from this week's print edition...
Calling themselves ‘forgotten cops’, a group of correctional officers from various Georgia Department of Corrections facilities are seeking pay increases.
The group has written letters to Gov. Sonny Perdue and various media outlets regarding their plight.
The letters include a petition purportedly signed by dozens of corrections officers, including some who live in Barnesville-Lamar County and work at the Lamar Pre-Release Center off Gordon Road.
The petition alleges officers at one Georgia prison facility staged a sit down strike and were immediately granted a 20% pay increase. The group argues that pay increase should be extended to officers in all the state’s correctional facilities.
The officers seeking change note they keep prisoners year round without benefit of weapons or protective gear but earn far less than state patrolmen, municipal police officers and county deputies.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
26 comments:
I addressed basically this same issue to Governor Perdue and a GA. State Representative last year. The intent was to provide pay increases to all those individuals whose duties take them into harms way. My suggestion was to allow their salary to be tax free. This is actually the same as military member earnings in harms way. An individual could actually experience a pay increase without receiving an increase in pay. The governor said he would give it serious consideration if the legislature would put it before him. A middle GA State Representative was to work and introduce it. I have been unable to get any additional information since.
My suggestion now would be to copy this and ask your state representative the status of it. Perhaps if enough people inquire about it our law enforcement and fire fighters will get a deserving pay increase in the form of tax relief.
Gmac, are you running for office? Name dropping the Governor and already developing legislation. What's up?
wdm - I don't know what your problem is, but FYI. My son (a deputy)was complaining about the poor pay in law enforcement so we come up with some ideas to make the pay better that wouldn't put a burden on local governments. We sent our ideas to the governor. After all, he is the only one that could approve the idea. Now if you have an idea, I would suggest you do the same. I'm sure the men and women in harms way would welcome any help available. However, if you have a personal problem with me, then you can get my number from scoop and call me and we can discuss it. If you prefer to meet face to face, we can do that too. Either way, at least I might could discover what irks you about me offering help, insisting on good government, or who you want to protect.
Remember, the only stupid question is the one that is never ask, and the only stupid idea is one never put on the table to discuss.
Gary M. i think anything to help those folks is a great idea,because they ARE UNDER PAID!!
people like wdm just sit around looking for something to cry about but i'll bet you one thing as soon as something happens to his whinning as!@ he will be on the phone crying where are the police?thanks Gary for standing up for them-- oh by the way ,i was pulled over by Lamar county SO Tues morn. for speeding they were right i was wrong and i'm still gald they were out there
Gmac, Don't try and be big boy with me. It is posted on a previous comment you were running for some political office. Now I see you doing the things want-to-be politicians do, so I wanted to get your side of the story. But save the answer because now I don't care.
forgotten cops? cops my butt! most are want-to-be cops that couldnt pass the physical requirments to get on the force or are bottom of the barrel trash that wants a govt job with govt benifits. take a look at some of the ones here in lamar county. one has an a** wide as a sheet of plywood and as thick as the stump it was cut off of. heck, a scrawney crack head could whip em'.
I have some friends who occupy those positions, and the one thing they all agree on is other law enforcement jobs have received pay increases, but these persons have not. I would hope the governor will act.
Gary I think you are right on the money with this one. Keep up the good work. Ignore the detractors who would rather argue about a subject, rather than take action.
Gary, so far you've been right on the money with everything! I'm with you on this, too.
all i got to say is the two times i'v called lamar co they were there in no time and very profesional some of yall should have lived some of the places i'v lived and see how the cops were in those places
Gmac here is where you and I have a problem. You publicly called out the County Commissioners as lawbreakers & cheats (and more than once.) To this day, you nor any state agency has provided any proof of any wrong-doings by them. You even hired your own outside lawyer who obviously found nothing to substantiate your claims. You spent alot of time and effort in tearing them down publicly and as of now, it appears you were wrong. You publicly humiliated them with this format in front of their families, friends, and community with your accusations. You gave Lamar County a pr black eye because, as of now, none of your claims appear to be true as said by the state. You said bad things about good people and I think you owe some of those folks an apology.
