me (and only me) about why it was run, and I have no idea
    - They badger, harass and interrogate me for a week every day I work and call 2-3 times a day on my pass time
    - D/Sgt. finally calls me in on pass time and interrogates me for an hour and a half, threatening me with FBI action, polygraphs, etc.
    - Chief calls me in and tells me that they don't believe me and I should put in my two weeks' notice.

    I mean sure, I technically quit, but I gotta believe that if and when anyone calls from another department he's going to tell them what happened or what they suspected me of, right? At the very least if they say "Is this person eligible for rehire?" Of course he's not going to say yes.

    The part that ****es me off the most is that I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG. I had a job I enjoyed, I finally was achieving my goal of becoming a cop and it's all gone now because someone did something while my back was turned, I was taking a ****, I went out to get some air, or whatever I was doing that I wasn't at the computer. I got to take the fall for it.

    Should I even bother trying to get on anywhere else?
    Tags: None
  • #2
    No union there I take it??
    "Respect for religion must be reestablished. Public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of public officials must be curtailed. Assistance to foreign lands must be stopped or we shall bankrupt ourselves. The people should be forced to work and not depend on government for subsistence." - Cicero, 60 B.C.

    For California police academy notes go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CABasicPolice/

    Comment

    • #3
      Originally posted by pkagel
      No union there I take it??
      Ha! I was part-time, no union representation. I consulted our family's attorney in the matter and he said that what happened is the best that could come of a bad situation. I could sue for my job back, but would I really want to go back to work there? They could fire me for violating a security procedure by leaving my terminal logged in (even though everyone does it and I was told to do it in training). So they could get around "wrongful termination" suits also. I was ****ed, but he's right.

      Comment

      • #4
        Do you have any proof that you were told to do that in training? Have you figured out who actually did it?

        Originally posted by EMTFirefighter
        Ha! I was part-time, no union representation. I consulted our family's attorney in the matter and he said that what happened is the best that could come of a bad situation. I could sue for my job back, but would I really want to go back to work there? They could fire me for violating a security procedure by leaving my terminal logged in (even though everyone does it and I was told to do it in training). So they could get around "wrongful termination" suits also. I was ****ed, but he's right.
        "Respect for religion must be reestablished. Public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of public officials must be curtailed. Assistance to foreign lands must be stopped or we shall bankrupt ourselves. The people should be forced to work and not depend on government for subsistence." - Cicero, 60 B.C.

        For California police academy notes go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CABasicPolice/

        Comment

        • #5
          Originally posted by pkagel
          Do you have any proof that you were told to do that in training? Have you figured out who actually did it?
          No real proof, just remember one of my first days the Sr. Dispatcher telling me "Oh, just sign in and set the timeout to 30 minutes." I was never even shown how to logout, I figured it out myself later though. Everyone just lets their session time out.

          I have no idea who did it. It was the end of a busy 12 hour shift, I don't even remember if I was in the room.

          Comment

          • #6
            Well, Personally, and I have nothing to back this up, pure opinion, but I think you should have made them fire you. If they couldn't proove it and presidence has been set with the other dispatchers leaving their terminals logged in then you'd have a case. Being that you quit, it is all on you though, hence he told you to quit.
            "Respect for religion must be reestablished. Public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of public officials must be curtailed. Assistance to foreign lands must be stopped or we shall bankrupt ourselves. The people should be forced to work and not depend on government for subsistence." - Cicero, 60 B.C.

            For California police academy notes go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CABasicPolice/

            Comment

            • #7
              Originally posted by pkagel
              Well, Personally, and I have nothing to back this up, pure opinion, but I think you should have made them fire you. If they couldn't proove it and presidence has been set with the other dispatchers leaving their terminals logged in then you'd have a case. Being that you quit, it is all on you though, hence he told you to quit.
              I don't want a "case." I don't give a damn about some stupid $10/hr. dispatching job. I'm worried about the long-term consequences.

              Comment

              • #8
                right or wrong I've seen a lot of places that will let the incident be swept under the rug if you quit and not mention it to departments you apply at

                Comment

                • #9
                  Originally posted by Lay109
                  right or wrong I've seen a lot of places that will let the incident be swept under the rug if you quit and not mention it to departments you apply at
                  How could I not mention it? I'm sure they'd notice the 200-mile move for a 7-month gap of unemployment.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Just out of curiousity, why does running an out of state plate get you in so much trouble? I know I've run plates before and sometimes I typed it incorrectly and got the wrong info back, could that have been possible in your case?

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Lay109
                      right or wrong I've seen a lot of places that will let the incident be swept under the rug if you quit and not mention it to departments you apply at

                      That's the WORST thing anyone could do! As a B.I. for my department, I promise that would get you disqualified quicker than anything. Failure to disclose is a major no-no. I don't think this alone would keep you from a job, especially if you can substantiate the fact that it was common to leave your terminal unlocked. That really isn't all that uncommon, especially if the room is secure and anyone with access to the terminal is qualified to run it. Sounds kind of odd they would make a big stink over it.
                      God made cops so firemen would have heroes.

                      You do not greet Death; you punch him in the throat repeatedly as he drags you away.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        From what I'm seeing, it's because it involved a missing persons' case, the plate was run, so they figure EMT must have some sort of insiders' info on the missing person.

                        I wouldn't have resigned, let them prove it was YOU who entered the plate.

                        In an interview, I'd also mention it because you can be sure they'll find out somehow, and it's better if you're on the up and up about it rather than looking like you're trying to hide something. Bodes well to integrity.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          does your dept not record all radio transmissions, if they do, there is your proof, time the plate was entered, and whose voice is on the tape, we were a smaller dept, but everything was recorded.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            I know everytime I run a plate my dsn is recorded so there has to be some paper trail to the officer who ran the plate.

                            Did you make anybody mad before this happened?
                            John D. MacDonald, "The early bird who catches the worm works for someone who comes in late and owns the worm farm."

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Originally posted by formercop
                              I wouldn't have resigned, let them prove it was YOU who entered the plate.
                              Exactly! I would have fought them to the very end, tooth and nail. Even if you would not want to stay with the department long-term, getting your job back would keep your employment history in tact and would look more favorable to other PD's when applying for officer positions in the future. Having your job back, I would then apply to every department to get out on *your own terms*, not theirs.

                              K9

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