Sex and the City
This is the opinion of the author, Please read the disclaimer below
Everytime I look up there seems to be a scandal in the paper. The latest of course is with the Jennings City Police. I'll spare you the agony of going over the lucid details again that allegedly involved Capt. Breaux and the Chief of Police Lucky "the Deuce" DeLouche (amateur porn star name that I gave him), Van Comeaux and others.
I don't have any real interest or opinion on "The Deuce's" amateur porno hobby, . A wise young' black man told me once..."Everybody's got a little freak in em' " seems to hold true with every passing day. The shock value for this kind of stuff for me is long gone!
An important point to consider here is that the so called "hostile environment" that existed for 14 years. In my opinion, this kinda skews everything. It brings into play complacency among the cities own employees. Tolerance among those being allegedly harassed and tolerance from those who witnessed it for 14 years, If a hostile work environment existed for 14 years as claimed then everyone from the top down had to see and identify what it was. Yet nobody did anything. There was no enforcement of sexual harassment policy. This reverberates through the entire ranks of the police department, the mayor and the city council. Where are the checks and balances in our political system that prevents public bodies from imploding on themselves? Who's minding the store?
Where were the whistleblowers for the past 14 years? I feel the worst for the rookies and what they got themselves into. For the veterans, they failed to prevent an implosion of their work environment. Was it the fear of losing their job? Is there no job protection for whistleblowers?
In a recent article in the JDN an interview with Capt Taylor was done. Capt Taylor is the interim Police Chief who has his eye on the position and could very well be the man to clean up the place. He stated that "We need to get ourselves regrouped and get a game plan together so we can keep on keeping on! He wants the department to be able to pick its head up and move forward. Morale is going up, but the officers need a shot in the arm, and that can come from the people. The citizens can do the small things like smile, wave, give a handshake and pray for the department. He said a good word goes a long way in boosting the morale of an officer. "
Capt Taylor is correct, but I think the JPD needs to be pro-active. The public will not respond until the officers themselves drop this facade of being hard asses and give themselves a shot in the arm. If they smile...the public will smile back. If they wave, the public will wave back. If they extend their hand for a handshake, it will be met with one. With a pro-active strategy, the image of the city police will change within a matter of weeks. Start by posting one at the entrance to Wal-Mart. Their job is 2 fold. Security and to greet the public. A brief opportunity to meet the public face to face. Hit the streets going from store to store to check on the local business people, greeting the customers as they enter and exit. Get rid of the scowling faces and walking through life like your the ultimate crime fighter. I'm not scared of the cop who thinks he's a bad ass and always looks like he hates the world. I'm more scared of the cop that greets you with a smile, is courteous, friendly and jokes with you while he's kicking your ass!
Make Capt. Taylor, Chief of Police....forget interim...Do it today! Right Now!......He can and will do the job. Make the chief of police an elected office by changing the city charter, so we can formally elect.....Capt. Taylor. I believe the community supports captain Taylor, they like captain Taylor and I for one like many others do not know why in the hell he was not Chief of Police some 15 years ago.
Yes it is time to move forward and put all this behind, but Chief Taylor still has some housecleaning to do. The success will be determined by how proactive the JPD will be. Change first has to occur among the ranks....the public will follow suit. The JPD needs to extend the olive branch to the law abiding public.
Some important policies need to be enforced or adopted. That is the policy of sexual harassment within city employees and a policy that protects whistleblowers. Most companies have already adopted and are enforcing these policies. The possibility of an elected Police Chief should be revisited, so Capt Taylor can be formally elected to the position (yes I'm confident). Finally, I realize the cops have to deal with the worst of society on a daily basis. However they should recognize that we are all not the worst of society. We deserve respect and to be recognized for the resources we pour into law enforcement. When everything is set aside, we are tax payers and they are public servants. Handing our driver warnings are just as effective as writing speeding tickets. Just nail the serious offenders or those who do not heed the warnings. If each officer has a quota of tickets to write...it needs to be relaxed.
If Capt Taylor implements a successful "disaster recovery plan", this thing will end up a pimple on the ass of Jennings history. Don't underestimate the publics ability to forget!
To the women who were sexually harassed......Don't wait 14 years next time, IMO, it casts doubt on your claim!
Disclaimer: "I don't know shit from shinola...this is just my opinion"