Okay WDM, let’s clear some air. You are commenting without any knowledge of what you’re commenting about. First and most recently is the Ag Authority. I assume that because you haven’t heard any news, you assume everything was on the up and up. Because you have not heard anything new, you shouldn’t assume it’s all over.
Now, let’s discuss misuse of SPLOST money. If you recall last year, our commissioners wanted to borrow money from SPLOST and pay it back later when the money from the new budget came in. Wrong – YES! Illegal – YES!
http://www.accg.org/library/splost_Guide_2005.pdf
Research it yourself. The link will take you to the guide. You will also find additional wrong doings with SPLOST relating to more things that have gone on that I haven’t even brought up. Including returning money back to the county after the SPLOST contract period; for the purpose of reducing the county debt.
The voter list irregularities are now resting with the attorney general. I guess in your mind there were no problems there either. Board members serving that were not county residents happened on both the IDA and on the School Board. They would have likely continued to serve if not challenged.
Do you have any specifics that you would like for me to address?
Let me make another thing clear to you. When I’m wrong, I’ll be the first to admit it. I know that I’m not perfect and I can make mistakes. However, if something stinks in politics, it’s everyone’s responsibility (including you) to question it.
I guess if these comments ruffled your feathers I'll just have to issue you a pre-apology now.
WTG Gary.
Here he goes again...now you are taking credit for the investigation into the voting registrar issues? To quote Carl from Caddyshack "I have to laugh." Gmac, my peace offering is this, public apology for the name calling and we will start with a clean slate.
i love that movie, especially that big rat. he reminds me of soooo many people here in bville. you know, under mining almost everything, poping up every once in a while to start trouble and evading capture at every turn. damn he's cool!
POWP
gary m --stick to your guns buddy,these bums ain't got a CLUE!
before you laugh to much wdm you ought to check the august 22, 2006 edition of the herald gazette then go find you a plate of crow.
9:12 anon, what are you doing reading and studying year old newspapers? Something smells a little fishy with this anonymous. He might not be anonymous at all just hiding.
outclassed and hard headed. a glutten for punishment.
Gmac's classic smoke and mirrors. Your primary residence home town surely has issues you could fix since you seem to have all the answers about everything. But I guess political redderick will not get you far enough there to allow you to use it to further political aspirations. Ironic you discuss people serving that live outside the county as illegal (which it is) when you dont see anything unethical(which it also is) with slandering our folks that do serve.
There is a difference in asking accountability questions and pointing the finger and making accusations. The latter is politically and alteriorly motivated (you) and the first is community concern(not you).
I agree our law inforcement officials are grossly underpaid and under appreciated, and when they get a raise, I guess you'll be there on the message boards to claim credit. I ask the people of this board, if this reminds you of anyone? (prior pres candidate whose invention allows us to post on this board)
This is how people seeking office that have no business being there handle themselves
Anonymous @ 9:00 PM: One thing is for sure. If I have something to say, I'll say it, without hiding behind the name anonymous.
Now I never said or suggested that I have all the answers. I do have some ideas which I am capable of offering which is a damn sight better than doing nothing. Kinda like the nothing you are doing now.
Now another thing. I'm not trying to slander any of the people serving now. But, I'll ask you. If I don't agree with them, am I suppose to fertilize the people with manure and say what a great job our elected ones are doing so they can continue to spread the manure? The only way anyone will ever know that you disapprove of something is for them to be told.
And, I don't ever remember asking you to agree with me on anything. You don't have to.
Another thing is that you don't know me other than the fact that I can attach a name to my comments. That means I'm man enough to stand by my comments and also that I'm capable of saying I'm wrong if necessary because YOU and the rest of the people know who said it.
When and if I ever decide to run for any office, I won't try to baffle anyone with BS. I'll say what I think. If you don't like it then there's always the other person.
Lastly, people that can't stand by their comments "is how people" make comments "that have no business" making them "handle themselves" are fitting words for an anonymous leader.
THE FORGOTTEN COP
What would the adverage citizen say if it were proposed that Police Officers be assigned to a neighborhood which was inhabited by no one but criminals and those Officers would be unarmed, patrol on foot and be heavily outnumbered? I wager that the overwhelming public response would be that the Officers would have to be crazy to acceot such an assignment. however, as you read this , such a scenario is bing played out in all areas of the country. We are Correctional Offiscers, not Guards (who are people that watch school crossings). We work at minimum, medium and maximum security Correctional Facilities. We are empowered by the state to enforcee its penal laws, rules and regulaations of the Department of Correctional service. In short, we are Policemen. Our beat is totally inhabited by covicted felons who, by deinition, are prople who tend to break laws, rules and regulations. We are outnumbered by as many as 50 to 1 at various times of our workday, and contrary popular belief, we work without a sidearm. In short, our neck are on the line every minute every day. A Correction Facility is a very misunderstood environment. the average person has very little knowledge of its workings. Society sends its criminals to correctional facilities, and as time passes, each criminal's crime fades from memory until the collective prison population becomes a horde of bad people being warehouseed away from decent society in a place where they can cause no futher harm. There is also the notion that prison inmates cease to be a problem when they are incarcerated. Correctional Facilities are full of violence perpetrated by the prison population against the prison population and facility staff. Felonies are committed daily but are rarely reported. they are called "unusual incients" and rarely result in criminal prosection. Discipline is handled internally and, as a rule, the public is rarely informed of these crimes. In the course of maintaining order in these facilities, many Officers have endured the humiliation of having urine and feces thrown at them. Uncounted Correctional Officers have been kicked, bittin, stabbed and slashed with home made weapons; taken hostage; murdered; and even raped in the line of duty, all while being legally mandated to maintain their professional composure and refraining from and retaliaton which could be the basis for dismissal from service. In addition to these obvious dangers, correctional Officers face hidden dangers in the form of AIDS, Tuberculosis or Hepatitis Band C Courts are now imposing longer sentences and the prison population is increasing far beyoond the system's designated capacity. As the public demands more police on the street, governments everywhere are cutting police in prison where violence reins supreme, jeopardizing all those working behind prison walls. Although you will never see us on "911" or "Top Cops" we are Law Enforcement professionals. We are the "FORGOTTN COP", hiddin from pubis veiw, doing a dangerous beat, hoping someday to receive the respect and approvel from the public whom "WE SILENTLY SERVE". -WRITER UNKNOWN-
GMAC,
Classic political manuvering to shift the focus on the anonymous post rather than the fact that your slanderous posts are politically motivated. At least you finally are willing to say "When you decide to run" even if you had to throw in teh "and if". Are there no problems that need solving in your real home town? Oh yeah, you conveniently forgot to address that issue, because there is no way to put a political spin on that topic.
I for one wish you would go ahead and run for office, so you can get affirmation that you SHould "fry your fish" where you lay our head each night because the good folks of Lamar County dont need anymore outsiders trying to come in and take over this county the way the same has happened to other counties not far from ours when the growth spurt hits.
8:33 so you see me as an outsider. I don't see it that way. I was born and raised in Lamar County. I've lived there all my life except for the 20 years I spent in the military to defend your freedoms so you can say what you want to. Are you a Lamar native or an alien? Now how and what would you like me to address? Why don't you just spit out the words you want to say. I'll try and not get offended. After all, I ask you to didn't I. And try to do it with a name.
Gmac I've never heard you complain about "anonymous"'s until now. Sucks when they're talking about you doesn't it.
wdm ... wdm ... wdm -
I guess you are getting old. Not long ago you and I discussed this very topic about using a name. I beleive you got riled enough to tell me your name. Also Mr. Morgan, if I'm not mistaken I thanked you for it. However, if I had to take a guess who the anonymous is that I am addressing, I would guess it would be you. And it don't really bother me. I actually enjoy it. People tend to say things they wouldn't normally say face to face so this way you usually get ture feeling expressed. You are fun to carry on a conversation with. Why? Because you never give up and I like that in a person.
Which one of you can p*ss the furtherest. It has got to be some kind of contest going on.
Post a Comment